Two Geeks And A Git Classic Movie Reviews

The second film in our pairing honoring the late, great James Earl Jones, is also a sports film, but this time it's about baseball, and a scandal that happened just a few years after the Jack Johnson saga! Adapted and directed by Phil Alden Robinson 1989's "Field of Dreams" tells the story of Ray (Kevin Costner) and Annie (Amy Madigan) Kinsella, former hippies who have decided to spend their lives farming corn in Iowa. With their daughter Karin (Abby Hoffmann), they're making ends meet, at least until Ray hears a voice one night from the cornfield which says "If you build it, he will come." This sets Ray on a long, weird path which includes clearing two acres of cornfield to build a regulation baseball diamond. Everyone thinks he's crazy, and he himself has his doubts, until the spectre of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson appears on the diamond to play baseball again. Slowly the spectres of the 8 Black Sox, who were banned from baseball for a gambling scandal back in the late 19-teens, all reappear, to resume the game

We're honoring the late, great, James Earl Jones in this pairing. We've done a number of his films already, but we've chosen two that were important in his career. First up, the role that, on Broadway, won him a Tony, and got him his only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Directed by Martin Ritt, 1970's "The Great White Hope" chronicles the rise and fall of African-American boxer Jack Jefferson (James Earl Jones) as he becomes the first non-white man to ever hold the heavyweight boxing title back in the early 20th century. Based on the real-life exploits of boxer Jack Johnson, the film follows its title character as he revels in his success with his white girlfriend, Eleanor (Jane Alexander, who also played the roled opposite Jones on Broadway and who also won a Tony for her portrayal). After running afoul of anti-misegynation laws, the couple, along with manager Goldie (Lou Gilbert) and sideman Tick (Joel Fluellen) flee overseas. Unfortunately, even across the Atlantic, the quartet still can't escape

The second film in the pairing of Australian comedies suggested by Patreon supporter and friend Julian Dunmurphy, sees the directorial and writing crew of "The Castle" reunited to tell the story of how the little town of Parkes, Australia became the reason around 650 million people worldwide were able to watch the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969! In 2000's "The Dish," we follow Dr. Cliff Buxton (Sam Neill), head of the Parkes Radio Telescope, as he prepares to work with NASA on the Apollo 11 mission. Assisting him are Russ Mitchell (Kevin Harrington) and Glenn Latham (Tom Long). The arrival of NASA representative Al Burnett (Patrick Warburton) causes some dissention in the ranks, but they're able to get things running smoothly, especially once they're informed that, apart from NASA's dish in California, they will be the only other dish on the planet to be used to keep in contact with Apollo 11! Things are going well until a chance power-outage causes them to lose not only their carefully-programmed co

This pairing was suggested to us by friend of the show, and Patreon supporter, Jules, who hails from down under and wanted us to check out two films made by the same famous directing and writing team! Starting us off is a very sweet, very gentle comedy about the lengths one man will go to in order to save the home he's raised his entire family in. In 1997's "The Castle," director Rob Sitch and writers Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, and Jane Kennedy spin the tale of Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton), proud owner of a home next to the airport. He lives there with his wife Sal (Anne Tenney), daughter Tracey (Sophie Lee), and sons Steve (Anthony Simcoe) and Dale (Stephen Curry). Their other won, Wayne (Wayne Hope) is finishing out a prison sentence. Tracie marries Con Petropoulos (Eric Bana in his first film role), who is welcomes into the family. But when a company working with the Australian government informs the Kerrigan family that their house is about to be forcibly purchased to make room for an airport expansi

Our second "Steampunk'd Classic" turns to the work of Alexandre Dumas and his rousing tale of a trio protectors who guard the King of France. Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, 2011's "The Three Musketeers" is the traditional tale but with a twist: Davinci's designs work! After stealing one particular design from Davinci's vault, Athos (Matthew MacFadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson), Aramis (Luke Evans), and Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) return to celebrate a successful heist, only to be betrayed by Milady, who steals the plans and hands them to the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom). Meanwhile, D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) departs his small town for Paris to become a Musketeer. Unfortunately for him, they've been disbanded. Further complicating matters is that D'Artagnan ends up scheduling duels with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. When they gather to fight, however, they're accosted by dozens of Cardinal Richelieu's (Christoph Waltz) guards. Add in bad blood between D'Artagnan and Captain Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen)

Steampunk is our focus for this pairing, the alternate world where Davinci's inventions worked, but made of brass, and gears, and steam! We're looking at steampunk versions of classic tales, starting with an different version of the work of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous detective! Under the steady hand of director Guy Ritchie, 2009's "Sherlock Holmes" introduced audiences to a different pair of detectives! Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) is engaged to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), and is preparing to move out of the flat he has shared for some time with Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.). The arrival of Constable Clark (William Houston), summoning Holmes for Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) pulls Watson back into an investigation. They arrive in the nick of time to save a woman from being sacrificed by Lord Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong). But his resurrection after being hanged, and the arrival of a former love of Holmes', Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), finds the pair dragged inexorably deeper and deeper into a

The second film in our pairing focusing on great actors playing against the type of role they were known for features a quartet actors giving wonderful performances! Directed by John Houston, 1961's "The Misfits" was a change of pace for Marilyn Monroe. Unfortunately, it would aslo be her last completed film acting job. The film follows Roslyn Taber (Monroe), a recent divorcee who, along with her friend Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter), meets Guido Delinni (Eli Wallach), a truck driver who had come to tow in Taber's wrecked car. Later on, the two women run into Delinni in a casino, where he introduces them to Gay Langland (Clark Gable), an itinerant cowboy who's preparing to leave town. Langland and Taber begin a relationship, but both Delinni and a down-on-his-luck rodeo rider, Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift), they pick up along the way, also have designs on her as well. As Taber and the three men try to figure out their lives, tempers fray and alcohol releases anger and insecurity, causing rifts in their va

This pairing is a tribute to amazing actors who surpassed expectations by choosing roles outside their normal comfort zones! First up, action star John Wayne chooses a quirky romantic comedy, set in 1920s Ireland, in a film that would net director John Ford his fourth Academy Award for Best Director. In 1952's "The Quiet Man," Wayne plays Sean Thornton, an ex-boxer who has hung up his gloves to return to his homeland. Hoping to reclaim his ancestral home, he runs across Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara) and her older brother Squire 'Red' Will Danaher, who also has designs on the property. After the Widow Sarahy Tillane (Mildred Natwock) chooses to sell the property to Thornton, Red declares that never will he allow his sister to be courted by the American. Thus begins a conspiracy that involves the entire town, all with the end goal of seeing Sean and Mary Kate married with her full dowry! Also starring Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, and Arthur Shields.

Our second film is another independent production, but one that reaffirms the idea that you can make a great film without a major studio behind you or a huge budget! Written and directed by, and starring, Jon Favreau, 2014's "Chef" tells the story of famous chef Carl Casper (Favreau), who heads up the kitchen in a restaurant run by the unadventerous Riva (Dustin Hoffman), who resists Carl's attempts to bring new items to the menu. After being talked out of a special menu for visiting food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt), Carl, and his assistants Tony (Bobby Cannavale) and Martin (John Leguizamo) capitulate to Riva's demands and cook up the standard menu, which is then completely panned by Michel. After issuing a challenge for Michel to return for a different menu, Carl ends up quitting when Riva won't allow him to fulfill his promise. Carl then travels to Miami with is son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and ex-sife Inez (Sofia Vergara). There, after eating some truly inspiring Cuban food, Inez convinces him to mee

This time around, our pairing focuses on great food, and the people who make and love it! We're starting with a lovely story about two brothers, Italiam immigrants both, who have opened an authentic Italian cuisine restaurant! Directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci, and written by Tucci and Joseph Tropiano, 1996's "Big Night" tells the story of love, family, food, and unbridled competition. Set in the 1950's, Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Tucci) own a small Italian restaurant, where Secondo tried to keep the doors open while Primo cooks up family recipes, regardless of whether the restaurant's customers want, or understand, them. Across the street, a flashier but less authentic place, run by Pascal (Ian Holme), does a much better business by ignoring tradition and simply catering to the American palette. While Secondo also juggles two women, Phyllis (Minnie Driver) and Gabriella (Isabella Rossellini), Primo is shyly in love with fellow merchant Ann (Allison Janney) who runs a nearby flower shop. Af

The second film in our horror pairing is, as Jeff describes it, "the best non-Hellraiser Hellraiser film yet!" Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and written by Phillip Eisner, 1997's "Event Horizon" takes place entirely in space. Dr. Weir (Sam Neill) is in mourning for his late wife when he is ordered to report to the rescue ship Lewis and Clark. On board, he meets Captain Miller (Lawrence Fishburn) and his crew: Peters (Kathleen Quinlan), Starck (Joely Richardson), Cooper (Richard T. Jones), Justin (Jack Noseworthy), D.J. (Jason Isaacs), and Smith (Sean Pertwee). They have been called off leave to travel out to Neptune because the ship "Event Horizon" has reappeared after disappearing seven years earlier, and since Weir designed the ship, he's been assigned to accompany them on their rescue mission. When they arrive, however, their rescue mission quickly turns into a recovery mission as there are no survivors from the original crew. But things begin to take a darker turn once the crew of the Lewis and Clark b

We're returning to the horror genre for this pairing, starting with the OG British horror franchise of the modern era! Written and directed by original author Clive Barker, 1987's "Hellraiser" introduced the world to a very different kind of "Hell's Angels!" Husband and father, Larry (Andrew Robinson) brings his wife Julia (Clare Higgins) back to his family home in an attempt to revitalize their marriage. Larry has also invited his daughter from a previous marriage, Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) to come and life with them. Unbeknownst to the three, Larry's ne'er-do-well brother Frank (Sean Chapman, then Oliver Smith), a seeker of dark seductive delights, perished in the attic of the house after one of his attempts at furthering his experiences went horribly wrong. After a bloody mishap while moving in, and after Larry bleeds on the floor of the attic, Frank begins to horribly regenerate, prompting him to force Julia to bring him fresh kills so he can absorb their flesh and blood and further return to normal. Unfor

Our second Keanu Reeves film is, arguably, the one that made him the mega-star he is today. Written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, 1999's "The Matrix" follows Thomas Anderson (Reeves), corporate computer drone by day, hacker by night, who spends his off-work time as "Neo," creating illicit software for a variety of buyers and searching for the mysterious "Morpheus" online. After a strange message appears on his computer, he meets Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) who warns him that he's being watched. The next day, he gets a phone delivered to him at work, which rings immediately after he slips it out of the package. On it, Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) introduces himself and warns Neo that "they" are coming for him. After Neo fails to elude Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and his cronies, he's released after some disturbing hallucinations. The next day, he's contacted again my Morpheus, who wants to meet. He is picked up by Trinity and two of her partners, where he discovers that at least one of his hallucina

It is Keanu Reeves that we turn for this particular pairing, thought long-overdue by at least one of the geeks! And the pairing begins with a film that has become something of a forgotten success! Directed by Alfonso Arau, 1995's "A Walk in the Clouds" is something of an anomaly in the catalog of films Reeves has done. A solder, Paul Sutton (Reeves), freshly returned from World War II, reuinites with his wife, Betty (Debra Messing in her first film role), who he met and married in the last few days before heading off to fight. Their reunion is frisky but somewhat strained. Paul, at her behest, returns to his job selling chocolates and is headed by train for San Francisco. On board, he meets Victoria Aragon, a young woman traveling home to her family's vineyard in the Napa Valley. After accidentally swapping tickets, Paul finds himself on a bus to complete his journey, where he meets up with Victoria again. After saving her from two rude and dangerous men, he's kicked off the bus and must walk until he can fin

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

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

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

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 doin