Mercy: The Algorithm Wants Your Lunch Money

Mercy: The Algorithm Wants Your Lunch Money

Author: TruStory FM February 10, 2026 Duration: 1:01:52
This month on The Film Board, Pete Wright drags Andy Nelson, Tommy Metz III, and Steve Sarmento into an emergency bonus hearing because Andy texted, essentially, “We can’t skip a month. Also I found a movie.” That movie is Mercy, a slick, noisy, deeply committed screenlife thriller where Chris Pratt wakes up strapped into a futuristic execution-chair-courtroom and has 90 minutes to prove he didn’t kill his wife. The judge is an AI who looks like Rebecca Ferguson. Which is frankly unfair to every other AI.From there, it’s a full-spoilers sprint through a world where justice is software, surveillance is just “normal life,” and every single camera on Earth is apparently pointed at exactly the wrong moment. The panel fights over what Mercy thinks it’s doing (a cautionary tale about AI and institutions) versus what it actually does (a pulpy, coincidence-powered ride that occasionally forgets its own premise and wanders off toward terrorism and explosions).Andy is… not having it. Steve is torn in the way only a lover of scrappy sci-fi concepts can be: “It’s messy, but I’m intrigued.” Tommy—who walked in expecting bargain-bin January nonsense—ends up delighted, especially after an accidental 3D screening turns the whole thing into a theme-park attraction where the chair is the main character. Pete tries to keep the court metaphor alive long enough to pronounce a verdict, but keeps getting distracted by the movie’s most dangerous idea: not the AI, but the assumption that the only way to get “justice” is if the system can see literally everything.Also: yes, we talk about the wind. The screens have wind.Watch & Discover
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There’s a particular kind of energy that comes from walking out of a movie theater with a head full of thoughts, needing to unpack everything you just saw with someone who gets it. That’s the feeling The Film Board captures every month. Host Pete Wright gathers a dedicated panel of film enthusiasts-regulars like Tommy Metz III, Steve Sarmento, and Justin Jaeger, plus a rotating lineup of fellow movie lovers-for a roundtable conversation that feels like the best kind of post-movie debrief. They dive into the latest theatrical releases without holding back, so spoilers are a given. You’ll hear them dissect everything from a film’s most bizarre moments and puzzling narrative choices to those random, memorable details that stick with you. This isn’t a formal review show; it’s a lively, opinionated, and deeply informed discussion among friends who are genuinely obsessed with cinema. The conversations are fueled by that shared obsession, resulting in a mix of insightful analysis and unapologetically strong takes. Tune in to this podcast for the kind of candid, detailed, and engaging talk that makes you feel like you’re right there at the table with them, long after the credits have rolled.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Film Board
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