Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

Film number two in our look at Neo-Noir films comes from 2006. Director Allen Coulter and writer Paul Bernbaum tackle the story of what, exactly, happened to actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck), star of the first television series featuring Superman. The film starts just after Reeves' death, as private detective Louis Simo (Adrian Brody) investigates what, at first, appears to be a suicide. Hired by Reeves' mother Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith), he begins to uncover the life of the actor, and the various directions his career had taken. Reeves was involved with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), wife of MGM studio head Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins). Eddie has a mistress, so it's ok with him for Toni to have a lover we well. But after Superman is cancelled, George and Toni separate and Reeves takes up with a younger woman, Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) who his mother doesn't approve of at all. As Simo gets closer and closer to figuring out if it was suicide or murder, his own life begins to come apart. It doesn't stop him from trying his best to solve the case, however. Plus, the trio unveil which film, and its twenty-five-years-later sequel, will make up the next pairing!

Neo-Noir films make up this pairing, both films having been suggested by a friend of Chad's. First up, to Tinseltown we turn, and the sprawl of humanity that exists around in in director Curtis Hanson's 1997 film "L.A. Confidential." The film follows three LA police detectives: Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), Bud White (Russell Crowe), and Ex Exley (Guy Pearce). Vincennes works with a yellow journalist, Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito) exposing drug-related busts for the publicity, while Jack works as a technical consultant to a popular TV show, "Badge of Honor." White has used his badge as a means to pursue any and all men who abuse women and he deals with them in some rather illegal ways. Exley is a young cop with political ambitions who doesn't care who else on the police force is upset by the way he plays the game. All three find themselves dealing with an organized crime vacuum after a powerful local mobster is taken off the board. It's a twisting tale of assumptions, manipulation, backstabbing, and exactly how far over the line each of our detectives is willing to go in order to solve the case and seek their own personal goals! Also starring Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, and Ron Rifkin.

Moving into the 21st century from our last film, we also move across the Atlantic to the country of Norway for our second film. Directed by Tommy Wirkola and written by Wirkola and Stig Frode Henriksen, 2009's "Dead Snow" combines zombie lore with that of the ancient Norse myth of the draug (undead who spend their afterlife protecting their treasure, usually ill-gotten). A group of medical students head to a remote cabin for a weekend away from their studies. Owned by their friend Sara (Ane Dahl Torp), Erlend (Jeppe Beck Laursen), Hanna (Charlotte Frogner), Chris (Jenny Skavian), Martin (Geir Vegar Hoel), Roy (Stig Frode Henriksen) and Vegard (Lasse Valdal) get as close they can by car, then snowmobile or hike 45 minutes to the cabin. That night, a mysterious hiker appears at their door and tells them the story of a group of German Nazis who, back in WWII, subjugated and abused a nearby town, stealing all their valuables. Supposedly, the Nazis were especially fierce in their desire to keep their plundered gold. The next day, Vegard goes off in search of Sara (who has yet to turn up), while the rest at the cabin find a box with gold and jewelry beneath the cabin. This discover, however, triggers an attack by the Nazis, now undead, who still believe the treasure is theirs and are willing to eat anyone trying to take it! A truly unique dark comedy that includes some knowledge of horror tropes on the part of the characters, making for some rather stunning scenes! Plus, Chad reveals which two films, suggested by a listener and friend of his, will make up the next pairing!

Halloween may be over, but the horror fun just keeps on a-comin'! This pairing is dedicated to another sub-genre of horror, that of horror comedy (or horror parody). First up, it's the original slasher parody that people who saw it in the 80s remember so fondly and everyone else has no idea about! Written and directed by Michael Ritchie (under the pseudonym Mickey Rose), 1981's "Student Bodies" was a direct response to all of the horror films that came before it (and the small fortune they all earned at the box office)! It's just another school day at Lamab High School, except that someone has killed two of its students just as they were about to have sex. The audience knows it's the madman known as "The Breather," but the rest of the students are oblivious, as are most of the faculty. Only virginal Toby (Kristen Riter) has the formula figured out - that sex kills! Unfortunately, that also lands her as suspect #1 in the killings! A truly unique film that skewers all of the traditions and tropes of 70s horror by pointing out the flaws in logic usually demonstrated by those in such situations! Also starring Matt Goldsby, Jerry Belson, Joe Flood, Joe Talarowski, Mimi Weddell, and Patrick "The Stick" Boone Varnell.

Our second folk horror film comes from right at the edge of our timeline, but is a perfect example of the resurgence of Folk Horror seen in the U.S. and the UK in the last decade! Written and directed by Robert Eggers, 2015's "The Witch" follows a 17th century family exiled from their community for practicing a form of Christianity the rest of the town disapproved of. William (Ralph Ineson), the father, and Katherine (Kate Dickie), the mother, leave with their children, eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), eldest son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), the twins Joseph (Lucas Dawson) and Mercy (Ellie Grainger), and infant son Samuel (Axtun Henry and Athan Conrad Dube) for a life alone in the woods. Struggling to raise enough food for the winter, the family has also a few chickens and a few goats, including a large black billygoat named Black Phillip. They believe a witch lives in the woods nearby, and the children are therefore forbidden to enter. After Samuel is taken, supposedly by wolves, the family's fortunes start to sink, and the members of the family begin to turn on one-another, as witchcraft becomes the primary reason blamed for all that befalls them. Ultimately, Christianity cannot stop the forces that are conspiring against the family, and they must confront the reality of their situation, even when that reality contradicts their strongly-held beliefs! Plus, the trio reveal which two horror comedies will make up the next pairing!

Happy Halloween! It's that time of year where horror films are 'in vogue' and we here at Two Geeks and a G.I.T. will not disappoint! This year, our pairing focuses on a type of film only relatively recently recognized by film scholars, that of Folk Horror. Our horror sage explains what that moniker means, and then it's on to one of the first films of its type! Directed by Robin Hardy, 1973's "The Wicker Man" follows English policeman Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) as he travels to the small Scottish island of Summerisle to search for a missing girl. Almost immediately he's met with indifference, and finds himself a lone Christian in an otherwise un-Christian community. The town's blatant sexuality and pre-Christian ways disconcerts him, including the advances made by the Innkeeper's daughter, Willow (Britt Ekland). When Sergeant Howie finally gets to meet with the leader of the community, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), he must confront the fact that this community's lifestyle offends him greatly, and hinders his investigation. Ultimately, Howie believes the young girl to have been murdered, but as May Day looms closer and closer, he discovers that her murder may have been more than just a killing, and may mean something completely un-Christian to the people of the island! Also starring Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Lidsay Kemp.

The second film in our pairing honoring the late, great James Earl Jones, is also a sports film, but this time it's about baseball, and a scandal that happened just a few years after the Jack Johnson saga! Adapted and directed by Phil Alden Robinson 1989's "Field of Dreams" tells the story of Ray (Kevin Costner) and Annie (Amy Madigan) Kinsella, former hippies who have decided to spend their lives farming corn in Iowa. With their daughter Karin (Abby Hoffmann), they're making ends meet, at least until Ray hears a voice one night from the cornfield which says "If you build it, he will come." This sets Ray on a long, weird path which includes clearing two acres of cornfield to build a regulation baseball diamond. Everyone thinks he's crazy, and he himself has his doubts, until the spectre of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson appears on the diamond to play baseball again. Slowly the spectres of the 8 Black Sox, who were banned from baseball for a gambling scandal back in the late 19-teens, all reappear, to resume the game they loved. From there, Ray has to find a reclusive writer (James Earl Jones) and a baseball player who only ever had one inning in the major leagues (Burt Lancaster, in his final film performance), while still trying to figure out how to keep his brother-in-law, Mark (Timothy Busfield) from seizing his farm. And all the while, only Ray, Annie, and Karin can actually see any of the returned players. A feel-good film from the late 80s that still holds its power to charm and mystify to this day! Plus, Jeff reveals what new sub-genre of horror, and which two films from it, will make up 2024's Halloween pairing!

We're honoring the late, great, James Earl Jones in this pairing. We've done a number of his films already, but we've chosen two that were important in his career. First up, the role that, on Broadway, won him a Tony, and got him his only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Directed by Martin Ritt, 1970's "The Great White Hope" chronicles the rise and fall of African-American boxer Jack Jefferson (James Earl Jones) as he becomes the first non-white man to ever hold the heavyweight boxing title back in the early 20th century. Based on the real-life exploits of boxer Jack Johnson, the film follows its title character as he revels in his success with his white girlfriend, Eleanor (Jane Alexander, who also played the roled opposite Jones on Broadway and who also won a Tony for her portrayal). After running afoul of anti-misegynation laws, the couple, along with manager Goldie (Lou Gilbert) and sideman Tick (Joel Fluellen) flee overseas. Unfortunately, even across the Atlantic, the quartet still can't escape the stigma of racism and, eventually, Jack must return to America, take a terrible deal, and settle the issue of his championship once and for all. Also starring Chester Morris, Robert Webber, R. G. Armstrong, and Hal Holbrook.

The second film in the pairing of Australian comedies suggested by Patreon supporter and friend Julian Dunmurphy, sees the directorial and writing crew of "The Castle" reunited to tell the story of how the little town of Parkes, Australia became the reason around 650 million people worldwide were able to watch the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969! In 2000's "The Dish," we follow Dr. Cliff Buxton (Sam Neill), head of the Parkes Radio Telescope, as he prepares to work with NASA on the Apollo 11 mission. Assisting him are Russ Mitchell (Kevin Harrington) and Glenn Latham (Tom Long). The arrival of NASA representative Al Burnett (Patrick Warburton) causes some dissention in the ranks, but they're able to get things running smoothly, especially once they're informed that, apart from NASA's dish in California, they will be the only other dish on the planet to be used to keep in contact with Apollo 11! Things are going well until a chance power-outage causes them to lose not only their carefully-programmed computers, but Apollo 11 itself! How they handle such an enormous setback is the rest of the film. While all of this is going on, however, the town is reeling from being in the spotlight and trying to figure out how to handle all the VIP dignitaries that arrive because of Parkes' participation in the mission! And the gents reveal which two films they'll be reviewing to pay tribute to the late, great James Earl Jones!

This pairing was suggested to us by friend of the show, and Patreon supporter, Jules, who hails from down under and wanted us to check out two films made by the same famous directing and writing team! Starting us off is a very sweet, very gentle comedy about the lengths one man will go to in order to save the home he's raised his entire family in. In 1997's "The Castle," director Rob Sitch and writers Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, and Jane Kennedy spin the tale of Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton), proud owner of a home next to the airport. He lives there with his wife Sal (Anne Tenney), daughter Tracey (Sophie Lee), and sons Steve (Anthony Simcoe) and Dale (Stephen Curry). Their other won, Wayne (Wayne Hope) is finishing out a prison sentence. Tracie marries Con Petropoulos (Eric Bana in his first film role), who is welcomes into the family. But when a company working with the Australian government informs the Kerrigan family that their house is about to be forcibly purchased to make room for an airport expansion, Darryl, along with friend and local lawyer Dennis Denuto (Tiriel Mora) springs into not-completely-well-thought-out action to try to save their home and the many happy memories!