The High Tech Low Life Podcast: A Cyberpunk Media Retrospective

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 week isn't as easy as it looks.  Anyway, lets get hungry! 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. Astronomica: http://www.astronomicapodcast.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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, 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com    

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, 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com    

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 the end, 2 hours of your life watching this movie feels like you overpaid.  Hopefully 2 hours of this podcast is at least fair market value, maybe not a stellar deal, you could probably do better at another podcast, but at least it isn't a waste?  I'm lost in the time metaphors lets press on. 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com  

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 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com  

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 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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.  Enjoy listening to us regret our choices! 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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, 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. Astronomica: http://www.astronomicapodcast.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com  

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, 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. Astronomica: http://www.astronomicapodcast.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com  

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 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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 fine.  The movie is fine. 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/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com

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 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. Izzy's Bandcamp:  https://whoisthorninmyside.bandcamp.com  Issy's Bluesky: @sp00kypunkizzy.bsky.social   Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnny60seconds Patreon: http://patreon.com/hightechlowlife Theme music by http://www.nihilore.com