I know, podcast "seasons" are dumb, nevertheless we are about to take a break and figured we'd kick out one more episode to cover the insane dystopian week we've had and read a few listener questions and comments. Enjoy the heat and stay safe out in them streets! 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 each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's p...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 95
This week ya boys dip their toe into one of the more popular dystopias of the modern era: The Hunger Games, specifically the prequel A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And like any good quest into uncharted territory, they dare not go alone. Thankfully, Kristen from the Astronomica podcast has been kind enough to join us and lend her considerable expertise. Yes, I'm aware that Josh is actually quite familiar with the franchise but will you just let me have the metaphor? Writing these things every...
Jun 04, 2025•3 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 94
While it may not be very cyberpunk, Sneakers is still well worth a watch and does kinda share some vibes skirting the edges of the genre. Who doesn't like a good caper? Who doesn't like this cast? Who doesn't like watching a blind man drive a panel van full throttle over a multi-level parking lot? Cyberpunk it isn't, but a fun and well-made movie it very much is. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games,...
May 28, 2025•2 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 93
What a strange bit of media Captain Laserhawk is. Basically an extended commercial for a video game company, ripping off every cyberpunk trope in the book, you might expect it to be straight garbage. Against all odds, however, it actually pulls off a fun and interesting little tale with some depressingly familiar dystopian world building. Kudos to Ubisoft, I guess! The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Game...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 44 min•Season 2Ep. 92
In Time has an awesome concept. What if time was literally currency? What if centuries were horded by an elite that used the market to control and subjagate the majority of the population who had to toil and stress for every hour in the day? Sounds like fertile ground for cyberpunkery! Unfortunately this story is not told very well, and the result is kind of boring and hamfisted, and certainly not helped by some of the worst performances given by actors that we usually expect much better of. In ...
May 07, 2025•2 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 91
Screamers is a solid little under-the-radar, mid 90's sci fi film. It has some quality dialogue, interesting story adapted from a Phillip K Dick novella, and some surprisingly solid special effects from a time period when the effects on low budget movies were frequently less than special. 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 each episode we will revisit the propert...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 49 min•Season 2Ep. 90
After a freshly recorded introduction to discuss the various horrors and delights of the week, we rejoin our podcast in progress recapping The Fifth Element. The back half of the movie is even more insane than the front, due in no small part to the introduction of Chris Tucker's Ruby Rhod, famous space radio DJ? Twitch streamer? Podcaster? We're gonna call him a podcaster. I know I'd like and subscribe. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of me...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 90
The Fifth Element only skirts the edges of cyberpunk, but after the gruelling slog that was Pluto Nash, we feel like we've earned something a little more fun. Between the story, characters, costumes, and problematic director, however, there is far just too much to cover in one episode, so this one is a two-parter. 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 each episode w...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Season 2Ep. 88
Surely it can't be that bad, right? It's just negative hype! It's just people piling on a movie that may not be great by any means, but isn't 6% Rotten Tomatoes worthy. Maybe there are some moments that make it worth the time investment. Maybe it's the critics who are wrong. Nope! This movie is B-A-D which stands for Boring As Dick (Dick is a guy I know and he's super boring). I wish it was fun-bad but it isn't, it's just bad-bad. Best forgotten, sorry we dredged it up, this was all a mistake. E...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 2Ep. 87
We are back to finish up our recap of All Tomorrow's Parties. Listen and marvel at how, in the interest of time, Josh is forced to skip half the notes he painstakingly took, and yet we still manage to go way long. Tune in to see what happens to Lainey, Rydell, Chevette, and most imporantly, Boomzilla. Once again thanks to Geoff from Astronomica podcast for the assist. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, G...
Apr 02, 2025•2 hr 48 min•Season 2Ep. 86
At long last we finish William Gibson's Bridge trilogy, or at least we start to finish it. This is the first part of a two part recap of All Tomorrow's Parties, the final entry in the trilogy and, if one podcaster is to be belived, the final book of the 20th century. We are also stoked to be joined by Geoff from the Astronomica Podcast once again to assist in breaking it all down for you folks. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 48 min•Season 2Ep. 85
Pack your bags everyone we're heading to Mars. Or at least our minds are. Are they? I don't know, the point is after this is all over it will FEEL like you went to Mars so just strap in, let your eyes glaze over, and your boys will take you on a journey. Total Recall is this week's recap, and rest assured we both have a lot ot say about a movie that came around at the perfect time in history to permanently etch itself into the minds of both your hosts. See you at the party, listeners. The High T...
Mar 19, 2025•2 hr 35 min•Season 2Ep. 84
Is it basically a children's movie from the 80's? Yes. Does it feature a white man playing an Indian character in brown face and imitating an accent? Unfortunately also yes. Does that make it a bad movie? Surprisingly... not as much as you'd think. Maybe it's just nostalgia talking, but we were prepared to do some heavy duty dunking on Short Circuit and ended up being kind of delighted by the whole silly affair, with some obvious big cultural asterisks in there. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 57 min•Season 2Ep. 83
This week we are recapping our newest movie yet, 2025's Companion, a movie about robots, humans, and a Russian. 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 each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla. Bluesky: @hightechlowlife.bsky.social Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60secon...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 59 min•Season 2Ep. 82
Ben Affleck teams up with John Woo to make an exceptionally mediocre early 2000s techno-thriller, and we are here to talk about it. So the deal is, Affleck's character reverse-engineers tech devices, then makes something better, then has his memory of the whole experience wiped as a sort of futuristic NDA. The problem is that he takes on a job a little too big, gets in a little too deep, and then can't remember wtf happened or why people want to kill/arrest him. It sounds cooler than it is. It's...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 56 min•Season 2Ep. 81
This week we return to true classic cyberpunk with a recap of the 1988 OVA: Appleseed. It's an interesting production that hints at a lot of the philosophical themes that cyberpunk likes to cover, but doesn't have enough time to include that junk in with all the gunfights and excessive cursing. What you get is a lot of fun, but pretty surface-level cyberpunk anime stuff, and we're cool with that. Big thanks to Isabelle Wolf for joining us on the third mic! The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a ret...
Feb 19, 2025•2 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Real Steel is a competently made film that is so utterly lacking in heart, humor, or any even remotely interesting idea beyond "wouldn't it be cool if big robots fought each other like boxers?" It's not particularly interesting. So if you're one of those sadists that likes hearing us suffer, this one's for you, baby! 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 each episod...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 2Ep. 79
They Live may not be subtle, it may not be the best acted, or the best written film of all time, but oh man is it an entertaining film. A tight 90 minutes of ass kicking and bubblegum chewing. This week we spend about twice that much time recapping it and are honored to be joined by a very special guest: Stan from the Astronomica Podcast! 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...
Feb 05, 2025•2 hr 42 min•Season 2Ep. 78
Mute is a beautiful mess of a film. So much potential, so many misplays. If I was a sports guy I'd make an comparison to recent football games that have occurred because that last sentence really sounded like it would make a good sports analogy. Unfortunately I am unfamiliar with the lingo of the grid iron, much like Duncan Jones is unfamiliar with navigating the complicated subject of child sex abuse. The difference between us, is that I'm not going to try. He, on the other hand, swings for the...
Jan 29, 2025•2 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 77
This week we have about 30 minutes of dystopia talk (skip forward if you value your mental health), and then DIVE deep into this week's book. The Mountain In The Sea asks a lot of questions about the nature of intelligence and personhood, all in a pretty unique cyberpunk setting involving Mega Corporations, Aritifical Intelligence, and drone warfare. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literature, Games, and Music ar...
Jan 22, 2025•2 hr 26 min
A movie so good it could not be contained in one episode. We are back with part 2 of our Robocop recap, or Rebocap if you will. More violence, more satire, more hilarity, more good stuff. 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 each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla. Blu...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Season 2Ep. 75
This week we check one of the big one's off the list, Paul Verhoeven's 1987 ultra-violent dystopian comedy classic: Robocop. And as it turns out, we may have underestimated the film, enough that once we got recording, we just couldn't keep it to one episode. The movie has everything, and did a remarkable job at predicting the future of policing, tech, and entertainment. Here's part 1! The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Televisi...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 74
The holidays set us back on doing a proper recap of a cyberpunk property, but we still found time to record and recap of our favorite media of 2024. We will get back to the cyber and the punk next week when we finally cover Robocop, but for now please indulge us singing the praises of our favorite movies, music, and TV of the last year. 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 t...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 40 min•Season 2Ep. 73
Gremlins 2 is a tale of imbecilic corporate power run amok, the broken technology they covet, and the chaos that ensues as a result of it all. Only a small community of like-minded laborers coming together and combining their skills can end what can only be described as humanity's greatest threat: The Gremlins. Also, there's a whole lot of violent slapsticky humor and 80's pop culture references. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Fi...
Dec 18, 2024•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 72
Heads up, lots of dystopia to talk this week so if you don't like that part of the show, you're gonna be skipping deep into this one. After the current events have been discussed we dive into what is, unfortunately, not as exciting a property as we had hoped. Spicy city is a fun premise that ultimately fails to deliver on anything it promises. 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 o...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Season 2Ep. 71
Tom Cruise makes his High Tech Low Life debut this week as we cover 2002's Minority Report. This is a pretty good film about a cop who stops crimes before they happen, and whether or not that's actually pretty messed up when you think about it. Also, is it cool to keep slaves in a perpetual bath and submit them to horrific images for their entire lives? I dunno probably not. Lets not do that in our dystopian future, what do ya say? The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk f...
Nov 27, 2024•2 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 70
We are back to finish up our recap of the classic cyberpunk novel: Hardwired by Walter John Williams. We got gun fights, we got dog fights, we got throat weasels, we got a plucky band of DIY revolutionaries taking on the capitalist class in air, land and space! What more could you ask for at a time like this? Once again Geoff from Astronomica serves as our trusted wing man. The High Tech Low Life Podcast is a retrospective of cyberpunk fiction across all forms of media. Film, Television, Literat...
Nov 20, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 69
This week we are recapping the incredible cyberpunk novel by Walter John Williams: Hardwired. Though it may have flown under our radar, its influence can be seen throughout the entire cyberpunk genre, and it's a crime that we haven't gotten to it sooner. Seeing as it is the first week in November, 2024, we also do some incredibly dystopian election talk, the entirety of which is available on our patreon (the free tier, no money required). Thanks to Geoff from the Astronomica podcast for joining ...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 68
Nothing to recap this week, we are reading emails, talking about election anxieties, and giving recommendos. Thanks everyone for listening and emailing in questions and comments! 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 each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo Valhalla. Bluesky: @hi...
Nov 06, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Season 2Ep. 67
Jason X is technically a movie. Also we talk about the dystopian news of the week, give recommendations, and talk about what's happening on next week's episode. You don't want to miss this one folks! 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 each episode we will revisit the property, it's influences, it's prescience, and enshrine it in the chrome and neon halls of Neo V...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 66
