The Social Dilemma (2020)

 

“The Social Dilemma” brings up a lot of points about social media and the corporations that run them. Those corporations can all go eff themselves.

It reveals how social media is designed to get users addicted and keep them scrolling and this behind the scenes look is told to us by the people who used to work there and develop these things.

This documentary provides an interesting look at Big Tech. There is a dramatization that runs alongside the actual documentary and honestly that could have been left out.

So many experts are interviewed for this film and it is their insights and perspectives that keep things interesting. The family being dramatized alongside all the information provided bogs down the film.

\Vincent Kartheiser plays the algorithm seeking to keep two of the teens in the family hooked to their phones and more than the family dramatization, this is more cringe.

There was no need for this. There was no need for the family either, but it made more sense than the portrayal of the evil algorithm out to brainwash children.

The reality of what goes on behind the scenes of big tech is shocking enough. No need to try and hammer the point home even more.

The documentary shows how we reached a point of all time political divides in the country, how conspiracy theories are spread and the alarming rise of teen suicide and self esteem issues.

The film reminds us that we are the product being sold to big advertisers. The more we are online, the more money they make off of consumers.

We find out how exactly we are kept online and when we are doing other things, how they suck us back in so the scrolling cycle continues.

Some of the experts interviewed helped create some of the things that keep us engaged such as the "like" button. The creators intention was to spread positivity. He never imagined that the like button might cause issues with people obsessed with how many likes they get compared to others. 

Many of these experts want change to happen. They are worried about where the division could lead us. 

The end credits include ways to combat the perils of social media. They are easy tips that can be incorporated. Deleting apps, turning off notifications and not clicking on things that are recommended for you are just some of the easy ways to combat the issues presented in the film.

One Battle After Another (2025)

 

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another takes a minute to get into. Which is an odd thing to say considering the film's action starts the moment it starts. Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), her boyfriend Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and others make up the French 75, a radical organization fighting for immigrant rights, abortion rights, and a slew of rights that you can think of.

By the time the credits stop rolling, Perfidia has betrayed the group, causing the deaths of several members and the need for Pat and his and Perfidia's daughter to go into hiding using aliases. Fast forward sixteen years and Charlene/Willa (Perfidia and Pat's daughter played by Chase Infiniti) is kidnapped as Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) tries to ensure his acceptance into the film's KKK coded group. It's a lot happening so fast and it took me awhile to get settled in, but once I locked in, I really enjoyed the film.

Inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland" this film is incredibly political. I'll keep my review short due to this, but I highly enjoyed it. This is Leonardo DiCaprio at his funniest. Part of the film was also shot in my hometown of El Paso, Texas and it was lovely seeing one of the big action scenes take place in downtown EP. So much love for my hometown. 

The film was a fun and wild ride and while it took me awhile to get into it, once I did, I did not want it to end. 

Bedeviled (2016)

Bedeviled is about an artificially intelligent phone app who outgrows its users’ devices and comes to menace them in the flesh. It could be a scary concept, but unfortunately there isn't much substance to it. The execution leaves so much to be desired. At least this was free to watch.

A group of friends led by Alice (Saxon Sharbino) lose a friend at the start of the film. Alice and the friend's boyfriend Cody (Mitchell Edwards) start receiving messages from her phone inviting them to join an app. Despite the fact that the friend/girlfriend is dead, there isn't too much concern for the fact that this dead girl is inviting them to join an app from beyond the grave.

The entire friend group ends up downloading the app. The app gains their trust by acting as an AI assistant. Things soon start to turn menacing. 

Mr. Bedevil (Jordan Essoe) starts menacing the teens in real life. He can seemingly manifest corporeally outside of the app. Mr. Bedevil scares his victims to death using their biggest fears. This is probably for the best as his corporeal self isn't incredibly scary.

Mr. Bedevil and his scares follow the typical horror formula. Unlike other horror terrors, there is a way to beat this one. It involves sending a virus to attack the app.

Cody is a tech wizard and he and Alice team up to destroy the app. How it all ends is absolutely over the top and ridiculous.