The High Tech Low Life Podcast: A Cyberpunk Media Retrospective

This week we are hitting one of the big movies of the cyberpunk genre: The Terminator.  Schwarzenegger, Hamilton, that other guy, directed by the Titanic dude, you know who he is.  And on this episode we are lucky enough to be joined by the terminator of our hearts: Sean Faust.   The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Lit...

Sometimes all you need is a great concept to make a good movie.  This is not one of those times.  The concept may be solid, but the execution of Freejack is bad for a number of reasons, not the least of which is Mick Jagger, yes that Mick Jagger, giving probably the most disastrous performance of his career, including Altamont.   The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk ficti...

This week's episode is a continuation of our in-depth discussion of William Gibson's Idoru, book 2 in the Bridge Trilogy.  We are stoked to be joined, once again, by Geoff from Astronomica to help us with this deep dive.  Check out Part 1 if you're confused as to what is happening. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, L...

We are back from a long Hiatus with Part 1 of our two-parter on William Gibson's Idoru, book 2 in the Bridge Trilogy.  This book delves into themes of celebrity, and how it effects those in it's orbit, while utilizing some classic gibson cyberpunk tropes and characters to tell a phenomenal story.  We are joined, once again, by Geoff from Astronomica to help us get into it.   The High Tech Low Life...

Frustrating schedules remain in effect, but there was time this week to get together and bust out a tight 90 covering some current events, recommendos, and general podcast housekeeping, with a lot of digressions.  Were you curious what your hosts would talk about if their podcast had no structure whatsoever?  This is what you would get.  Hopefully some of you like it! The High Tech Low Life Podcas...

What is this a crossover episode? If you haven't  heard us talk about it on air, Creek of the Week is  basically Eric and Josh commenting over a randomly selected episode of Dawson's Creek, the infamous 90's WB sitcom.  We had limited time this week so we recorded a new one for funsies, and we are releasing it here because we think some of the subscribers to this feed might appreciate it.  If it i...

This week is a re release of one of our Patreon exclusive episodes in which we were joined by Geoff of Astronomica to watch the classic Japanese proto-cyberpunk film Burst City.  Recording it was a lot of fun, and I always wanted to get it out on the main feed, so no time like Summer Vacation to do just that.  It also has like 4 minutes of awkward solo-podcasting at the beginning to introduce it i...

This movie sucks.  Don't watch it. No matter how bad we are at podcasting, I can nearly guarantee that listening to us recap The Lawnmower Man is more entertaining (and shorter) than actually watching it.   We did our best to wring some joy out of that 122 minute slog.  Man, I'm really selling this one.   The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of me...

Escape from L.A. sure is something.  Is it something good?  Sort of.  Is it something bad?  Yeah, kinda that too.  You just have to take it for what it is, enjoy the ride, and check your uncanny valley at the door, because for all it's other faults and triumphs, the CGI is not pretty. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television...

This week we return to the High Tech Low Life book club covering Halting State by Charles Stross.  In the near future a video game bank robbery opens an investigation into high financial crimes and international espionage.  Bit of a split decision on this one as one of us enjoyed the book and the other not so much.  We hash it out live to tape. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of...

This week we continue recapping Blade Runner with our special Guest, Chris Mccoy.  Time for Deckard to start shooting some replicants, and time for Roy to start delivering some legendary monologues (and maybe break a few fingies). The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music are all on the table. In...

What better way to celebrate 50 episodes than by finally covering one of cyberpunk's most revered properties?  If you are listening to this podcast you don't need me to summarize Blade Runner here, needless to say that Ridley Scott sure can make a movie.  I think that guy has a future in this town.  We are joined this week by actual professional movie critic, writer, musician and fellow podcaster...

How can a movie be cyberpunk, horror, buddy cop, comedy, and action movie all at once?  I don't know, but Split Second manages to pull it off.  Rutger Hauer gives an incredible performance as Harley Stone, the hard boiled cop living on chocolates, coffee, and anxiety, hunting his partner's killer: an Alien/Venom/Satan monster.  It's an insane movie, and it immediately captured the hearts of everyo...

This week, Ben from the Pink Fohawk podcast sits down with us to discuss a movie that may have slipped under your radar but perhaps shouldn't: Cherry 2000.  Basically Cherry 2000 is a sex bot, Sam Treadwell's sex bot.  When a heated moment of passion in laundry water renders her body inoperable, Sam takes her memory chip, and sets out into the wastelands of the American Southwest to find a Cherry...

Vibes.  Sometimes something just has cyberpunk vibes, even if it's really more of a whodunnit mystery in a Scandinavian winter.  We're gonna cover it anyway, what are you a cop?  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is both a good movie, and an incredibly uncomfortable movie.   It's simultaneously cozy and utterly revolting.  It's both fun to talk about on a podcast, and a minefield that two such as us...

This week we are once again joined by Geoff from the Astronomica podcast to finish our deep dive into Virtual Light, William Gibson's first book in the acclaimed Bridge Trilogy.  If you need a recap of part 1, I really don't know what to tell you, you should probably go listen to that first.  If you are insistent in pushing on just know that there are some dudes, a lady, a bridge, and a pair of su...

Virtual Light is the first book of William Gibson's Bridge Trilogy.  A naive ex cop and a spikey-haired courier get into hijinks on the Golden Gate Bridge turned squatter's haven. Your hosts have read it, and plan to talk about it, with the help of Geoff from the Astronomica Podcast.  This first part will give our initial impressions and introduce the main characters, the full recap will happen in...

Willem Dafoe and Christopher Walken in a movie written by William Gibson?  It has to be amazing, right?  There's no way that trio wouldn't come up with a banger.  Well, unfortunately all that glitters is not necessarily gold as New Rose Hotel doesn't really deliver on anything.  A good short story and a few good performances do not, a movie, make.  We watched it, however, and we are going to give...

This week Sean Faust is back to help us dissect Tron: Legacy, and for possibly the first time ever on this podcast we have a house divided. Some of the hosts loved the movie, and some didn't care for it at all.  You won't know who is who unless you listen!  How do you like that clickbait, internet rubes?!  The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of m...

Charlize Theron is many wonderful things, but Aeon Flux, she is not.  The 2005 film adaption of the 90's animated series attempts to capture the magic, but falls short due to a number of things, including studio interferance.  This week we talk about what went so drastically wrong and what could have been done to at least make this thing watchable. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective...

In 1991 Peter Chung created an animated series for a late night MTV anthology series called Liquid Television.  It was artistic, weird, and most of all... super horny.  As young teens, your hosts of course were instantly enthralled.  Thirty some years later we have returned to watch it with adult eyes and as it turns out, we are still pretty enthralled. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospe...

This week we are recapping the iconic 60's sci-fi novel by Philip K. Dick.  Yeah, the one that Bladerunner is based on.  In an incredibly bleak dystopian future, Rick Deckard has to kill a bunch of androids so he can get himself a new farm animal.  First he just had to deal with this damn "empathy" thing that makes him feel bad about murder-copping his way through San Francisco.   The High Tech Lo...

In the dystopian future the kids are so out of control that the only way to keep them from killing each other is with military grade robotic teachers.  When the teachers' AI goes berserk and starts killing students, it will be up to the kids to take back their school, if only they can put their own differences aside first.  Big thanks to Stardaddy Stan from the Astronomica podcast for riding shotg...

Imagine a hotel for professional criminals.  Now imagine that hotel is actually a hospital.  Now imagine that hotel/hospital is staffed only by Jodie Foster and Dave Bautista.  That's basically Hotel Artemis.  A little cyberpunkish film from 2018 that really slipped through the cracks of all the huge summer blockbusters it was up against that year.  Turns out, it's kind of a good time.  The High T...

Sometimes movies surprise you.  Sometimes you're sitting down expecting to watch a pile of garbage get set on fire on the screen, and instead you watch a pile of garbage animated into a beautiful dance that you can't take your eyes off of.  Nemesis is riddled with flaws, but despite them all, it's an incredibly enjoyable and fun film.  I won't bore you with a synopsis, just know that Thomas Jane i...