Don's video picks returns with 'War Games'

It's happening again, semester settlement. The book hustle is over and lines at the store have diminished. Students have dropped and added classes so many times most of them changed their majors without even knowing it. With the exception of horrific parking problems, Cal State Long Beach is in full swing.

That being said, it is the perfect time for Video Picks to make a comeback, but with a twist. Previous picks have featured mainly older films and cult hits. However, a change is needed, thus we are incorporating (as best we can) new release films with the classics. This is a bold feat for any recommendation column, but we're going to try.

Due to the high level of newness all around campus, classes, students, parking and housing, a familiar classic is called upon to offer stability in a world of change and chaos. Matthew Broderick, a man who has brought a smile to many faces is recommended for weekend viewing in his star-making hit, "War Games."

Don Weberg

Filmed in the early 1980s, 'War Games' inspired a whole generation of people to trade in their Atari's for an Apple IIe, with the goal of making government systems run amok, causing turmoil for the United States.

Broderick plays the part of a seemingly anti-social Seattle high school teenager, wrapped in a quiet world of microchips and processors when he is romanced by a fun loving, zest-for-life kind of girl played by Ally Sheedy. Their romance starts innocently with a ride home on her scooter, an introduction to his dog, Bo, and Broderick showing off his computer hacking talents by booking a flight to Paris.

Stumbling onto a list of games brings them to play Global Thermal Nuclear War with the world. Broderick and Sheedy choose to be the Soviet Union in the game and promptly launch missiles at the United States. Thinking it's only a game, they turn their attention elsewhere, but soon find the computer is taking the task more seriously and is continually playing.

The duo did not realize the computer was playing actual war strategy games with the Department of Defense unit in Colorado. This game between computers terrorizes the staff of the department, because it looks as if the Russians have truly launched missiles at North America. The president even becomes involved.

An exciting movie with a touch of love and a lot of comedy, filled with suspense, is exactly what students need in this early part of the semester. Watch it with buddies, and order pizza.

Don Weberg is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.