About Tech Film Noir - A Technology and Film Podcast
When Movies Guess the Future, We Check Their Work!
Welcome to Tech Film Noir where we break down the technology in classic and cult films!
We're talking about popping kernels, to processing power and diving into the wild, wild, world of cinematic technology!
Did it predict the future or just make us laugh?
A monthly podcast for those who love film and tech!
Featuring: Lianne Potter, Jeff Watkins and Simon Painter
Publisher
Tech Film Noir - Part of the Compromising Positions Group
Brainstorm (1983): VR Memories, Military Tech, & Christopher Walken's Massive Headgear
This week on Tech Film Noir, we're watching Brainstorm (1983), the Christopher Walken sci-fi oddity where scientists invent a machine that can record your entire sensory experience, and humanity immediately asks: “Cool. Can the military use it?”
This week on Tech Film Noir, we're watching Weird Science (1985), John Hughes's hormone-fueled Frankenstein story that asked the ultimate 80s question: can a half-megabyte of RAM generate the perfect woman?
6 Aug 2026
Strange Days (1995): Kathryn Bigelow's 90s Cyberpunk Vision of VR, Meta Glasses & Digital Memories
In this episode of Tech Film Noir, we're watching Strange Days (1995), Kathryn Bigelow's cyberpunk thriller, written by James Cameron, that imagined VR headsets, wearable recording technology and immersive first-person experiences decades before Meta Glasses became a reality.
9 Jul 2026
The Dystopian Future That Became Our Deepfake Reality | The Running Man (1987)
This episode on Tech Film Noir, we watched The Running Man (1987), the Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action classic that imagined a future where reality television, media manipulation, corporate power, and public spectacle collide. Nearly four decades later, its vision of entertainment-driven society feels less like science fiction and more like an uncomfortable reflection of the modern world.
11 Jun 2026
The 2002 Film That Predicted Deepfakes, Virtual Celebrities and AI Actors | Simone (2002)
This week on Tech Film Noir, we examine the Al Pacino comedy, Simone (2022), that accidentally saw the future. While the film itself is a chaotic mess of farce, misunderstandings, and increasingly questionable computer science, its central warning feels more relevant than ever: what happens when fake people become more valuable than real ones?
14 May 2026
Before Alexa, There Was Edgar | Electric Dreams (1984)
This week on Tech Film Noir, we plug ourselves into the strange, synth-soaked world of Electric Dreams — the gloriously weird 1984 cult sci-fi movie where a socially awkward architect, a spilled bottle of champagne on his brand new PC, and an overenthusiastic home computer accidentally create one of cinema’s earliest AI love triangles.
What starts as a light PG comedy quickly mutates into something far stranger: part rom-com, part techno-thriller, part MTV fever dream. We unpack why the film was massively mismarketed, why Edgar the computer has more chemistry than the actual romance, and why its depiction of AI learning feels surprisingly relevant in the age of generative AI and smart homes.
Expect retro tech nostalgia, Commodore 64s, Casio calculator watches, suspiciously British “San Francisco” locations, exploding smart appliances, and plenty of discussion about the iconic Together in Electric Dreams soundtrack from Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder.
As the song says, “we’ll always be together, however far it seems” - which becomes slightly more sinister once your house develops emotional attachment issues.
Listen now if you love cult sci-fi, retro tech, AI chaos, and weird 80s cinema.
When movies guess the future, we check their work.
Ps. Big up the Tech Time Traveller for their great video on the tech in this film
16 Apr 2026
Tech Noir, Killer Cyborgs, and Biohazard Trousers | The Terminator (1984)
In the premiere episode of Tech Film Noir, hosts Lianne Potter, Jeff Watkins, and Simon Painter travel back to 1984 to dissect James Cameron’s career-defining masterpiece, The Terminator.
We’re putting Arnold’s cyborg under the microscope - literally. From the 6502 assembly language hidden in the Terminator’s HUD to the ‘Right to Repair’ scene that would make a modern technician weep, we explore why this low-budget slasher-turned-sci-fi remains the gold standard for AI storytelling. We also tackle the tough questions: Why does time travel require nudity (and will it encourage us to be ‘beach ready’ in the future)? And can we please acknowledge that Kyle Reese saved humanity while wearing deeply questionable, possibly biohazard-level trousers?
Whether you're here for the technical deep dive into Agentic AI or the high-octane roast of Terminator: Genisys, this episode has enough 80s nostalgia to power a Walkman for a decade.
Stick around to the end for our completely serious (not serious) food and drink pairings.
When movies guess the future, we check their work.
11 Apr 2026
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