Episode 320 - The Wizard

<p>Welcome back to Not A Bomb, the podcast where we resurrect cinema’s most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb? This week, Troy and Brad grab their Power Gloves, hop in a stolen truck, and hit the road with 1989&#39;s Nintendo-powered adventure, <em><strong>The Wizard</strong></em>.</p><p>On the surface, <em><strong>The Wizard</strong></em> is a movie about a troubled young boy with an incredible talent for video games who runs away from home with his brother and heads across the country toward the biggest video game competition in America. But underneath the cartridges, Game Boys, Nintendo Power magazines, and what might be the most famous Power Glove in cinematic history, there is actually a pretty solid road movie trying desperately to escape.</p><p>Troy and Brad dig into the strange mix of family drama, cross-country adventure, and shameless corporate advertising that makes <em><strong>The Wizard </strong></em>such a fascinating artifact of late 1980s cinema. Somewhere in this movie is a genuinely interesting Beau Bridges and Christian Slater road movie about a father and son trying to reconnect while chasing their runaway family across the country. Unfortunately, that movie keeps getting interrupted by Nintendo reminding everyone that <em>Super Mario Bros. 3</em> exists.</p><p>Of course, no discussion of <em><strong>The Wizard</strong></em>would be complete without talking about its legendary product placement. This is a movie that does not gently incorporate Nintendo into its story. Nintendo basically grabs the steering wheel, drives the movie into the nearest electronics store, and tells everyone to look at the Power Glove. But somehow, despite being one of the most obvious feature-length advertisements ever made, <em>The Wizard</em> has developed a nostalgic charm that is hard to deny.</p><p>Want to help support the show? Head over to <a href="https://www.teepublic.com/user/not-a-bomb-podcast" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">the Not A Bomb Tee Public</a> store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to <a href="https://www.tedblair.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Ted Blair</a> for the amazing designs!</p><p>Check out the trailer for <a href="https://youtu.be/0nBr5OqPr2A?si=lD1u866zutiwanwM" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The 80s: A Motion Picture Special</a></p><p><a href="https://thecinova.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Cinova</a> - The future of Movie and TV </p><p>We&#39;re committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there&#39;s a cinematic flop you&#39;d like us to delve into, please reach out to us at <a href="mailto:NotABombPod@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">NotABombPod@gmail.com</a> or through our <a href="https://www.notabombpodcast.com/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">contact page</a>. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-a-bomb/id1517413998" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcast </a>or Spotify.</p><p>Cast: <a href="https://www.notabombpodcast.com/hosts/brad-anderson" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Brad</a>, <a href="https://www.notabombpodcast.com/hosts/troy-sauer" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Troy</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>