House of Games
Mamet’s directorial debut, House of Games, follows a psychiatrist who wrote the book on obsession—literally—into a world of professional con men. Pete and Andy discuss.
S1M0NE • Member Bonus
Our April member bonus—and Thinking Machines series closer—digs into S1M0NE, Niccol’s 2002 satirical sci-fi about a director who builds a digital actress no one can let go of.
Brian and Charles
We close out Thinking Machines with Brian and Charles—a Welsh inventor, a washing machine robot, and a father-son story that splits us right down the middle.
I Am Mother
In our Thinking Machines series, we dig into “I Am Mother”—a post-apocalyptic sci-fi about an AI, a sealed bunker, and whether a machine that truly cares is the most dangerous kind.
Ex Machina
We dig into Alex Garland’s tense, unsettling Ex Machina — a Thinking Machines entry about consciousness, creation, and who’s really running the test.
Her
In our Thinking Machines series, we dig into Spike Jonze’s Her—AI love, a voice-only performance that works completely, and why this film feels truer every year.
WarGames • Member Bonus
We dig into John Badham’s WarGames for our March member bonus episode—the AI that learns, the script that sidesteps, and the film that actually changed federal law. Thinking Machines series.
Demon Seed
We dig into Donald Cammell’s Demon Seed, the Thinking Machines series entry where AI gets personal—hubris, a smart home turned prison, Julie Christie, and a genuinely bonkers ending.
Colossus: The Forbin Project
The machine does exactly what we designed—and that’s the problem. We dig into “Colossus: The Forbin Project,” the Thinking Machines series opener about Cold War AI and the danger of indifference.
The Escape Artist
In the Magicians series, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel’s feature directorial debut “The Escape Artist” pits two sons against their fathers, with real magic in between.