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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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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

Jun 1, 2018

We're back from a brief hiatus with - unbelievably - a film which actually deeply relates to testing! We're joined by Mark Tomlinson, who brings his own experiences of dealing with the National Transportation Safety Board, to discuss a film about a remarkable moment of true-life heroism, and the decisions that we make in the heat of the moment.

The events of the movie give us a chance to get into in-depth discussions about the challenges of testing within regulated industries, developing risk mitigation strategies in life-critical environments, debugging/monitoring, and whether quality is a team effort.

There are remarkably few distractions, although we get into some meta-discussion about whether it was correct to portray the NTSB as pantomime villains, a general critique of Clint Eastwood's agenda, a surprising number of references to metallurgy, and we give Mark an introduction to 1980s UK gameshows.

YouTube trailers for films mentioned:

Miscellaneous links:

Twitters:
@MarkOnTask
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Christian Jacob - Sully Suite
Outro music: Christian Jacob - Flying Home (Sully's Theme)

Apr 6, 2018

Pop quiz, hotshot! You want to record a new podcast episode, but you also want a break from some of the darker plots that you've talked about recently. Plus, you're snowed-in at home. What do you do? Dan and Neil decide not to shoot the hostage, but to instead kick back with a discussion about Speed.

In an episode recorded at the beginning of March (hence some timeline discrepancies and weird Oscar predictions), they find many parallels with Die Hard, and manage to work-in a surprising number of testing elements, including setting/reviewing acceptance criteria, pairing in the workplace, communicating information, and using psychology to analyse a situation.

Miscellaneous Links:

Films and TV shows mentioned:

  • Die Hard 2
  • The Thing
  • Pingu
  • Speed 2: Cruise Control
  • The Net
  • The Lake House
  • Jurassic Park
  • Twister
  • Independence Day
  • Die Hard
  • Black Rain
  • The Hunt For Red October
  • Basic Instinct
  • The Jewel Of The Nile
  • The Matrix
  • Point Break
  • Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
  • The Haunting
  • Under Siege
  • Equilibrium
  • Minority Report
  • Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
  • Tomb Raider (2018)
  • The Rock
  • Swordfish
  • The Martian
  • Ferris Bueller's Day Off
  • Star Trek: Generations
  • The Corner
  • The Wire
  • Lenny The Wonder Dog
  • I, Tonya
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Lady Bird
  • Game Night
  • The Game
  • The Mercy
  • Finding Your Feet

As hinted near the end, our next episode will be based on the true-life story of SULLY with special guest Mark Tomlinson!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Mark Mancina - Speed (Main Title)
Outro music: Billy Idol - Speed

Feb 14, 2018

We return a little later than planned, as we discuss one of the greatest thrillers of our time, getting into discussions about psychology, interviewing, misogyny and gender politics, and appropriate occasions for purchasing FBI-themed cakes.

We also salvage the best bits of our failed Oscars announcement episode, highlighting a few nominations that we hope will win big, and staking our reputations on a few predictions of our own.

Miscellaneous Links:

YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned:

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl 
Outro music: Q Lazzarus - Goodbye Horses

Jan 12, 2018

We begin 2018 with a discussion of Neil's favourite film of 2017, and a worrying early revelation about Dan's general problems with musicals. But we persevere, and discover not only a few musical gems in Dan's closet, but also a shared appreciation for some of the plot elements in La La Land.

Things get a bit philosophical and introspective as we dig into how we motivate ourselves (and others) when we (or they) suffer setbacks, how we tell our own stories about the world around us, taking the opportunities that come your way, avoiding being paralysed by "what if", and a few of the many screw-ups we've made in our past relationships.

As usual, we get sidelined by literal vs metaphor, fantasy physics, childhood dreams, Neil adopting some of Mia's vocabulary, and using BCC in emails.

At the end we have a very brief discussion about The Last Jedi, which is basically spoiler-free, but if you want to be really careful then you might want to fast-forward a couple of minutes!

YouTube links to songs referenced from La La Land:

Miscellaneous references:

YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned:


As we discuss in the episode, January is a bit manic, but if all goes to plan then we'll be back with THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in two weeks' time!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Another Day Of Sun (Instrumental Version)
Outro music: City of Stars (Humming)

Dec 14, 2017

As the year draws to a conclusion, Neil and Dan give a rundown of their favourite movies of the past 12 months, and highlight a few festive turkeys.

The show notes are deliberately brief to avoid spoilers, but if you want to see the films which we discussed in YouTube trailer format, there are some playlists linked below.

References:

Thanks everyone for listening to us this year, and we'll see you on January 12th as (joy of joys) it's finally time for LA LA LAND!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com 

Intro music: Pearl and Dean Theme
Outro music: Captain Picard sings "Let It Snow"

Dec 8, 2017

In an episode recorded over the course of five hours, your hosts gather at Chez Neil for their own mini Christmas party, with a fine array of mince pies, cheeses and ales, as well as two of their favourite festive movies. The result? A fun and rambling journey which gets increasingly erratic as we continue.

Both nursing sore throats and hangovers from previous nights' office parties, we nevertheless get to all of the important questions, such as why Hans Gruber owns a TARDIS on wheels, which of Macaulay Culkin's traps constitute appropriate force, whether the Nakatomi Corporation employees deserved an externally-hosted Christmas party, how long Kevin McAllister would survive in Die Hard, and which film has the most inept police presence.

There's also a special post-credits treat, as Dan treats us to a reading of A Die Hard Christmas.

Home Alone discussion begins at 6 minutes, and Die Hard commences at 33 minutes.

References:

 YouTube trailers for films mentioned:

We'll be back on December 22nd with our BEST & WORST OF 2017, where a much more sober Neil and Dan will reveal their biggest hits and misses of the year.

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: John Williams - Home Alone theme
Outro music: Vaughn Monroe - Let It Snow (Die Hard closing theme)
Post-credits music: Michael Kaman - Ode to Joy (Die Hard version)

Nov 17, 2017

Yo listeners! Another conference means another live episode, as we join you from backstage at TestBash Philadelphia, to talk about Rocky, the only film that we could realistically talk about (despite special guest Keith Klain's best attempts to pitch ludicrous alternatives).

In an episode which isn't sponsored by Ministry of Testing (despite how much it might seem like it is), we discuss some of our favourite TestBash talks, demonstrate some terrible impressions, discuss what the film can teach us about coaching and self-actualisation, and are yet again confounded by inappropriate male advances in movies.

We also name-checked a whole load of conference speakers and organisers, whose Twitter accounts are linked here: Gene Gottimer, Christine McGarry, Kim Knup, Ash Coleman, Sarah Deery, Kate Paulk, Jenny Bramble, Emma Keavney, Gwen Diagram

References:

YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned:

Our next episode will be our Christmas Special on December 8th (a week later than normal), when we'll be taking a festive frolic through HOME ALONE and DIE HARD, plus a discussion about the best and worst Christmas films of all-time!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@KeithKlain
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Bill Conti - Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)
Outro music: Bill Conti - Rocky's Reward

Nov 3, 2017

Come get some! We're talking about Edgar Wright's first film in the Cornetto trilogy, and looking into our own experiences versus the film's portrayal of friendship, house-shares, and relationships. Plus, there's a zombie outbreak, so there's that.

We analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Shaun's zombie survival plan, and how our own plans might differ. We also debate the issues which rage within Shaun's group, applaud the level-headedness of the female sidekicks, and discuss whether threat modelling is an effective tool against the undead. Also, we reveal plans for a huge on-location episode in 2018!

References:

YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned:


We'll return in two weeks when we'll be discussing ROCKY, live from Philadelphia, possibly with some special guests!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: The Specials - Ghost Town
Outro music: Queen - You're My Best Friend

Oct 20, 2017

Well, it was inevitable. A trawl through Neil's favourite Bond movie results in an unprecedented level of pedantry, fact-checking and conversational rabbit-holes, as we lean particularly hard into the uncomfortable elements of the movie, including inappropriate remarks in the workplace, the enigma of Boris, and unconvincing love stories.

There's plenty to celebrate though, as your presenters explore their respective histories with the Bond series, the novels, and the GoldenEye 007 game on the Nintendo 64. Dan wants a laser pistol, Neil wants to talk physics, everyone reminisces about trying to connect to the internet in the 1990s, and for a change there are some valuable insights from the director's commentary.

It's a time for heroes, as Dan's tonsillitis battles through our longest-ever recording session, and Neil somehow manages to edit over three hours of material into a sub-2hr podcast. (If you've got a well-stocked liquor cabinet, the original tapes are available on request.)

References:

YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned:

We'll be back in a fortnight for a much shorter episode about SHAUN OF THE DEAD, hope you'll join us then!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Tina Turner - GoldenEye
Outro music: Eric Serra - Experience of Love

Oct 6, 2017

After finally overcoming the communication problems associated with talking to the other side of the world, we're joined by Mike Talks for a discussion about WarGames, the film that did for the 80s what Hackers did for the 90s, yet somehow without feeling anywhere near as dated as the latter.

It's an enjoyable film with plenty to celebrate, and plenty of relevant discussion points including how humans interact with artificial intelligence, and the many obvious security vulnerabilities that are on display. However we don't neglect our duty in highlighting some very disturbing gender roles, and we reluctantly stray onto the topic of Donald Trump.

Along the way, the team talk through their childhood gaming and programming experiences, Mike shares some (non-classified) military IT stories, Dan proposes an unlikely trilogy of technology films, and Neil gets sidetracked by background details as usual.

Oh, and if you've got an Amazon Echo, Google Home or Siri-enabled device in earshot, you're probably going to want to disable its microphone for the duration of this episode. We didn't, and paid the consequences.

References:


YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned:

In two weeks, we'll be venturing into the world of James Bond for the first time, to discuss Pierce Brosnan's first outing as 007, GOLDENEYE!

Twitters:
@TestSheepNZ
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Arthur B. Rubinstein - WarGames Intro Theme
Outro music: Arthur B. Rubinstein - Edge of the World

Sep 15, 2017

This week, we "embrace the possible" as we chat to Leigh Rathbone about Yes Man, a Jim Carrey romantic comedy which tells the somewhat-real-life story of Carl Allen, an unconfident recluse who is encouraged to say "yes" to more things in his life. We talk to Leigh about how Yes Man inspired him to do the same with his testing career, and the opportunities that opened up for him when he did this.

There are discussions about work-life balance, the responsibility of employers to help with maintaining balance, and when it might be appropriate to say "no".

As we progress, we pitch a role for Jim Carrey in Dunkirk, wonder if trespassing can be romantic, Leigh auditions to be our voiceover artist, and Neil still manages to crowbar-in a La La Land reference.

Interview segment begins at 44:50.

References:

YouTube trailers for films mentioned:

Dan's away in New Zealand for the next two weeks, so keep your eyes peeled on Twitter for confirmation of our next movie!

Twitters:
@villabone 
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Outro music: Third Eye Blind - Jumper

Sep 1, 2017

It's time to LET OFF SOME STEAM as we look at one of the finest examples of the 80s action movie genre. Arnie's on a mission to rescue his kidnapped daughter, while Neil and Dan are on a mission to constantly over-think every situation in the film.

Amongst all of the crazy one-liners, explosions and deaths, we study John Matrix's mission, his requirement-gathering skills, and bemoan his poor password security. On the other side of the fence, we look at villain Bennett's seeming love for his nemesis, discover the interesting real-life circumstances which led to some odd costuming, and we unleash our terrible Australian accents.

There are plenty of distractions along the way, as we draw repeated comparisons to the Bond franchise, get into knots over whether it's "Matrixes" or "Matrices", debate whether a rocket launcher is better than a door handle, analyse the weird musical adjectives of Creem magazine, make plans for a Christmas double-header episode, and give shouts-out to our mums.

References:

Dan's testing soundtracks:

Commando scenes and one-liners from YouTube:

YouTube trailers for films referenced:

WE'LL BE BACK in two weeks' time, when Leigh Rathbone is our special guest to discuss the Jim Carrey comedy YES MAN, and his experiences with taking a similar approach to his testing career!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: James Horner - Commando Main Title
Outro music: Power Station - We Fight For Love

Aug 18, 2017

This week, we're honoured to be joined by Angie Jones and Ash Coleman to discuss one of the most important films of recent times, Hidden Figures. It's a heartwarming tale of three women overcoming terrible systemic prejudices, though it's bittersweet as we talk through how many of its stories are still prevalent today.

Our guests take us on a deep-dive through some important cultural talking-points, including how we educate children about race issues, how feminist movements tend to favour white women, how we can shift a community's mentality, and the labeling of so-called "Social Justice Warriors".

Within the workplace, we look at why companies struggle with diversity and inclusion (D&I), how D&I problems can become business problems, the hallmarks of effective leaders, and how bold young women are leading the way.

We also finally get our toes wet in the "manual vs automation" debate, and we welcome our first ever feline guest to the show!

Note: News about Google's alleged "anti-diversity" paper was breaking at the time of recording; the leaking of the paper (and subsequent fallout) came some days later.

References:

YouTube trailers for films referenced in this episode:

Next time, we'll be taking our first dive into the world of 80s action movies, as we pick apart the brilliant madness of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1985 movie COMMANDO!

Twitters:
@techgirl1908
@AshColeman30
@neilstudd
@TheTestDoctor
@ScreenTesting

Emails:
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Intro music: Hans Zimmer - Katherine
Outro music: Kim Burrell and Pharrell Williams - I See A Victory

Aug 4, 2017

In an episode best summarised as "it seemed like a good idea at the time", Neil and Dan attempt to get their teeth into Netflix's recent high-profile tech offering, The Circle, starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks, only to find there's very little meat on those plot bones.

It's light on spoilers (as there's not a lot to spoil), but we envision a story which might have been, had they decided to actually include character arcs, plot developments and meaningful conclusions.

We keep ourselves amused along the way, coming up with the rules of proper Slack and social media etiquette, deciding whether the film's irony was intentional, paying tribute to the wonder of Bill Paxton, and wondering why John Boyega got involved at all.

References:

For our next episode, we'll be talking about HIDDEN FIGURES with two special guests - Angie Jones and Ash Coleman, all the way from San Francisco!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Ocean Colour Scene - The Circle (because why not)
Outro music: Jónsi - Simple Gifts

Jul 21, 2017

In a long-awaited episode, Dan and Neil are joined by special guest Christopher Chant to discuss the Oscar-winning picture Whiplash, a film which tells the story of the relationship between budding jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) and his tutor Terence Fletcher (JK Simmons), and how their worlds collide in a quest for perfection.

In a deep and serious episode, we share information on coaching and mentoring techniques that we have observed and used, exchange thoughts on how to motivate others and ourselves, talk about balancing personal and professional commitments, and ways that we can demonstrate/uncover skill.

Your hosts share their own experiences from the world of music, discuss other famous big-screen student-pupil relationships, and Neil takes every possible opportunity to reference Damien Chazelle's follow-up film La La Land.

We also play some lengthy clips from the film, which are HEAVILY expletive-laden. You have been warned.

References:

We're back to our usual fortnightly schedule now, so we'll see you all on August 4th when we'll be discussing the new Netflix movie THE CIRCLE.

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@choibot
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Snare Liftoff (I Want To Be One Of The Greats)
Outro music: Whiplash

Jul 19, 2017

We interrupt our regularly-scheduled programming to bring you our first emergency broadcast! Hot on the heels of our discussion of The Deadly Assassin comes the announcement of the new Doctor, with Jodie Whittaker becoming the first woman to play the show's leading role.

In an episode where Neil and Dan spend most of their time agreeing with each other for a change, we delve into the inevitable social media outrage, discuss the reasons why the announcement points to an exciting future, bemoan the lack of non-violent superheroes in the modern age, and debate the nature of fandoms.

As usual, Dan brings a wealth of experience from the world of Doctor Who, outlining the history of strong female figures in the show, both in front of and behind the camera. And Neil actually manages to keep up this time!

Miscellaneous references:

Doctor Who episodes referenced (ordered by airdate):

  • Genesis of the Daleks (1975)
  • The Deadly Assassin (1976)
  • The Five Doctors (1983)
  • Warriors of the Deep (1984)
  • Resurrection of the Daleks (1984)
  • Blink (2007)
  • Silence in the Library (2008)
  • The Doctor's Wife (2011)
  • Hell Bent (2015)
  • The Doctor Falls (2017) - Peter Capaldi's final regular episode
  • The Doctors (2017) - upcoming Christmas 2017 special

Our normal schedule resumes on Friday, when we'll be bringing you our discussion on WHIPLASH with Christopher Chant - hint, you'll want to set aside a couple of hours for that one!

Twitters:
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Doctor Who theme (2014-2017)
Outro music: TARDIS dematerialization sound

Jun 30, 2017

In our first venture into the world of Doctor Who, guest Andrew Morton adds to Dan's expertise (and Neil's ignorance) to unpack a Fourth Doctor story which has vibes of The Manchurian Candidate and The Matrix (with a bit of a whodunnit and a courtroom drama in the middle). Plus there are fisticuffs!

We take a reverential look at some of the series' tropes, including The Doctor's skill at hiding behind things, the speed at which cliffhangers are negated, stilted deathbed monologues and a villain's inability to finish off his enemy.

We also analyse The Master's ability to turn people into Action Man dolls, short-sighted writers creating continuity nightmares, wonder whether the Timelords would do well to invest in two-factor authentication, and make very early plans for Screen Testing's thirty-year anniversary episode.

Clips from The Deadly Assassin on YouTube (courtesy of BBC Worldwide):

Miscellaneous references:

Doctor Who episodes referenced (ordered by airdate):

  • An Unearthly Child (first story, 1963)
  • The Daleks (first Dalek story, 1963)
  • The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964)
  • The Chase (1965)
  • The Enemy of the World (1967)
  • The Web of Fear (1968)
  • The War Games (1969)
  • Spearhead from Space (1970)
  • Terror of the Autons (1971)
  • The Sea Devils (1972)
  • Frontier in Space (1973)
  • Planet of the Daleks (1973)
  • Genesis of the Daleks (1975)
  • The Brain of Morbius (1976)
  • The Seeds of Doom (1976)
  • The Hand of Fear (1976)
  • The Face of Evil (1977)
  • The Invasion of Time (1978)
  • Shada (unfinished due to strikes, 1980)
  • The Five Doctors (1983)
  • The Caves of Androzani (1984)
  • Revelation of the Daleks (1985)
  • The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
  • The Mysterious Planet (1986)
  • Terror of the Vervoids (1986)
  • Time and the Rani (1987)
  • The Curse of Fenric (1989)
  • Doctor Who (TV movie, 1996)
  • The Stolen Earth (2008)
  • The Name of the Doctor (featuring The War Doctor, 2013)
  • The Day of the Doctor (50th anniversary episode, 2013)
  • World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls (season finale, 2017)

We'll be back in a fortnight with Christopher Chant, to discuss one of Neil's all-time favourite movies, WHIPLASH.

Twitters:
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Emails:
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Intro music: Doctor Who theme
Outro music: The Timelords - Doctorin' The Tardis

Jun 16, 2017

Neil and Dan get their teeth into the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One, a prequel to Episode IV which is steadfastly doing its own thing, complete with retconned Death Star powers, penis-tentacled monsters and sarcastic droids.

In a midichlorian-free episode, we discuss whether the Imperials should have discovered the Death Star's fatal flaw, how workplace politics can hinder us from achieving our goals, the nature of Chirrut Imwe's Force-like abilities, and the merits of re-casting versus CGI.

Along the way, Dan proposes a potential spin-off podcast to explore his inner dictator, Neil ponders whether Jon Bon Jovi is in canon, we compare our tenuous connections to Star Wars cast members, and rhetorically wonder why nerds are never satisfied.

In an extended news section at the end, we say goodbye to some of our childhood heroes who we've lost in recent weeks: Roger Moore (Bond), Adam West (Batman) and Andy Cunningham (Bodger).

References:

Closing tributes from YouTube:

Join us in two weeks' time when we'll be delving into the world of Doctor Who, discussing the Tom Baker story THE DEADLY ASSASSIN, with special guest Andrew Morton!

Twitters:
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Emails:
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Intro music: Michael Giacchino - A Long Ride Ahead
Outro music: Max Rebo Band - Lapti Nek

Jun 2, 2017

HACK THE PLANET! Your regular hosts Neil (aka Integer Overflow) and Dan (Shoe_Gazer) are taking over the airwaves with special guest Matthew Bretten (Mr Null) to pull apart the most 90s film of all-time. We analyse the visuals, the clothing, the soundtrack and the tech, all of which help to make Hackers a hundred times better than Swordfish.

To keep our critical eyes sharp, we debate whether curiosity was really their only crime, whether the hacks still hold up today, and whether the recycle bin is really a good place to store secure files.

Among the oddities we encounter along the way, we talk about the merits of SWAT teams pointing guns at kids, whether Acid Burn's fencing proficiency is a useful weapon, we get pedantic about RAM, and try to avoid talking about Matthew Lillard at all.

References:

Security testing resources from Dan:

YouTube clips for some of the nostalgic name-checking in this episode:

Our next episode will be a double-header, as we tackle both ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY and STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE to answer the eternal question: Is it a bug, or a feature?

Twitters:
@matthewbretten
@ScreenTesting
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Emails:
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Intro music: Orbital - Halcyon And On And On
Outro music: Squeeze - Heaven Knows

May 19, 2017

In a Screen Testing first, we take a guest's love for a movie and weaponise it against them. It's no holds barred as (alongside Mark Winteringham) we unravel the film which gathers everything that you love about hacker culture, and adds Vinnie Jones and blowjobs.

There's explicit language from the start, as we wonder why John Travolta's character loves to spoil the ends of movies, we compare Gabriel to a demanding product owner, we crowdfund an interesting (but potentially libelous) reboot, and listen to a disturbing number of candid remarks from the director's commentary.

We find a surprising amount of testing-related content, as we discuss chains of command, deadlines, battles with recruiters, bad interview experiences, user interfaces and flow.

In our desperation to avoid talking about the film, we get sidetracked by whether a cashpoint is a computer, how compound interest works and vehicle emissions standards, all of which are far more entertaining than Swordfish.

YouTube clips of notable Swordfish scenes:

Other References:

Next up, we're going back to the nineties with Matt Bretten, to see how HACKERS (mostly) managed to get it right. We hope you'll join us in a fortnight!

Twitters:
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@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
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You can also email us with your comments, feedback or requests: screentestingpod@gmail.com

Intro music: Swordfish Intro
Outro music: Paul Oakenfold feat. Amoebassassin - Get Out Of My Life Now

May 5, 2017

Are you a watcher or a player? We're joined by Gem Hill to discuss last year's teen psychological thriller, Nerve. It's a deadly (and somewhat cheesy) technological game of truth or dare, available to stream now on Netflix.

We discuss the game within the movie, the weird pockets of fame within social media, teen cliques, and how effectively the film manages its portrayal of hackers, the dark web and open-source software.

We also deal with our usual array of distractions, including the unusual pricing/prize structure of Nerve, whether the game could truly run without servers, teenagers' password security, Neil's unlikely crush on Dave Franco, the difference between literal and metaphor, and how not to get a tattoo.

Also, we forget to mention that Dave Franco's character is named Ian, so when we suddenly start talking about Ian halfway through, that's what's going on!

References:

Songs from the soundtrack featured in the episode (in order of appearance):

In our next episode we'll be continuing our dive into the world of hacking in movies, as we discuss 2001's SWORDFISH with Mark Winteringham!

Twitters:
@Gem_Hill
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

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