Two Geeks And A Git Classic Movie Reviews

We're headed back to the 80s for two forgotten comedy classics in this pairing, lovingly referred to as "Prostitution Comedies." First up, it was supposed to be Henry Winkler's anti-typecasting break-out performance, but no one told his co-star, Michael Keaton, in 1982's "Night Shift!" Directed by (at that point) first-time director Ron Howard, co-starring Shelley Long and Gina Hecht, and featuring appearances from Basil Hoffman, Jaid Barrymore, Richard Belzer, Charles Fleischer, Kevin Costner, Vincent Schiavelli, and a very young Shannen Doherty, this movie takes a buddy-comedy premise and pairs it with a romantic comedy, while doing justice to both story types! It's a love story, it's a fish-out-of-water story, and in many ways it's a nebbish-becoming-a-hero story as well! Plus, it features some truly wonderful (and very 80s) music to accompany the improbable story!

The second rock 'n roll biopic for this pairing looks at, arguably, one of the wildest musicians of rock's first age, Jerry Lee Lewis, in the 1989 film "Great Balls of Fire!" Jeff, Buddy, and Chad take a look at one of those performance where you can swear the lead actor is being possessed by the spirit of the rocker he's portraying... except that Jerry Lee isn't dead! Directed by Jim McBride, the film features an incredible performance by Dennis Quaid, perhaps the best of his career, in the lead role as the often out-of-control Lewis! He's accompanied by Winona Ryder, John Doe, the always-entertaining Stephen Tobolowsky, Trey Wilson and Alec Baldwin, with cameos from Steve Allen himself and musician Jimmy Vaughan! And the trio looks ahead at two fun-but-largely-forgotten comedies from the 1980s that revolve around the world's oldest profession for their next pairing!

It's rock 'n roll biopics for this pairing of films, and Jeff, Buddy, and Chad are taking you back to the late 1950s with a film that follows the rise of 17-year-old Richard Valenzuela, who would later be known as Ritchie Valens, the outstanding rock singer and guitarist. 1987's "La Bamba," written and directed by Luis Valdez, with the support of, and input from, the Valenzuela family, is a (mostly) historically accurate retelling of how a migrant farmworker from southern California went on to become one of the fastest rising stars of the early rock era! Starring Lou Diamond Phillips in his first leading role, with co-stars Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Pena, Joe Pantoliano, Rick Dees, and cameo musical performances from Marshall Crenshaw, Howard Huntsberry, and Brian Setzer, this film tackles every part of life in SoCal in the late 50s, including the struggle between Ritchie and his brother Bob, and the racial tensions of the era. But it does it all with some absolutely amazing music, much of it co

For the second episode looking at the work of acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick, we turn to his 1971 epic "A Clockwork Orange." This was the first time Kubrick had written a screenplay, based on a novel, by himself, as well as directing the film. Jeff and Chad talk through this film (while Buddy is out sick) including a synopsis for those who haven't seen it, a sample of the film's music as part of the trailer, and try to figure out such a truly terrifying film is, at the same time, so incredibly beautiful and moving! While it's not a casual viewing experience for Geek or GIT, this is absolutely one of Kubrick's finest films. It tackles subject matter that only Kubrick could make so compelling and so uncomfortable at the same time! This film truly unique across the history of cinema! Plus, Chad and Jeff discuss lightening the mood for the next pairing by moving into cinematic depictions of rock and roll!

We're paying tribute to another director for this pairing. It's Stanley Kubrick films, and we're starting with the classic "2001: A Spacy Odyssey," directed by Kubrick and based on a short story by science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke! Starring Keir Dullea as Dave Bowman, Gary Lockwood as Frank Poole, and featuring the voice of Douglas Rain as the HAL 9000 computer, this story did more to fuel worries about artificial intelligence than any film short of Ex Machina. If you've not seen the film, Jeff, Buddy, and Chad will explain why it's a classic you must experience first-hand! And if you have seen the film, the trio will explain the parts of it that no one understands after their first (or second, or third, or fourth) viewing!

For the second episode pairing romantic comedies, we turn to the work of writer/director Nancy Meyers and her 2006 film "The Holiday." Starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, and Eli Wallach, this film follows Amanda (Dias) and Iris (Winslet) as they both flee from their homes for the holiday and exchange houses, one traveling to Surrey, England, the other to Los Angeles, California. Amanda meets Iris's brother Graham (Law) and the sparks fly immediately, while Iris meets film score composer Miles (Black) as well as retired Hollywood screenwriting legend Arthur (Wallach), who helps her find her way back to strength and sanity, and encourages the burgeoning romance with Miles! While not a universal top pick by our geeks and git, it's a fun watch, and with a film score by Hans Zimmer, along with a couple neat cameos, it's a fun movie to get swept away by. And it also ends at New Year's Eve, just like our previous film! Plus, the Geeks and Git reveal which top Hollywood director will provide t

For the first of two romantic comedies, both of which culminate on New Year's Eve, it's two greats behind the camera and four greats in front of the camera working together to create one of the best in the genre, in 1989's "When Harry Met Sally!" Directed by Rob Reiner, written by Nora Ephron, and starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, and Bruno Kirby, this story follows a man and a woman whose lives cross, and then cross again, and again, and again, until they become friends, and then possibly even more! As a romantic comedy, this film hits all the right notes without falling into the traps of the genre. It's a road-map of how such films should be made!

A film about Santa Clause, released in June of 1947, with a marketing campaign that never once mentioned Santa (or Christmas). Just how much of a hit could such a movie be? Well, history has rendered its verdict, and found this a holiday classic for film viewers young and old! In this episode (released on Christmas, 2017), Jeff, Buddy, and Chad look back at the 1947 hit "Miracle on 34th Street!" Written and directed by George Seaton, based on a story by Valentine Davies, and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall, Charlie Halloran, a very young Natalie Wood, and the fantastic Edmund Gwenn (who won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role as Kris Kringle), this film has been remade several times for TV and film, the best of those being the 1994 version. But no remake can touch the heartwarming tale that's told in the original, something to gather up your loved ones and watch on Christmas Day!

For a movie that was investigated by the FBI, and was a box-office flop when it first premiered, this film has aged exceptionally well! It's December, and that means holiday films, and the first one is a Frank Capra classic, 1946's "It's a Wonderful Life!" Directed and co-written by Capra, this film stars Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore in a rare villainous role! The film also stars Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, and Gloria Grahame! This unlikely hit sat in obscurity until a clerical error helped it show up on just about every television station around the holidays, and helped it become one of the most iconic holiday films of all time!

Our second look at rollicking adventure films is a movie from the 80s that borrows from both the adventure and romance genres: Romancing the Stone! Directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Diane Thomas, this film chronicles the life of romance novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner), who must leave the comforts of modern living and travel to Columbia to save her sister! She meets, and is saved by, dashing Jack Colton (Michael Douglas), who grudgingly agrees to help her. Also starring Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, the hilarious Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor, and Mary Ellen Trainor, this is a story of treasure, greed, adventure, and love, that's purely 80s! Plus, find out what two classic films the geeks and git are reviewing for their Christmas pairing this year!

The result of a Hawaiian vacation meeting between Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas resulted in one of the greatest adventure films of all times: Raiders of the Lost Ark! Directed by Speilberg, with a story created by Lucas and expertly crafted into a screenplay by the amazing Lawrence Kasdan, and scored by the musical genius John Williams, this movie began a second franchise for Lucas, also with Harrison Ford! Although not the first person courted, Ford is now the only one anyone can see embodying the title role! Also starring Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacy, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, George Harris, and a very young Alfred Molina, this film also features the amazing cinematography of Douglas Slocombe, and some of the best-choreographed action scenes in movie history!

Part two of our look at paradigm-shifting films of 1977 comes from Steven Spielberg! Fresh off his success with Jaws, Spielberg took on a completely different topic, and delivered a technological and storytelling masterpiece, with the help of music from acclaimed master composer John Williams! Written and directed by Spielberg, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, the amazing director Francios Truffaut in a rare American acting role, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, and Bob Balaban, this film details the first real contact between the earth and a species from outer space. Parallel stories lead to a fusion ending full of strength, grit, determination, music, science, and above all, hope! Throw in love, seeming-insanity, dedication, and an ability to not blink in the face of seemingly impossible things, and you have a story that'll just make you feel good about our chances as a species! And Jeff, Buddy, and Chad reveal how a combination of talents from Lucas and Spielberg informed their choice of the next two films on thei

"A Long Time Ago, In A Galaxy Far, Far Away..." These words have been emblazoned on film history since May 25th, 1977, when George Lucas's epic space opera, "Star Wars," was first relased! A relatively new director, a band of actors both seasoned and new, a dream of special effects that hadn't been invented yet, and a studio unsure of its commitment to the genre, Star Wars took the world by storm. Written and directed by George Lucas, and starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, along with veteran actors Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, and backed up by two very famous actors - Peter Cushing and Sir Alec Guinness, this film rose to heights few films ever achieve, and started a cinematic dynasty that's still being produced today! It wasn't completely smooth sailing through the production, and it was difficult to chew on the often clunky dialogue, but Star Wars found its place in film and the audience's hearts, and is one of the most beloved storied every told. Plus, it acknowledges, follows, and pay

Part two of our "Classic Bromance" episodes finds Robert Redford and Paul Newman together again, but this time in a completely different environment! It's the 1930s in Chicago, and con artists and grifters are all part of the day-to-day game. When young Johnny Hooker's (Redford) partner gets killed, he sets off to find Henry Gondorff (Newman), a veteran con man who can teach him what he needs to know to get his revenge by pulling off the greatest long con in history! Directed (again) by George Hill, written by David S. Ward, and featuring a truly epic supporting cast, including Robers Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, and Dana Elcar, this film won 7 of the 10 Academy Awards it was nominated for in 1974, and deservedly so! Plus, hear why 1977 is such a special year, and what films the trio have chosen to celebrate it with!

Redford and Newman. Two names that are amazing separately, but together they spell true Hollywood magic! This episode is all about the 1969 classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," which first paired Redford and Newman, and started an actor's bromance that turned out to be gold at the box office, as the number of Academy Awards this duo racked up shows! Written by the incredible William Goldman, and directed by George Hill, the film also stars the incredible Katherine Ross along with some great character actors like Henrey Jones, Jeff Corey, George Furth, Cloris Leachman, Ted Cassidy, and Kenneth Mars, this is a fusion of history and modernity, most clearly with the pop-jazz Burt Bacharach soundtrack, featuring a song everyone in the world probably knows!

3700 years ago, a forbidden love resulted in the death of an Egyptian priest. Now his mummy has been unearthed and accidentally re-animated! But does he go on a traditional horror rampage? No, instead he stumbles across a woman who appears to be the reincarnation of his lost love, and sets about doing whatever it takes to reuinite them, no matter how terrifying and horrific that might be! From 1932, it's Universal's "The Mummy," starring Boris Karloff in the titular role, alongside the stunningly gorgeous Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Bramwell Fletcher, and the versatile Edward Van Sloan. Directed by Karl Freund and also co-produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., this film represents the maturing of the studio, both in terms of horror and in terms of the industry moving from silent to sound! Plus, the trio reveal what listener-suggested pairing they're doing for the next two episodes!

The first of two Halloween 2017 episodes goes back 86 years, to the early days of the Universal horror franchise, before horror was even thought of as a film genre, with 1931's "Frankenstein!" Directed by James Whale, produced by E.M. Asher and Carl Laemmle Jr., the film stars Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein, Dwight Frye as Fritz, and in the role that made him a star, Boris Karloff as the Monster! This is the film where we get our image of what Frankenstein's monster looks like, and that's because of the genius of Make-Up Artist Jack P. Pierce, and the method of Karloff's take on the role of a lifetime! A true horror classic that everyone should see at least once!

This episode is all about Stephen Chow's epic tale of love, fate, and heroes, 2004's "Kung Fu Hustle!" Directed, co-written, and starring Chow, the film also features Tze Chung Lam, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, and dozens of others! Follow fellow miscreants Sing and Bone as they try to join the infamous Axe Gang, going to far as to try to intimidate the denizens of Pig Sty Alley. Unbeknownst to them, or the rest of the Axe Gang, heroes and masters are hidden within day-to-day inhabitants of the tenement, and they almost literally explode into action when their home is threatened! An homage to American cinema, Warner Brothers cartoons, and Chinese musicals of the 60s (which were all set in the 30s and 40s), this is a stylistic experience like no other. And that's probably why, apart from Buddy, one of the reviewers loved it, and one of them didn't much like it at all! Tune in to find out who, and why. And, with Halloween coming up, find out what two classic horror films the guys will be reviewing for episodes 70 and 71

Released in 1992 in China, then in the United States in 1996, "SuperCop" is the third installment in Jackie Chan's incredibly successful Chinese film franchise "Police Story!" At Buddy's direction, Jeff and Chad head to the east to take in the first of two Chinese action comedies. Directed by Stanley Tong, and co-starring Michelle Yeoh, SuperCop finds Inspector Chan Ka Kui once again being called upon to stop crime, this time in the form of a drug lord about to escape from prison. Featuring the stunt work of Chan and Yeoh (all of the stunts, mind you), this film will make you gasp as you realize that all of the stunts were actually performed by Chan and Yeoh themselves (no CGI, no stunt people for them)! And while there was some dissatisfaction with the story elements, no one could fault the incredible agility and skill of the stuntwork in the film!

In the late 1930s, times were changing, and for Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand), that includes losing her position as governess. With no money, no clothes but what's on her back, what's a moral, upstanding woman to do? Seize the opportunties that come her way, and end up living a day quite unlike any she's ever experienced before! Throw in an American actress (Amy Adams) and her three suitors Phil (Tom Payne), Nick (Mark Strong), and Michael (Lee Pace), a fashion shop owner on the prowl (Shirley Henderson), and her target, a lingerie designer (Ciaran Hinds), you have the makings of a story unlike any seen since the time period the movie is set in! Directed by Bharat Nalluri, based on a novel by Winifred Watson, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a treat, although Buddy, Chad, and Jeff disagree on how delicious a treat it is. Plus, Buddy reveals the films he's going to be asking Chad and Jeff to watch from the world of Hong Kong cinema for the next two episodes!