Double Dip Demands is a column in which I propose films that deserve a re-release on DVD/Blu-Ray with more special features, better transfers and other nerdy bits. Some of the films have no DVDs out there for Region 1 viewers, and some of them have a really crappy version that's bare bones or poorly put together. Who speaks for these films? I do.

The Film: The Wizard (1989)

Cast & Crew: Todd Holland (dir.), David Chisholm (writer); Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis

Plot Synopsis (via IMDB): A boy and his two friends run away from home and hitch cross country to compete in the ultimate video game championship.

Is It Currently Out? It is currently out on a bare-bones disc.

Why Does it Deserve Special Features? The Wizard is not a good movie. In fact, Ebert said that it was one of the worst films of 1989 (amongst other problems he had with it). The Wizard exists almost solely as a marketing tool for Nintendo and Universal - there's very little approaching artistic merit within its frames. So why should time and money be spent on this disc? The Wizard actually has a few things going for it. For starters - the movie has a high nostalgia factor for people who were kids at the time. It taps in to the excitement we felt as we read the latest Nintendo Power or hotly anticipated the next gimmicky piece of gaming equipment. Furthermore, The Wizard is one of the few times in movies when video game culture has taken the spotlight (however accurately) and it is one of the earliest films to grant some measure of credibility to this "passing fad" of video games. The crass commercialism, historical precedence, hokey plot and nostalgic sheen collide to form a wholly idiosyncratic film that is worth mockery and re-examination.

What Should Be on The Disc?

Click to read more ...