Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

The second film in this pairing is one of Hitchcock's few outright horror films! Again directed by Hitchcock and written by Evan Hunter (based on short story by Daphne Du Maurier), 1963's "The Birds" follows big city socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) as she's out and about for the day. After running into an interestinb but rude man at a pet shop, while waiting to pick up a bird as a present for her Aunt, she decides to track him down and deliver to him the purchase he was there to make. She finds out that he is Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), who weekends in a little community up the coast called Bodega Bay. After driving up, and making the acquaintance of several of the townsfolk, including the schoolteacher, Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), she tracks him down to his home across the bay and leaves his desired purchase in his living room. As she heads back across the bay, Brenner spots her and drives around to meet her at the dock. Just as she's about to make it to shore, she's struck in the head by a seagull. After tending to her wound in the local restaurant, he invites her to dinner that evening. There, she meets his mother, Lydia (Jessica Tandy) and his little sister Cathy (Veronica Cartwright). Mitch convinces her to stay the night, and she returns to Annie's home to stay in a room she has for rent. The next day is Cathy's birthday party at the Brenner home. Unfortunately, the festivities are broken up when a flock of seagulls attacks the assembled partygoers. Thus begins a series of attacks by various birds throughout that day and the next, all unexplained, and resulting in several deaths! Also starring Ethel Griffies, Charles McGaw, Ruth McDevitt, and Lonny Chapman! Plus, the gents reveal which two films they've selected in order to take a look at the career of Keanu Reeves!

We return to the works of master storyteller Alfred Hitchcock for our this pairing, beginning with another of his iconic thrillers! Under Hitchcock's steady director's hand, and written by Ernest Lehman, 1959's "North by Northwest" is a blur of tale revolving around mistaken identity. Advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is kidnapped and delivered to a stately country home. He is there introduced to Lester Townsend (James Mason) and his valet Leonard (Martin Landau). Addressing Thornhill as "Mr. Kaplan," Townsend and Leonard accuse him of being someone he is not, and for actions he has never taken. After escaping their attempt to kill him, he returns to the scene of the attempt the following day, only to be told none of the previous evening's activities actually happened. This begin a twising and turning path to the truth that takes Thornhill from New York to Chicago to the farmlands of Illinois. Along the way he meets a charming but mysterious woman, Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) who may or may not be part of the conspiracy to convince the world that Thornhill is Kaplan, and responsible for dire events that were, in all actuality, not perpetrated by Thornhill (or Kaplan)! The third act of the film is Hitchcock at his finest, weaving in and around three different shell-games all taking place simultaneously! Also starring Leo G. Carroll, Jessie Royce Landis, Joselphine Hutchinson, and Edward Platt!

This is the second part of our celebration of our 8-year anniversary for the Two Geeks and a G.I.T. podcast! To conclude our celebratory pairing, we present in its full, unedited glory, the 2nd episode of the game show that has Buddy and Jeff competing together to try and demonstrate that they deserve the monikor of "Film Geek!" Enjoy another glimpse at some of the extra content we've got available on our Patreon page and, if you like it, consider becoming a Patreon supporter to gain access to much, much more content just like it! And thanks for listening to our podcast!

More recently we lost another star of film and television, Donald Sutherland, who passed away on June 20th, 2024. To pay tribute to his work, we turn to a story from the pen of master scribe Neil Simon! Directed by Herbert Ross, 1983's "Max Dugan Returns" is a hidden gem which not only features Sutherland but also ended up being the first appearance of two actors who would go on to become stars in their own right! Public high school English teacher Nora McPhee (Marsha Mason) is overworked and underpaid, and trying to survive with an old car, a small house, and a 15-year-old son, Michael (Matthew Broderick in his first film role). After her car gets stolen, she meets detective Brian Costello (Sutherland) who ends up loaning her a motorcycle to use until she can replace her car. That night, however, she receives a strange and unsettling phone call, which turns out to be her long-lost father Max Dugan (Jason Robards). Max is out of prison and on the run from some shady real estate developers in Las Vegas, but he's come to see Nora to spend the last six months of his life with his grandson. He's also brought with him $687,000 in cash he embezzeled from the developers who stole his land. Thus begins a back-and-forth between Nora and Max, Nora and Michael, Nora and Brian, Max and Michael, and eventually Brian and Max. All the while, Max is using his money to try to make Nora's life better, which actually ends up making her life more difficult as she tries to navigate being a daughter, a mother, and a girlfriend! Also starring Dody Goodman, Sal Viscuso, Billie Bird, Kiefer Sutherland (in HIS first on-screen role), and featuring a cameo from former MLB catcher Charlie Lau (his only one)! Plus, Buddy, Chad, and Jeff announce the next two Hitchcock films that'll make up their next pairing!

Happy anniversary to us! In June of 2024, we celebrated our 8th anniversary on the Two Geeks and a G.I.T. podcast! And to include you all in our celebration, we're sharing one of the Top-5 lists we do for our Patreon supporters on this feed for the first time! This episode was "Top-5 Movies Reviewed on the Two Geeks and a G.I.T. Podcast," which we put together to celebrate hitting 400 episode! Plus, unlike any other Top-5 list, we were able to mention YOUR Top-5 list, as we included the Top-5 films accessed on our website, twoteeksandagit.com! So happy anniversary to us, and we hope you enjoy celebrating with us! Check back next week for another bit of bonus content as well!

We must say goodbye to two more amazinga actors who have passed away recently. Our first film pays tribute to Dabney Coleman, who left us on May 16th, 2024. Under the steady hand of director Colin Higgins, 1980's "9 to 5" created a character that Coleman would play again and again in his career, which spanned over 175 projects! Newly-divorced Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) comes to work at Consolidated Companies, Inc., where she meets boss Franklin Hart Jr. (Coleman) and his unnoticed and unappreciated right-hand, Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin). Right away, Hart displays a caustic and chauvenistic attitude that Violet clearly knows too well and Judy is shocked by. Violet also points out Mr. Hart's personal secretary Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton) and insinuates that she and Hart are having an affair. Eventually, this rumor comes to light and there's a showdown in Hart's office which results in the three becoming fast friends. They all have one thing in common: They hate their boss! They each have fantasies about doing him in, but when one of their fantasies comes a little too close to happening, the ladies must keep Hart out of the office and incommunicado until they can prove his fraud and money laundering. What happens next is both a comedic farce and a statement on workplace inequality that had stood the test of time! Also starring Sterling Hayden, Elizabeth Wilson, Henry Jones, and Marian Mercer!

The second film in our pairing of police comedies, also from 1984, is an example of just how well law enforcement, action, and comedy can be combined! Directed by Martin Brest, "Beverly Hills Cop" follows the story of Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), a young and newly-minted Detroit Police detective, who is out to make a name for himself, regulations be damned! After an unapproved sting operation goes sideways, and after he gets reamed out by his supervisor, Inspector Todd (Gilbert R. Hill), he finds an old friend at his apartment. Mikey Tandino (James Russo) and Axel used to break a few laws together back in the day, but Mikey is now back in town with a stack of stolen German bearer bonds. Unfortunately, the people he stole them from come calling, knock Axel out, and kill Mikey. This leads Foley to take some vacation days and head out to Beverly Hills, California, where Mikey was working. There he reconnects with an old friend, Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher) and make a new one in her employee Serge (Bronson Pinchot). Jenny tells Axel that Mikey was working for her boss, Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff). When Axel goes to visit Victor, he ends up being thrown out of his office (literally, through a window), and is summarily arrested by officers from the Beverly Hills police department. When he's brought in, he meets Detective Seargent Taggart (John Ashton) and his partner Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), and their boss Lt. Bogomil (Ronny Cox). With those connections made, the scene is set for Foley, Taggard, and Rosewood to ultimately combine forces and bring Mikey's murderer to justice! Also starring Jonathan Banks, Stephen Elliott, and Paul Reiser). Plus, the trio announce which recently-deceased actor spurred them to put together another "In Memorium" pairing for the next two episodes!

This pairing celebrates the tradition of combining law enforcement, action, and comedy with two films, both from 1984! First up, director Hugh Wilson shows us one possible result of relaxing admissions in law enforcement! In "Police Academy," we meet Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), a constant recipient of law enforcement being given a choice: Jail or joining the police academy, but with one condition: He can't quit. He can, of course, be thrown out, which sets the stage for a screwball comedy that began a long-running franchise! Upon arriving at the academy, Mahoney first makes the acquaintance of cadet Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall). While pretending to be one of the instructors, Mahoney also meets Lt. Harris (G. W. Bailey), who takes an instant dislike to Mahoney's recklessness. He is assigned to room with Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf), a gung-ho weapons enthusiast. He is also reunited with Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow) who he met when he was last arrested. With fellow cadets Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott), George Martin (Andrew Rubin), Doug Fackler (Bruce Mahier), Laverne Hooks (Marion Ramsey), and Harris' assistant instructor Sgt. Debbie Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook), he tries to keep out of Lt. Harris' way. Unfortunately Harris has recruited two cadets, Chad Copeland (Scott Thomson) and Kyle Blankes (Brant von Hoffman), to spy on their fellow cadets. But ultimately, inspide of the inept leadership of Commandant Eric Lassard (George Gaynes), the cadets not only come together, but represent themselves well after being thrown into a truly harrowing situation! Also starring Ted Ross, Georgina Spelvin, and Doug Lennox!

The second film in our pairing honoring Roger Corman is one of eight films done by Corman based on Edgar Allen Poe stories. Directed by Corman and written by Richard Matheson, this story takes the basic premise of Poe's story and spins it off in an original direction! Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) is a nobleman living in Spain with his sister Catherine (Luana Anders). When Francis Barnard (John Kerr) arrives, looking for his sister Elizabeth, who married Nicholas, he is told she has died of a rare blood disease. Francis doesn't believe Nicholas, and is further intrigued when Elizabeth's doctor, Charles Leon (Antony Carbone) arrives and tell him Elizabeth died of extreme fear after spending an enormous amount of time in the castle's torture chamber, originally created by Nicholas' father who was part of the Spanish Inquisition. As Francis begins to unravel the truth about his sister, Nicholas' sanity also begins to unravel, until only madness and death begin to fill the castle. How will it end? You'll have to watch the film to find out! Plus, the Geeks and Git unveil which two classic police comedies will comprise their next pairing!

This impromptu pairing is dedicated to Roger Corman, who passed away at the age of 98 on May 9th, 2024. Known as the "King of the B-Picture," Corman was also famous for giving many young actors and directors their first, or breakthrough, opportunities! The first film in our pairing is a cult-favorite that put young actor Jack Nicholson on Hollywood's radar - 1960's "The Little Shop of Horrors!" If you're familiar with the off-Broadway musical, or the 1986 movie musical, this is the original version of that story! Directed and co-written by Corman, this is the tale of young Seymour Krelborn (Jonathan Haze), a true schlub, who is working for Gravis Mushnik (Mel Welles) at his Skid Row flower shop. Seymour is also in love with Audrey Fulquard (Jackie Joseph), the young woman who also works at the shop. In an effort to bring in more customers, Seymour has created a hybrid plant he's named "Audrey Jr." (voiced by co-writer Charles B. Griffith). Unfortunately for Seymour, he discovers the plant requires blood to thrive and grow. And as it gets bigger, although it attracts more attention and brings in more customers, its appetite grows as well, turning Seymour into an unwitting and unwilling murderer just to keep the plant satisfied! Also starring Dick Miller, Leola Wendorf, and Jack Nicholson as "Wilbur Force!"