Awards season is in full swing, and all around the world, ceremonies and galas like the Golden Globes and the Oscars are dishing out prizes to the very best films and TV shows. But for a few years now, these various academies and organisations have been immersed in a furious debate about whether cinema releases and films shown on streaming platforms deserve the same treatment or even whether they are of the same quality.
It’s certainly true that we’re seeing an ever-increasing number of films go straight to streaming platforms, and even though they’ll never completely replace the cinema experience, it’s a format that is growing in popularity. Clearly, the internet has come to have a massive impact on cinema and the way we consume films and TV programs. But here at Jotelulu, we’ve wanted to ask a different question. What has cinema done with the internet, with IT or with system development? How has Hollywood portrayed the IT sector and the professionals who work in it?
If you’re already up to date with the Oscars, spend more time doomscrolling on Netflix than actually watching something, and fancy watching something related to science, IT, robotics, AI or computing, here are 5 films for SysAdmins that you’re bound to enjoy.
5 Films for SysAdmins
WarGames (1983)
Directed by: John Badham.
Written by: Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes and Walon Green.
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood.
IMDB Entry.
There are few things quite as 80s as a film starring Matthew Broderick. However, this particular was one of the first to address the potential dangers of computer technology. A cult classic for many people, the story follows a young IT worker who accesses a computer in which reality is confused with a computer game and ends up in a situation that could start World War Three. The co-star in the videogame is presented as a form of AI, one of the first times this had been seen in the movies.
You can watch it on Filmin | Movistar+
Sneakers (1992)
Directed by: Phil Alden Robinson.
Written by: Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes.
Cast: Robert Redford, Mary McDonnell, Dan Aykroyd, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, Ben Kingsley.
IMDB Entry.
With a spectacular cast, this film centres around an IT expert and his team, who are dedicated to maintaining security systems for big corporations. Over the course of the story, he finds himself working for a secret agency that orders him to steal a mysterious box. It’s a tech film crossed with a crime drama and is highly regarded as a great thriller.
Available on Filmin
The Social Network
Directed by: David Fincher.
Written by: Aaron Sorkin and Ben Mezrich.
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara.
IMDB Entry.
This film tells the story of one of the greatest milestones in the history of the internet – the creation of Facebook. The story focuses on the legal dispute between Mark Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss brothers over the intellectual property rights to the network created when they studied at Harvard. It might not sound that exciting, but you’ll really be on the edge of your seat as the film recounts the story of how Zuckerberg become the youngest multi-millionaire in history. The soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross also won an Oscar, beating off strong competition from people like Hans Zimmer, who was nominated for Inception.
Available to rent on Apple TV+
Matrix, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (1999 and 2003)
Directed by: Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski.
Written by: Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski.
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving.
IMDB Entry.
Although a new instalment to the franchise was released in 2021, the original trilogy created by the Wachowski sisters is one of the most revolutionary stories in cinema, bringing cyberpunk to the mainstream and incorporating cutting-edge technology. The main character lives a double life as programmer Thomas Anderson by day and, by night, the hacker Neo. After being contacted by Morpheus, the film takes you on a dystopian journey that will have you questioning reality itself. The film really pays attention to the little details, including the computer commands used at the beginning of the second film.
Available to rent on Apple TV+ | Rakuten TV
Takedown (2000)
Directed by: Joe Chappelle.
Written by: David Newman, Leslie Newman, John Danza, Howard A. Rodman, Tsutomu Shimomura and John Markoff.
Cast: Skeet Ulrich, Tom Berenger, Russell Wong, Christopher McDonald, Angela Featherstone.
IMDB Entry.
While not a classic piece of cinema, the film tells the fascinating story of Kevin Mitnick, alias Condor, one of the most famous computer hackers, and the efforts of the FBI and various security experts to capture him. Mitnick himself criticised the film, and his own side of the story contradicted both the film and the book it was based on.
