Jaws (1975)

When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.

A brilliantly executed monster movie that launched the director's even more brilliant career.

On renewed viewing: it is remarkable how an old-hat exploitation story is surehandedly turned into an exciting and highly entertaining movie, perfectly balancing humor and shocks.

Halliwell**: "In the exploitation-hungry seventies this film took more money than any other. In itself, despite genuinely suspenseful and frightening sequences, it is a slackly narrated and sometimes flatly handled thriller with an over-abundance of dialogue and, when it finally appears, a pretty unconvincing monster."

Maltin****: "A rare case of a bubble-gum story...scoring as a terrific movie...Hold on to your seats!"

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

After an encounter with U.F.O.s, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

This absorbing science fiction movie be acme an instant classic and is probably the film that best demonstrates Steven Spielberg's magical and optimistic vision of man's future; it's also groundbreaking for introducing aliens as benevolent.

Halliwell*: "There's a lot of padding in this slender fantasy, which has less plot and much less suspense than It Came From Outer Space which was made on a tiny budget in 1955; but the technical effects are masterly though their exposure is over-prolonged, and the benevolent mysticism filled a current requirement of popular taste, accounting for the enormous box-office success of a basically flawed film. Much of the dialogue is inaudible."

Maltin****: "Superb, intelligent sci-fi...Dreyfuss is perfect Everyman...Powerhouse special effects throughout, plus John Williams' evocative score. Vilmos Zsigmond's won an Oscar."

Paranoia (2013)

An entry-level employee at a powerful corporation finds himself occupying a corner office, but at a dangerous price: he must spy on his boss's old mentor to secure for him a multi-billion dollar advantage.

A vacant pretty boy hardly can compete against the senior stars in this hollow and anaemic thriller; the makers certainly didn't consult a dictionary when choosing the title.

Maltin**: "Industrial espionage thriller...the chases, twists, and "accidents" are merely about the next big thing in phones. So what?"