Not that this should matter in this context, and no idea how common or uncommon this particular "skill" is, but I can often identify a movie that I've seen years, even decades ago, by seeing just a few seconds of it. I guess this is a form of photographic memory. But, it's not only the raw snapshots, instead it's a mix of image quality, content and if I catch a glimpse of it, the story and characters too. Is there such a thing is "moving pictures memory"?
Edit: I did identify "Being John Malkovich (1999)"! Then again, his face appears in the picture.
No idea either. But add one more if you’re counting, it happens to me as you describe.
Or used to. Television was an important trigger because it shows movies unprompted; switching to alternatives where I have to consciously pick what to watch removed the opportunity for the effect to manifest.
The last one, Star Wars, I think needs some deep inspection to get it and is missing the Vader ( which I think anyone with identify with the movie)
The ones that I could identify: * Star Wars * Edward Scissorhands * John Malkovich * National Treasure * Hot Tub Time Machine * Willy Wonka * Space Jam * The Hurt Locker * Midsommar (this one gives me flashbacks, btw) * Mad Max * Fear and Loathing * Oceans 11
Everything else was too obscure. Curious which ones other people could identify.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in particular seems to be a direct reconstruction of features from that movie.
I immediately got a feeling of what the movie is about, but a lot of times I named the wrong movie or couldn't remember it. The feeling was similar to when you have something at the tip of the tongue..
Some were obvious after reading the title: Star Wars, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (never saw it), Being John Malkovich, Space Jam (never saw it), Miami Vice (never saw it), Office Space.
Some that I half guessed or felt like I knew the name of the film but could not immediately recall the name: Castaway, Mad Max: Fury Road, Edward Scissorhands (Thought it was The Nightmare Before Christmas but Tim Burton so close enough)
Obvious ones: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
For example the very strong color scheme in Miami Vice, which is basically 100% something that emerged in popular culture after the movie.
So when the AI is generating the pictures based on the plot, could it be deep down generating the pictures partly based on how we people remember the movie?