Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

For this pairing we turn the work of master director/producer George Pal, a true supporter of the advancement of special effects technology in film in the 1950s and 1960s! We start with his first adaptation of an H.G. Wells property, 1953's "The War of the Worlds!" Directed by Byron Haskin, with a screenplay by Barre Lyndon, and produced by Pal, the film stars Gene Barry as Dr. Clayton Forrester, a scientist who happens to be camping nearby when a meteor comes down in upstate California. Upon investigating, he meets Sylvia Van Buren (Ann Robinson) and her uncle Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins (Lewis Martin) who have also come to see what there is to see. Also on scene is an old acquaintance, Major General Mann (Les Tremayne), who has brought troops to help quell the crowds and assess any possible threat. But the meteor proves to be much more than cosmic driftwood, it's a pod containing creatures from the planet Mars who have descended upon the Earth to conquer it. Mankind attempt every type of military response imaginable, but nothing works, and it appears the human race's time to extinction is rapidly counting down! What can possible save Earth from the invaders from outer space?

The second film in our "Fabulous Thirds" pairing is one of the very rare films that challenges the first in the series as "the best" from the franchise! Directed by the one and only Stephen Spielberg, and written by Jeffrey Boam, Menno Meyjes, and George Lucas, it's 1989's amazing "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!" Once again, Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) dives into another archeological adventure, this time hired by businessman and fellow collector Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) to find and secure the one and only Holy Grail before the Nazi's do! Helped along by his stalwart companions Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), he meets up with Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody) to try and find Donovan's previous Grail expert: Professor Henry Jones Sr., Indy's father (Sean Connery)! It's a race across three continents to find the Grail, avoid its defenses, and secure the artifact before the greatest evil of the 20th century perverts it for their nefarious purposes! Plus, the cinema-loving trio reveal which classic Sci-Fi/Fantasy producer/director informs their next pairing!

This week begins our "Fabulous Thirds" pairing, focusing on the third films in trilogies or series that are worth your time! First up, the one that pretty much set the standard for third films, the conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy, 1983's "Return of the Jedi!" Directed by Richard Marquand (with help from George Lucas) and written by Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan, the film reunites Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), along with Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) to wrap up the saga of Luke and his journey to become a Jedi. Along the way, we meet the infamous Jabba the Hut in his palace on Tattooine, Luke's father Anakin Skywalker (Sebastian Shaw), and the Emperor himself (the incredible Ian McDiarmid) as the rebellion tries to end the Empire's hold over the galaxy once and for all, and Luke comes face to face with the dark side of the Force! Apart from the Ewoks, a fantastic ending to an amazing trilogy!

Sponsored by Manscaped! Our second western comedy film teams up three very famous comic actors for a romp through silent film-era Mexico with three unlikely heroes! Directed by the famous (and IN-famous) John Landis, 1986's "Three Amigos!" is a Western/Comedy/Musical/Fantasy and maybe a couple more genres as well. Silent film actors Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) are three veteran silent film actors, known on-screen as "The Three Amigos." When their studio head throws them out on their entitles heads, a telegram arrives from a young woman named Carmen (Patrice Martinez), asking them to come to the Mexican town of Santa Poco to help rid them of a band of outlaws led by someone named "El Guapo" (Alfonso Arau). Unfortunately for Carmen, she believes the Three Amigos to be actual heroes, which is not what she gets when the three movie stars eventually do face off with the banditos. After fleeing and later returning to the village, they're told that El Guapo's men have taken everything of value, including Carmen. Ned convinces his partners to enact a plan to get Carmen back, and eventually to actually save Santa Poco, using what they've learned from movie-making for so many years. The film also stars Tony Plana, Kai Wulff, and Joe Mantegna. Plus, hear what "Incredible Thirds" films made the list for the next pairing! Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code MANSCAPEDGEEKS at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

Sponsored by Manscaped! We begin our two-week celebration of the fusion of the Western and Comedy genres with a film Jeff was introduced to by his father, a gentle film that takes full advantage of the abilities of its stars to offer up a light, entertaining, self-referential comedy set in the old west! Directed by Burt Kennedy, 1969's "Support Your Local Sheriff" was an early chance for James Garner to demonstrate his talent with comedy as Jason McCullough, a man traveling to Australia who happens to stop in the town of Calendar, Colorado and see a notice for the job of Sheriff. The Mayor, Olly Perkins (Harry Morgan) doesn't believe McCullough will survive any longer than his predecessors, but he gives him room and board as per the terms of the job, the board provided by his daughter Prudy (Joan Hackett), a tomboy trying desperately to figure out how to be genteel woman. When Jason recruits town layabout Jake (Jack Elam) as his deputy, the two embark on a quest to slide the town out from under the Danby family, led by the father (Walter Brennan) and bad-boy youngest Joe (Bruce Dern). Even though Jason's the best gunfighter in town, it's his wits that he turns to in order to bring the town a peaceful existence! Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code MANSCAPEDGEEKS at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

Sponsored by Manscaped! Concluding our pairing of Academy Award-winning musicals, we move ahead a decade to a completely different type of story, one that combines culture and history into one complete dancing and singing package. Directed by Normal Jewison, 1971's "Fiddler on the Roof" is a celebration of Jewish culture and tradition, but also a historical acknowledgement of a dark time in history, when Tsar Nicholas II held sway in Russia and began passing discriminatory laws prohibiting Jewish citizens from living in rural areas, or in towns of less than 10,000 people. The story follows the family of Tevya (Topol), a poor milkman who, with his wife Golde (Norma Crane), has five daughters to care and look out for. Their eldest, Tzeitel (Rosalind Harris) is of eligible age to be married, and is initially betrothed to Lazar Wolf (Paul Mann), the local butcher and widower, but is actually in love with a poor tailor, Motel (Leonard Frey), and begs her father to reconsider. He does, but his troubles are just beginning. A pogrom (an organized massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jewish people in Russia) occurs in their town of Anatevka in the middle of Motel and Tzeitel's wedding. From there, things only get worse, as another of Tevya's daughters, Hodel (Michele Marsh) marries a Russian radical, and his middle daughter, Chava (Neve Small) marries outside the Jewish faith and is cast out of the family. All this happens around the growing anti-Jewish sentiment and the eventual forced displacement of the entire Anatevka community. A beautiful and poignant look at a sad time in history that manages to find beauty in tragedy and love in a time of unrest! Plus, the trio unveil which two western comedies will ride their way into the next pairing! Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code MANSCAPEDGEEKS at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

Sponsored by Manscaped! We begin our pairing of classic, Academy Award-winning Hollywood musicals with one of the best examples of how cinema can translate stage to screen! Directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, 1961's "West Side Story" is part-ballet, part-Shakespeare, and part-gang story, but all worthy of the awards bestowed upon it. The film follows the street gang known as "The Jets," led by Riff (Russ Tamblyn) and their continuing conflict with "The Sharks," a Puerto-Rican gang led by Bernardo (George Chakiris). The conflict really boils over, however, when member-gone-straight Tony (Richard Beymer) sees Bernardo's little sister, Maria (Natalie Wood) at a dance, and sparks immediately fly. Maria is warned off by Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita (Rita Moreno), the gangs prepare to "rumble" with each other, and Tony and Maria disregard the fact that they're from warring tribes and begin a passionate romance. The conflict rises until the two gangs finally meet and tragedy strikes, resulting in the death of both gang-leaders. After that, it's pain, anger, and spite until it all comes to a head in a deadly way! Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code MANSCAPEDGEEKS at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

The second film in our pairing of Chinese action films is one of the most visually stunning films yet made! Directed by master of the form Zhang Yimou, the story of a lone warrior, known only as Nameless (Jet Li), appears before the King (Daoming Chen) with the story of killing three mighty assassins: Sky (Donnie Yen), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Broken Sword (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung). After being rewarded by the King and being allowed to approach within ten paces, the King begins to explain how he understands the story has actually unfolded. Following that, Nameless reveals the actual truth to the King about the assassins and the plot to kill the King. What sets this film apart from others, however, is the directorial and cinematographical artistry and elegance exhibited by Yimou! The film plays with color palettes in such a unique and picturesque way as to suggest a moving painting during the action scenes. A true feast for the eyes and an intricate, interesting storyline loosely based on Chinese history! And finally, the trio reveal which two classic movie musicals will be the subject of the next pairing!

This pairing focuses on some of the best Chinese action films to cross the ocean to the United States. We begin with the first foreign film from China to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, a high-flying fantasy action film that, while not taking home Best Picture, did win Best Cinematography, Best Music - Original Score, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Foreign Language Film! Directed by acclaimed artist Ang Lee, the film stars Chow Yun-Fat as Master Li Mu Bai and Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien, sword legends and partners who bring the legendary sword Green Destiny to a local governor's residence. Once there, however, the sword is stolen by a masked warrior and the chase is on! Add in strange martial arts masters, mystic powers, and parallel love stories, and you have an engaging story and effects that were ground-breaking in their beauty and elegance! The film also stars Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Sihung Lung, Pei-Pei Cheng, Fazeng Li, Yan Hai, and Suying Huang!

Our second episode in our pairing looking at 80s mind-based science fiction moves ahead one year to 1984 and, this time, focuses on the subconscious and unconscious mind in director Joseph Ruben's sci-fi/political thriller/romance film "Dreamscape!" Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid) is a talented psychic whose abilities include telepathy, telekinesis, and precognition. After disappearing as a teenager, he's sought out by one-time mentor Doctor Paul Novotny (Max von Sydow) to work with him again, this time on a new technology that allows a psychic to project their consciousness into another person's dreams! After being essentially kidnapped and brought to the location of the project, he meets Dr. Novotny's associate Jane DeVries (Kate Capshaw) as well as his government "handler" Bob Blair (Christopher Plummer). Once Alex agrees to join the project, he also meets Tommy Ray Glatman (David Patrick Kelly), the current lead psychic and the most successful dream-walker. As Alex learns how to enter other people's dreams, Tommy Ray is learning to finer points of dream manipulation, resulting in a showdown between the Novotny-Gardner side and the Blair-Glatman side, and a battle for control of the project takes place in the subconscious of none other than the President of the United States (Eddie Albert)! Plus, Buddy reveals which two Chinese action-dramas the trio are reviewing next!