Modern Technology Watches

Gila introduces Rob to "Bernie," Richard Linklater's 2011 black comedy dramatization of the events surrounding a murder in East Texas, as Modern Technology makes a triumphant return to podcasting after an extended break.Will Rob tolerate the twisted Texan tale, or will it load him with microaggressions until he snaps?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_%282011_film%29Experience Dick Pope's Oscar nomination announcement: https://vine.co/v/ODLa0ltK5i3Questions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Prompted by current events, Gila and Rob use the 1996 film "Citizen Ruth" as a starting point to talk about the current state of bodily autonomy and reproductive rights in the United States.This is not a standard fun episode of "Modern Technology Watches," but it's the episode we needed to make this particular week. We appreciate your understanding.Content warnings: US politics, reproductive health and decisions, religious fanaticism, addiction.Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_RuthShare your thoughts via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Rob continues Gila's hacker-movie education with the 1992 film "Sneakers," a techno-classic in which an all-star cast engages in text-mode and heist-mode battles over a magic box of HAX.Will this be more fun for Gila than her previous forays into cyberpunk standards, or will it prove as incomprehensible as a pile of random Scrabble tiles?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneakers_%281992_film%29Stephen Tobolowsky's memories of the shoot: https://slate.com/culture/2012/09/robert-redford-sidney-poitier-ben-kingsley-dan-aykroyd-what-it-was-like-shooting-the-movie-sneakers.htmlQuestions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Gila christens the third season of "Modern Technology Watches" by showing Rob "Keeping the Faith," a quirky 2000 romantic comedy about a rabbi, a priest, and the woman they love.Will the joined forces of Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, and Jenna Elfman count Rob as a new believer? How well does the experience of watching Abrahamic clergy fight over Dharma hold up for Gila?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_the_FaithQuestions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Hack the planet! For the second-season finale of "Modern Technology Watches" Rob finally shows Gila 1995's "Hackers," a film with a firmly argued-about place in the history of the real-life hacker community as well as a firewall-protected place in Rob's hacker head.Will the movie win Gila's heart through cyberspace hijinks, or will she send it to the pool on the roof?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_%28film%29Visit https://hackerscurator.com , the premier "Hackers" movie fansite.Questions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

High school is a real-life game show as Gila shows Rob 2000's "Cheaters," a made-for-cable dramatization of the 1995 Steinmetz academic-decathlon cheating scandal.Will Rob accept the results and award medals accordingly, or will Gila get caught reading the answers to the podcast off her shoe?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheaters_%282000_film%29Questions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

In the mood for a quiet night in, Rob introduces Gila to Fritz Lang's 1927 silent scifi drama "Metropolis."How will Gila take to such a large dose of iconic German expressionism from between the World Wars? How much delicate explaining will Rob have to do? What's with all that floppy hair? Listen along as we break some new ground of our own.Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_%281927_film%29Questions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Gila takes Rob on a trip down the dark side of high-school fake politics with the 1999 Alexander Payne dark-comedy "Election."Will this movie get Rob's vote, or will he rebel against it and get expelled from the audience?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_%281999_film%29Questions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Major "Doctor Who" fan Rob shows not-very-fannish Gila the 2013 TV docudrama "An Adventure in Space and Time," a celebratory look at the creation and early years of "Doctor Who" and the people involved.Will Gila dig the looks at 1960s TV production and creative-human drama to be found among the scifi-flavored fanservice, or will Rob need anti-radiation gloves to protect him from the fallout? Join us in the control room as we find out!Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Adventure_in_Space_and_TimeQuestions? Comments? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Gila shows Rob the 1995 TV-movie version of the musical "Bye Bye Birdie."Catchy songs! Intense choreography! Sanitized nostalgia! Tyne Daly! No Paul Lynde! Listen along as we find out how it all comes together.Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bye_Bye_Birdie_(1995_film)Questions? Comments?Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

Rob shows Gila the 1975 spoof "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother."How does writer/director/star Gene Wilder and his band of Mel Brooks irregulars fare without Mel Brooks? Does this fit within Sherlockian canon? What's with the Kangaroo Hop? Listen and find out!Wikipedia link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_Sherlock_Holmes%27_Smarter_BrotherAs mentioned in this episode, check out MAD artist Sergio Aragones' "I Killed Marty Feldman" story:http://www.theofficialmartyfeldman.com/main/news/marty-and-the-cartoonist/Questions? Comments?Contact us via email or voice:https://modern.technology/contact/

We double back to the imaginary town of Hill Valley for the final time as Rob shows Gila 1990's "Back to the Future Part III." Special guests Jen Sujin Yoon and Gabe Williams from The Dork Web join us once again as we all meet some cowboys and face some demons together.Is an old-West adventure what this series needed? What will Gila take away from this chapter, and the trilogy as a whole? Join us and find out!Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_Part_IIIFind more from The Dork Web:https://www.instagram.com/TheDorkWeb/https://twitter.com/thedorkwebhttps://www.youtube.com/user/inkjacketAnd find Wasabi Apple, the Dork Web's newest venture, at:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeh9b9nS0yIcIte8p4BegVg

Gila shows Rob the 1999 queer-culture classic "But I'm a Cheerleader."Will this movie make Rob wave his pompoms and cheer, or will he just not like it in that way?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/But_I'm_a_Cheerleader(This movie is particularly centered around adult content, and so is our episode about it. Listener discretion advised.)

We take a spin in a broken sportscar back to 1971 as Rob shows Gila the cult Elaine May/Walter Matthau dark comedy romance "A New Leaf."Will Gila be forever fond of it like a frond from a fern, or will she find it ultimately poor?Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_Leaf_(film)

The future is now (a.k.a. five years ago) as Rob shows Gila 1989's "Back to the Future Part II." Special guests Jen and Gabe from The Dork Web return as we all skew into some tangents together.Will Gila enjoy the ride without roads, or will this sequel leave her hanging on a porch swing? Join us and find out!Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_Part_IIFind more from The Dork Web:https://www.instagram.com/TheDorkWeb/https://twitter.com/thedorkwebhttps://www.youtube.com/user/inkjacket

April 8 is Rex Manning Day!Gila celebrates the day 1995's "Empire Records" takes place by, oddly enough, selecting 1995's "Empire Records" for her April 8 "Modern Technology Watches" pick.How will Rob react to this particular combination of twangy 1990s music and angsty 1990s dialogue? Pop this episode into your CD changer and find out!Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Records

Welcome to our latest episode! This is a big one; Rob is showing Gila 1985's "Back to the Future," one of his lifelong favorites, and special guests Jen and Gabe from The Dork Web are along for the 88MPH ride.Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_FutureFind more from The Dork Web:https://www.instagram.com/TheDorkWeb/https://twitter.com/thedorkwebhttps://www.youtube.com/user/inkjacketSome things we talk about in the episode:Rob's "Save the Clock Tower" flyer replicahttps://robtfirefly.tumblr.com/post/2187161776/save-the-clock-tower-flyerJohn Mulaney's "Back to the Future" pitchhttps://youtu.be/jKwMnnuN7-g"Biff's Question Song" by Tom Wilsonhttps://youtu.be/iwY5o2fsG7YA Match Made In Spacehttps://www.matchmadeinspace.comhttps://twitter.com/MMISPodcast

It's the first-season finale of "Modern Technology Watches," and Gila is capping off our inaugural run with 2012's a-capella-competition comedy "Pitch Perfect."Will Rob get in-tune with the cinematic approach to structured cover-band battles, or will it all hit a sour note? Listen along and find out!Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_Perfect

Rob connects Gila to 1976's news-entertainment satire "Network."How will Gila react to this Oscar-winning world of live-televised meltdowns, corporate machination, and human manipulation? Will she count herself among the faithful audience awaiting their prophet, or will she be mad as hell about having to watch?Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_(1976_film)

Gila invites Rob on a trip to "Camp," a 2003 film about a theatrical Summer camp populated by theatrical characters putting on theatrical productions.Does the movie speak to Rob, himself an old theatre kid, or is this one closing early?Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_(2003_film)

Rob takes Gila on a trip to the dark and mysterious future of... *checks notes* ...November 2019, the futuristic setting of 1982's cyberpunk film noir "Blade Runner."Will Gila be uplifted like a flying cop car by the cinematic prowess on display, or will the film flop onto its back like a tortoise?Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner

Gila and Rob are joined by special guest Susie "Mother of the Bride" Drazen, who has brought the acclaimed 1959 comedy "Some Like It Hot" for us to enjoy.How will a film generally regarded as among the best ever fare on our classy film podcast? Can we handle Marilyn at her best? Sew yourself into your favorite lacy evening gown and join us for the ride!Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_Like_It_Hot

Gila and Rob proudly present the "Modern Technology Watches" Halloween Special!Join them for their annual Halloween viewing of 1994's fake-news TV movie "Without Warning." Mysterious meteorites, slumming real-life news reporters, missing children, and Orson Welles callbacks have never been so much fun.Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Without_Warning_(1994_film)

Gila takes Rob on a journey to Riverdale. Not the dark CW teen drama based on Archie comics, nor the neighborhood in the Bronx; this is the bubbly cinematic Riverdale populated by 2001's live-action "Josie and the Pussycats."Will this film hit sharps, or flats?Summary from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josie_and_the_Pussycats_(film)

There's a special screening of 1979's cult dystopian gang-fight film "The Warriors" on Coney Island, and Rob invites Gila to come out to play. Can she dig it? Listen and find out!Summary from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warriors_(film)

Gila shows Rob the extremely indie 2000 Sundance-award-winning rom-com "The Tao of Steve." This somehow results in our shortest episode to date. We won't spoil why that is here in the description; you'll just have to click "play" and take this motorcycle ride with us.Summary from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Steve

Rob shows Gila 1985's piratey-wish-fulfillment adventure "The Goonies," and they discover together whether the old swashes can still be suitably buckled today.Summary from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_GooniesShoutout to our pals at http://matchmadeinspace.com , which you should definitely check out if you enjoy this podcast.

Rob and Gila shake up the format and go to their local cinema to catch a film neither of them has already seen, 2019's Elton John biopic "Rocketman."Summary from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocketman_(film)

Gila introduces Rob to the 2007 comedy anthology film "The Ten," by David Wain and other members of the 1990s sketch troupe "The State."PLEASE NOTE: This episode recaps an R-rated film involving very adult and probably-offensive subject matter. Listener discretion is advised.

Rob and Gila bash a sparkly bottle on the bow of their film podcast by watching the 1944 Alfred Hitchcock film "Lifeboat."Summary from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeboat_(1944_film)