Michael and Us

In LONDON HAS FALLEN (2016), Gerard Butler has to save both the American President AND Great Britain from Middle Eastern terrorists... and ends up killing a lot of people who may or may not be cops! PLUS: Damn, it's a great time to be a Columbia University alum! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/126894013

Made in the rubble of postwar Japan, RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN (1947) finds Yasujirō Ozu exploring his familiar preoccupations of family and modernity through a different kind of setting. PLUS: Is the Canadian election a done deal? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

In the summer of 2016, with a guaranteed Hillary Clinton presidency was on the horizon, the Obama Era enjoyed a premature victory-lap with SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU (2016). Seen nine years later, this Sundance drama about the Obamas' first date has, shall we say, aged poorly. PLUS: Did you know that Elon Musk's family has a (very racist) Canadian connection? PATREON-EXCLUSIV EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/126209063

In 2011, William Shatner directed a documentary where he interviewed all of his fellow Star Trek captains. But the resulting film, THE CAPTAINS (2011), accidentally became the beloved ham's hilarious, revealing, and occasionally moving self-portrait. PLUS: How the Trump tariffs upended Canadian politics. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus The Newsroom: Season 1 - A Michael & Us Playlist - https://www.patreon.com/collection/1429433 TORONTO: See Will introduce VEERANA at the Fox Theatre on Tuesday, April 8 - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/important-cinema-club-masterpiece-classics-veerana/

In a moment when Canada is under existential threat, we look back on a great Canadian thinker who argued that Our Home and Native Land was already an American colony by the mid-20th century. In this special solo episode, Luke discusses George Grant, a self-described conservative who became an icon for the Canadian left, and his 1965 book "Lament for a Nation" PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/125887028

In the SEASON FINALE of our coverage of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM, we find the show's many threads continuing, if not coalescing, in Episode 10 ("The Greater Fool"). We assess where the show has taken us so far, and assess the good (not much) and the bad (plenty). Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The End of Resistance History" by Charlotte E. Rosen - https://proteanmag.com/2025/01/20/the-end-of-resistance-history/

What if presidential candidates had to submit to a REAL debate with REAL questions? What if they had to face the most hectoring moderator of all tie? In episode 9 of THE NEWSROOM ("The Blackout Part II: Mock Debate"), Will McAvoy tests out that very idea. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/125384007

In THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (1973), a black man hired as a "token" by the CIA uses his training to start a black nationalist uprising. It couldn't be a more apt time to revisit this classic of radical American cinema. PLUS: Who's excited for the Abundance Agenda? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "On the Legacy and Importance of The Spook Who Sat by the Door" by Robert Daniels - https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/ciff-2024-on-the-legacy-and-importance-of-the-spook-who-sat-by-the-door "Zaslav's Hamptons-Hollywood Vanity Project" by Matthew Belloni - https://puck.news/zaslavs-hamptons-hollywood-vanity-project/ "Leak Reveals Trump’s Full Bonkers Plan for the Kennedy Center" - https://www.thedailybeast.com/leak-reveals-trumps-full-bonkers-plan-for-the-kennedy-center/ Luke's interview with Benjamin Teitelbaum - https://www.patreon.com/posts/interview-putins-64721929 "Radical Academics for the Status Quo" by Liza Featherstone - https://jacobin.com/2019/12/radical-academics-judith-butler-kamala-harris-donation

Episode 8 of THE NEWSROOM ("The Blackout, Part 1: Tragedy Porn") finds Aaron Sorkin considering media ethics through lens of three 2011-era scandals of varying magnitude: Anthony Weiner, Casey Anthony, and NSA surveillance. His conclusions find him returning to some pet grievances. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/124709344

From immigration anxieties to "enhanced interrogation" to globalism to elite sex trafficking, TAKEN (2008) is a virtual dictionary of right-wing grievances - including some that weren't even popular yet. We discuss the most entertaining reactionary action movie of its time. PLUS: Mark Carney, Mahmoud Khalil, Mel Gibson, and of course, Donald Trump. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus See Will present VEERANA at the Fox Theatre on April 8 at 9pm - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/important-cinema-club-masterpiece-classics-veerana/ Luke's Substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/

We finally arrive at the legendary Bin Laden episode of THE NEWSROOM ("5/11") and discover that surrounding that iconic clip on the airplane is Aaron Sorkin's most revealing meditation yet on what he thinks journalism should be. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/124082719

We return to Netflix's political miniseries ZERO DAY to find out what happened to Robert De Niro's Biden-ish ex-president... and discover something startlingly close to a liberal QAnon. PLUS: Well it turns out the U.S./Canada trade war is on! Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Is Lenny Bruce Funny?" by Will Sloan - https://hazlitt.net/feature/lenny-bruce-funny

The Coen Brothers' BURN AFTER READING (2008) offers a jaundiced take on Washington and its institutions at the tail end of the Bush era. We were in a desperate need of a good time, and the Coen Brothers can always be depended on to deliver. PLUS: Chinese blockbusters vs. American blockbusters - who will own this century? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/123667636

Imagine someone fed the last 10-or-so years of American liberal politics into an A.I. machine and told it to create a Netflix miniseries. Friends... you don't have to imagine. We discuss Robert De Niro in ZERO DAY (2025), the bilge water at the bottom of the prestige-TV. PLUS: Checking in on the Canadian Liberal Party leadership race, and what ever happened to the Garfield Eats guy? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The problem with Carney-ism" by Luke Savage - https://www.lukewsavage.com/p/the-problem-with-carney-ism "How TV Became Respectable Without Getting Better" by Matt Christman - https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2017/05/how-tv-became-respectable-without-getting-better "Casual Viewing" by Will Tavlin - https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/

What if the makers of the God's Not Dead movies attempted a violent action film that combined John Wick and Taken with a Christian message? Friends, you don't have to imagine. Alex Shephard steps in for Luke on this episode to discuss David A.R. White (aka "Pastor Dave") in BECKMAN (2020). PLUS: What does Jeff Bezos's takeover of the Washington Post opinion section mean for journalism? And how long will the Trump/Musk honeymoon period last? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/123202129

When you speak into a microphone for 600 episodes across nine years, you're going to forget a lot of it. So to celebrate a very special anniversary, Will quizzes Luke about some of the most forgotten-about episode in Michael & Us history. Do YOU remember that Jerry Springer starred in a movie?? PLUS: SNL, James Bond, and a brief history of Keith Olbermann. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Will's Substack - https://willsloan.substack.com/ Luke's Substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/

In episode six of THE NEWSROOM ("Bullies"), Aaron Sorkin brings some much-needed shading and complexity to the character of Will McAvoy. But of course, "complexity" and "self-flattery" can sometimes overlap. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/599-newsroom-6

With its Trumpian billionaire presiding over a steamrolling everything-company, Joe Dante's GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (1990) satirized the 1980s while also predicting the present day. We discuss a classic anti-Spielbergian blockbuster that wasn't. PLUS: Updates on the Canada/U.S. tariff battle, and who are the most readable conservative writers? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

The Arab Spring hits THE NEWSROOM in its fifth episode ("Amen"), but once again Aaron Sorkin finds himself more concerned with Will McAvoy's workplace dramas, including a nefarious attempt by the ACN morning show to bring his downfall. PLUS: Was the '60s "the decade where everything changed"? At least one magazine cover believes so! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/122160705

Paul Schrader's BLUE COLLAR (1978) follows three struggling auto workers who rob their union office and uncover a world of corruption. It's one of the great films about organized labour because it's one of the great films about solidarity. PLUS: We celebrate Canada's victory in the trade war, and check in on the politics of "Art the Clown." Check out Luke's Substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/ Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

David Lynch's most frightening and abrasive movie leads to his most hopeful conclusion. It's part two of our discussion of INLAND EMPIRE (2006). PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/595-on-high-in-2-121440636

Our journey through Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM arrives at Episode 4 ("I'll Try to Fix You"), in which the power of a conscientiously-run newsroom helps save Gabby Giffords' life, and Will McAvoy takes a courageous stand against gossip in all its forms. The news is overwhelmingly bad right now, so we frankly had a nice time retreating to 2012. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

We pay tribute to the late, great David Lynch with a two-part discussion of his strangest, most abrasive, and arguably most innovative feature. We discuss how INLAND EMPIRE (2006) confounded expectations with its low-budget production, free-associative style, and startling use of digital video, and begin to unpacked its multilayered story. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

We recap the first week-or-so of Trump Era 2.0, and then, because we can all use a larf right now, discuss LOOKWELL (1991), the legendary unsold sitcom pilot starring Adam West and written by Conan O'Brian and Robert Smigel. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/120760912

In episode three of THE NEWSROOM, "The 112th Congress," Will McAvoy finally runs afoul of the people who really run the network. We discuss what Aaron Sorkin gets right about news media and the people who own it, in addition to all the things he gets wrong. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/591-facts-are-3-120499773

With the reigning governments in both Canada and the United States spurting their last few dribbles, we're in a bit of a political limbo period... so what better time to watch a bad direct-to-video '80s action movie? We discuss something called NASTY HERO (1987). PLUS: Obama and Trump, the Canadian Liberal Party leadership race, Armond White, and a few words on the passing of David Lynch. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Yes, you can watch NASTY HERO on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Ry-QtlOEU&t=2113s&ab_channel=HiroyukiTerada%2FDayOffChannel "The Revolution Will Not Be Curated" by Thomas Frank - https://thebaffler.com/salvos/revolution-not-curated-frank

In the second episode of THE NEWSROOM, MacKenzie lays out her theory of what a quality news broadcast should look like, and Will McAvoy presides over one of the worst broadcasts of his career. It's one of the Sorkinest Sorkin shows we've ever seen - it's "News Night 2.0" PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/589-x-factor-2-120060633

The White House has been destroyed by an earthquake, President Sean Young is trapped under the rubble, and House Speaker Eric Roberts wants to take over America in DC DOWN (2023), a low-budget disaster movie from the most trusted names in entertainment, Tubi and The Asylum. We treated ourselves to a good old-fashioned "good movie movie." PLUS: How seriously should we be taking Trump's threat to annex Canada? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus TORONTO: See Will introduce a screening of Jess Franco's Bloody Moon on January 14, 7pm at the Fox Theatre. Tickets - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/the-important-cinema-club-masterpiece-classics-bloody-moon/ "The failure of Trudeauism" by Luke Savage - https://www.newstatesman.com/author/luke-savage

When the possibility of positive political change seems so distant, and the stakes are so high, at one point is radical action advisable? This was a question posed by the Earth Liberation Front, the environmental group that became synonymous with "eco-terrorism." We watch the Academy Award-nominated documentary IF A TREE FALLS: THE STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT (2011), which charts the group's rise and fall. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/587-action-will-119515764

On our Patreon, we will be discussing the full run of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. This is the first episode. Join us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

From Hyde Park on Hudson to Deadpool and Wolverine ... from the corridors around Studio 60 to the streets of Braddock, Pennsylvania ... we bid farewell to 2024 with one last look back at some of the most (and least) memorable things we discussed this year. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/585-fifth-annual-118912478

With a biopic about Bob Dylan about to reach screens, we examined the last time that the Voice Of His Generation attempted to translate his songwriting style to cinema. MASKED AND ANONYMOUS (2003) finds Dylan working through his ambivalent feelings about politics, while also struggling to keep up with a hilariously overqualified cast. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - www.patreon.com/michaelandus

The filmmaker who coined the term "ecstatic truth" becomes the subject of a memorable docu-fiction hybrid in INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS (2004), in which Werner Herzog joins forces with Hollywood screenwriter Zak Penn to create a hoax involving the Loch Ness Monster. PLUS: Are these the last days of the Justin Trudeau government? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/583-bad-producer-118175616

In the latest instalment of the God's Not Dead franchise, Pastor Dave answers a different kind of calling, and takes aim at the barrier between Church and State. We welcome back our friend Alex Shephard, staff writer at The New Republic, to discuss GOD'S NOT DEAD: IN GOD WE TRUST (2024). Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Alex Shephard at The New Republic - https://newrepublic.com/authors/alex-shephard

We all know that WWE founder and ex-CEO Vince McMahon shared a long friendship with Donald Trump, and would you believe that the two men share some stuff in common? We discuss the new Netflix documentary series MR. MCMAHON (2024), an exhaustive chronicle of a man whose "Allegations" tab on Wikipedia could fill a library. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/117741859

With the failed coup in South Korea still fresh in our memories, we looked at Bong Joon-ho's breakthrough film MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003), a procedural set against the backdrop of martial law. PLUS: From South Korea to France to the streets of Manhattan, the vibes are, shall we say, off. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

The story goes that the flower-power generation abruptly ended when the Rolling Stones held a free concert at the Altamont Speedway that went disastrously wrong. We revisited GIMME SHELTER (1970) to interrogate the myth. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/117294338

The Canadian documentary FINAL OFFER (1985) captures the contentious negotiations between General Motors and the Canadian wing of the United Auto Workers Union. We consider the conditions that allowed a the union triumph against the backdrop of Reagan/Mulroney-era austerity. PLUS: Taking the temperature on Canada's economic "vibe-cession," and what does Trump's tariff threat to Canada actually mean? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Watch FINAL OFFER - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYNwc0KuGTc&ab_channel=NFB "Democratic Elites Embraced the Identity Politics They Decry" by Branko Marcetic - https://jacobin.com/2024/11/democratic-elites-identity-politics-sanders Check out "Shifting Gears: Canadian Autoworkers and the Changing Landscape of Labour Politics" - https://www.ubcpress.ca/shifting-gears Our episode on the Flint Sit-Down Strike - https://www.patreon.com/posts/514-sit-down-sit-101918612

While Nicaragua was being ravaged by Reagan, Alex Cox used Hollywood money to make a sharp satire of American imperialism. The result, WALKER (1987), may have killed his career... but what a way to go! PLUS: Roger Ebert as the ür-liberal critic. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/116728650

With America suddenly lurching to the right on immigration, we checked to see where one prominent Democrat documentarian stood circa 2011. In CITIZEN USA: A 50 STATE ROAD TRIP (2011), our old friend Alexandra Pelosi travels to all 50 states, flattening all of them into the same paste. PLUS: Andy Warhol, Paul/Tyson, and the real legacy of Obama's 2008 campaign. If you absolutely must watch Citizen USA, you can rent it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3CYtUBofJk&ab_channel=YouTubeMovies

A rural village braces itself for development from the big city in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (2024), a beautiful movie that rhymed with certain things we've been feeling lately about democracy, capitalism, freedom, and community. PLUS: We parse Toronto Life's list of the 50 most influential Torontonians of 2024, and explore the exciting world of Eric Roberts. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/116329275

A month before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, CNN aired a hagiographic documentary about one of the masterminds of the last 30 years of American politics. In the aftermath of a disastrous election for Democrats, we watch CARVILLE: WINNING IS EVERYTHING, STUPID! (2024) to learn how the Beltway was thinking about itself before everything came crashing down. PLUS: Get ready for the most riveting conversation about bike lanes in Toronto, Ontario you'll hear all year. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

For over 50 years, documentary filmmaker Tony Buba has chronicled the decline - but also the people, places, and everyday poetry - of his hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Recently we watched his best-known film, LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK: A RUSTBOWL FANTASY (1988), and fell in love with it. Today, we're pleased to welcome Buba on the show to discuss the full scope of his career, including such films as SWEET SAL (1979), BETTY'S CORNER CAFE (1976), J. ROY: NEW AND USED FURNITURE (1974), and more. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/115813173 Our episode on LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK - https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us/549-end-of-the-iron-cafe We recommend this comprehensive Blu-Ray collection of Tony Buba's work - https://kinolorber.com/product/lightning-over-braddock-and-collected-shorts-the-films-of-tony-buba-blu-ray Watch SWEET SAL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiuT9Zei81c Watch J. ROY: NEW AND USED FURNITURE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wef3Zqq9qTw&t=208s&ab_channel=AlphaRomero Watch THE BARBER OF NEW KENSINGTON - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyLyJ2f9278&t=2s&ab_channel=braddockfilms Learn more about Tony Buba - https://braddockfilms.com/

Oh lord almighty, when will we be rid of this man? Apparently not for another four years at least. We ring in the latest chapter of this neverending "Trump Era" with the new biopic/origin story THE APPRENTICE (2024). Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe" by Jeet Heer - https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-party-elite-responsible-catastrophe/ "Democrats chose backing a genocide over defeating Trump" by Adam Johnson - https://therealnews.com/democrats-chose-backing-a-genocide-over-defeating-trump

On the day of the United States presidential election, let's look back at The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetimes. That's right, we're talking about 2004. We were happy to join the boys at Remember Shuffle to discuss all things Bush v. Kerry and the only presidential election since 1988 in which a Republican candidate won the popular vote. Now watch this drive! PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/115413841 Check out Remember Shuffle - https://linktr.ee/remembershuffle

With a dreary United States presidential election covering every surface, we search for some solace in politics from the past. Early in the Thatcher era in 1981, the beloved left-wing Labour MP Tony Benn launched a populist campaign to become his party's deputy leader, and almost won. We watch a documentary from the period, BENN'S BANDWAGON (1981), and ask: Was the conservative wave of the 1980s really inevitable? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Watch "Benn's Bandwagon" here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e4MWekQKZE&t=2s&ab_channel=ModernLonelyTV Our previous Tony Benn episode - https://www.patreon.com/posts/209-tony-benn-47399362

We return to one of our perennial favourite topics, THE SIMPSONS, to consider two episodes from very different eras of its run: the legendary Season 4 banger "Kamp Krusty," and the hot-off-the-presses Season 36 ep "The Yellow Lotus." Which one earns our coveted Krusty Brand Seal of Approval? PLUS: We mark the passing of a Canadian broadcasting "pioneer." PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/570-krusty-brand-115031151

Is Andrei Tarkovsky's STALKER (1979) about the Soviet Russia in which it was made? And if not, then where exactly is "The Zone"? We wade into one of the most forbidding cinematic objects of all time, but realize that the answer is only ever found within. PLUS: Justin Trudeau is historically unpopular - so why hasn't he stepped down? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "US Politics Has Reached a Dead End" by Luke Savage - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/19/trump-campaign-leaked-data-voters-elon-musk "Revealed: Trump ground game in key states flagged as potentially fake" by Hugo Lowell - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/19/trump-campaign-leaked-data-voters-elon-musk Our episode on Ivan's Childhood - https://www.patreon.com/posts/263-sculpting-in-55465791 Our episode on Solaris - https://www.patreon.com/posts/317-hunters-in-64139407

We were told my our Superdelegate patron tier that the direct-to-video sequel BRING IT ON: ALL OR NOTHING (2006) was a potent 2006 time capsule. Friends... they were right. PLUS: Al Pacino's finances, the fall of the Soviet Empire, and the sad tale of Victor J. Kemper. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/568-not-another-114599903

Five years after Joker because an era-defining cultural phenomenon, its sequel, JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX (2024), is the biggest flop of the year. We sifted through the wreckage to find a purposely abrasive object, and are split on its effectiveness. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/c/michaelandus TORONTO - See Luke speak at Progressive Publics: A Symposium Connecting Scholarship & Independent Media, November 8 - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/progressive-publics-a-symposium-connecting-scholarship-independent-media-tickets-1051089455857 TORONTO - See Will introduce a screening of Fantasy Mission Force - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/important-cinema-club-masterpiece-classics-fantasy-mission-force/