Screen Testing

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:

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 O

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 mention

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 S

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: Equity Miss Sloane Flight Unforgiven Bridges of Madison County Every

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: BBC News: The Beast from the East How Did This Get Made? podcast Den of Geek: The strange history of the Die Hard movies  Dailymotion: Mythbusters - Speed Bus Jump TV Tropes: Camera Spoofing Dailymotion: The A-Team: Trouble Brewing (skip to 34:00 for the Polaroid scene) YouTube: The West Wing - In Excelsis Deo (Richard Schiff Emmy wi

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: Ministry of Testing charity calendar  Saving Linnea Wikipedia: List of Big Five Academy Award winners and nominees YouTube: The Silence of The Lambs as a Romantic Comedy Wikipedia: The Silence of The Lambs: Accusations of homophobia, transphobia and sexism YouTube: Frasier - Dan Butler as Bulldog YouTube: The Silence of The Lambs - Chris Isaak cameo YouTube: The Silence of The Lambs - George Romero cameo YouTube: Medal of Honor: Allied Assault YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned: Hannibal (movie) Saw Red Dragon Hannibal Rising Manhunter Hannib

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

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: YouTube trailers: Neil's worst 10 films of 2017 YouTube trailers: Dan's films of 2017 YouTube trailers: Neil's top 10 films of 2017 Letterboxd: All of Neil's 2017 cinema viewings ranked 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"

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: Loaded: Why Die Hard is the greatest Christmas movie of all time The Independent:

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: Keith Klain's website and podcast - QualityRemarks.com Ministry of Testing Dojo Twitter: #testbash feed from TestBash Philadelphia Jim's Steaks YouTube: Family

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: Spaced zombie scene which inspired Shaun of the Dead  YouTube: Simon Pegg in Star Trek: Beyond YouTube: Simon Pegg in Doctor Who - The Long Game BBC Radio 1 "Greatest films of all-time" poll in 2011 Shaun of the Dead filming locations Wikipedia: Wells, Somerset Wall's Cornetto YouTube: House of Pain - Jump Around YouTube: Baby Driver - Opening credits YouTube: Black Mirror season 4 trail

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: Neil's 11 page

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

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: LinkedIn: How watching 'Yes Man' changed my testing, and Shop Direct life (article by Leigh)  Let's Talk About Tests, Baby: Episode 58 - Don't go chasing waterfalls (with Leigh) Let's Talk About Tests, Baby: Epis

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: CAST 2017 A

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 b

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: Neil's review of The Circle for NewOnNetflixUK YouTube: Bill Paxton being killed by an Alien, a Predator and a Terminator YouTube: Black Mirror - "The Entire History of You" trailer YouTube: Black Mirror - "Nosedive" trailer YouTube: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) trailer Y

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: Bluedot Festival James Bach: Test Jumpers - One Visio

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: YouTube: TARDIS cloister bell YouTube: BBC announcement - "The Thirteenth Doctor revealed"  Wikipedia: Doctor Who - An Adventure in Space and Time (starring David Bradley as William Hartne