Changing it up a bit around here.  I'm going to be waxing nostalgic for a minute about a film I hold dear and near to my heart called the Wizard.

It was December 1989 when this film was released.  As a child I didn't understand the concept of a one hundred minute Nintendo commercial.  I remember seeing this movie in the theaters are a child and being baffled as to why Putman would get in trouble because he touched a young Jenny Lewis' breast.  Hell, eight year old Ralphie didn't even understand what breast were, I had to have my Dad tell me they were "Chi Chis."

The film follows a young pair of brothers Jimmy and Corey Woods.  Jimmy is a near mute child that is suffering from PTSD.  And Corey himself is trying to deal with being separated from his brother due to a divorce of his father and step mother.  From the get go we find Jimmy attempting to make his way to California for some unknown reason.  But I guess walking to California on foot is better than being in specialized home for children with mental disabilities.

Meanwhile Corey is still trying to cope with the idea that Jimmy is locked up in a home and whilst thinking to himself, decides to bust Jimmy out and hitch hike their way to California.  Along the way they come across a Hailey.  A rambunctious red head with a taste for the road.  The three of them decide to use Jimmy's un
canny knack for video games to head to California for Video Game Armageddon and the Nintendo Championships  Which for a fact I remember taking place at Universal Studios here in Hollywood, California.  I wanted to attend this so bad as a child but never had a chance.

Once Jimmy and Corey's parents  find out about the two boys heading on the road, Corey's stepmother decides to hire a child bounty hunter to retrieve Jimmy only.  So naturally Corey and Jimy's biological father decides he's going to find the boys first before this grimy bounty hunter gets to Jimmy.

The movie itself introduced the Power Glove and Super Mario Brothers 3.  The aforementioned being the first time I got to see the latest entry into the Super Mario Bros. series.  Baffled at the fact that Jimmy somehow knew where to find the flute.  I mean seriously, who would have known to get up there since the flight mechanic was just introduced into the series with this entry.  But I'm not here to bash this movie.  I love this damn film.

I love it so much, that when New Beverly Cinema announced a showing of the movie with Todd Holland and Luke Edwards being there for a Q and A session I made it a point to not miss this opportunity.  So many great facts and faucets of this movie were discussed.  The original cut of this movie was nearly THREE hours long.  And when asked if we would ever see deleted footage, we were told no.  They were lost during one of the major lot fires that destroyed many great sets and ravaged film vaults.  They even pointed out that Tobey Maguire had un credited cameo appearances as one of Lucas' henchmen.  But I digress, I'm running this review/retrospective into too many directions and need to get back to work.  Time to wrap this up.

As a gamer, the movie is a blast.  It's almost even a little bit more relevant today, with pro gaming and e sports on the rise, back in 1989 this was a pipe dream.  Play video games to win money?  Pro gamers?  Nowadays we have legitimate money in video game tournaments not just in the United States but across the world.