Pull down the cardboard boxes of tinsel and get ready to increase your electric bill because it is time to decorate! This week the TechoRetro Dads take a look at the history of holiday decorating and what we do on this festively glowing episode of Enjoy Stuff.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, strings of lights, and all the gaudy accoutrement you can find. Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to decorate for the holidays. But how long have people been celebrating by going over the top? Jay and Shua take a look at the very, very long history of holiday design. 

News

-We rundown a bunch of the cool things that have come out in the last couple weeks from movies to TV

-Ridley Scott says he’s working on a Blade Runner TV series

-”Oh Noooooooooo!” You may want to get rid of that Kool-Aid

What we’re Enjoying

Jay watched the mind bending Edgar Wright film Last Night in Soho. It’s a fun thriller/horror film with some pretty cool effects. And there’s a fun twist at the end that may surprise you. Shua has been playing a new game that combines the technology of today’s phone apps and yesterday’s 8-bit football, with Retro Bowl. 

Enjoy Life

It’s time to deck the stuff with all you can find. But do you realize that people have been decorating for holidays for seven centuries? 

First we take a look at the history of some of the most iconic decorations throughout history, such as the Christmas tree and Christmas lights. Where did they start and how have they changed?

Next, we talk about movies where decorating was an important part of the story. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation has been inspiring crazy dads to blow fuses for many years. How much would something like that cost you?

Danny DeVito took decorating to unheard of levels in the movie Deck the Halls, also starring Matthew Broderick. Do you have enough lights to be seen from space?

Other films have been using decorating for plot devices too. Edward Scissorhands, Christmas with the Kranks, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and more.

Do you decorate for the holidays? Are you the envy of the neighborhood? Let us know. Come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com

Celebrate Thanksgiving with the TechnoRetro Dads as they think about all of the wonderful things in their life that they are thankful for and what makes them happy. There's never been a better time to find the fun in everything.  

Life can be pretty rough for everyone.  But we bet you have some things or people in your life that help to make it a little bit better place.  During this Thanksgiving week we hang out and remember the things we can appreciate even in the toughest times, and have some laughs along the way. 

News

-Let’s meet the cast of the new Disney+ Willow series! 

-A Buckaroo Banzai sequel novel is now available to catch up with what the rock n roll surgeon has been up to

-Ready for a TechnoRetro Christmas movie? Check out 8-Bit Christmas, releasing on November 24 

-Rest in peace, Al. Quantum Leap’s Dean Stockwell passes away.

What we’re Enjoying

Shua can’t get enough of the eccentric positivity of Jeff Goldblum on his documentary series The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Check it out on Disney+. Jay has been getting the Led out as he revisits Led Zeppelin IV 50th Anniversary. Plus, he found a really cool graphic novel, illustrating a great genre; The History of Science Fiction: A Graphic Novel

Enjoy Life

This week, in America, people will be celebrating Thanksgiving. We love this time of year because it helps us to remember the great things in our life. Come join us as we thank the friends and family that have made a positive difference in our lives.  

Plus, we have some fun with some classic movies and tv shows that we love revisiting this time of year.

We hope you have the opportunity to have a pleasant Thanksgiving, no matter where you live or who you can be with.  And if you want to hang out with us and other Earbuds, come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com

There's no better time to celebrate a day of peace and harmony. November 17 is Life Day. Jay and Josh celebrate the silliest Star Wars creation with the silliest Enjoy Stuff ever. Let's find ways to have fun with the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special on Enjoy Stuff!

Come with us back in time as we find the fun in everything, even the Star Wars Holiday Special! On this year’s Life Day, we remember some of the crazy scenes and situations we experienced on November 17, 1978 and have a little fun with them. With characters, situations, and sounds from the special, and a few parodies thrown in for good measure. Plus, the iconic Happy Life day song from High Adventure. This is the Enjoy Stuff: Star Wars Holiday Special Special!

Take a journey through time, and the wild mind of Terry Gilliam in Time Bandits! 40 years ago, this film captured imaginations and created a fantasy time travel tale like nothing you've ever seen. Let's search for the most fabulous object in the world as we Enjoy Stuff!

Grab the map before the Supreme Being catches up with us! We are off on the original time heist with Kevin, the unsuspecting kid that gets swept up in the excitement of history while trying to talk some sense into God’s wayward assistants. This is Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits. 

News

-Boston Dynamics Teaches Spot to Dance like Mick Jagger 

-Golden Grahams Creamer? Absolutely

-Arthur Fonzerelli’s Jacket, from Happy Days, is up for Auction 

-If you haven’t checked out the trailer for Lightyear, do it!  It’s awesome!

What we’re Enjoying

Prithee, have thou heardst of Ian Doesher’s book, Get Thee Back to the Future? It’s another in the Shakespearian series of pop culture presented in the language of the Bard. Shua has been enjoying the full casted audio presentation of the classic story of Marty, Doc, and the Delorean. Jay’s classic earworm has been working overtime as he has been enjoying listening to the iconic Fleetwood Mac album Rumours. It’s great music, but it’s also amazingly deep. 

Enjoy Movies

In 1981 Terry Gilliam directed his third film. Penned by Monty Python partner Michael Palin, the idea was to present a story told from the point of view of a kid. Literally. A low-angle point of view. But Gilliam believed a child couldn’t hold the movie alone, so he cast a troupe of little people to be the greedy bandits. 

They were certainly no slouches either. David Rappaport (Randall), Malcolm Dixon (Strutter), Mike Edmunds (Og), Jack Purvis (Wally), R2-D2’s Kenny Baker (Fidgit), and more! Many were alumni of the Star Wars movies, and all had fun personalities for this crazy ride.

Plus, the historical figures were talented actors in their own right. Ian Holme plays Napolean at the end of the French Revolution. Michael Palin and Shelly Duvall play star crossed lovers across time periods. John Cleese plays Robin Hood, the leader of Merry Men you would’t expect. And the legendary Sean Connery plays King Agamemnon. 

In an appropriate bit of casting, the very British Ralph Richardson reveals himself as God. And TRON’s nasty villain Sark, played by David Warner, gets to antagonize all of them as the Evil Genius.   

With a strong cast, you already have a foundation for a great performance, but the story was so original and fun as well. It’s really more of an interesting coming-of-age story more than a time travel one. And with a surprisingly dark and mysterious ending, it will keep you thinking too. 

Have you experienced Time Bandits? Talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com

Stuff. Enjoy Stuff. Join Jay and Shua as they look back on the long, action-packed history of your favorite British secret agent, James Bond. You'll be in double-o heaven as we Enjoy Stuff!

What’s a Bond movie that you can Enjoy? We like “Dr. No Time to Live and Let Die Another Daylights” Whether you’re into the fifties, manly-standard Connery fan, or prefer the gritty realism of Craig, there’s something for many tastes in the Bond universe. Jay and Shua remain shaken, but not stirred on Enjoy Stuff

News

-The World of Jeff Goldblum returns to Disney+ for a second season next week. 

-A copy of Dragon Magazine has recently been uncovered showing D&D stats for cartoon characters. 

What we’re Enjoying

Jay thought the new Denis Villaneuve film Dune is a great interpretation of the book, and a visually stunning movie. Have you seen it? What did you think? Shua has been obsessed with old Monkees TV episodes on YouTube.  They’re always good for a laugh. 

Enjoy Movies

The first James Bond movie came out in 1962. While it certainly wasn’t the first time Bond had come to life, it inserted the character into the mainstream for everyone to experience. 

Sean Connery’s Bond in Dr. No began some of the classic Bond expectations, and then built on in the next few movies. We saw gadgets, his Astin Martin, and of course his favorite drink, a martini, shaken, not stirred (because we’re not cavemen!).

After a few movies Sir Sean was getting a little bored of the part and was replaced with George Lazenby, everyone’s favorite Bond. ….Just kidding. It was definitely a departure that wasn’t as well received, so Connery returned for Diamonds are Forever. 

But he was really, really finished after that. He would NEVER, absolutely NEVER play Bond again. (At least that’s what we say) Roger Moore became the Bond a lot of people grew up with and he made it his own. He made more Bond movies than any other actors, still to this day. 

Of course, Connery would return one more time in 1983, in the Never Say Never Again, the same year Moore’s Octopussy came out. But both of them were favoring prune juice to martinis by then, and Timothy Dalton took over for a couple films. 

At the time, some didn’t care for his portrayal, but they have grown a following over time. But eventually, a fan-favorite choice named Pierce Brosnan took over for four films. While the films may have lacked a few things people expected from Bond,  he definitely made his mark until a Bond for the 21st century took over.

Daniel Craig rebooted the whole universe with Casino Royale in 2006. His grittier, more realistic Bond really connected with a lot of fans and he ended up with 5 films, all closely connected up to this year’s release of No Time to Die.  

Are you a fan of 007? Who could take over in the future? Could it be someone that is different than what we’ve seen before? Talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com