A gifted young hacker named David, portrayed by Matthew Broderick, boasts to his girlfriend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) about his abilities—improving her grades and arranging a luxurious trip to Paris for them. While demonstrating this, he unknowingly connects with a phone line seeking someone to participate in a game: a simulation of nuclear war. Soon after, news reports detail the activation of American military defense…

It’s hard to believe how little we've seen of Ally Sheedy over the years; as a child, she was definitely someone I recognized. Now, her appearances are few and far between, mostly limited to shows like Psych. It's too bad. Recently, my fiance—who is part of the Millennial generation—and I have been attempting to share some older movies with her and her friends. This one didn’t go over well at all. They endured it,…

I was eager to watch this hacker film from the early 80s again, especially considering how much the computer landscape has transformed since then. Because of that, the movie can seem a little awkward now, given the primitive technology—the games, computers, and toys all look quite outdated. But putting aside any sentimental feelings I have about it, it still works well as both an interesting story and a genuinely sus…