Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

The second film in our tribute to the late Val Kilmer may be the finest work in his filmography! Directed by George P. Cosmatos and written by Kevin Jarre, 1993's "Tombstone" tells the story of the Earp family. After retiring as a peace officer, Wyatt (Kurt Russell) has brought his brothers Morgan (Bill Paxton) and Virgil (Sam Elliott) together in Tombstone, Arizona, to retire and become entrepreneurs. Also joining him, and seeking a dry climate in the hopes of relieving his tuberculosis, is Doc Holliday (Kilmer). What stands in their way are the Cowboy, a vicious gang of exiled Texas outlaws, lead by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Booth) and his right-hand, Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). After a troupe of actors, featuring Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany) and Mr. Fabian (Billy Zane) comes to town, an attraction between Josephine and Wyatt springs to life, drawing the two closer and closer, even though Josephine is dating the county sheriff Behan (Jon Tenny) and Wyatt is technically married to Mattie (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson). After the Cowboys' lawlessness wears down Virgil's reticence to get involved, he becomes the Sheriff of Tombstone, drafting Morgan as his deputy. This sets up the historic conflict at the OK Corral, and marks the beginning of the final conflict between the Earps and their allies, and the Cowboys. Also starring Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Church, Paula Malcomson, Lisa Collins, and Joanna Pacula. Plus, the gents the two time-travel films that make up the next pairing!

We're celebrating the life and work of Val Kilmer, who passed away on April 1st, 2025. He left us a catalog of over 100 films, but we've chosen two of his best. First up, directed by Oliver Stone, 1991's "The Doors" chronicles the rise and fall of singer Jim Morrison. After leaving film school, Morrison (Kilmer) recruits his friend Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan) in an effort to start a band. They add Robby Krieger (Frank Whaley) and John Densmore (Kevin Dillon) and begin to perform as "The Doors." But Morrison is also smitten with a woman he followed home from the beach, Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan), and declares her his muse. After using psychedelic drugs to fuel their inspiration, the band is discovered by producer Paul Rothschild (Michael Wincott) from Elektra Records, and they're on their way to stardom! Unfortunately, Kilmer's fascination with alcohol, drugs, and other women, continually threatens to destroy the success the band has found. Also starring Michael Madsen, Billy Idol, and Kathleen Quinlan!

The second film in this pairing is another giant monster sequel, but this time to a Kaiju film from the 1950s. The original "The Return of Godzilla" was directed by Koji Hashimoto and Ishiro Honda. But, like the original in 1954, an Americanized version was created by shooting scnes with American actors and inserting them into the original film, which resulted in "Godzilla 1985!" With the American scenes directed by R. J. Kizer, the film featured veteran actor Raymond Burr reprising his role as a reporter by the name of Steve Martin. In this story, it's been 30 years since Godzilla originally attacked mainland Japan, and he has awakened from his hidden slumber to once again find and feed upon nuclear energy. This time, however, a young sailor, Hiroshi Okumura (Shin Takuma), a reporter, Goro Maki (Ken Tanaka), Professor Hayashida (Yosuke Natsuki) who studies mutations, and his research assistant Naoko Okumura (Yasuko Sawaguchi), who is also Hiroshi's sister, team up to try to find a way to stop the natural force that is the giant radioactive dinosaur. But even the best scientific minds, and the government's secret "Super X" plane, may not be enough to stop another battle that will destroy Tokyo! Plus, the trio reveal which two films they've chosen for the pairing honoring the late Val Kilmer!

This pairing was seeded by a request from one of our Patreon supporters, Flat Doug, who asked us to look back at this first film. Directed by Dino De Laurentiis, and written by James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose, and Merian C. Cooper, 1976's "King Kong" was a record-setting special effects marvel and the first big-budget re-imagining of the original 1933 classic! The film follows Petrox oil executive Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin) who, along with his scientific advisor Bagley (Rene Auberjonois), are headed for a mysterious fog-shrouded island in search of oil. Just before their ship departs, however, a paleontologist named Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) sneaks on board, convinced that there's more than oil to be found at their destination. Along the way, they find a young woman named Dwan (Jessica Lange, in her first film role) unconscious abort a raft, drifting in the ocean. After rescuing her, she joins the expedition to Skull Island. When the company arrives, however, they discover that Prescott was right, and that something even bigger than a massive oil depository to be found on the island! Also starring John Randolph, Julius Harris, and Jack O'Halloran!

The second film in this pairing moves from one kind of theater to another very different kind! In 2000, Christopher Guest moved from small-town community theater to national-level canine showmanship in "Best In Show!" Exploring the world of dog shows, we meet the owners of the dogs who will be competing in the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show in Philidelphia. Gerry (Eugene Levy) and Cookie (Catherine O'Hara) Fleck, from Florida, bring their Norwich terrier, Winky. Meg (Parker Posey) and Hamilton (Michael Hitchcock) Swan arrive escorting their weimaraner, Beatrice. Arriving with his Bloodhound, Hubert, Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest) arrives with high hopes. And Sheri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge), trophy wife and dog-show enthusiast, bring along both dog trainer Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch) and her standard poodle, Rhapsody in White. And Scott Donlan (John Michael Higgins) and Stephen Vandorhoof (Michael McKean) accompany their Shih Tzu, Miss Agnes. Along the way, we see the extremes these dog show parents are willing to go to in order to try and insure a win for their pet. Also starring Bob Balaban, Larry Miller, Ed Begley Jr., Fred Willard, and Jim Piddock! And at the end of the episode, the trio reveals what listener request informed the final pairing of the first batch of 2025!