Memorable Cinematic Wizards

In Albany, people started lining up outside the mall at 6:30 AM. That is certifiably sick. Why would you wait in line for 18 hours for something you have tickets to? I’ve been to two midnight openings – Return of the King and The Expendables. For the final Lord of the Rings film, we stood in line for maybe an hour. Two of my friends were wearing those pullover starter jackets (we were hipsters before it was cool) and they filled the front pockets with Taco Bell.

I have never seen a Harry Potter movie or read a Harry Potter book. I tried to watch the first one, but boredom won out and I ended up going in my room to watch Lord of the Rings and scream, “You’re the only wizard for me Gandalf!” Of course, that’s not entirely true. There are plenty of non-Harry Potter wizards out there. So allow me to put on my robe and wizard hat and tell you my favorite movie wizards.

I’m not sure how many times I saw The Wizard as a child, but every viewing was a very important lesson about family, loyalty and video games. Jimmy didn’t need to speak and he didn’t need a power glove. He just needed a little help from his friends. Also, I think its safe to say that Fred Savage and Macaulay Culkin are the two best child actors to ever live.

Fun Fact: Luke Edwards, who played Jimmy, would go on to play Billy Heywood in Little Big League.

The Great and Powerful Oz – The Wizard of Oz
How did he fool people for so long with nothing but a soundboard and a freaking curtain?

Fun Fact: My brother played the Scarecrow in a high school production of The Wizard of Oz.

All wizards have great advice. They’re sagely. Peter Boyle’s character in Taxi Driver is no exception. By the way, I have this same conversation once a week, except its about blogging.

This film warrants mentioning because it exists. I’ve never seen it, but in theory there is a wizard who is the urban counterpart to Oz. That’s just a guess.

Wizards often help people along on their quests. Tim is no exception as he warns King Arthur of the danger that awaits them at the Cave of Caerbannog. Tim probably could have used his powers to kill the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog, but sometimes a wizards’ greatest trick is getting you to do things on  your own.

He’s right up there with the centaur for the funniest one-off characters in Role Models. This LARPing wizard might be the most powerful wizard in the entire post. I can’t imagine who could have defeated such a powerful sorcerer.