by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s the low budget, independent, stop-motion blast, The Wizard of Speed and Time by Mike Jittlov.
Synopsis
A Hollywood filmmaker (Mike Jittlov) makes a short for an evil film studio. Unbeknownst to him, the producer has placed a bet of $25,000 that he won't come up with anything with a use. Luckily, our film creator gets the help of his friends.
The Good
Joseph: “Curse you, Hollywood system and its bigwigs! I’ll show the world what you missed out on — and get the girl at the end!” That’s The Wizard of Speed and Time in a nutshell, and what a fist-shaking revenge effort it is. Frenetically paced and chock full of wild, fun practical effects work, this “Let’s put on a show!” DIY effort wears its heart on its sleeve. Jittlov’s special effects talents are on full display, and are highly admirable.
Mike: The first time I saw The Wizard of Speed and Time was a VHS rental back in 1990 or 1991 and I fell in love with it. In the ensuing years I’ve read a few interviews and watched it a few more times which means any real review I did for this would be tinged with a bit of preconception of the film, but I’m going to try and approach this as if it was new to me. That said…
This movie is like The Little Engine That Could. A small-time guy fighting against the bureaucracy and red tape of the establishment isn’t anything new, but Jittlov makes the plot his own through earnest and endearing protagonists, rotten scoundrel bad guys, and enough moxie to choke a mule. There’s plenty of humor and jokes on an MST3K level in that you may miss one reference but find the next two hilarious - a little “something for everyone” if you will.
The stop-motion and special effects that Jittlov uses to bring his Wizard to life - both in the story AND the story-within-the-story, are exceptional and - if there’s any truth to the on-screen Jittlov’s statement that he taught himself how to do it all, it’s all the more impressive.
The Bad
Joseph: It seems that cowriters Jittlove, Richard Kaye, and Deven Chierighino never met a gag they didn’t like — or at least one that they didn’t want to cut from their film. The gags come in rapid-fire clips and at 95 minutes running time for the film — and well, as I wrote in our Hundreds of Beavers review, “There’s a reason that classic Looney Tunes cartoons were only around 10 minutes or so long.” Like that film, The Wizard of Speed and Time can feel like an endurance test to people for whom the humor doesn’t work. Humor is subjective, of course, and one person’s eye-roller is another person’s laff riot. There’s no small amount of schmaltz at play in the plot, either.
Mike: This is, without a doubt, a film that will appeal to a very specific demographic and those that “get it”, will get it. Those who DON’T, however, will probably be turned off by the overly whimsical Mike Jittlov character. With a house that feels like it belongs to a slightly more mature Pee Wee Herman - sporting Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions and toys everywhere, some viewers may see the character as derivative or a bit too silly and one dimensional. Not all of the humor will land and there’s a lot of “wink, wink, nudge nudge” gags throughout, and with a fairly brisk pace, there’s a lot of those types of moments in fairly quick succession which may make the film seem longer than its 90ish minutes.
The Verdict
Joseph: From reading the different takes that Mike and I have on this feature, you’ll probably know which camp you’ll fall into. If you’re in the mood for a “Zany! Wacky! Nutty! Bonkers!” middle finger to the Hollywood system, you should find The Wizard of Speed and Time worth a try. I feel, however, that Jittlov’s 1979 short of the same name shows you everything you need to see regarding his incredible special effects skill in less than 3 minutes, without the added hour-and-a-half of corn and scorn. There’s no denying that there are marvelous practical effects at which to wonder in the feature, though, so fans of such effects should find the feature worth checking out, too.
Mike: This is probably one of the finest rarely-seen and deserving of more recognition films I’ve ever had the pleasure of stumbling across. Jittlov clearly put 110% of his heart into The Wizard of Speed and Time, telling what sure seems like an autobiographical journey of trying to break into Hollywood and making movies. The pace of the film and near constant barrage of jokes, winks, and what some may see as self-indulgent scenes, might be a turn-off to some people. However, fans of DYI movie-making, those that have made their own feature films, or people who just love a good underdog story with some incredible looking non-computer aided effects, will find that this truly is a film that deserves a quality release.
.
The Wizard of Speed and Time
Directed By: Mike Jittlov
Written By: Mike Jittlov, Richard Kaye, Deven Chierighino
Starring: Mike Jittlov, Richard Kaye, Paige Moore
Run Time: 1h 35m
Rating: PG
Release Date: September 22, 1989