Who is Darkman? He's everywhere and nowhere, but mostly he's Liam Neeson. 30 years ago we witnessed the birth of a new kind of hero and launched Neeson's career. The TechnoRetro Dads look back at Sam Raimi's classic.

Darkman stepped into the light 30 years ago and helped make Liam Neeson a star. We review the finer aspects of the 1990 film.

In the NEWS
Wil Weaton returns for the audio version of Ready Player Two

TechnoRetro Cereal - Coffee for Breakfast
Hostess introduces the world to two new coffee possibilities. Ding Dongs and Twinkie flavored Latte. Shua thinks it sounds intriguing. But what do you think? Let us know at podcast@technoretrodads.com

Let’s All Go to the Movies - Darkman
In 1990, Sam Raimi wanted to make a superhero movie. Not being able to gain the rights of some of his beloved classic heroes, he decided to create his own. Enter Darkman; the tragic antihero who was viciously attacked and left for dead. His recovery included severing his pain receptors, loss of emotional control, and liquid skin. This movie was Liam Neeson’s first leading role and while it is a product of its time, it is chock full of cinematic history. We take a deeper look at the movie and revisit some of our favorite Neeson films.

TechnoRetro Arcade - Games inspired by Liam Neeson movies.
If you’re going to be a big action star, you better expect a slew of video games featuring your characters. Liam Neeson’s long career gave us some good ones. Krull may be a cult movie, but it inspired a really great, underrated game full of action, rolling rocks, and glaves. Our featured movie, Darkman could be played at home in a variety of versions, Batman Begins was a hit in the cinemas and a stunning cinematic game with Neeson as the main antagonist. And of course we couldn’t leave out Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Grab your quarters and come join us in the arcade.

Tech is everywhere! But in the 80’s we looked at it with a little wonder, a little excitement, and a lot of neon. We look at the technology our heroes used to save the day and the toys that helped us grow. 

Technology in our favorite TV shows and the tech toys that kept us entertained and edumacated.

In the NEWS

• The Princess Bride is coming to a board game near you
• A Knight Rider movie is in the works! 
• TRON 3 gets a new director
• The last Blockbuster Video is available for a sleepover! Pack those PJs
• Space Camp may just be around for a bit longer!

TechnoRetro Cereal - Junior Spoonster

Jay brings us news of a new type of breakfast; Mac and Cheese...wait, that can’t be right. Mac and Cheese?!?!?! Would you indulge in this traditional kiddie meal as a morning feast? Let us know. And you’ve gotta check out the Teachable Machine Lucky Charms Marshmallow extractor.  It’s sure to change your late night snacking habits.

Saturday Mornings - Retro TV with Tech-Centered Stories

We loved our TV heroes! In the 80’s those heroes often got to use cool new tech to save the day. Automan was a hero straight out of TRON. He is a complex computer construct that partners up with a police computer expert. And he’s got a sweet glowy car! Max Headroom was a one of a kind piece of technology that helped shape the 80’s without ever leaving a TV screen (or having a body). The Street Hawk was a super fast, super cool motorcycle. And Airwolf saved the day from the sky while Stringfellow Hawke piloted the powerful helicopter. Finally, Michael Knight was a faithful partner to KITT, the computer powered super car whose legacy lives on to this day. How cool were they? And how much did they influence the future? 

Toys in the Attic - Tech Toys

Was there anything more exciting for a kid to get a toy that needed batteries? Electronic toys became more accessible to kids in the 80’s. They kept us entertained and helped us learn. The Little Professor calculator was where Shua learned his numbers and the Speak and Spell built his words. Most kids enjoyed their Mattel Electronic sports games, even though it was really just a few little red LED lights. But blinking lights could be fun, and be the basis of games like Merlin and Simon. The Microvision was the granddaddy of the handheld games we love today. And if you like games of fantasy, Dark Tower and Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game sparked our imagination.

The truth is out there. But since we’re hanging out at home, we’ll have it delivered straight to you! Jay and Shua take a look at some classic movies and TV shows that focused on some classic conspiracies. And we’ll take a second look at what our retro board games were really trying to do to us. 

Conspiracy movies and TV with some very suspicious board games.  

In the NEWS

• Holidays come to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World!
• Remembering the legend of Wilfred Brimley

TechnoRetro Cereal - Roving Spoonster

Shane shares some tasty stories this week. Tim Hortons has a deliciously sweet looking Froot Loops donut that just bowls us over (or is it a sugar coma?)  Post’s Dunkin Donuts coffee cereal is sure to wake you up. And we look at some discontinued cereal and contemplate which ones should return.

Let’s All Go to the Movies - Conspiracy Movies

Movie goers have always been fascinated with stories with plenty of intrigue. And no genre has more than conspiracy movies. We look back at some memorable conspiracy stories from the 70’s, 80’s, and even 90’s. Do you remember The Parallax View with Warren Beatty? How about some Robert Redford dramas like Three days of the Condor or All the President’s Men? Space was all the rage with the Mars launch hoax of Capricorn One or the Area 51 inspired Hangar 18. Roy Scheider traded boats for helicopters in 1983’s Blue Thunder. And we would never forget Buckaroo Banzai’s contribution to saving the world from aliens. He probably inspired Roddy Piper in John Carpenter’s They Live. And of course, the granddaddy of all the conspiracies would have to be Oliver Stone’s classic cover-up story inspired by true life events in JFK. Which ones do you like? And what did we leave off the list?

TV - More truth to be uncovered

Conspiracies weren’t limited to the cinema. TV had it’s share of intrigue. V: The Miniseries had us questioning if we were being invaded by aliens or fascists. Or maybe fascist aliens. But we’ll never stop questioning all the mysteries of the world in Leonard Nimoy’s In Search Of, or Jack Palance’s Ripley’s Believe it or Not. And as we prepared to head into the 21st Century, Agents Mulder and Scully helped us to track down the real story behind mysterious aliens and why you shouldn’t smoke so much.

Toys in the Attic - Board Games or Conspiracies

We grew up with so many great board games. But were they given to us to entertain ourselves or control our minds? Take the quiz and listen to the evidence. Can you identify the board game by the conspiracy theorist description?

You don’t have to be a Real Genius to know that Weird Science can get out of control. Science was all over the place in August of 1985. If you want the fiction of it, just look in Starlog Magazine. We take a look at the classic Sci-Fi publication in a new segment called Magazine Rack. 

Starlog Magazine, plus the sciencey movies Weird Science and Real Genius 

In the NEWS

• Longtime character actor John Saxon passes away
• A Transformers/Back to the Future crossover? Could that really happen?
• We got our first look at the live action Tom and Jerry movie
• Coming soon: A Back to the Future 4K set, complete with tiny floating hoverboard
• Please consider helping to save Space Camp for future generations of young scientists by donating to savespacecamp.com

TechnoRetro Cereal - Tiger Paws

Jay tries the new Kellogg’s snack and lets us know if it’s worth it. Well, if you like sweetness, it may be for you!

Magazine Rack - Starlog August 1980

In a new segment on TechnoRetro Dads, we take a look back at the classic sci-fi magazine Starlog. This month’s cover story is an interview with Harrison Ford, the star of the newly released Empire Strikes Back. There are also some great articles about how the 1980’s sci-fi genre entered the 80’s. Battlestar Galactica left TV, Buck Rogers was grasping for one last chance, and a little science fiction movie from Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford was on the horizon.

Let’s All Go to the Movies - Weird Science/Real Genius

August 1985 was a rich time for science in the movies. Well, science may be a little generous when describing these films, but they certainly felt sciency. John Hughes’s Weird Science starred Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly Lebrock, and Ilan Mitchell-Smith. It tells the story of Gary and Wyatt trying to fit in with their High School peers by creating the beautiful, smart, and magical Lisa from thin air. Aahhh, remember when you did that in high school? Then, watch Val Kilmer at his finest in the classic smart people against the government story Real Genius. Chris Knight helps his roommate Mitch to build a super powerful laser, but must stop it when they realize how it’s going to be used. Both movies featured quotable lines and lots of laughs. And if you want a little science cherry on top, check out the third movie that month, My Science Project. 

Vinyl Scratchback - Weird Science/Real Genius Soundtrack

There may have only been a few memorable songs from these movies, but the 80’s vibe was very important to the flow of both. We break down which ones were important, such as Oingo Boingo’s hit Weird Science, and the Tears for Fears favorite Everybody Wants to Rule the World.