Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

The second film in this pairing pays tribute to another young actor, one who did amazing things and undoubtedly would have gone on to have an incredible career, had he not died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills and anti-anxiety meds. Directed by Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight" was a sequel to "Batman Begins" in 2005, also directed by Nolan. Taking place nine months after the events of the first film, "Dark Knight" follow Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale, reprising the title role) as he continues to try to bring order to Gotham City. After dealing with impersonators and an old nemesis, a new menace appears in Gotham's underworld, a clown who identifies himself only as The Joker (Heath Ledger). As Batman continues to take on the mob and the banks that are laundering their money, the Joker pitches his assistance to the criminals and proposes killing the Batman. Bruce is also dealing with the heartache of having his love, Rachael Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), falling for another man, Gotham's new D.A., Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). As the Joker consolidates his power, and forces Batman to choose between Dent and Rachael, the ultimate showdown between the epitome of order and the embodiment of chaos is set, with a shocking ending in store! Also starring Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Sir Michael Caine as Alfred, and Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox! Plus, the gents reveal which two police comedies they're including in their next pairing!

Our pairing this time around is dedicated to actors who left us too soon, and whose promising careers never saw what should have been their end. First up, the actor who did few films but earned not one but two Academy Award nominations for those he did do. James Dean was a rising star on television and in the cinema, but his untimely death just four years after he began acting took him from the world. Directed by Nicholas Ray, 1955's "Rebel Without a Cause" was Dean's second-to-last film. In it, Dean stars as Jim Stark, the high-school-aged son of an immasculated father (Jim Backus) and a domineering and over-protective mother (Ann Doran). The Starks have moved to yet another new town in the hopes that Jim will finally fit in. Unfortunately, Jim makes enemies of the local gang, led by Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen), after flirting with Buzz's girlfriend Judy (Natalie Wood). The local outcast, Plato Crawford (Sal Mineo) quickly becomes Jim's friend and admirer, and tries his best to watch Jim's back. As the story unfolds, Jim, Judy, and Plato become a trio of friends, but continue to run afoul of the gang after Gus is killed in a cliff-side "chickie run" results in Gus's car going over the cliff. The three eventually all run away from home together, taking shelter in an abandoned estate. Unfortunately, the gun Plato took from his house ends up causing tensions and violence to ratchet up, causing a tense standoff with the local police. Also starring Dennis Hopper and Edward Platt!

The second film in our dual-memorium pairing pays tribute to Louis Gossett Jr. in a film that earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Directed by Taylor Hackford, 1982's "An Officer and a Gentleman" tells the story of Zack Mayo (Richard Gere), son of a rear admiral who never wanted to be a father. Mayo decides to enlist in the Naval Aviator program, ruled over by a tyrannical Drill Instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (Gossett Jr.). There he meets and befriends fellow candidate Sid Worley (David Keith), and the two of them meet Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger) and Lynnette Pomeroy (Lisa Blount). Foley and Pomeroy, and Mayo and Pokrifki, begin a whirlwind romance, all the while trying to survive the training doled out by Foley. Throughout their 13 weeks, Mayo, Worley, and their fellow cadets experience every conceivable type of hardship and must overcome every obstacle thrown in their path, although Worley and Mayo have more to overcome than most. Ultimately, some fall by the wayside before graduation, and some relationships fail in the face of reality. Ultimately, those who deserve to continue along the path to becoming a pilot succeed, and some relationships stand the test as well. Also starring Robert Loggia and David Caruso! Plus, the trio unveil which two actors, whose lives were lost too soon, will be singled out in the next pairing!

This pairing is a dual-memorium pairing for two wonderful actors we've lost recently. First up, we celebrate the life of noted character actor M. Emmet Walsh, who passed away on March 19th, 2024 at the age of 88. With over 230 films to his credit, we've already done a few he was part of. To pay tribute, we turn to one of Jeff's guilty pleasures, a film based on a book written before the location of the wreckage of a famous ship had been located. In 1980's "Raise the Titanic," directed by Jerry Jameson and based on a book by Clive Cussler written in 1978, the U.S. Government is developing missile shield technology, but it requires a material called byzanium. The only cache of byzanium known to exist shipped for the U.S. from London in 1912... on the RMS Titanic. The director of the National Underwater Marine Agency (N.U.M.A.), Admiral James Sandecker (Jason Robards) decides to send the agent, Dirk Pitt (Richard Jordan), to head up a search and recovery mission. Step 1: Locate where the Titanic actually sits on the bottom of the ocean. Once that is accomplished, it's determined that it's too deep to allow divers to enter the wreckage. The only alternative is: Raise the Titanic from the ocean floor and complete its voyage to New York. Unfortunately, the Russians learn of the operation and, given the missile defense would stop their missiles from ever reaching the U.S., they set about attempting to stop Pitt and his crew. Also starring Alec Guinness, M. Emmet Walsh, David Selby, Anne Archer, and Elya Baskin!

The second film in our pairing of Star Trek movies brings us to 1986, and the fourth film in the franchise! Directed by Leonard Nimoy, this story begins with a strange probe entering Earth's orbit and creating world-wide cloud cover, thus blocking the solar power that provides all the energy for the planet. Only the crew of the Enterprise, including Captain Kirk (William Shatner), a newly-returned-to-live Spock (Nimoy), Dr. McCoy (DeForrest Kelley), Sulu (George Takei), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Mr. Scott (James Doohan), can save the Earth! Unfortunately, they no longer have the Enterprise (it was destroyed in Star Trek III), so they must take a stolen Romulan bird of prey back to the 20th century in search of humpback whales! Assisted by Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), at least... once they convince her they're not crazy, the crew must navigate the strange cultures of the 1980s and both save the whales and themselves! Also starring Robin Curtis (who took over the role of Saavik from Kirstie Alley), Robert Ellenstein, Brock Peters, and Mark Lenard as Spock's father, Sarek (a role he played in the TV series as well)! Plus, the trio unveil which two recently-passed actors they'll be honoring in their next pairing!

It took us over 400 episodes, but we're finally paying tribute to the longest-running American science fiction franchise, one that has millions of loya followers all over the globe! That's right, it's time to talk about Star Trek! For our first film in the pairing, we're looking at what most Trekkers consider the best film to come out of Trek Lore! Directed by Nicholas Meyerand written by Gene Roddenberry, Jack B. Sowards, and Harve Bennett, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is the first and only Trek film to find its story in the continuance of one of the original television episodes! Some thirty years after the events of "Space Seed" (1967), Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise are on Earth, helping train a class of new cadets at Startfleet Academy. This film introduces us to the dreaded "Kobiashi Maru" simulator test, something that has become firm and lasting Trek lore. Taught by Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and led by cadet Saavik (Kirstie Alley), the cadets are headed out on a training cruise with most of the normal bridge crew along to assist: helmsman Sulu (George Takei), Communications Officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan). Meanshile, aboard the U.S.S. Reliant, Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) is 1st Officer to Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) are looking for a lifeless planet so that Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) can test out the Genesis Device, a missile capable of terraforming an entire planet in a manner of days, turning it into a habitable, Earth-like world. Unfortunately for Terrell and Chekov, the planet they are investigating isn't the one they think it is. Worse yet, it's the planet where the Enterprise originally stranded Khan Noonian Singh (Ricardo Montalban), a genetically engineered tyrant. He takes Terrell and Chekov hostage, seizes control of the Reliant, and begins hunting both Kirk and the Genesis device! The race is on to see if the Enterprise can survive Khan's attack, and if Dr. Marcus and her crew can be saved before Khan turns Genesis into a weapon of mass destruction! Also starring Merritt Butrick and Judson Scott!

The second film in our look at 80s horror anthologies has a tragedy at its heart. In 1983's "Twilight Zone: The Movie," directors Joe Dante, John Landis, and George Miller serve up four different stories, written by John Landis, George Clayton Johnson, and Richard and Melissa Matheson. The wrap-around story stars Dan Aykroyd. In the prologue, he and Albert Brooks are on a road trip trying to keep themselves awake and entertained. Narrated by Burgess Meredith, the first story, "Time Out," tells the story of Bill Connor (Vic Morrow), a bigot who, after offending everyone around him in a bar, finds himself persecuted in Nazi-occupied France in WWII, a black man in 1950s Alabama, and a Vietcon in the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, this segment became infamous after an on-set accident claimed three lives. The second story, "Kick the Can," stars Scatman Crothers as Mr. Bloom, a new resident of a retirement home who brings the joy and confusion of childhood back to his fellow residents. The third story, "It's a Good Life" follows young teacher Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) who gets lost on a road trip and ends up backing into a little boy named Anthony. She volunteers to take him home where she meets his family, including Uncle Walt (Kevin McCarthy) and Ethel (Nancy Cartwright), but finds it more difficult to leave afterwards. The fourth story is a remake of one of the most famous or the original Twilight Zone episodes, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet!" This time starring John Lithgow as the terrified passenger, along with Donna Dixon and Carol Serling (wife of Rod Serling), someone is back on the wing of the plane! But this segment ends with another appearance from Aykroyd's character as well. Plus, the trio reveal which two Star Trek films are included in their next pairing!

We're focusing on horror anthologies for this pairing, with two notable examples from the 1980s! First up, the only collaboration between horror masters Stephen King and George Romero resulted in one of the best horror anthologies ever made. In 1982's "Creepshow," with Romero directing a screenplay written by King, the film begins with its wrap-around storyline featuring Tom Adkins and Iva Jean Saraceni as parents of young Joe King (Stephen's son) who is caught reading a "Creepshow" comic book, which his father does not approve of! Then begins five different stories: "Father's Day" starring Ed Harris and Viveca Lindfors about an intolerant father who wants his birthday cake, "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" starring Stephen King himself about a dim-witted farmer and a mysterious meteor that crashes on his property, "Something to Tide You Over" starring Leslie Nielson and Ted Danson about a cuckolded husband's revenge, "The Crate" starring Hal Holbrook and Adrienne Barbeau about a professor who uses an otherworldly find to solve his marital problems, and "They're Creeping Up On You" starring E.G. Marshall about a germaphobe tormented by an infestation he can't control! Also starring Fritz Weaver, Gaylen Ross, Don Keefer, and featuring a cameo from Tom Savini!

The second film in our pairing examining the work of director William Friedkin takes place on the other coast from our first. In 1985's "To Live and Die in L.A.," Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) loses his long-time partner Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene) after he is killed trying to track down notorious counterfeiter Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe). Chance and his second partner John Vukovich (John Pankow) continue the investigation, moving in on Masters who, while long been suspected of making counterfeit currency for years, has never actually been tied directly to any "funny money." Chance becomes obsessed with catching Masters, dragging himself and his new partner into several situations that cross the line of legality in order to create convincing undercover identities that will allow them to close the case. Also starring John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel, and Robert Downey Sr. The film also features Friedkin's attempt to one-up the chase scene from "The French Connection," although some doubt he succeeded. Plus, the trio reveal which two horror anthologies they've chosen for the next pairing!

This pairing focuses on renowned Hollywood director William Friedkin who passed away in August of 2023. Best known as the director of "The Exorcist," he directed over 40 projects in his life, including the two films discussed here. First up, in 1971, with only two projects to his credit, he was given the task of leading the cinematic adaptation of the book of the same name: "The French Connection." Starring Gene Hackman as narcotics detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Roy Scheider as his partner Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, the film relates the detectives stumbling on a massive heroin deal coming to the United States from France. Heroin dealer Alain Charnier (Fernando Ray) is attempting to smuggle a huge amount of the drug into New York, and it's only through the determination and sheer stubborness of Doyle and Russo that the shipment is discovered. The duo attempts to seize the drugs and arrest the smugglers, but run into several issues in the process. Also starring Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi, Bill Hickman, and Ann Rebbot. The film also features one of the most notorious chase scenes in cinematic history!