Two Geeks And A Git Classic Movie Reviews

From the 1960s to the 1970s, and from the Mercury space program to the Apollo missions we go for our second film dedicated to the brilliance of NASA. There were 12 missions before, 11 of which were successful, and then in 1970, Apollo 13 launched, but things weren't to go as planned. 1995's Apollo 13," directed by Ron Howard, tells the story of the second Apollo mission to fail in its attempt to get to the moon. The film follows mission commander Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), command module pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), and lunar module pilot Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) as they lift off to the moon, but experience a catastrophic explosion after leaving the atmosphere. On the ground, everyone at NASA's Mission Control swings into action, under the leadership of Flight Director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) and with the able assistance of the original command module pilot Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinese)! While the film shows the PR side of the emergency, as well as the impact on the families of the astronauts, the efforts of t

All three hosts have grown up watching the extraordinary efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, known by its acronym NASA. So this pairing is dedicated to the intelligence and perseverance of the brave men and women who work for that agency! First up, there had to be a beginning, and the Mercury space program was it. Based on the novel by Tom Wolfe, with Philip Kaufman writing the screenplay and directing, 1983's "The Right Stuff" tells the (mostly) real story of the beginning of the U.S. space program. The film first focuses on the breaking of the sound barrier by test pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard), which leads to the beginnings of manned space flight. After President Eisenhower demands that actual pilots be sent up, the stage is set for the Mercury 7: Astronauts Scott Carpenter (Charles Frank), Gordon "Hot Dog" Cooper (Dennis Quaid), John Glenn (Ed Harris), Gus Grissom (Fred Ward), Wally Schirra (Lance Henriksen), Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), and Deke Slayton (Scott Paulin). The fil

Special Extended Episode! The second film in our "Surreality Television" pairing came out later the same year as our first. This time, written and directed by Gary Ross, the story revolves around brother and sister David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon), brother and sister, who each have very different plans for their television on the same night. After an argument results in a broken TV remote, a strange old television repairman (Don Knotts) arrives, and after David demonstrates his love, and knowledge, of the classic TV show "Pleasantville," gives David a special remote, one "with more oomph," and leaves. David and Jennifer again struggle for control over the remote, which results in both of them, somehow, being transported into the TV verison of Pleasantville! There, they become Bud and Mary Sue, the son and daughter in the primary family of the program, George (William H. Macy) and Betty (Joan Allen). They have to figure out how to play along and how to return home, but along the way, they

This pairing, which we're calling "Surreality Television," focuses on films that examine the dividing line between truth and fiction in television. First up is a film that aptly predicted the reality television craze in a somewhat frightening way! Directed by Peter Weir, 1998's "The Truman Show" takes the standard reality television program and ups the ante in a daring and possibly illegal way. Award-winning director Christof (Ed Harris) created a television program where a baby was born into an artificially-created world, and it's become the longest-running TV show in history. Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is the star of the show, and viewers have watch him from even before his birth up to just weeks before his 30th birthday. Surrounded by his "wife" Meryl Burbank (Laura Linney) and his best friend Marlon (Noah Emmerich), Truman has led an idyllic life. But the surprise connection between Truman and an extra on the program, Sylvia, whose real name is Lauren (Natascha McElhone) plants a seed of rebellion in Tru

Our second film in our tribute to Paul Reubens, who passed away at the end of July, 2023, is a very... different film. Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and written by none other than Joss Whedon, this film went on to inspire a very successful television series (of the same name) for the WB and then UPN! This first outing told the origin story of "The Slayer." Buffy (Kristy Swanson), a high-school cheerleader, meets up with Merrick (Donald Southerland), a mysterious older man who tells Buffy she is, in fact, a "slayer," one born to kill vampires. Given that Buffy is something of an airhead, this takes a while to sink in. During that time, master vampire Lothos (Rutger Hauer) and his right-hand, Amilyn (Paul Reubens) are busy creating an army of vampires to ravage the town. Buffy is aided by loner but all-around good guy Pike (Luke Perry), who is looked down upon by Buffy's squad, Jennifer (Michele Abrams), Kimberly (Hillary Swank), and Nikki (Paris Vaughan). Finally, the next pairing will be the previous-announced

On July 31st, 2023, Paul Reubens, better known as his character Pee-Wee Herman, lost his battle with cancer at the age of 70. In honor of this unique entertainer, we're inserting a pairing of two of his most notable performances on film into our line-up. First up, the character that would define his entire life... in his debut film! Directed by Tim Burton, in his first feature-length outing, and written by Reubens, Phil Hartman (yes, THAT Phil Hartman) and Michael Varhol, 1985's "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" follows the titular character and his amazing bicycle on an average day. But when Pee-Wee's bike is stolen, he turns consults a psychic who tells him his beloved bicyle is the basement of The Alamo! Saying goodbye to his friend, and the bike mechanic who kept his cycle in tip-top shape, Dottie (Elizabeth Daily), Pee-Wee sets off on a cross-country adventure to get his bike back! Unfortunately, his bike was actually stolen by local spoiled rich kid Francis Buxton (Mark Holton) and Pee-Wee's on a wild goose cha

38 years after the premiere of the original cinematic version, and four years after the musical version opened on Broadway (and won 12 Tony Awards), writer Mel Brooks and Director Susan Stroman brought the story from the "Great White Way" to the big screen in 2005's musical film "The Producers!" This time around, it was both leads from the Broadway production as stars - Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leopold Bloom. The rule of Ula, their Swedish secretary and member of the cast was increased from the original film and portrayed by Uma Thurman. Giving the role of Franz Liebkind a bit more comedia ooomph was Will Ferrell, and Roger De Bris was played brilliantly by Gary Beach! In the cinematic version, Liebkind ends up being both the writer and star of "Springtime for Hitler," the play within the film. This version also features Roger Bart as Carmen Ghia, as well as appearances by Eileen Essell, Jon Lovitz, Andrea Martrin, Michael McKean, John Barrowman, and Marilyn Sokol! Plus, the trio

This pairing is a first for us - two versions of the same story, set some 28 years apart! First up, the original from writer/director Mel Brooks (his first time in the director's chair) comes the story of a failed Broadway producer and a timid accountant who hatch a scheme to become millionaires by producing a sure-fire, destined to close on opening night flop, and how everything goes so wrong, they accidentally produce a hit! The film stars the incomperable Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock and the equally wonderful Gene Wilder as accountant Leo Bloom. Together, they find their flop, written by Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars), the worst director in town, Roger De Bris (Christopher Hewitt) and the worst leading actor in town, Lorenzo "L.S.D." St. DuBois (Dick Shawn). The film also features classic performances from Estelle Winwood, Andreas Voutsinas, and Lee Meredith in a film that described as (paraphrasing Peter Sellers), "shocking, outrageous, insulting... and I loved every minute of it!"

The second film in our summer "coming-of-age" stories takes place in 1962 in the town of Copeland, Texas. In director Tim McCanlies' 2003 film, "Secondhand Lions," young Walter (Haley Joel Osment) is dropped off at the isolated home of his two great uncles, Garth (Michael Caine) and Hub (Robert Duvall) for the summer while his mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick) supposedly leaves for court reporter school. Over the summer, Walter learns that his uncles were adventurers in Africa starting in 1914 and on through the 1920s, and begins to learn what being a man really means, at least according to the two retired adventurers. Also starring Nicky Katt, Josh Lucas, Michael O'Neal, Eric Balfour, Kevin Baberer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, and Christian Kane! Plus, the trio reveal what their next pairing is, a first for the podcast!

Ah, summer! This pairing is about summer coming-of-age stories, and they're both movies that have become classics! First up, it's a story about the power of baseball and the friendships that continue on into adulthood. Directed by David Mickey Evans, 1993's "The Sandlot" tells the story of Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), who moves to town at the beginning of the summer, is befriended by Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez (Mike Vitar), and brought into the neighborhood baseball game in the local sandlot. But when a baseball worth more than all their lives put together gets hit over the fence and into the lair of "the beast," the group must band together like never before to save Smalls the fury of his stepfather and recover his treasured ball! Also starring Art LaFleur, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brendon Quintin Adams, Grant Gelt, Shane Obedzinski, Victor DiMattia, Denis Leary, Karen Allen, and James Earl Jones!

The second film in our "American saves the world" pairing is the beginning of a franchise for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the end of its "Phase 1" stories. Directed by Joss Whedon, a master at ensemble stories, this film took Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor from their separate origin story films and combined them with other heroes in a race to save the planet from a directed invasion by another character we'd met before! In 2012's "The Avengers," we see Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) racing to stop the Tesseract (an alien artifact) from exploding. Astrophysicist Eric Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) has been studying the artifact under the watchful eye of Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). When the Tesseract admits Loki (Tom Hiddleston), brother of Thor, to our world, he arrives with a stated intention to rule the planet as its king. After failing to prevent his escape, Fury sends Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. the Black Widow (Sca

This pairing is dedicated to a very American conceit: That in times of turmoil, it will be the United States of America alone who will save the world! To that end, we're looking at two films that take that idea and energetically and emphatically run with that idea. First up, Roland Emmerich directed a look at how we would respond, as a planet, to extra-terrestrial invaders who come to destroy our planet, and only a motley group of Americans can figure it out and lead the world to victory in 1996's "Independence Day!" The film covers 72 hours, from first detection, through rampant destruction, to a cockamamie scheme to save the world using a Mac laptop. Take one hotshot fighter pilot, Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith), one nerdy satellite engineer, David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), an ex-fighter jock turned President of the United States Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), and an ex-vietnam pilot turned drunken crop duster, Russell Case (Randy Quaid). Mix them together with a stellar supporting cast including Ma

We move ahead two decades for our second film looking at the career of Matt Dillon (a listener suggestion!). This time around, it's a role that nabbed him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in 2004's "Crash" written and directed by Academy Award winner Paul Haggis. "Crash" tells a convoluted story of several people, all from different walks of life, whose lives intersect over a 48-hour period in Los Angeles. From carjackers to TV directors to the District Attorney, the film is an exploration of racism, both casual and pointed, and how everyone succumbs to thinking in stereotypes at some point. The film stars Don Cheadle as Graham, an LAPD detective, and Jennifer Esposito as his partner, Ria, Brendan Fraser as Rick, the District Attorney, and his wife Jean, played by Sandra Bullock. We also meet television director Cameron (Terrance Howard) and his wife Christine (Thandiwe Newton) who run afoul of LAPD officers Ryan (Matt Dillon) and his overt racism, which is witnessed by Ryan's partner Officer Hanson (Ryan P

It's a listener-suggested pairing! A friend of Chad's thought we should do a pairing focusing on the work of Matt Dillon, and so we have! First up, one of those books so many of us were assigned to read in junior high school or high school, made into a film featuring a bevy of soon-to-be megastars. Directed by none other than Francis Ford Coppola, 1983's "The Outsiders," based on the classic S. E. Hinton novel, tells the story of a group of greasers in the mid 60s, living their lives and trying to cope with the antagonisms of the Socs (pronounced "soshes"), a group of rich kids who think the greasers are not fit to walk the same ground. The film stars C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis, Robe Lowe (in his first cinematic role) as Ponyboy's older brother Soda Pop Curtis, Patrick Swayze as Darrel Curtis, the oldest brother, Ralph Macchio as Johnny, Matt Dillon as Dallas, Emilio Estevez as Two-Bit, Tom Cruise as Steve, and Diane Lane as Cherry Valance. The biggest "star" in the cast, at least at the time, was Lei

2004 was a great year for underrated comedies, and our second film is an excellent example of how some films can exceed expectations! Directed by the trio of Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, and David Mandel, "Eurotrip" tells the story of Scott Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz), from Ohio, who discoveres a bit too late that he's in love with his pen-pal Mieke (Jessica Boehrs) after he mistakes her for a guy and tells her off after she proposes getting together. Scott and his best friend Cooper Harris (Jacob Pitts) embark on a madcap attempt to get to Berlin to salvage Scott's relationship. In Paris, they meet up with friends (and twins) Jamie (Travis Wester) and Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and the four travel through Amsterdam, Bratislava, to Germany, where they find out Mieke has left for a Summer at Sea program leaving from Rome. They end up making it to Rome, but will they find Mieke in time? Will she forgive Scotty? Will there be a happy ending to this story? Also starring Kristin Kreuk and Vinnie Jones, and featurin

Every so often, a movie comes along that surpasses your expectations, especially when you're not expecting anything extraordinary in the first place. Our pairing this time around features two comedies that were so much more than anyone thought they'd be, both came out in 2004, and both share a cameo! First up, directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber in his first outing for a big-studio picture, "Dodgeball" follows small-time gym owner Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) facing off against an attempt to buy his gym (and remove the competition) from GloboGym owner White Goodman (Ben Stiller). In order to raise the $50,000 needed to save Average Joe's Gym, Peter, his employees Dwight (Chris Williams) and Owen (Joel David Moore), the banker hired to facilitate the take over of the Gym, Kate Veatch (Christine Taylor), and his customers Gordon (Stephen Root), Justin (Justin Long), and Steve the Pirate (Alan Tudyk) embark on a quest to become national Dodgeball champions! Also starring Rip Torn, Missi Pyle, Jamal Duff, Gary C

Kathy Bates is the focus of this pairing, and our second film was her second time taking a lead role in a film based on a Stephen King book, although this particular role was one King wrote with her in mind! Directed by Taylor Hackford, 1995's "Dolores Claiborne" starred Bates in the titular role. Dolores is a widow living in a small community in Maine, who witnesses the death of Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt) who has employed her has a domestic for decades. Because of the circumstances of Vera's demise, Dolores is suspected of killing her, and Detective John Mackey (Christopher Plummer) is called to investigate. Mackey and Dolores have a history, as he investigated the death of her husband Joe (David Strathairn) some years earlier. Dolores' daughter, Selena St. George (Jennifer Jason Leigh) arrives to lend her support to her mother, but the reunion is both strained and revelatory as the story of both deaths comes to light. Plus, the trio unveil which two films made their "Movies which are funnier than they dese

We're focusing on another great Hollywood actress for this pairing, one who also seems to like acting in Stephen King properties! Kathy Bates is our focus this week and next, starting with her performance as an obsessed fan of a particular writer, in 1990's "Misery." Directed by Rob Reiner, this film tells the story of Paul Sheldon (James Caan), a successful writer who's been trapped by fortune into writing a series of romance novels, but it moving away from them after killing off his main protagonist. After crashing his car in s snowstorm, he's rescued by Annie Wilkes (Bates) who brings him into her home and tends to his rather severe wounds. While Paul is recuperating, Annie gets a copy of Paul's final "Destiny" novel and becomes incensed that he would kill off Destiny! This begins a cat and mouse game between Annie, who is forcing Paul to resurrect her beloved character, and Paul, who is trying desperately to escape! The film also stars Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, and Lauren Bacall.

Our second look at the cheesier side of the apocalypse is from 1984, and shows us what happens when the comet (which apparently caused the extinction of the dinosaurs) comes back around in the year 1984, and only those enclosed within steel are saved from its effects in "Night of the Comet." Directed by Thom Eberhardt, the film stars Catherine Mary Stewart (of "Last Starfighter" fame), Kelli Maroney, and Robert Beltran (of "Star Trek: Voyager" fame) as three survivors who meet at the local radio station, whose automated broadcasts led them to believe there was still someone alive and on-the-air. Regina Belmont (Stewart) spent the night in a projection booth at a movie theater. Samantha Belmont, (Maroney), Regina's younger sister, spent the night in a storage shed. Hector Gomez (Beltran) spent the night in the cab of his freight truck. They discover, however, that the post-comet threats are two-fold: Crazed half-dead mutant creatures, and a think-tank of elitist scientists, and neither have the trio's best wis

And now for something a little... cheesier. This pairing is dedicated to a couple older, over-the-top looks at the end of the world, made even cheesier by the passage of time since they were released! First up, it's the second cinematic version of Richard Matheson's book "I Am Legend." Directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston, 1971's "The Omega Man" looks at the world of a lone survivor after a plague has turned humanity into vampires. The film shows us Neville's (Heston) daily life, driving around empty streets, shooting at anything that moves, and then sequestering himself away in his fortress home and ignoring the taunts and attacks from the vampires outside, driven by their leader Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) to attempt revenge for the killing of the members of "The Family." It's only when Neville runs into Lisa (Rosalind Cash), a fellow survivor, that he discovers that there are several others left, and this discovery helps him develop a cure for the disease that causes the vampirism. Also starri