Hollywood’s Struggle To Understand Computers

With the recent re-release and new DVD edition celebrating the 25th anniversary of Wargames, we decided to take another look at the movie after all these years. And after pressing play, our first thought was, What’s up with that computer, homie?

Poor Matthew Broderick was hacking into national defense mainframes with a pizza box and a rotary phone. Hollywood has always loved computers'the problem is that no one making movies seems to know what they can actually do (neither do we, apparently, seeing as how we can’t seem to stop the site from fucking crashing'our profound gratitude for your patience). So of course we put our Ebert caps on and rounded up some of the most mindboggling Technology x Hollywood collabos…

WARGAMES (1983)

Yes, kids, this is what it looked like before broadband.

WEIRD SCIENCE (1985)

Before YouPorn, there was Anthony Michael Hall and his dream girl “Lisa”.

PRETTY IN PINK (1986)

Even dreamy-eyed high school heartthrobs could hack, as evidenced by Andrew McCarthy’s multimedia presentation.

HACKERS (1995)

Jonny Lee Miller goes head to head with future wife Angelina Jolie.

SWORDFISH (2001)

When you have no idea what hacking looks like, focus on the guy’s face! Watch Hugh Jackman get simultaneous dome and access.