War Games (1983)

Welcome to another episode of Myopia Movies, where we ruin your childhood one VHS tape at a time. This week, we’re stepping into the neon-lit fever dream that is Mannequin — a movie that asks the important question: “What if a department store mannequin came to life… and immediately dated Andrew McCarthy?” That’s right. It’s the ‘80s, where unemployment was quirky, retail workers had unlimited creative freedom, and absolutely nobody thought to question whether this relationship required psychiatric intervention. Featuring window displays that apparently stop traffic, villainous retail executives who behave like cartoon burglars, and enough synth music to power a mall arcade for a decade, Mannequin is pure Reagan-era fantasy. We’ll talk about Kim Cattrall somehow making “ancient Egyptian soul trapped in a mannequin” feel completely reasonable, why every department store in movies looked like Studio 54, and whether Hollywood accidentally created the world’s most charming horror premise. Plus: Hollywood Montrose steals the entire movie, James Spader continues his career-long commitment to being a smarmy weirdo, and we try to determine if this film is actually sweet… or just deeply, deeply strange. So grab your shoulder pads, crank up Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, and join us as we ask the timeless question: does Mannequin hold up… or should it have stayed in the display window? How will Mannequin hold up? Directed by Michael Gottlieb Starring: Andrew McCarthy Kim Cattrall Meshach Taylor James Spader G. W. Bailey Estelle Getty

This week, we head to the crime-ridden dystopia of Detroit where corporations rule, criminals laugh like maniacs, and the solution to urban decay is… a heavily armed cyborg cop with excellent posture. Join Nic, Matthew, Keiko, Nur, and Alex as they revisit RoboCop (1987), Paul Verhoeven’s ultraviolent, razor-sharp satire that somehow convinced an entire generation of kids that this was appropriate viewing. We’re asking the important questions: Is this actually one of the smartest sci-fi films ever made… or just an excuse for explosive squibs and corporate slimeballs? Why did we all think ED-209 was just a normal workplace hazard? Does RoboCop count as a superhero, a horror monster, or the world’s saddest HR case study? And how did this movie spawn toys, cartoons, and birthday parties? Along the way, we break down the film’s biting commentary on privatization, media culture, and late-stage capitalism—while also appreciating just how completely unhinged it gets. It’s part Blade Runner, part Die Hard, and part “what if the evening news was written by lunatics?” Does RoboCop (1987) hold up as a masterpiece of satire, or were our childhood brains just too distracted by explosions to notice the deeper themes? Dead or alive, you’re listening to this episode. Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list!  We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!! How will RoboCop (1987) hold up? Host: Nic Panel: Alex, Nur, Keiko   Directed by: Paul Verhoeven Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Dan O'Herlihy

This week on Myopia Movies, we learn that the only way to win is not to play. We watched War Games,  a delightful romp about the apocalypse. Ally Sheedy is, like, stooping the whole time to make Matthew Broderick look taller than her, right?  🎙️ Thanks for listening, subscribing, and supporting the show—see you next episode. Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list!    We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!! How will War Games hold up? Host: Nic Panel: Alex, Keiko, Matthew   Directed by James Badham Starring: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman, Barry Corbin, Juanin Clay, James Tolkan

This week on Myopia Movies, we watch Marvel's own Jarvis/Vision fight to stop AI by trying to stop Johnny Depp. It's not as fun as that sounds. We watched Transcendence (2014), wow this movie can't event decide if AI or Johnny Depp is a bad guy. You'd think people would have an opinion at this point.  Thanks for listening, subscribing, and supporting the show—see you next episode (assuming this one didn’t break us completely). Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list!  We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!! Host: Nic Panel: Matthew, Keiko, Alex   Directed by Wally Pfister Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, Lukas Haas, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Cole Hauser, Xander Berkeley, Clifton Collins Jr.

This week, Myopia Movies kicks off an AI-themed month by diving straight into the bargain bin with A.P.E.X.—a time-traveling, robot-infested mess that wants desperately to be The Terminator and somehow ends up worse than a Power Rangers outtake.   Nick, Matt, and Keiko try to untangle a plot involving killer robots, alternate timelines, a mystery virus, and a scientist who may or may not be responsible for ending humanity… repeatedly. Along the way, they wrestle with nonsensical time travel rules, questionable acting, baffling production choices, and the lingering question: why are they still sending robots?   Is there a good movie hiding somewhere inside A.P.E.X.? Could a few tweaks have made it work? Or is this just pure, uncut 90s sci-fi chaos?   Plus: Mockbusters before mockbusters were a thing The economics of bad CGI vs. hiring actual actors Nostalgia vs. reality (was this ever good?) And one of the bleakest conclusions yet: a movie so bad… it barely exists   Final verdict: Skip this and just watch literally anything it’s ripping off.   🎙️ Thanks for listening, subscribing, and supporting the show—see you next episode (assuming this one didn’t break us completely). Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list!    We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!! How will APEX (1994) hold up? Host: Nic Panel: Matthew, Keiko, Alex Directed by: Phillip J. Roth Starring: Richard Keats as Nicholas Sinclair Mitchell Cox as APEX Enforcer Lisa Ann Russell as Dr. Elara Adam Lawson as Commander  

Welcome back to Myopia Movies, where we revisit the films of our youth and ask the important question: Were these movies actually good… or were we just children? And today—Oh boy. In honor of the release of Super Mario Galaxy, today we are revisiting Super Mario Bros. from 1993. A film that answers the question no one asked: “What if a beloved Nintendo property… was filtered through cyberpunk dystopia, industrial sludge, and Goombas that look like they escaped a low-budget episode of Doctor Who?” How will Super Mario Brothers (1993) hold up? Host: Nic Panel: Alex, Keiko, Jeremy   Directed by: Rocky Morton & Annabel Jankel Starring: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis, Fisher Stevens, Richard Edson      

This week on Myopia Movies, we watch yet another Jurassic Park/World Movie! Who will attempt to act with this idiotic script? Is this the dumbest new dino yet? Was it worth it to save this family? Why do we keep doing this? Sigh...... Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list!  We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!! How will Jurassic World Rebirth hold up?  Host: Nic  Panel: Keiko, Matthew, Alex   Directed by Gareth Edwards Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein    

This week on Myopia Movies, we plug directly into the algorithmic void with one of the most expensive “what happened here?” movies in recent memory: The Electric State (2025).   This is the kind of film that looks incredible in still images—rusted robots, abandoned highways, that eerie retro-future aesthetic—and yet somehow feels completely hollow once it starts moving. It’s all vibes, no voltage. The bones of something interesting are there, but the movie never quite figures out what it wants to be: a heartfelt road story? A dystopian warning? A quirky robot adventure? Yes. And also… not really any of them.   And look, you’ve got Millie Bobby Brown doing everything she can to ground the film, and Chris Pratt doing his usual charm-forward routine. Nobody here is phoning it in. But the script feels like it was assembled by committee, filtered through three different tones, and then sanded down until nothing sharp—or memorable—remains.   Which, in a weird way, makes it perfect for us.   Because this is exactly the kind of movie that should work. The pedigree is there. The budget is there. The source material is there. And yet… here we are.   So grab your neural headset, hop in your broken-down robot companion, and join us as we wander through one of the most visually striking and emotionally confusing movies of the year.   And the best part? We’re just getting started.   God help us. Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list!    We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!!   How will The Electric State (2025) hold up? Host: Nic Panel: Matthew, Keiko, Jeremy     Directed by: Anthony & Joe Russo Starring: Millie Bobby Brown Chris Pratt Ke Huy Quan Giancarlo Esposito Stanley Tucci

“This movie feels like a ChatGPT movie if there’s ever been one.” This week on Myopia Movies, the gang continues its tour through the worst films of the previous year with 2025’s War of the Worlds—a baffling, screen-filled sci-fi mess that somehow turns an NSA analyst played by Ice Cube into humanity’s last hope. The panel digs into the movie’s strange obsession with surveillance tech, brand-name software, and product placement, while trying to figure out whether the film is pro–surveillance state, anti–surveillance state, or just deeply confused. Along the way, they riff on everything from alien data harvesting and Amazon drones to bad military logic, real-time apocalypse plotting, and a family drama that feels far more creepy than heartfelt. The result is less War of the Worlds and more War of the Windows Tabs. Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FN64UXVJTOEH?ref_=wl_share We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!! How will War of the Worlds (2025) hold up? Host: Nic Panel: Matthew, Alex, Keiko, Nur Directed by: Rich Lee Starring: Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Iman Benson, and Michael O’Neill

This week on Myopia Movies, we kick off our annual dive into some of the worst movies of the previous year. And we are starting with a real doozy: the live-action 2025 remake of Snow White. This is one of those films that somehow manages to miss why the original worked in the first place. The charm, the simplicity, the fairy-tale tone—gone. In their place: baffling creative decisions, tonal confusion, and a remake that feels strangely disconnected from the magic of the classic. And honestly, you almost feel bad for Rachel Zegler, who is clearly trying and probably gives the most earnest performance in the film. Yet she ended up taking the brunt of the blame for the movie’s failure—much of it tied to the controversy surrounding her public comments on Gaza, which turned the film into a culture-war lightning rod before it even hit theaters. None of that makes the movie better. But it does make it perfect material for Myopia Movies. So grab your poisoned apple and join us as we dig into one of the strangest big-budget misfires of the year. And the best part? This is only the beginning of the month. God help us. Want to pick a movie we do an episode on and record a special commentary just for you? Purchase something from our wish list! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FN64UXVJTOEH?ref_=wl_share We are riffers on Cineprov! Check us out!! How will Snow White (2025) hold up? Host: Nic Panel: Alex, Keiko, Jeremy   Directed by: Marc Webb Starring: Rachel Zegler Gal Gadot Andrew Burnap Ansu Kabia Martin Klebba