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Screen Testing

Neil Studd and Dan Billing bring you a fortnightly movie podcast with a software testing spin. We'll be looking for bugs in the plot, and comparing how the films compare to real-life experiences we've faced in the world of testing!
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Now displaying: 2020
Sep 16, 2020

We’re joined by Jenna Charlton to discuss David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed Mark Zuckerberg biopic which straddles a very fine line between hero worship and cautionary tale.

We talk about the pre-Facebook internet days of Angelfire and MySpace, how the movie mostly gets its tech correct for a change, and our real-life experiences with the privilege which the film displays.

We get a bit serious in the middle as we unpack the overt misogynism on-display in the movie, discuss the impact of Facebook’s push into the editorial and advertising spaces, and look at what happens when content moderation goes awry.

There’s some light-heartedness along the way as the crew discuss the feel-good programs that they use for respite, why Dan’s name didn’t meet AOL standards, and Neil shares a story of an unfortunate encounter with Justin Bieber.

We’ll see you again in October for our discussion on JURASSIC PARK!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@SheWrestlesTest
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentesting@gmail.com

Intro music: The White Stripes - Ball and Biscuit
Outro music: The Beatles - Baby, You’re A Rich Man

Jul 31, 2020

It's time for another long-overdue dive into technology in 90s movies, as we go deep into the "not as bad as you heard it was" Sandra Bullock thriller, The Net.

We investigate whether Jack Devlin has the skills required to be an international spy, whether the film merited the little-known sequel and TV series which it received, and whether Angela should be briefer in her emails when she's being pursued.

As usual, there are tangents upon tangents, as we uncover the secret behind Neil's unwritten novel, Dan's time spent working at the bleeding edge of the early days of the internet, and the time that Neil was framed as a pervert by a badly-trained keylogger.

Films and TV shows mentioned:

  • Hackers
  • Speed
  • Demolition Man
  • Speed 2
  • Patriot Games
  • Clear and Present Danger
  • The Hunt for Red October
  • Independence Day
  • Goldeneye
  • North by Northwest
  • Notorious
  • The Net 2.0
  • From Russia with Love
  • The World Is Not Enough
  • NYPD Blue
  • The Bourne Identity
  • Casino Royale
  • Mr Robot
  • Lost
  • The Amazing Spider-Man
  • Jurassic Park
  • Gravity
  • Bird Box
  • Ocean's 8
  • Our Brand Is Crisis
  • Crash
  • The Blind Side
  • All About Steve
  • They Live
  • The Silence of The Lambs
  • Bill and Ted Face the Music
  • Star Trek: Short Treks
  • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
  • Die Hard 2
  • Doctor Who: Earthshock
  • Hannibal
  • Strangers on a Train
  • Diagnosis Murder
  • The Punisher
  • Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
  • Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
  • Proxima
  • Hanna
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • The Mandalorian
  • Firefly
  • Bad Education
  • Palm Springs

Other references:

We'll be back at the end of August, hopefully with guests, to talk about THE SOCIAL NETWORK.

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Mark Isham - The Net - Act I 
Outro music: Annie Lennox - A Whiter Shade of Pale 

Jul 3, 2020

Trying to sync your episode with an immovable calendar date? Doing two recordings in one week? Suffering with kidney stones as well? It’s no problem for your favourite (perhaps) test-focused movie buffs, who are here to talk about a sci-fi classic which has an unmentionable sequel, despite the fact that Neil keeps mentioning it.

Dan and Neil are your guides on a trip through that most traditional of holiday tales, featuring a weird mix of American bravado and hubris. The explosions are almost as large as the plot conveniences, as they set out to answer all of the most important questions: Is there such a thing as too much backstory? Was Randy Quaid really abducted by aliens? And does this film feature the most expository line of dialog of all-time?

Oh, by the way, the show that Neil was thinking of which featured a Pringles can antenna was Mr Robot (S2E4, “Master-Slave”). However, any attempt to link to it was MAJORLY spoiler-ridden, so you should just watch all of Mr Robot instead.

Films and TV shows mentioned:

  • Independence Day: Resurgence
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Fly
  • The Tall Man
  • Battlestar Galactica (TV series)
  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park
  • Men in Black
  • Godzilla
  • Armageddon
  • Deep Impact
  • Titanic
  • Goldeneye
  • Ant Man
  • The Legend of Bagger Vance
  • Six Degrees of Separation
  • Enemy of the State
  • Gemini Man
  • Memphis Belle
  • Rocky Balboa
  • The American President
  • The West Wing
  • House of Cards
  • Stargate
  • Mr Deeds
  • The Mummy
  • Planet of the Apes (2001)
  • Doctor Who TV movie (1996)
  • Airport
  • Airplane!
  • The Wonder Years
  • Jason Bourne (2016)
  • Arrival
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  • Hidden Figures
  • Star Wars
  • Independence Day (1983)
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • Hamilton

Other references:

Join us again later in July for a long-overdue romp through THE NET!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:

screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: David Arnold - 1969 / We Came In Peace
Outro music: REM - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Jun 30, 2020

Where have the last two years gone? Neil and Dan reunite as they attempt to quantify the many things that have kept them away from their microphones, whilst also focusing on some of the bigger issues of today (virulent or otherwise).

As well as the many subjects of births, deaths, marriages and bubbles, we attempt to put a positive spin on COVID, discuss the ever-evolving impact of Black Lives Matter on historical media, and there's a rundown of the mixed bag which is the current UK box office for 2020.

Films and TV shows mentioned:

  • Contagion
  • Deep Blue Sea 
  • Brexit: The Uncivil War
  • Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng Chiang
  • Frozen 2
  • Space Force
  • Hunters (Amazon Prime)
  • Star Trek: Discovery S1
  • Serpico
  • Trolls World Tour
  • The Hunt
  • 7500
  • The Walk (not Man on Wire!)
  • The Dark Knight Rises
  • Inception
  • The Platform
  • High Rise
  • Uncut Gems
  • Punch Drunk Love
  • The Wedding Singer
  • Good Time
  • The Invisible Man
  • The Handmaid's Tale S1
  • Hollow Man
  • Emma.
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Thor Ragnaraok
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • The Mandalorian S1
  • What We Do In The Shadows S1
  • Birds of Prey
  • Parasite
  • Get Out
  • The Gentlemen
  • Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
  • King Arthur
  • Aladdin
  • Paddington 2
  • Dolittle
  • Bad Boys For Life
  • Lethal Weapon 4
  • Transformers: The Last Knight
  • 6 Underground
  • Sonic The Hedgehog
  • Pokemon: Detective Pikachu
  • 1917
  • Rope
  • Dunkirk
  • No Time To Die
  • Black Widow
  • Tenet
  • Dune
  • Arrival
  • Blade Runner 2049
  • Dune (1984 version)
  • Hamilton

Other references:

We'll be back again by the weekend, with our timely take on the sci-fi classic INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Pearl and Dean Theme
Outro music: Depeche Mode - Shake The Disease

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