watched wargames last night with my kid

They didn’t have many actors as fat and out of shape to properly depict that role, at least until Dan Schneider got cast in Head Of The Class.

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fat and skinny geek

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Maury Chaykin and Eddie Deezen

Chaykin, although born and raised in New York, is more known for theater and Canadian television, than Hollywood releases or American TV, although he was prolific. Brief but memorable appearances in Dances With Wolves, My Cousin Vinny and WarGames are likely what most of us know him from (maybe Twins). Died relatively young at 61.

Obviously, most folks know Eddie Deezen from both Grease films, lots of voiceover work, plus things like WarGames and Midnight Madness (Michael J. Fox's film debut, which also featured Paul Reubens in a prototype of what would become the PeeWee Herman character).

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Midnight Madness

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Was played almost on a loop on HBO back in the day.

What an interesting observation to post on the Movie board. Would read again.

While a very entertaining movie, the last half was premised on Joshua being able to guess the password to launch the nukes digit by digit, a variation on the countdown trope. I don't think passwords worked like that even in the 80's, but they sold the frick out of it, and audiences didn't know any better.

I definitely do not want this to happen, but this movie seems very primed for a modern remake given today's Hollywood and the state of the world

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I remember back in grad school (circa '03) at LSU being in CEBA and seeing Tab in the coke machine. I was like holy shite I haven't even seen that in 10+ years, let me get one and see how it is. And it was absolutely disgusting.

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Bc the Tab in the coke machine was likely 10 years old

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Pee Wee Herman

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He was on a Dating Game "in character" in 1979 so he was already using that schtick. He had a pretty good career going between HBO specials, the Saturday morning cartoon and the movies, until he trashed his career flogging the dolphin in public.

Pee-Wee on the Dating Game in 79

Fun movie to watch but way far-fetched in the plot.

High school kid somehow hacks into one of the most secure computer systems in the world thinking he's playing some sort of video game and almost sets off WWIII.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of government and private area experts running those computers are totally stumped how to prevent impending nuclear annihilation from taking place. Kid, now in custody somehow escapes confinement at a high security military facility and miraculously saves the day by playing Tic-Tac-Toe with said computer program.

Ally Sheedy's set-up softball line at the end climax to get Joshua to not launch the Nukes almost breaks the 4th wall.

She might as well stare at the camera.

While Broderick is frantically trying to get into the system and shut down the WOPR but they're locked out as seconds tick down....

Ally Sheedy turns to Broderick on the brink of annihilation and says:

"I told you not to play that game"!

And Broderick pauses and says " games"

And then that's how he gets into the system by asking WOPR to play chess. :

It just sticks out like a sore thumb, as if the writers wrote themselves into a corner....so they relied on a woman blaming a man as her final thought alive. Hey, they knew the audience would buy it.