Two Geeks And A Git Classic Movie Reviews

The second film in our pairing celebrating the movie serials of old moves ahead 7 years to another episodic hero, the legendary Zorro! Directed by Martin Campbell, "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) tells the story of the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), and his capture and the kidnapping of his infant daughter. Flash forward 20 years and we meet the infamous Murrieta Brothers, Joaquin (Victor Rivers) and Alejandro (Antonio Banderas), wanted outlaws who are... different than they seem at first. After a run-in with the remorseless Captain Harrison Love (Matt Letscher) who is working for the original Zorro's nemesis, Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), fate intervenes and connects Diego and Alejandro, and the former agrees to tutor the latter and help him become the new Zorro! Plus, with Montero's return comes the return of Elena Montero (Catherine Zeta-Jones), actually Elana de la Vega, and, as they say, the plot thickens! Plus, because, according to Jeff's calendar, Halloween season starts Sept

Back in the day, audiences were treated to episodes of movie serials before the main feature when going to the picture shows. This pairing celebrates those old serials, the ones that inspired George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. This week, it's the film based on the serial-turned-comic book "The Rocketeer" from 1991! Originally called "The Rocket Man" as a serial, this film tells the story of racing pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell)and his chief mechanic Peevy Peabody (Alan Arkin) who find a strange rocket-pack stowed in their hanger. When an old friend tries to fly Cliff's "clown act" and gets in trouble, Cliff dons the rocket back and blasts into the sky to save him, the first sighting of "The Rocketeer!" But add in the FBI, the mafia, and the Nazis, and the story just gets stranger from there! Co-starring the lovely Jennifer Connelly, Timothy Daltin, Paul Sorvino, Terry O'Quinn, Eddie Jones, William Sanderson, and Margo Martindale, this is a fantastic love-letter to the cinematic episodes of the 1930s! Pl

The second film in our Paul Verhoeven pairing is one that fully displays the satirical nature of this director's work, much more so than the first film we reviewed. Moving ahead a decade, we find ourselves a couple hundred years in the future, and the world now lives under a single government. Unfortunately, it is a fascist government, one that lies to its citizens and seduces its young people into throwing their lives away in Military Service, all so they can become "Citizens" and earn the right to vote. This story follows high school graduates Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), Isabel "Dizzy" Flores (Dina Meyer) and Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris) as they all decide to join the Federation Military and enlist in the war against the "Bugs," an alien species intent on protecting their territory after a group of Mormons decide to settle on one of their planets unasked. The true genius of Verhoeven's vision is on clear display in this film, and its depiction of the inherent violen

We're focusing on Dutch director Paul Verhoeven for the next two films, starting with his first U.S. blockbuster, 1987's "Robocop." Verhoeven, and writers Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, took what was basically a rip-off of the movie "Terminator" and turned it into a satire of corporate America. Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is a cop in future Detroit. He's just been transferred to a precinct deep in the crime-ridden "Old Detroit," and assigned as partner to Officer Lewis (Nancy Allen). On their first day out, Murphy is essentially killed, only to re-awaken in a laboratory of sorts. It turns out that OCP, the company who has privatized the police force, has plans for what's left of Murphy. Through a lengthy transformation, they replace much of his body with robotic and computer components and turn him into the one-man police force equivalent known as Robocop. But is Murphy really gone, or is he still in there somewhere? And can be bring down both the criminals who did this to him and the evil corporation that

The second film in our pairing focusing on the work of Willem Dafoe resulted in one of his two Academy Award nominations. The year is 1922, and acclaimed director F. W. Murnau (John Malkovich) is shooting what he hopes will be the ultimate Vampire film! Unfortunately, he was unable to get the right to "Dracula" from Bram Stoker's widow, so the names are changed, including calling the vampire "Count Orlok" and retitling the film "Nosferatu." His leading man, Gustav von Wangenheim (Eddie Izzard) and lady, Greta Schroder, have already started filming, and Murnau has his producer Albin Grau (the great Udo Kier) and the writer of the screenplay Henrik Galeen (Aden Gillett) at his side when they move the shoot to Czechoslovakia. There, the production meets up with Murnau's secret weapon: A German method actor named Max Schreck, who is protraying Count Orlok. But as the shoot continues, strange events begin to unfold, and one by one, the crew begin to suspect that, perhaps, Schreck isn't just playing a vampire... he

This pairing is dedicated to one of the most prolific and talented character actors working: Willem Dafoe. The trio chose two films that they believe demonstrate the versatility that makes this gentlemen one of the great character actors of our time! First up: It's writer/director Troy Duffy's brainchild that almost didn't end up seeing the light of day, but ultimately created a film that is beloved of many around the world. Two Irish-Catholic brothers, Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) MacManus believe themselves to be the hand of God, and that He has chosen them to rid Boston of evil men. Their first task is to save their neighborhood pub from Russian mobsters. This, however, draws the attention of FBI Agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) who begins to hunt the brothers as they continue to try to clean up their Boston neighborhood. This is a tour de force for Dafoe as perhaps one of the most entertaining FBI agents ever put on film!

The second documentary in the pairing resulted in as wide a split amongst the hosts as any film reviewed thus far! Thierry Guetta moved from France to the United States in the early 1980s. He believed that every moment should be recorded because we just don't know when moments will stop being made by certain people, so he began filming everything in his life, to the point where he was never seen without a camera. Thanks to a relative, he began filming the world of street art, and slowly became known to the community. But it was a chance meeting with the famous artist Banksy that changed his life, although some would say not for the better. Initially, Guetta was the filmmaker the Banksy the subject, but partway through the story, they exchange roles, with Banksy documenting the rise of Guetta's art-making alter-ego, "Mr. Brainwash." A documentary unlike any other made, at least when this came out, and to this day no one really knows if it's a legitimate documentary or another of Banksy's statements on the hypo

It is to documentaries that we go for this pairing, starting with a favorite of all three hosts! Kirby Dick, two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, turned to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the organization that provides the ratings for all films released in the United States, at least those that want to be shown in established theater chains. He attempted to discover how the ratings system works, but found out so much more! He discovered that the MPAA is, essentially, a private clandestine organization whose membership is kept a closely-guarded secret, and that there is no one on the ratings board, or the ratings appeals board, who has any education in film! In fact, all but one person on the ratings board is in violation of even the MPAA's own rules on who can be a rater! But to find all of this out, he turned to a private investigator in Los Angeles who helped him discover who the secret raters actually are, and revealed the one-sided application of Christian dogma t

Our second film in our pairing honoring the late Ned Beatty couldn't be more different from the first. From backwoods horror, we turn to the father of all modern superhero films, the first theatrical outing for a comic book character to present its story seriously for adult audiences! Richard Donner, who also recently passed away on July 5th, 2021, led an all-star cast including Margo Kidder, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Valerie Perrine, and Marlon Brando to create the film that made audiences believe a man could fly. But it was newcomer, Juilliard-trained actor, Christopher Reeve, who brought both Clark Kent and Superman to the screen in a way no actor will ever surpass, in 1978's "Superman: The Movie!" From Hackman's suave and insidious Lex Luthor, to Kidder's gumption-filled Lois Lane, to Reeve's dual identity, this film is replete with performances that were Oscar-worthy, regardless of whether the Academy recognized them as such or not (hint: they didn't). And when you add in speci

For this pairing, we are honoring actor Ned Beatty, who passed away on June 13th, 2021. To do so, however, we're pairing what are arguably his two most noteworthy films, but two films that absolutely do not go together well, so this becomes our most unusual pairing yet! The first film in the pairing is also Ned Beatty's first theatrical film, and one that got him noticed by Hollywood. Alongside Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, and fellow first-timer Ronny Cox, and directed by John Boorman, this film follows four friends from Atlanta who choose to go out into the wilds and travel down the Cahulawassee River in Georgia, before a nearby dam is finished that will destroy the river and the surrounding land, burying it under a man-made lake. Unfortunately, the world the four enter is one where unforgiving nature will have its way, and the Mountain folk they encounter act as its footservants. Between the locals, and the perils of the river itself, the adventure turns quickly into a horror that only some of them will survi

The second film in the pairing Jeff calls "The Myth of the Post-Apocalyptic Recovery" moves ahead in real time six years to 1976. Based on a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johns, and directed by Michael Anderson, this film introduces viewers to a seeming utopia within a domed city. Run by computer, each person born has a crystal embedded in the palm of their left hand, which changes color as they age. When the crystal quickly blinks red and black, they are expected to report to the arena-like "Carousel" where they will attempt to gain renewal and be born again. Those who run from this responsibility are known, fittingly enough, as runners, and it is the job of the Sandmen to hunt them down and kill them. The story follows Logan 5 (Michael York) and Francis 7 (Richard Jorden), two Sandmen who revel in their work. But when a chance encounter with an ankh ensares Logan in the master computer's quest to find a place called "Sanctuary," his lifeclock is sped up and he become a runner himself. He

This pairing is what Jeff calls "The Myth of the Post-Apocalyptic Recovery," in that both films take place after an armageddon of sorts, when life has supposedly gotten back to an idyllic status quo. The first film in the pairing is a rarity on this podcast: A sequel! Only the third sequel reviewed thus far. It's 1970's budget-crippled "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." The film picks up at the final moments of the original, and follows Taylor (Charlton Heston) and Nova (Linda Harrison) as they head out into the wilds of the Forbidden Zone. After trying to confront something that could not possibly be, Taylor vanishes, and Nova stumbles upon Brent (James Franciscus), another astronaut who was part of the mission to find out what happened to Taylor and his comrades. Nova leads Brent to Cornelius (this time played by David Watson) and Zira (Kim Hunter), after which they escape capture and flee into the Forbidden Zone, only to find out there are other humans left alive as well, but not quite fully human any longe

We have to move ahead 27 years to find our other Stephen King adaptation, which also turns out to be about a hotel, but this time is not about the hotel itself, but a specific room IN the hotel, a room that has been blamed for over 50 deaths. In 2007's "1408," director Mikael Håfström spins a tale based on a King short story about another writer, Mike Enslin (John Cusack) who, despondent over the death of his daughter Katie (Jasmine Jessica Anthony), has abandoned his wife Lily (Mary McCormack) and his aging father (Len Cariou) to begin writing books which debunk the idea of spirits and hauntings. When he receives a postcard warning him not to enter room 1408 at the Dolphin hotel in New York, he reluctantly returns to the city he lived in before with his family, and goes to the hotel. The manager of the hotel, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) tries his best to dissuate Mike from staying in the room, but in the end Mike's stubbornness wins out and he enters the killer room. What happens then is a slowly-evolvin

We dedicate this pairing to how difficult it seems to be to successfully adapt a Stephen King story for the big screen! We've chosen two examples of when it's been done right, starting with the Stanley Kubrick-directed horror classic, 1980's "The Shining!" Based on the King novel with a screenplay written by Kubrick and Diane Johnson, this film is a tour de force of how to make a movie audiences will love and the author will hate. The film stars Jack Nicholson as writer Jack Torrence. He's looking for a job while he's working on his novel and chooses winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in Colorado. He travels there with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and his son Danny (Danny Lloyd). There, they meet Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers), who immediately connects with Danny on the basis of their shared psychic gift. He warns Danny that the Overlook is a place he must be careful in, and it turns out to be prophecy as the hotel reveals its ghostly spirits, along with the alcoholic variety as well, as it begins t

The second film in our pairing celebrating the great city of Chicago is a true American classic, and absolutely deserving of being included on this podcast! From the last film, we move ahead six years to 1986 and the John Hughes-directed hit film that is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off!" The story follows young Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) as he attempts to finagle his 9th sickday during his senior year of high school. After rousting his somewhat hypocondriacal friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck) and convincing him to come over, they hatch a scheme to spring Ferris' girlfriend Sloane Peterson (the stunning Mia Sara) from class. They run afoul, however, of the Dean of Students Ed Rooney and his somewhat vapid secretary Grace (Edie McClurg). The charming trickster and his friends navigate the Chicago landscape throughout the day, dodging repeated attempts by Rooney to catch him. This film is beloved by people of all generations and the topic of frequent questions as to why we haven't reviewed it yet, so we are fixi

This pairing is unlike any we've done before: It's a geographical pairing, with films set in and around the great city of Chicago, Illinois! First up, one of the few successful films to spin off from a Saturday Night Live skit. Directed by the amazing John Landis, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star as (respectively) Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues, otherwise known as the Blues Brothers. When the orphanage they grew up in is threatened by a tax bill it can't pay, the duo head out on a "mission from god" to reunite their old band and gig their way to five thousand dollars! Along the way they meet up with many different police officers, and a group of Illinois nazis, as they try to make it to the Palace Hotel Ballroom and play their show! This film features amazing music throughout from R-and-B artists famous for their skill and talent, along with the original Blues Brothers band from SNL as well!

The second film in our "Psychedelic 70s Animation" pairing moves ahead four years from the last, to 1977, and features the work of underground animator extraordinaire Ralph Bakshi and his film "Wizards!" In a post-apocalyptic world, magic and technology co-exists, although technology is forbidden as it caused the destruction of the world once already. A pair of brothers, born to a fairy queen, face off against each other, as one embraces nature and magic while the other seeks power in technology and stumbles upon relics of the old world: Nazi propaganda! He uses it to rally his troops like never before and to lay siege to the peaceful magical kingdoms. Only the good brother, along with a (mostly) fairy princess and an elven warrior, along with a former assassin turned helper, seek to find the leader of the mutants and put a stop to the war once and for all! A true classic, and a final confrontation like no other in cinematic history! Plus, the trio discuss which American city is the focus of their next pairin

We begin our "Psychedelic 70s Animation" pairing with a film from 1973, started in Czechoslovakia and completed in France, a film that took five years to finish, and which won the audience award at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Rene Laloux, with a score written by Alain Goraguer, this film tells the story of a planet of human-like creature known only as the Oms, who are either pets or vermin to the ruling species, the Draags. The story follows an Om named Terr (voiced by Barry Bostwick), orphaned through the unintentional cruelty of a group of adolescent Draags, who is adopted as a pet by the Draag female Tiwa (voiced by Jennifer Drake) and raised to adulthood. Terr learns the same knowledge that Tiwa is absorbing and leads a revolt amongst the Oms to try to save their species. Beautiful animation and a quality score, nevertheless not all three of the hosts were as enamoured as some, resultinng in a rather spirited discussion and some... unique comparisons!

This film is part two of the pairing of "Psychopath" films, with the movie requested by listener Joe Nash, a rather searing indictment of Wall Street and the end of the Reagan era, 2000's "American Psycho." Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) seems to have it all! Co-workers he can socialize with (Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, and Jared Leto), his doting girlfriend Evalyn (Reese Witherspoon), his devoted secretary Jean (Chloe Sevigny), and his mistress Courtney (Samantha Mathis). But what he doesn't have is peace of mind, or happiness, or satisfaction, or any other vaguely positive human emotion. Instead, he begins a killing spree of people he decides he has nothing in common with. This brings him to the attention of Detective Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe), and starts his desparate spiral into true madness and self-destruction... or does it? This is one of those films where everyone has a slightly different take on the way it ends, reading it however their brain deciphers the flimic text. Plus, the geeks reveal wh

This pairing comes at the suggestion of a listner! Joe Nash sent us a request to review a film we thought this one would pair nicely with, so we begin this pairing with one of only three films to win the "Big-5" Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay, 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs." Directed masterfully by Jonathan Demme, with the screenplay from Ted Tally (based on the novel by Thomas Harris), the film follows FBI Trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she is recruited by the Head of Behaviorial Sciences, Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) to go and attempt to compile a profile of famous cannibal and serial-killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Sir Anthony Hopkins). The FBI is currently trying to locate the killer they call Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) who has just kidnapped Catherine Martin (Brooke Smith) the daughter of a prominent senator. Through twists and turns, Lecter becomes a second mentor to Starling as they both pursue their individual goals, hers to