Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

The third and final part of our 500th episode celebration is the culmination and conclusion to the Lord of the Rings saga: "The Return of the King!" Once more with Peter Jackson at the helm, the film begins by showing us Gollum/Smeagol's (Andy Serkis) backstory and how he came to possess the ring all those years before. The original fellowship reunites, sans Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) but with King Theoden (Berhard Hill), at Isengard after the Ents have made their feelings known. After some chicanery from Pippin, the group heads out toward the capital of Gondor, Minas Tirith. Frodo and Sam, with Gollum still in tow, are captured by soldiers from Gondor, but ultimately released to continue their journey. At this point, apart from following the hobbits and the ring, the film is all about preparing for Sauron's army to arrive at, and lay siege to, Minas Tirith. The effects are spectacular (especially for 2003), and the battle is extensive! But that's just the start of the end of this historic saga that blazed the path for more than half a century of epic fantasy stories (and the OG of tabletop role-playing games) to follow! Also starring Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, and Miranda Otto! Plus, the trio announce which two Rob Reiner films they'll be reviewing as they honor this legendary director in the next pairing!

Part two of our three-part celebration of our 500th episode is the second film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy: "The Two Towers!" Again directed by Peter Jackson, the story picks up right at the end of the previous film, showing the result of Gandalf (Ian McKellen) taking on the horrific Balrog in the depths of Moria while the rest of the Fellowship escapes back to the surface. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) discover Gollum (Andy Serkis) pursuing them and end up making him travel with them. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) set off to rescue Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) from the orcs. Add to that a sentient tree known as Treebeard (also John Rhys-Davies), the Riders of Rohan, led by Eomer (Karl Urban), King Theoden (Bernard Hill) who is under the sway of Saruman disciple Grimma Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), the unleashing of Saruman's (Christopher Lee) orc and uruk-hai army, and the resurrection of Gandalf the Gray into Gandalf the White, and the story spins off in several directions, culminating in the sacking of Isengard!

It's our 500th episode, and we decided to do something different! Instead of a pairing, we present our first full trilogy! Many of you have asked why we haven't done these three films, well, now we are. To celebrate reaching our 500th episode, it's time to look at the Lord of the Rings trilogy! First up, 2011's "The Fellowship of the Ring," directed by Peter Jackson. The film stars Ian Holme as Bilbo Baggins, whose birthday celebration brings Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) to town. Bilbo departs after his party, and leaves his home and belongings, including a mysterious ring, to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood). Gandalf meets with his old teacher, Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee) and is betrayed. Gandalf escapes Saruman's tower and returns to Frodo, instructing him to leave immediately. Frodo is accompanied by his friend Samwise (Sean Astin), and fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). At an Inn, they encounter Strider (Viggo Mortensen), a ranger who accompanies them toward the home of the Elves, and the next stop on their quest. Along the way they meet Arwen (Liv Tyler) who saves Frodo's life. At Rivendell, Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving) calls a council, and we meet Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and Boromir (Sean Bean), who decide to accompany Frodo as he heads toward Mount Doom to destroy the ring. Also starring Cate Blanchett and Peter McKenzie.

For the second film in our OG monster movie pairing, we move ahead to the year 1954. Directed by Ishiro Honda, "Godzilla" would invoke both the aftermath of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the intense incendiary bombing campaigns whose fires destroyed over half of Tokyo. The film begins with a Japanese freighter, the Eiko-maru, being mysteriously destroyed near Odo Island. The ship Bingo-maru is sent to investigate, and it too is mysteriously destroyed, along with a fishing boat from Odo Island. As fish vanish and fishermen come home with empty nets, a village elder recalls the legend of an ancient sea creature they call Gojira they used to sacrifice young women to in order to keep the island safe. Later that night, an unusually powerful storm hits the island, destroying homes, people, livestock, and a media helicopter. Survivors travel to Tokyo seeking disaster relief, and a renowned scientist, Dr. Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura) is sent to investigate. While there, Yamane discovers gigantic radioactive footprints, and then sees the creature with his own eyes! He takes his findings and eyewitness testimony back to Tokyo, along with his conclusions that the creature is something from the Jurassic period who has been disturbed, and irradiated, by nearby hydrogen bomb testing. Meanwhile, Yamane's daughter, Emiko (Momoko Kôchi) has decided to break off her engagement to a colleague of her father's, Dr. Daisuke Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata) after having fallen in love with Captain Hideto Ogata (Akira Takarada), head of a salvage company. The army attempts to use depth charges to do away with the creature, but succeed only in provoking an attack on Shinagawa as the creature rises from Tokyo Bay. It turns out that Serizawa may have the answer to defeating the creature, but will he use it and reveal its awesome destructive power to the world? And, finally, after nine and a half years, the trio reveal which movie will be the subject of their 500th episode!

It's classic OG monster movies for this first pairing of 2026! Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933's "King Kong" brought new innovation to the screen and started a long-running franchise! The story follows filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) as he prepares for his latest action thriller! The only problem is... no agency will help him cast his leading lady. Fortunately, he finds struggling actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) in a soup-kitchen line and offers her the part of a lifetime. They head out to sea on the ship Venture, helmed by Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher). Denham reveals they're headed for an uncharted island, distinguished by a mountain shaped like a skull and, supposedly, the home of a mysterious creature known only as "Kong." Along the way, sparks begin to fly between Ann and first make Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). Upon arriving at the island, they witness a ceremony before a massive wall and gate, which their presence interrupts. The chief of the tribe asks to purchase Ann for her blond hair, but of course the group refuses. That night, after Driscoll reveals his love to Ann, natives slip aboard the Venture and kidnap her. Discovering her absence, the crew heads off to the rescue, only to witness Kong, a giant ape, carry Ann off into the jungle. They give chase, and most of them are killed attempting to rescue Ann, leaving only Jack to follow Kong back to his lair, where he manages to spirit Ann away, with Kong in hot pursuit. The chase continues through the island and down to the beach the crew landed on, where Denham uses the gas bombs he brought with him to incapacitate Kong, declaring that they're going to take the ape back to New York for exhibition! And that's only the first half of the story! Also starring Sam Hardy, Noble Johnson, James Flavin, and Steve Clemente!