THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME
A film review by Michael O'Brien
Copyright 1988 Michael O'Brien
Those of us cursed with the occasional desire to go to science-fiction conventions have had the opportunity, over the past ten years, to see filmmaker Mike Jittlov's work, usually in one-and-a-half-hour blowouts that leave one staggering.
To my mind, Mike Jittlov is the greatest stop-motion animator who ever lived, Harryhausen notwithstanding. His only problem is that he insists on complete control over every aspect of what he does, to the point of learning to sing in stop-motion so that his sound-track could not be replaced since the lip motion couldn't be edited out. He's also next door to certifiable but in Hollywood this is not a handicap.
Last weekend there were two preview showings of his first full-length feature, THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME. This is a film well worth seeing, whether or not you are familiar with Jittlov's work. It shows signs of having been made on a shoestring, and there are a large number of industry in-jokes, but all in all it's a fun serio-comic romp through Hollywood. In essence it's the autobiographical story of the making of the short film of the same name, and it does prove Jittlov's main point: he's a complete filmmaker, not just an effects man.
There's a considerable amount of Hollywood union-bashing going on here, which is not going to win Jittlov any friends in the industry. That's why this film is being previewed at this time. The American Film Market festival is currently underway in Los Angeles, where independent films looking for distributors are screened citywide. Readers will never see this film unless it is picked up, and I hope for the sake of the independent filmmakers that it is. It has its flaws, in execution and otherwise, but it gives value for money. Both preview shows were sold out. If it is distributed, lovers of movies should see it. It's true-to-life, and fun. That combination is rare these days.
Mike O'Brien
obrien@aerospace.aero.org
{sdcrdcf,trwrb}!aero!obrien
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