Tron Legacy (2010) - The Grid, the Self, and Enlightenment - Desert of the Reel #129

Tron Legacy (2010) - The Grid, the Self, and Enlightenment - Desert of the Reel #129

Tron: Legacy (2010) 28 years after the original movie, we see Flynn and his adult son, Sam, return to the grid. There, they must play Clu's games and try to escape. Is this basically the first Legacy sequel? We talk about the history of Disney from the 80s that led us to this movie. We also have a lot of things we liked about this movie! Especially the music. We also uncover a lot of philosophical ideas. From Buddhism and Hinduism to the Bhagavad Gita, we examine the film's obsession with the self, perfection, creation, and responsibility. Is Clu simply Flynn's greatest mistake—or the inevitable result of every creator trying to build something perfect? What happens when individuality clashes with the collective? And to what extent are we responsible for the things we create? Join us this week! Next week Ares! What are your thoughts? Email us at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com

Tron (1982) - Are We a Part of what We Create? - DOTR #128

This week, Ryan and Jason go all the way back to Jason's childhood with 1982's Tron! This is one of the rare episodes where Jason reminisces about his childhood experiences with movies. While (a little) dated, they argue that there's actually a lot to love about this old Disney film. The duo discuss Tron's role in the advent of CGI in film, the philosophical ideas of a digital self, intelligence at many levels of existence, the dangers of allowing computers to think for us, what putting minimal effort into a project reveals about us, and whether or not we leave parts of ourselves behind in our creations. What are your thoughts about this ancestor of CGI? We'd love to know! E-mail us at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com!

Surrogates (2009) When Technology Replaces Humanity - Desert of the Reel: Jason's Choice #23

Surrogates (2009) is a forgotten-about science Fiction movie where people live their lives through better-looking robot versions of themselves. It is just as relevant today, if not more so. It predates many ideas of social media and smartphones, and before we saw them in real life. Feels frighteningly modern. We discuss AI, digital identities, pornography, addiction, disability, authenticity, and whether humanity is slowly choosing simulation over reality. Can we still truly know another person if everyone presents a perfected version of themselves? Along the way, Jason drops a surprising hot take about WALL-E, we revisit Bruce Willis's strange late-career filmography, and ask one uncomfortable question: If technology keeps making life easier, why do people seem less fulfilled? Do you remember this movie? Is it underrated? Does it deserve to be brought back and reexamined? Do you remember the tv show Flashforward?? Email us your thoughts and anything else at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com Sure love ya!

Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) - Does science belong to everybody? - DOTR #127

This week, we endured Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025). There's not much great happening in the film, so we didn't spend a ton of time talking about what was great. We spent a little more time talking about what wasn't great, but most of this episode is about the ethics of medicine and scientific discoveries generally, as well as the film studies reason why this movie doesn't connect with us visually and interpersonally. At least, this is the last episode of the Jurassic series. Jason believes, pound for pound, this is the biggest waste of his time of all the series we've watched for the podcast. What do you think? Let us know at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com!

Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) - The Extinction of Good Movies - DOTR #126

Jurassic World Dominion (2022) might actually be the worst movie we have watched for this podcast. We actually get a little depressed talking about the future of blockbuster movies. After six movies, the dinosaurs aren't the only things that escaped containment. In our discussion of Jurassic World Dominion, we spend surprisingly little time talking about any pros (because we struggle to think of any), but we DO talk a good deal about dinosaurs and cons. We discover bigger questions. At what point does a living creature become a product? When does a human being become a product? Why do audiences continue rewarding films considered disappointments? The conversation quickly spirals into billion-dollar box office numbers, franchise filmmaking, hyperreality, social media, and whether modern entertainment is replacing art with content designed simply to feed the algorithm. Along the way, Jason begins questioning the future of cinema—and maybe humanity itself. Is this just a bad movie? Or is it a symptom of something much larger? Email us your thoughts at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com