The second film in our pairing of "film noir" stories is directed by Alex Segal and co-written by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum. Starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, and introducing Leslie Nielsen, "Ransom!" tells the story of a rich vacuum cleaner magnate David Stannard (Ford) and his wife Edith (Reed) whose eight year-old son, Andy, is kidnapped. When given with the realities of kidnapping by the Chief of Police and concerned newspaper reporter Charlie Telfer (Nielsen), David decides to go a different route than just paying the ransom demanded by the kidnappers. Although this film comes near the end of the first film noir cycle, it still does a terrific job of using the tropes and features some amazing supporting actors and actresses as well! Plus, learn all about what evil the geeks have planned for their Halloween pairing this year!
"The Third Man," directed by Carol Reed, begins our "film noir" pairing! The movie premiered in 1949, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles! Filmed on-site in Vienna, Austria (and in their amazingly beautiful and spacious sewer system... we kid you not) in the years after World War II, this is a prime example of everything "film noir" is supposed to be. The story is beautifully shot, expertly lit in a way that emphasizes the use of shadow, and contains a plot that twists and turns with such style that you're never quite sure who to trust or what's going to happen next! In 1999, This film this film topped the "BFI 100", a list of 100 of "the best British films ever!"
The second of our sequels that surpassed their originals, this time it's the Terminator franchise, and what should have been the final film, 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day!" Directed by James Cameron, who directed the original, and written by Cameron and William Wisher, this film pic ks back up 10 years later, and follows John Connor, now living with foster parents after mother Sarah is committed to a maximum security mental facility. After not one, but two Terminators show up, the story kicks into high gear! Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton from the first movie, with Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, and Joe Morton, this may very well be the best action movie ever made! Finally, hear what genre, that owes much of its feel to German Expressionism, the trio will be tackling with their next pairing!
We're looking at sequels that were better than their originals in this pairing, starting with the Star Wars sequel from 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back!" Directed by Irvin Kershner, and written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrene Kasdan, this is the film that almost all fans of the Star Wars universe agree is the best film to date! Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Billy Dee Williams, and the voice and puppeting skills of Frank Oz, this film hits all the right notes: story, cast, adventure, tension, and the best plot-twist perhaps of all time! Plus the near-perfect scoring by the master himself, John Williams, and you have what all sequels are supposed to be!
The second of our Tim Burton pairing is the somewhat Hollywood-ized biography picture about legendary (and legendarily bad) writer, director, producer, and actor Ed Wood, in a film that bears his name. Although not originally a Tim Burton project, he chose to take this film on, casting Johnny Depp in the title role. Burton provided Depp with an absolutely amazing cast of supporting actors, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray, Lisa Marie, George "The Animal" Steele, Juliette Landau, and her father, Martin Landau who would go on to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this role! Although the subject matter is unusual, and Depp's performance may or may not be edging into charicature, the performances are extremely solid, and the story is very interesting, enough so that the faults the movie does have don't get in the way of enjoying this odd tale about a very unusual man! Plus, the trio reveal which "sequels better than the originals" they're going to be reviewing for the next pairing, coming up in late September!
The second film in our pairing of "film noir" stories is directed by Alex Segal and co-written by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum. Starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, and introducing Leslie Nielsen, "Ransom!" tells the story of a rich vacuum cleaner magnate David Stannard (Ford) and his wife Edith (Reed) whose eight year-old son, Andy, is kidnapped. When given with the realities of kidnapping by the Chief of Police and concerned newspaper reporter Charlie Telfer (Nielsen), David decides to go a different route than just paying the ransom demanded by the kidnappers. Although this film comes near the end of the first film noir cycle, it still does a terrific job of using the tropes and features some amazing supporting actors and actresses as well! Plus, learn all about what evil the geeks have planned for their Halloween pairing this year! 
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