In this special double feature episode of Celluloid Circuits, we boot up two of the most thought-provoking films about artificial intelligence: Spike Jonze’s Her and Alex Garland’s Ex Machina.

If you’ve ever wondered how close we are to falling in love with our devices—or if our devices might already be studying us—this episode is your gateway.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss our next tech-infused film deep dive.

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We’d love to hear your take—would you date an AI? Or is that a one-way ticket to heartbreak (or a robot uprising)? Leave a review, drop us a comment, or share your thoughts on social with the hashtag #CelluloidCircuits.

And remember… the future is only a reel away.

The Net (1995):

Episode Summary

In this episode of Celluloid Circuits, we boot up our 90s dial-up modems and dive deep into The Net — the 1995 techno-thriller starring Sandra Bullock that eerily predicted the age of digital surveillance, identity theft, and life lived entirely online.

We explore:

- How The Net captured early fears about the internet just as most people were getting online.

- The tech tools that made Angela Bennett’s life so advanced (and vulnerable) in 1995.

- Gatekeeper as a metaphor for trusting software — and how that trust can be exploited.

- The chilling idea that if you’re erased from the system, you’re erased from society itself.

- Why the film’s themes of isolation, convenience, and control are more relevant than ever.

Plus, we break down how these ideas connect to today’s concerns about data breaches, algorithmic bias, and living in a world where your entire identity exists in scattered databases.

TLDR

Digital convenience often comes at the price of privacy and autonomy.

A connected world doesn’t always mean a supported one — Angela’s story is a cautionary tale of isolation.

The systems we trust to keep us safe can also be used to control or erase us.

Nearly 30 years later, The Net feels less like retro paranoia and more like an unsettling prophecy.

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Up Next

In our next episode, we’ll explore the blurred lines between human and machine in Her and Ex Machina. From romantic AIs to manipulative androids, we’ll break down how these films challenge our ideas of consciousness, ethics, and love.

Thanks for listening — and remember, the future is only a reel away.

Episode Title: Hackers (1995): When Cybercrime Was Cool

Episode Summary: In this episode of Celluloid Circuits, we jack into the neon-lit, modem-screeching world of Hackers (1995). With rollerblades on our feet and floppy disks in our backpacks, we explore how the film captures the anxieties and fantasies of a rapidly digitizing world—where teenagers wield keyboards like weapons and cyberspace is a rave of rebellion.

We'll break down the movie’s iconic (and sometimes hilariously inaccurate) portrayal of hacking, discuss its heavy dose of cyberpunk aesthetics, and consider what it got surprisingly right about tech culture, digital surveillance, and the emerging idea of the hacker as countercultural hero. From Zero Cool to Acid Burn, we’ll unpack the technobabble, the fashion, and the fantasy behind one of the most stylized depictions of computer crime in cinema.

Film Referenced: Hackers (1995), directed by Iain Softley, starring Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Fisher Stevens, and Matthew Lillard.

Outro: And remember—the future is only a reel away.