{"podcast":{"title":"The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast","slug":"the-desert-of-the-reel-a-movie-podcast-6745471","podcast_index_feed_id":6745471,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/ef374714/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desert-of-the-reel","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/40033773/40033773-1702701906834-241e47ae9797b.jpg","author":"Desert of the Reel","episode_count":136,"summary":"Welcome to the Desert of the Reel, a movie podcast where host Ryan Hudson forces co-host Jason Dietz to watch the big blockbuster movies he’s refused to watch because he didn’t think they were worth his time. As two passionate high school English/film/philosophy/creativity teachers with graduate degrees, we're dedicated to using our academic training to argue about and dig deeply into movies. We explore the creativity and philosophy in our films and push our listeners to think critically about their entertainment.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T20:19:57.206759+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-desert-of-the-reel-a-movie-podcast-6745471"},"episode":{"title":"Surrogates (2009) When Technology Replaces Humanity - Desert of the Reel: Jason's Choice #23","slug":"surrogates-2009-when-technology-replaces-humanity-desert-of-the-reel-jason-s-choice-23","published_at":"2026-07-12T21:36:25+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-desert-of-the-reel-a-movie-podcast-6745471/surrogates-2009-when-technology-replaces-humanity-desert-of-the-reel-jason-s-choice-23","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-desert-of-the-reel-a-movie-podcast-6745471","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desert-of-the-reel/episodes/Surrogates-2009-When-Technology-Replaces-Humanity---Desert-of-the-Reel-Jasons-Choice-23-e3m09e8","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/ef374714/podcast/play/122741640/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-12%2F427832070-44100-2-af6f4692408f6.m4a","summary":"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!","meta_description":"Surrogates (2009) is a forgotten-about science Fiction movie where people live their lives through better-looking robot versions of themselves. It is just…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5135,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-desert-of-the-reel-a-movie-podcast-6745471/episodes/surrogates-2009-when-technology-replaces-humanity-desert-of-the-reel-jason-s-choice-23/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-desert-of-the-reel-a-movie-podcast-6745471/surrogates-2009-when-technology-replaces-humanity-desert-of-the-reel-jason-s-choice-23.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}