Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

The film that came to define the "Sci-Horror" genre, 1979's "Alien" starts off our Halloween horror pairing! Directed by Ridley Scott, from a screenplay written by Dan O'Bannon (one of the authors of the original story), this film made Sigourney Weaver a household name in the sci-fi world! Also starring Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto, this film introduced audiences to how something as wide open as space could, in fact, feel claustrophobic, and how a cat's hiss could turn your insides to water! With Alien designs inspired by the twisted H. R. Giger, this film would go on to spawn a sci-horror franchise that's still turning out new films!

Our second film in our pairing of "film noir" stories is directed by Alex Segal and co-written by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum. Starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, and introducing Leslie Nielsen, this movie tells the story of a rich vacuum cleaner magnate David Stannard (Ford) and his wife Edith (Reed) whose eight year-old son, Andy, is kidnapped. When given with the realities of kidnapping by the Chief of Police and concerned newspaper reporter Charlie Telfer (Nielsen), David decides to go a different route than just paying the ransom demanded by the kidnappers. Although this film comes near the end of the first film noir cycle, it still does a terrific job of using the tropes and features some amazing supporting actors and actresses as well! Plus, learn all about what evil the geeks have planned for their Halloween pairing this year!

"The Third Man," directed by Carol Reed, begins our "film noir" pairing! The movie premiered in 1949, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles! Filmed on-site in Vienna, Austria (and in their amazingly beautiful and spacious sewer system... we kid you not) in the years after World War II, this is a prime example of everything "film noir" is supposed to be. The story is beautifully shot, expertly lit in a way that emphasizes the use of shadow, and contains a plot that twists and turns with such style that you're never quite sure who to trust or what's going to happen next! In 1999, This film this film topped the "BFI 100", a list of 100 of "the best British films ever!"

The second of our sequels that surpassed their originals, this time it's the Terminator franchise, and what should have been the final film, 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day!" Directed by James Cameron, who directed the original, and written by Cameron and William Wisher, this film picks back up 10 years later, and follows John Connor, now living with foster parents after mother Sarah is committed to a maximum security mental facility. After not one, but two Terminators show up, the story kicks into high gear! Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton from the first movie, with Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, and Joe Morton, this may very well be the best action movie ever made! Finally, hear what genre, that owes much of its feel to German Expressionism, the trio will be tackling with their next pairing!

We're looking at sequels that were better than their originals in this pairing, starting with the Star Wars sequel from 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back!" Directed by Irvin Kershner, and written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrene Kasdan, this is the film that almost all fans of the Star Wars universe agree is the best film to date! Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Billy Dee Williams, and the voice and puppeting skills of Frank Oz, this film hits all the right notes: story, cast, adventure, tension, and the best plot-twist perhaps of all time! Plus the near-perfect scoring by the master himself, John Williams, and you have what all sequels are supposed to be!

The second of our Tim Burton pairing is the somewhat Hollywood-ized biography picture about legendary (and legendarily bad) writer, director, producer, and actor Ed Wood, in a film that bears his name. Although not originally a Tim Burton project, he chose to take this film on, casting Johnny Depp in the title role. Burton provided Depp with an absolutely amazing cast of supporting actors, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray, Lisa Marie, George "The Animal" Steele, Juliette Landau, and her father, Martin Landau who would go on to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this role! Although the subject matter is unusual, and Depp's performance may or may not be edging into caricature, the performances are extremely solid, and the story is very interesting, enough so that the faults the movie does have don't get in the way of enjoying this odd tale about a very unusual man! Plus, the trio reveal which "sequels better than the originals" they're going to be reviewing for the next pairing, coming up in late September!

It's the first of our Tim Burton pairing! Episode 116 is perhaps the most quintessentially-Burtonesque movie in his canon, 1988's "Beetlejuice!" Directed by Burton, and starring Michael Keaton in the titular role, along with Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, Glen Shadix, and Sylvia Sidney, this is a supernatural romp like nothing else that's been put on film! With an outstanding score by long-time Burton collaborator Danny Elfman (that is also so very indicative of his scoring work), this is a film that all three geeks agree should be seen, and perhaps seen again! Plus, a few interesting tidbits about some of the alternate castings we could have had, and some of the other goings-on behind the scenes, makes this an episode well worth your time... just like the film itself!

In the second half of our look at storybook movies, episode 115 moves ahead 20 years from the last film to tackle the intricate tale of truly "star-crossed" lovers in the cinematic adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel Stardust! Directed by Matthew Vaughn, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman, narrated by none other than Sir Ian McKellen, and starring Charlie Cox (Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix), Clair Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Henry Cavill, Kate Magowan, Peter O'Toole, Rupert Everett, Mark Williams, Ricky Gervais, and Robert De Niro in the most un-De Niro-like role ever, this film delivers a solid, if a bit overly complicated, entertaining romp from one world to another and back again! Interestingly enough, this film was also given a GLAAD award (for reasons you'll have to listen to find out)! And finally, the trio reveal which director, a favorite of Jeff and Chad's, but not necessarily of Buddy's, they'll be focusing on for the next pairing!

Episode 114 begins the first of our pair of storybook movies with the film that became a cult classic, a true classic, and Rob Reiner's masterpiece, 1987's The Princess Bride! Starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, the amazing Wallace Shawn, wrestling legend Andre the Giant, Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Mel Smith, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Robin Wright in her first big-screen role, this epic breaks several cinematic conventions (including how the story is "told" to the audience). In spite of this, however, or perhaps because of it, this film delivers a tale that has... well... everything: Romance, swordplay, political intrigue, friendship, adventure, betrayal, and ultimately the power of true love! Plus, every single member of the cast delivers absolutely stellar performances, and everyone involved remembers the production fondly, despite the many injuries that were suffered on-set! Truly a top-movie-list film, and suitable for just about any type of audience!

There's no question that Hunter S. Thompson was a unique individual, with a decidedly odd view of the world. But to see that vision translated onto to film by none other than Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam, is a "trip" in the truest sense of the word! With a screenplay re-written from previous versions by Gilliam himself, starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, and featuring appearances by (deep breath) Tobey Maguire, Katherine Helmond, Mark Harmon, Tim Thomerson, Laraine Newman, Debbie Reynolds, Verne Troyer, Penn Jillette, Cameron Diaz, Lyle Lovett, Flea (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Gary Busey, Christina Ricci, Michael Jeter, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ellen Barkin, this film does for the drug culture what Richard Nixon did for presidential ethics! Plus, the trio reveal which two adult- and child-friendly live-action fantasy films make up their next pairing!