Guys Of A Certain Age

It was a big week in Guys of a Certain Age history.  Not because they have dropped more than 70 episodes.  Not because Robbie turned 50 years old.  But because we are back in space!  

Well, the Guys are not back in space, though they might sound spaced out from time to time.  But the good ol’ USA is back to sending astronauts to low Earth orbit, and they were sent in a souped-up Tesla.  The Guys talk all things SpaceX, from the technology to the designer spacesuits - especially the spacesuits.  

Listen and celebrate the launch of the Dragon capsule and Robbie’s semicentennial birth anniversary, both equally worthy.  

Dune.  The mysterious planet with another name.  And the mysterious 1984 movie-that-shall-not-be-named, according to it’s own director, that is.  

But it’s still a “rite of passage,” or at least that’s what Robbie and Art convinced Jay.  Enough to have him shell out $3.99 and rent it so he could keep up with the conversation and ask semi-intelligent questions.  

The Guys talk old Dune movie, upcoming Dune movie, Dune-related television, and the classic Dune book.  Dune fans, this one’s for you; listen if you’re not dune anything else.  

In a landmark event, all three Guys come with the same Geek of the Week.  Good thing it’s a big one, with plenty to share.  And that’s not even the biggest event. 

At recording time, the world (we’re sure) was celebrating the 40th anniversary of what may arguably be the best movie sequel ever: Star Wars’ Return of the Jedi.  This movie could also have one (or two) of the most-quoted lines in Hollywood history (at least among us geeks and nerds), and introduces the most lovable (and dangerous) Muppet ever to grace the big screen. 

It’s a big one, deserving an episode of its own.  

What do Planet of the Apes, Psycho, and The Empire Strikes Back all have in common?  Besides the prominence of the letter P?  We can’t reveal that.  It would spoil the ending of the podcast.  But now you know there’s a twist involved in these and so many more classic films, and heck - they’re decades old to begin with.  

So be a guy (or lady) of a certain age, put on your big boy (or girl) pants (or slacks) and watch the doggone movies.  End the disbelief Art and Robbie exclaim weekly when Jay still hasn’t seen Shaun of the Dead.  Get in on the private jokes and memes the movies with the best plot twists have cemented into our cultural vocabulary.  

This week the Guys talk spoilers, plot twists, and reveal the identity of the mysterious McGuffin.  Listen now before someone spoils it for you!

2020 is a year that will be remembered, though there may be time we just want to forget it.  Luckily, for Guys of a Certain Age, forgetting gets easier and easier. 

Graduates in 2020 (including Robbie's eldest from high school and Jay's from college) have had an unexpected finish, and instead of prom and tossing those funny hats, they will reminisce about online classes, virtual graduation and Zoom assignments.  The Guys thought this would be a good time to revisit their senior years - the good, the bad and the ugly.  (You get to figure out who's who.) Listen as they walk down - and stumble- memory lane, straight through the 1980's.    

For a trio of oldish curmudgeons, The Guys sure seem to have a lot of toys.  And we're not talking about the proverbial "grown-up" toys like jet skis, jetpacks, and jet...jets - we're talking about toy...toys.  Legos.  Action figures. (They're not dolls.) And ships to transport the not-dolls to galaxies far, far away. 

Which ones have stood the test of time?  Which ones did we desperately want as kids, but couldn't afford until we were adults with disposable income, ebay, and understanding wives?  Listen to this one in your playroom, man cave, or wherever secondary-market-collectible-mint-in-box toys are sold.  

Listeners may have noticed that The Guys watch a lot of TV.  Or they watch a lot of content on a lot of streaming services on a lot of screens, at the very least. 

How many times have you heard two of our co-hosts exclaim in surprise to the third, "You haven't seen that?"  Truth be told, though, we all have shows that have large fanbases, great Nielsen ratings, coveted advertising slots - even national conventions dedicated to one show - and yet, they just don't appeal to us. 

That's the conundrum The Guys talk about in this episode. Which "must watch" shows fall into the "I just don't get it, therefore I just don't watch it" category?  Or maybe we gave up after one season or one episode, even if those shows are in the top 5 TV shows of all time.  Prepare to be show-shamed.  Or not.  

It’s week something-or-other in shelter-at-home, and we’re not sure what day it is - but the Guys are here anyway to keep you informed, entertained, and occupied while figuring out if you’re essential or not.  

In this week's episode, they mourn the loss of a mad cartoonist, explore the possibilities of yet another streaming service, and debate the value of spoilers.  Random?  Of course.  What else do you expect?  Next, they tackle the perplexing problem of perpetuity.  In other words, Robbie is force-feeding old movies to his sons during quarantine, and some hits of previous decades have not proven worthy today.  Jay and Art throw a few movies in the ring, too, that they’ve revisited or finally had time to watch during these weird, weird, days.  

Just because the Guys can’t be in the same room together during stay-at-home orders, doesn’t mean they still can’t ramble on for half an hour anyway.  Thank you, technology.  

And this week they give their takes on a handful of technological breakthroughs that have now, essentially, put on the brakes.  From lightsaber apps, to aux cords connected to cassette tape adapters, to Billy Bass, to Netflix DVD’s (hey…wait a minute…), the Guys reminisce about gadgets and such that were at one point essential “personnel” but have since been sent home.  

When it comes to Geeks of the Week, Robbie says it’s hip to be Square, Jay’s still playing with high-end legos, and Art is ready to join (or at least watch) the Space Force.  Call the delivery guy, grab a donut chicken sandwich, and listen.  

With Jay out this week, Robbie and Art "engage" in a spoiler-filled discussion of Picard, the latest Star Trek series from CBS All Access.