Monday, 04 July 2022
Watch the trailer!
Our second episode in our pairing looking at 80s mind-based science fiction moves ahead one year to 1984 and, this time, focuses on the subconscious and unconscious mind in director Joseph Ruben's sci-fi/political thriller/romance film "Dreamscape!" Alex Gardner (Dennis Quaid) is a talented psychic whose abilities include telepathy, telekinesis, and precognition. After disappearing as a teenager, he's sought out by one-time mentor Doctor Paul Novotny (Max von Sydow) to work with him again, this time on a new technology that allows a psychic to project their consciousness into another person's dreams! After being essentially kidnapped and brought to the location of the project, he meets Dr. Novotny's associate Jane DeVries (Kate Capshaw) as well as his government "handler" Bob Blair (Christopher Plummer). Once Alex agrees to join the project, he also meets Tommy Ray Glatman (David Patrick Kelly), the current lead psychic and the most successful dream-walker. As Alex learns how to enter other people's dreams, Tommy Ray is learning to finer points of dream manipulation, resulting in a showdown between the Novotny-Gardner side and the Blair-Glatman side, and a battle for control of the project takes place in the subconscious of none other than the President of the United States (Eddie Albert)! Plus, Buddy reveals which two Chinese action-dramas the trio are reviewing next!
| Find us on Facebook! |
Follow us on Twitter! |
 Support us on Patreon! |
Watch the trailer!
It's back to the 80s we go, with a pairing Buddy nicknamed "MindFi," which translates to mind-based science fiction! First up, what if you could not only share all five senses of an experience with someone else, but you could record it and play it back at your leisure, feeling everything the original "experiencer" felt? That's the topic of our first film, directed by special effects genius Douglas Trumball, 1983's "Brainstorm!" Starring Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood (in her last big-screen role before her untimely death) as Michael and Karen Brace, a couple in the process of separating. The cause of their marital rift is the amount of time Michael has spent working on a project codenamed "Brainstorm" with project lead scientist Lillian Reynolds (Louise Fletcher), but they've finally had a breakthrough: They can record all five human senses while a subject experiences something, and when it's played back for someone else, they experience it as if they had originally gone through the event! Cheered on by their boss, Alex Terson (Cliff Robertson), they begin experimenting with various experiences, including sexual ones, to see exactly what this technology is capable of. But when one of the team splices a particular experience into a loop, they see that there's a danger as well, and then when another records the moment of their death... things quickly steamroll into a battle between the scientists and the military as to who will control the tech! Also featuring Jordan Christopher, Donald Hotton, Alan Fudge, and Joe Dorsey in strong supporting roles!
| Find us on Facebook! |
Follow us on Twitter! |
Support us on Patreon! |
Watch the trailer!
Week two of our focus on real-life scandals brings us forward to the 1990s and the lengths one young writer will go to in order to be seen as successful by his peers. In 2003's "Shattered Glass," director Billy Ray brings us the story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), the youngest write on-staff at the New Republic magazine. The editor of the magazine, Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria), is loved by everyone on-staff, but his constant head-butting with the owner Marty Peretz (Ted Kotcheff) sees him let go, replaced by Charles 'Chuck' Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), who Stephen views as a rival. After reporters for Forbes Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn) and Andy Fox (Rosario Dawson) do a follow-up on one of Stephen's stories, 'Hack Heaven." After discovering that they can confirm no facts, locations, persons, or companies mentioned in the article, they contact the New Republic and begin a series of meetings that ultimately result in the revelation that Glass has been fabricating story after story for years, something that, somehow, the extensive fact-checking system at the New Republic failed to uncover. The film also stars Chloe Sevigny, Melanie Lynskey, and Mark Blum. Plus, the trio unveil two 80s science fiction films they've dreamed up for the next pairing!
| Find us on Facebook! |
Follow us on Twitter! |
Support us on Patreon! |
Watch the trailer!
Scandals are the fixed-point for this pairing of films about real-life instances of dishonorable behavior! First up is the Robert Redford-directed tale of how American gameshow audiences lost their innocence in the late 1950s in 1994's "Quiz Show!" The film follows Herbie Stempel (John Turturro), an everyman from Queens, New York, who has a run of victories on the NBC quiz show "21." Unfortunately for him, however, along comes dashing and handsome Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) who the producers of the show, Dan Enright (David Paymer) and Albert Freedman (Hank Azaria), think will be more popular with audiences. Stempel, who has been receiving the answers from the producers before actually competing on the game show, is told to lose to allow Van Doren to become the new champion, an instruction he is not happy to receive. As Van Doren becomes the new television sweetheart, also winning with answers provided ahead of time from the producers, Stempel tries to blow the whistle on the program. Along comes Richard Goodwin (Rob Morrow), who works as a Congressional investigator, and believes that Stempel's claims are true. Also appearing are Paul Scofield, Christopher McDonald, Elizabeth Wilson, and Mira Sorvino!
| Find us on Facebook! |
Follow us on Twitter! |
Support us on Patreon! |
Website and all episodes Creative Commons
copyrighted, Two Geeks And a G.I.T., BY-NC-ND, 2016
"Just discovered. What a great movie podcast. I especially love the range of films covered. I discovered it by searching for a podcast episode talking about UHF of all movies. Any podcast that can cover comedies such as UHF, Summer School, and Spaceballs and then can just as well inform and entertain on films like City Lights, Stagecoach, and 12 Angry Men is a winner in my book. I still have many of your episodes to discover. Well done." -Mike C.
"Had a listen, great episode guys. I am glad you like [1408] and picked it to cover as it doesnt really get talked about all that much in the sense of a must see Stephen King movie like The Shinning, Shawshank, Stand By Me etc
Without saying too much the window scene is also the one that got me good too, I love horror movies and while my wife hides behind her pillow or hits the roof with jump scares I seem motionless to most (The Ring and Jacob's Ladder aside), however this scene, first gave me shivers when he saw what he did followed instantly by a near heartache jump scare haha" -Bruce H.
(Regarding the review of "The Shining") "Perfect" -Alton S.
"As a former student of Jeff's, I was fascinated with his opionion on movies. I still have the first business card he handed me on the first day of class. Coming from three professors, I enjoy each [of] your well thought-out points of view. Not only am I learning something new about my favorite movies, but finding interests in new films. Keep up the great work geeks! (and G.I.T.)" -Joseph N.
"Hi, I have been working through loads of classic films. Love the podcast. Would love to hear 12 Angry Men episode (my new fave classic film). Thanks" -Tom B.
"Buddy does NOT talk too much. But Chad does! Just kidding - great show as always!" -Tim J.
"Hey 3 x G's!
Love your podcast! And since you ask for suggestions about movies to be put on the show, I have to give my two cents, about some movies that I love, and would love hear your views on:
Thanks for all the reviews! 🙂" -Frederik T.
"Hi guys, love the podcast. Have you thought about doing a podcast on PTA’s ‘Boogie Nights’. Maybe ‘There Will Be Blood’ too. Would love to hear your thoughts. Keep up the good work." -Steve M.
