Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews Buddy Allman, Jeff Smith, and Chad Roberts

This pairing is a dual-memorium pairing for two wonderful actors we've lost recently. First up, we celebrate the life of noted character actor M. Emmet Walsh, who passed away on March 19th, 2024 at the age of 88. With over 230 films to his credit, we've already done a few he was part of. To pay tribute, we turn to one of Jeff's guilty pleasures, a film based on a book written before the location of the wreckage of a famous ship had been located. In 1980's "Raise the Titanic," directed by Jerry Jameson and based on a book by Clive Cussler written in 1978, the U.S. Government is developing missile shield technology, but it requires a material called byzanium. The only cache of byzanium known to exist shipped for the U.S. from London in 1912... on the RMS Titanic. The director of the National Underwater Marine Agency (N.U.M.A.), Admiral James Sandecker (Jason Robards) decides to send the agent, Dirk Pitt (Richard Jordan), to head up a search and recovery mission. Step 1: Locate where the Titanic actually sits on the bottom of the ocean. Once that is accomplished, it's determined that it's too deep to allow divers to enter the wreckage. The only alternative is: Raise the Titanic from the ocean floor and complete its voyage to New York. Unfortunately, the Russians learn of the operation and, given the missile defense would stop their missiles from ever reaching the U.S., they set about attempting to stop Pitt and his crew. Also starring Alec Guinness, M. Emmet Walsh, David Selby, Anne Archer, and Elya Baskin!

The second film in our pairing of Star Trek movies brings us to 1986, and the fourth film in the franchise! Directed by Leonard Nimoy, this story begins with a strange probe entering Earth's orbit and creating world-wide cloud cover, thus blocking the solar power that provides all the energy for the planet. Only the crew of the Enterprise, including Captain Kirk (William Shatner), a newly-returned-to-live Spock (Nimoy), Dr. McCoy (DeForrest Kelley), Sulu (George Takei), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Mr. Scott (James Doohan), can save the Earth! Unfortunately, they no longer have the Enterprise (it was destroyed in Star Trek III), so they must take a stolen Romulan bird of prey back to the 20th century in search of humpback whales! Assisted by Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), at least... once they convince her they're not crazy, the crew must navigate the strange cultures of the 1980s and both save the whales and themselves! Also starring Robin Curtis (who took over the role of Saavik from Kirstie Alley), Robert Ellenstein, Brock Peters, and Mark Lenard as Spock's father, Sarek (a role he played in the TV series as well)! Plus, the trio unveil which two recently-passed actors they'll be honoring in their next pairing!

It took us over 400 episodes, but we're finally paying tribute to the longest-running American science fiction franchise, one that has millions of loya followers all over the globe! That's right, it's time to talk about Star Trek! For our first film in the pairing, we're looking at what most Trekkers consider the best film to come out of Trek Lore! Directed by Nicholas Meyerand written by Gene Roddenberry, Jack B. Sowards, and Harve Bennett, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is the first and only Trek film to find its story in the continuance of one of the original television episodes! Some thirty years after the events of "Space Seed" (1967), Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise are on Earth, helping train a class of new cadets at Startfleet Academy. This film introduces us to the dreaded "Kobiashi Maru" simulator test, something that has become firm and lasting Trek lore. Taught by Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and led by cadet Saavik (Kirstie Alley), the cadets are headed out on a training cruise with most of the normal bridge crew along to assist: helmsman Sulu (George Takei), Communications Officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan). Meanshile, aboard the U.S.S. Reliant, Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) is 1st Officer to Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) are looking for a lifeless planet so that Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) can test out the Genesis Device, a missile capable of terraforming an entire planet in a manner of days, turning it into a habitable, Earth-like world. Unfortunately for Terrell and Chekov, the planet they are investigating isn't the one they think it is. Worse yet, it's the planet where the Enterprise originally stranded Khan Noonian Singh (Ricardo Montalban), a genetically engineered tyrant. He takes Terrell and Chekov hostage, seizes control of the Reliant, and begins hunting both Kirk and the Genesis device! The race is on to see if the Enterprise can survive Khan's attack, and if Dr. Marcus and her crew can be saved before Khan turns Genesis into a weapon of mass destruction! Also starring Merritt Butrick and Judson Scott!

The second film in our look at 80s horror anthologies has a tragedy at its heart. In 1983's "Twilight Zone: The Movie," directors Joe Dante, John Landis, and George Miller serve up four different stories, written by John Landis, George Clayton Johnson, and Richard and Melissa Matheson. The wrap-around story stars Dan Aykroyd. In the prologue, he and Albert Brooks are on a road trip trying to keep themselves awake and entertained. Narrated by Burgess Meredith, the first story, "Time Out," tells the story of Bill Connor (Vic Morrow), a bigot who, after offending everyone around him in a bar, finds himself persecuted in Nazi-occupied France in WWII, a black man in 1950s Alabama, and a Vietcon in the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, this segment became infamous after an on-set accident claimed three lives. The second story, "Kick the Can," stars Scatman Crothers as Mr. Bloom, a new resident of a retirement home who brings the joy and confusion of childhood back to his fellow residents. The third story, "It's a Good Life" follows young teacher Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) who gets lost on a road trip and ends up backing into a little boy named Anthony. She volunteers to take him home where she meets his family, including Uncle Walt (Kevin McCarthy) and Ethel (Nancy Cartwright), but finds it more difficult to leave afterwards. The fourth story is a remake of one of the most famous or the original Twilight Zone episodes, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet!" This time starring John Lithgow as the terrified passenger, along with Donna Dixon and Carol Serling (wife of Rod Serling), someone is back on the wing of the plane! But this segment ends with another appearance from Aykroyd's character as well. Plus, the trio reveal which two Star Trek films are included in their next pairing!

We're focusing on horror anthologies for this pairing, with two notable examples from the 1980s! First up, the only collaboration between horror masters Stephen King and George Romero resulted in one of the best horror anthologies ever made. In 1982's "Creepshow," with Romero directing a screenplay written by King, the film begins with its wrap-around storyline featuring Tom Adkins and Iva Jean Saraceni as parents of young Joe King (Stephen's son) who is caught reading a "Creepshow" comic book, which his father does not approve of! Then begins five different stories: "Father's Day" starring Ed Harris and Viveca Lindfors about an intolerant father who wants his birthday cake, "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" starring Stephen King himself about a dim-witted farmer and a mysterious meteor that crashes on his property, "Something to Tide You Over" starring Leslie Nielson and Ted Danson about a cuckolded husband's revenge, "The Crate" starring Hal Holbrook and Adrienne Barbeau about a professor who uses an otherworldly find to solve his marital problems, and "They're Creeping Up On You" starring E.G. Marshall about a germaphobe tormented by an infestation he can't control! Also starring Fritz Weaver, Gaylen Ross, Don Keefer, and featuring a cameo from Tom Savini!

The second film in our pairing examining the work of director William Friedkin takes place on the other coast from our first. In 1985's "To Live and Die in L.A.," Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) loses his long-time partner Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene) after he is killed trying to track down notorious counterfeiter Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe). Chance and his second partner John Vukovich (John Pankow) continue the investigation, moving in on Masters who, while long been suspected of making counterfeit currency for years, has never actually been tied directly to any "funny money." Chance becomes obsessed with catching Masters, dragging himself and his new partner into several situations that cross the line of legality in order to create convincing undercover identities that will allow them to close the case. Also starring John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel, and Robert Downey Sr. The film also features Friedkin's attempt to one-up the chase scene from "The French Connection," although some doubt he succeeded. Plus, the trio reveal which two horror anthologies they've chosen for the next pairing!