Michael and Us

What is it actually like to live as a manosphere influencer? We discuss LOUIS THEROUX: INSIDE THE MANOSPHERE (2026), in which the veteran British documentary presenter travels to the dark heart of Miami. PLUS: Taking the temperature of the Canadian left. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

The Daily Wire and Adam Carolla teamed up to make a conservative answer to Family Guy and The Simpsons. God help us, we discuss the short-lived right-wing animated show MR. BIRCHUM (2024). God damn this one was rough. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/697-donkey-152831913

As a grotesque war engulfs the Middle East, it's time to look back at how we got here. Will is joined by longtime friend of the show Violet Lucca to discuss END OF EMPIRE (1985), a British documentary series on the fizzling-out of Britain's colonial adventure. We focus on the episodes about Palestine and Iran. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/c/michaelandus End of Empire Chapter 6: Palestine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ziwuaWLy8A End of Empire Chapter 7: Iran - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhCgJElpQEQ

In Yorgos Lanthimos's BUGONIA (2025), an internet-addled conspiracy guy kidnaps a pharmaceutical CEO girlboss, in a story that ultimately asks: is the human race worth saving? PLUS: We discuss the U.S. and Israel's war in Iran, and also interrogate the most pressing issue of our time: has Jim Carrey been killed and replaced by a clone? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/152162364

What would happen if the Christian movie industry tried to make its own Everything Everywhere All at Once? Brother, you don't have to imagine! We discuss Angel Studios' THE SHIFT (2023), starring our favourite actor, Neal McDonough. PLUS: We check Keir Starmer's pulse after last week's UK by-election, and assess the looming Warner/Paramount merger. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Ground Game is Back" by Grace Blakeley - https://substack.com/home/post/p-189343412 "Starmer is Driving Labour to Disaster" by Jon Trickett - https://tribunemag.co.uk/2026/02/starmer-is-driving-labour-to-disaster

In 1968, Frederick Wiseman embedded with the Kansas City Police Department. He emerged with LAW AND ORDER (1969), a sobering portrait of what it meant to "serve and protect" at the dawn of the Nixon era. We mark Frederick Wiseman's passing by discussing one of his quintessential films. PLUS: We check in on our fallen British comrades (ex-)Prince Andrew and Keir Starmer. JOIN US ON PATREON FOR AN EXTRA EPISODE EVERY WEEK - https://www.patreon.com/posts/693-police-state-151400135

Batten down the hatches, because Kevin Sorbo has a son who's even worse than him. We discuss A WAVE OF KINDNESS (2023), a very amateurish vehicle for rising right-wing influencer Braeden Sorbo (and his wretched father) that plumbs new depths even for a Christian movie. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/692-son-of-sorbo-151037135

Energized by Turning Points USA's Kid Rock-led alternative Superbowl Halftime Show, we turn our attention to a slightly more mainstream example of conservative art: Tim Allen's new sitcom SHIFTING GEARS. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Hilarious Decline of MAGA's Brief Cultural Relevance" by Alex Shephard - https://newrepublic.com/article/206276/trump-super-bowl-kid-rock-decline-maga-cultural-relevance

Who says a 23-year-old WASP can't be the long-lost son of an Armenian immigrant family? That's the question asked by the protagonist of Atom Egoyan's debut feature NEXT OF KIN (1984), a moving and sometimes troubling film about identity and class in 1980s Canada. PLUS: We survey the wreckage from Jeff Bezos's Washington Post layoffs. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/690-egoyan-150508725

With Jeffrey Epstein dominating the news, we turn to Clint Eastwood for wisdom and guidance. In ABSOLUTE POWER (1997), cinema's most legendary tough-guy faces his greatest opponents yet: the Clinton Crime Cabal. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Our Superdelegate patron tier voted for us to discuss GROUNDHOG DAY (1993), which we're pleased to bring you on Groundhog Day. We discuss Bill Murray's much-loved spiritual journey and ask the question: what is happiness? PLUS: You'll never guess which celebrities are endorsing a new right-wing bourbon. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/149771474

We finally discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (2025), which takes place in a dystopian America not too dissimilar from the current one. PLUS: The Conservative movement reclaims an artist we were really happy to be rid of. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Chaos: Behind the Scenes of Amazon's Melania Trump Documentary" by Tessa Stuart - https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/melania-trump-documentary-amazon-behind-the-scenes-1235505208/

We watch the short documentary MICHAEL MOORE MAKES A MOVIE (2018) - a bonus feature on the Criterion release of Bowling for Columbine - and consider how it both challenges and affirms certain of our preconceptions about this podcast's patron saint. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT - https://www.patreon.com/posts/149365674

It's a heavy news week, and we're catching up. As Canadians, we are honour-bound to comment on Mark Carney's acclaimed speech at the World Economic Forum. Is the rules-based international order dead? And what does it mean that our banker-in-chief is the one to bury it? PLUS: A word of solidarity to our friends in Minneapolis. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Interpreting the Carney Doctrine" by Luke Savage - https://www.lukewsavage.com/p/interpreting-the-carney-doctrine "Why I'm supporting Avi Lewis" by Luke Savage - https://www.lukewsavage.com/p/why-im-supporting-avi-lewis "Why Philosophy Matters" by Hilarius Bookbinder - https://hilariusbookbinder.substack.com/p/why-philosophy-matters-b35

Rob Reiner's SHOCK AND AWE (2017) looks back at a handful of journalists who stood against the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. Released in the first year of the Trump administration, it looks squarely back to the Bush era - in more ways that one. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/148618908

We return to our roots by discussing a conservative documentary that attempts to take down Michael Moore. In MICHAEL & ME (2004), buffoonish talk-radio personality Larry Elder has a bone to pick with Bowling for Columbine, using facts + logic to show why gun control is racist, sexist, and anti-American. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "God of the Gaps" by Robert P. Baird - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/01/15/god-of-the-gaps-believe-ross-douthat/

We catch up on a very grim news week, and then discuss a documentary about a journalist who has reported a lot of very grim news weeks. In COVER-UP (2025), Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus paint a sympathetic portrait of Seymour Hirsch, the journalist who exposed everything from the My Lai massacre to Abu Ghraib. PLUS: Folks, it seems the right is cancelling Plato? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Check out some incredible M&Us fan art by the great Josh Bayer - https://www.patreon.com/posts/fan-art-147656792

Raoul Peck's new documentary ORWELL: 2+2=5 (2025) seeks to show how George Orwell's warnings from the past are being made reality today. The results are less than the sum of their parts. PLUS: We note the passing of Norman Podhoretz. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/147746762

We say goodbye to 2025 and offer a skeptical welcome to 2026 with a very special call-in episode. Topics range from Marshall McLuhan to Michael Jackson and beyond. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

What happens when a historian who loves the American presidency is faced with a president like Donald Trump? We discuss the HBO documentary THE SOUL OF AMERICA (2020), about Joe Biden's favourite historian, Jon Meacham, as he struggles to make sense of the Trump era. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Man Who Loved Presidents" by Thomas Frank - https://harpers.org/archive/2021/07/jon-meacham-thomas-frank-soul-of-america/ "The End of Resistance History" by Charlotte E. Rosen - https://proteanmag.com/2025/01/20/the-end-of-resistance-history/ "The Fight for the Four Freedoms" by Harvey J. Kaye - https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/The-Fight-for-the-Four-Freedoms/Harvey-J-Kaye/9781451691443 "Take Hold of Our History" by Harvey J. Kaye - https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/our-books/take-hold-of-our-history Our two previous episodes on Michael Moore Hates America (2004) https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us/episode-8-michael-moore-hates-america https://www.patreon.com/posts/300-300th-61042533

On the eve of the 2020 election, legendary conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza declared war against socialism - which, according to him, encompasses everything from COVID lockdowns to gun control to the Lyin' Fake News Media. We discuss TRUMP CARD (2020). PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/145991797

On this episode, the hosts divulge some of their guiltiest pleasures, from Judge Judy to Kenny G to the writings of a couple of bona-fide right-wing pundits. They also interrogate the immortal question: should you truly feel guilty about something that brings you pleasure? (Spoiler: Yes. Sometimes you should.) PLUS: the Warner Bros sale, public domain day, an a surprising new front in the right-wing culture war. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

George Orwell's famous essay "Politics and the English Language" leads us into a discussion of good language, good thought, and their relationship. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/145712151

Ten years before Siri and quarter-century before Grok, Steven Spielberg and the late Stanley Kubrick considered a new form of humanity in A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001). We discuss a meeting of the minds between two very distinctive authorial voices. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Best of Both Worlds" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2024/01/the-best-of-both-worlds/ "A Matter of Life and Death" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2024/05/a-matter-of-life-and-death-ai-artificial-intelligence-tk/ Call for submissions: "The Journal of Stoogeological Studies Vol. 2" - https://x.com/WillSloanEsq/status/1995213884635193456

As a coda to our exhaustive study of his show The Dinosaur Hour, we thought it was only fair to discuss John Cleese from when he was at his peak. We consider what it means that FAWLTY TOWERS is Britain's most beloved sitcom, and the incisive commentary about British/American relations in "Waldorf Salad." PLUS: Speaking of British legends, for some reason we get really into discussing Simon Cowell. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/145077527

In A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING (2016), Tom Hanks is a depressed American businessman trying to find himself in Saudi Arabia. It's the lamest fish-out-of-water self-actualization comedy/drama we've ever tackled! PLUS: We discuss Doug Ford's war on renters in Ontario, and - of course - address the news of Rush Hour 4. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

A year before American Beauty offered its Oscar-ready glimpse beneath the placid surface of suburbia, Todd Solondz offered a truly unsparing depiction of same with HAPPINESS (1998). We discuss this legendary succès de scandale, and how it makes laughter indistinguishable from horror. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/144566731

Set in a world of young people and old money, Whit Stillman's METROPOLITAN (1990) offers an affectionate but melancholic view of the elite. We sort through the layers of ambiguity in this charming ode to the "Urban Haute Bourgeoisie." PLUS: A spectre is haunting the world - the spectre of Jeffrey Epstein. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Israel" by Branko Marcetic - https://jacobin.com/2025/11/trump-epstein-israel-intelligence-blackmail "The Best Conservative Movies of the Last 25 Years: Metropolitan" by Mark Henrie - https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/3-best-conservative-movies-last-25-years-mark-henrie/

A few years after Stanley Kubrick envisioned humankind ascending to a new plane with the dawn of space exploration, John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon's proudly low-budget DARK STAR (1974) imagined a working-class space odyssey. In space, no one can hear you feel exploited. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/670-space-oddity-143962526

At the turn of the millennium, one New Jersey-based auteur nailed his 130 minutes' worth of theses on the Catholic Church's door. We discuss Kevin Smith's DOGMA (1999) - the much-maligned director's biggest swing for the fences. PLUS: Is there a revolt within the Conservative Party of Canada? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus TORONTO: See Will introduce Steven Seagal's On Deadly Ground at the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, November 19 - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/important-cinema-club-on-deadly-ground/

Long remembered as "The movie that isn't The Truman Show," Ron Howard EDtv (1999) imagined a world where an average guy became a 24/7 TV superstar. We examine how the ways in which this relic of the '90s did and did not anticipate reality TV, social media, and the current-day self-surveillance state. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/143347681

Just as Zohran Mamdani's New York mayoral campaign has written a new playbook for Democratic Party politics... we look back at the old playbook. We investigate THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM (2008), D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus's sequel to their 1993 documentary classic. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Jack Califano's shots of CPAC - https://x.com/LukewSavage/status/1986174741481234616

David Cronenberg's COSMOPOLIS (2012) imagines a world where a young Wall Street billionaire is insulated in his limousine while society collapses around him. Luckily it's a work of purest fiction. PLUS: We take the temperature of the New York mayoral election, and have our longest sustained sports-related conversation ever. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/142824792

It's a Gen-X and millennial touchstone that anticipated the next generation's parasocial content. But how does MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 hold up in the present moment? We investigate via one of the show's most beloved episodes, "Space Mutiny." JOIN US ON PATREON FOR AN EXTRA EPISODE EVERY WEEK - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "In her new book, Biden’s former press secretary lets Democrats have it" by Becca Rothfeld - https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/10/22/independent-karine-jean-pierre-review/ "Why Biden's White House Press Secretary is Leaving the Democratic Party" by Isaac Chotiner - https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/why-bidens-white-house-press-secretary-is-leaving-the-democratic-party "Karine Jean-Pierre and the Return of the Girlboss" by Sarah Jones - https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/karine-jean-pierre-and-the-return-of-the-girlboss.html "No Joke [MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE]" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2025/09/no-joke/

In a special, Patreon-exclusive two-part AMA episode, Luke answers listener questions. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/luke-unfiltered-142286283

"When a radio comedian's program is finally finished it slinks down Memory Lane into the limbo of yesterday's happy hours." So said the most brilliant comedian in old-time radio, Fred Allen, in his 1955 memoir. In this special solo documentary episode, Will considers the legacy of the pioneering comedian who is all but forgotten today, and considers how yesterday's cutting-edge can be invisible to contemporary eyes. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Episodes of Fred Allen's show - https://archive.org/details/townhalltonight1938060871musicpublisherneedsatune A podcast featuring audio recording of a Jack Benny rehearsal - https://jackbennypodcast.libsyn.com/rehearsal-with-kids-bonus "FRED ALLEN CENSORED; Cut Off the Air for 25 Seconds in Dispute Over Script," a 1947 report in the New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/21/archives/fred-allen-censored-cut-off-the-air-for-25-seconds-in-dispute-over.html A collection of reportage about the censorship incident- https://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2012/10/fred-allen-1-nbc-0.html

The boys enjoy a nice, casual conversation like friends sometimes have - and invite you along to join! Topics discussed include Trump on the cover of Time Magazine, Bari Weiss at CBS, Justin Trudeau's love life, and films we've been watching. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

On this very special episode, we share some of the most important individual paragraphs of writing in our lives - paragraphs that have planted acorns in our brains that have grown over time into mighty oaks. We revisit Thomas Mann, Christopher Hitchens, Jean-Luc Godard, and other luminaries. PLUS: Checking in on Bari Weiss at CBS. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Our classic Leonard Cohen episode - https://www.patreon.com/posts/186-new-skin-for-44083560 Past Essential Paragraphs discussions: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-essential-28574337 https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-essential-36315183 The tweet that Luke cites in the opening discussion - https://x.com/mattpolprof/status/1976069728541245770

We finally reach the end of Season Two of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. The two-parter finale ELECTION NIGHT PART I and II sends us on a nostalgic reverie back to the 2012 - the last election before everything changed. PLUS: Government shutdowns and Kamala Harris's memoir. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/661-our-are-envy-140674442

Sitting in New York, not much happening. Sitting in Cleveland, not much happening. How about we go to Florida? We discuss Jim Jarmusch's breakout film STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984), a film that heroically swan against the current of Reagan-era culture and politics. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus OTTAWA - See Luke take part in a live podcast recording at Press Forward's Future of Independent Media Summit on Friday, October 3 - https://press-forward.ca/introducing-the-2025-future-of-independent-media-summit-in-ottawa/ NEW YORK - See Will present Plan 9 from Outer Space and sign copies of his book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA at Metrograph on Thursday, October 9 - https://metrograph.com/film/?vista_film_id=9999004527 " 'Protect Empathy at All Costs. And Live Groovy Lives.' An Interview with Jim Jarmusch" by Bilge Ebiri - https://www.vulture.com/article/jim-jarmusch-father-mother-sister-brother-interview.html

In light of recent revelations about legendary Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, we delved back into the Walking Tall cinematic universe with the final entry in the franchise to date, the Kevin Sorbo vehicle WALKING TALL: LONE JUSTICE (2007). In this entry, the stick-wielding sheriff moves from the rural south to big-city Dallas. PLUS: We investigate the National Review's list of the best conservative movies. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/659-into-pusser-140245478

Lurking in the deep, dark depths of Tubi, we found an ultra-low-budget, gender-swapped rip-off of Get Out... with Eric Roberts in the Bradley Whitford role. You are not prepared for WOKE (2024). PLUS: The Jimmy Kimmel scandal gives us renewed reason to ask: is politics downstream from culture? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every month - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

It's time to lose ourselves in the music, the moment. At the behest of our Superdelegate patron tier, we investigate the online phenomenon known as (deep, heavy sigh) EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY... and find ourselves meditating on the evolution of online humour. PLUS: Two legendary New York filmmakers weigh in on the mayoral race, and Armond White sticks up for Leni Riefenstahl! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/657-epic-crap-139676354

By popular demand, we discuss John Boorman's notorious post-sexual-revolution fantasy freakout ZARDOZ (1974), in which Sean Connery in a red diaper reconnects a future dystopia with its loins. PLUS: We discuss the man of the hour, our modern Cicero, Mr. Jimmy Kimmel. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Rand Paul brings back antiwoke capitalism" by Carl Beijer - https://www.peoplesline.org/p/rand-paul-brings-back-antiwoke-capitalism

Sometimes we just want to watch a good movie. That's why we're taking a trip to the San Fernando Valley to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's breakthrough film, BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997). Ever heard of it? PLUS: Jeffrey Epstein and the British government. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/139157291

Leni Riefenstahl remains the most famous of all Nazi propagandists, but to what extent can films like Triumph of the Will be rescued from their fascist origins. The revelatory new documentary RIEFENSTAHL (2024) argues persuasively: not at all. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Fascinating Fascism" by Susan Sontag - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1975/02/06/fascinating-fascism/

Kevin Sorbo wants you to know that having a gun and using it is perfectly compatible with Christianity. We discuss THE RELIANT (2019), a right-wing Christian movie in which the Second Amendment survives the fall of civilization. PLUS: Speaking of right-wing movies, it looks like ol' Sheriff Buford Pusser was hiding a secret. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Our classic episode on the original Walking Tall - https://www.patreon.com/posts/503-suggested-by-99355800

Before they defined Canada's political landscape - and became adversaries on the question of Quebecois independence - Pierre Trudeau and René Lévesque were allies on the road to the Quiet Revolution. We discuss Donald Brittain's documentary THE CHAMPIONS, PART 1: UNLIKELY WARRIORS (1978) and the growing pains of Canada in its postwar era. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/652-cite-libre-138171420

The same year that American Pie became a cultural phenomenon, BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER (1999) re-invented the teen comedy from a queer angle. We try to figure out why the mainstream reception was so hostile. PLUS: So, what exactly is going on with the Cracker Barrel?? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

How far is one of America's most famous liberal creators willing to accommodate a critique of institutional power? We return to Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM with Season 2 Episode 7 ("Red Team III"), which brings the "Operation Genoa" story to a startling conclusion. PLUS: Checking in on Gavin Newsom's new Based rebrand. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/650-i-love-lucy-137519725