Michael and Us

At the behest of our Superdelegate patron tier, we have returned to a TV show that is one of the prime relics of mid-2000s libertarian culture. We watch episodes of PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT! on topics as disparate from handicapped parking to reparations, but find that for the libertarian funnymen, it all comes back to property rights. PLUS: thoughts on the QAnon human-trafficking thriller that's rocking the box office, and a shocking allegation that Napoleon Bonaparte was a bad guy. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Our first episode on PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT! - https://www.patreon.com/posts/68-penn-teller-21372520 Our episode on TIM'S VERMEER - https://www.patreon.com/posts/367-penn-and-72436837

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/441-flaming-cow-85777013 In a solo documentary episode, Luke offers a brief history of Pink Floyd and its landmark 1970 suite Atom Heart Mother. He then sits down with the piece's co-writer Ron Geesin to discuss its composition, his unique career, his collaborations with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters, a chance encounter with Syd Barrett, and the unfairly-maligned institution of the adjustable spanner.

Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019) hit the zeitgeist by consciously going against the 2019-era cultural grain. Tarantino looks back on the winds of change that greeted the movie business in the late 1960s and lands firmly - but not uncomplicatedly - on the side of the old guard. PLUS: Bluesky vs Twitter, wrapping up the Toronto mayoral election, and checking in on a man by the name of Lights Camera Jackson. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/439-rambo-fourth-85222850 John Rambo enters Myanmar - and affirms his belief that man is fundamentally barbaric - in the fourth and bleakest entry in the series, titled simply RAMBO (2008). We find in this ugly film the purest articulation of writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone's conservative politics. PLUS: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Netflix series, and the unexpected cinephilia of Toronto's most visible far-right mayoral candidate.

Did Tetris bring down the USSR? That's the implication of TETRIS (2023), a highly fictionalized account of the beloved video game's journey from the Soviet Union to your phone. We examine what anti-Communist kitsch looks like in the year 2023. PLUS: Russian coups, disappearing subs, and further thoughts on the movie on everyone's lips, The Flash. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/437-flash-is-84903674 We went to see the cursed blockbuster THE FLASH (2023) and discovered not merely a bad movie, but also a movie that encapsulates nearly everything bad about movies in the year 2023. Strap in, folks.

Our sacred quest to tackle every political comedy inevitably reaches the Will Ferrell/Zack Galifianakis vehicle THE CAMPAIGN (2012). We discuss what a middle-of-the-road comedy from smack dab in the middle of the Obama era captures of its time and ambience. PLUS: Checking in on some of the wackier characters in the Toronto mayoral race.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/435-ford-84518277 It's Die Hard on an airplane and the President of the United States is John McClane. In AIR FORCE ONE (1997), Harrison Ford plays a president so great that he can beat the terrorists with his own hands. PLUS: We discuss breadlines and blockbusters.

Hell is real, and it's really bad, and it's really important that you repent. That's the thesis of THE BURNING HELL (1974), a crackpot Evangelical oddity from the deep south, brought to you by the dynamic duo of director Ron Ormond and preacher/star Estus W. Pirkle. We discuss what this bizarre handmade movie tells us about American religious conservatism. PLUS: enter Mike Pence and Chris Christie; exit Vanderpump Rules Season 10. From deep in the Michael & Us archives, an episode on an earlier Ormond/Pirkle film, IF FOOTMEN TIRE YOU, WHAT WILL HORSES DO? - https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us/61-if-footmen-tire-you-what-will-horses-do Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week -https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/84221377 With ED WOOD (1994), one of the most commercially successful American filmmakers paid tribute to one of the least. We discuss how the film establishes an aesthetic and spiritual common-ground between Tim Burton and Edward D. Wood, Jr. PLUS: Who will be the standard-bearer of American conservatism until he dies? I think we all know the answer...

A ragtag gang of Beltway misfits discover how to start a proxy war in CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007), a lighthearted look at American intervention from the combined forces of Tom Hanks, Mike Nichols, and Aaron Sorkin. We discuss how this celebration of the Reagan Doctrine from the very heart of "liberal Hollywood" offers a, shall we say, sanitized version of the end of the Cold War. PLUS: We discuss matters Pablo-matic and not. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Preorder "Seeking Social Democracy: Seven Decades in the Fight for Equality," the new Ed Broadbent memoir coauthored by our own Luke Savage - https://ecwpress.com/products/seeking-social-democracy-ed-broadbent "Fake News" by our own Luke Savage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crSeqJafFt8&ab_channel=JusticeDemocrats "With Hannah Gadsby’s ‘It’s Pablo-matic,’ the Joke’s on the Brooklyn Museum" by Jason Farago - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/arts/design/hannah-gadsby-brooklyn-museum-picasso.html "The True Mystery in James Comey’s Crime Novel" by Jacob Bacharach - https://newrepublic.com/article/172553/true-mystery-james-comeys-crime-novel-central-park-west-review

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/431-83814916 In a post-Thatcherite Scotland, Danny Boyle's thriller SHALLOW GRAVE (1994) shows a world in which the bonds of community have been eroded... and does it in a way that its, y'know, entertaining. PLUS: We take the temperature on the Toronto municipal election, in which a 12-year conservative hegemony might finally face a challenge.

For over two decades, a pair of New England-based independent filmmakers have created a cinematic universe out with their friends, family, and as little money as possible. Cohost Will finally brings his well-documented obsession with Matt Farley and Charlie Roxburgh to the Michael & Us podcast with a discussion of their recent MAGIC SPOT (2022), and what it says about the democratic potential of cinema. PLUS: What is it with British celebrities and politics? We discuss three well-known U.K. citizens. Watch MAGIC SPOT - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/magicspot Watch LOCAL LEGENDS - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/locallegends "Motern on Motern: Conversations with Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh" by Will Sloan and Justin Decloux - https://www.amazon.com/Motern-Conversations-Farley-Charles-Roxburgh/dp/B08KHRR4WR/ "The liberal complacency of Martin Amis" by Terry Eagleton - https://unherd.com/2023/05/the-liberal-complacency-of-martin-amis/ Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/429-persona-pod-83516730 Movies as good as Corona Zombies don't come along every day, so sometimes we have to make due with Ingmar Bergman's PERSONA (1966). We discuss what Alma and Elisabet tell us about the human condition - together and apart.

As Canadians, we simply couldn't pass up a movie about our greatest national export. Matt Johnson's BLACKBERRY (2023) puts a darkly comic spin on the rise and fall of "the phone you had before your iPhone." We discuss the ways that this very funny film is both similar to and crucially different from such recent boardroom dramas as AIR. PLUS: the return of Pete Buttigieg, and a weekend with the world's most prolific songwriter. If you watch only one movie on Will's recommendation in your life, make it LOCAL LEGENDS - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/locallegends "BlackBerryIs a Movie That Portrays Tech Dreams Honestly—Finally" by John Semley - https://www.wired.com/story/blackberry-movie-review/ Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/83192875 Rushed out within a month of lockdown, CORONA ZOMBIES (2020) was the first feature-length (well, 60-minute) movie about the COVID pandemic. And it shows. We discuss what it tells us about modern-day exploitation movies, and our thoughts inevitably drift to A.I. in entertainment.

We begin with a rundown of recent events, from the Coronation to the CNN Trump town hall to the Liberal Party of Canada's recent convention, before discussing this month's Superdelegate pick: the beloved comedy GALAXY QUEST (1999). We situate the film's satire in the context of 1999-era fan culture, and hash over our own respective histories with the Star Trek franchise. PLUS: a dive into a young Tucker Carlson's journalism. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

"A soy-banter Nicolas Cage Dracula movie" was too enticing a pitch to pass up, so we hit up our local multiplex to see RENFIELD (2023). PLUS: Do conservatives need "a populist Dracula"? At least one right-wing outlet thinks so! Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

A Christian boy goes up against his sinister atheist philosophy teacher (played by Kevin Sorbo!) in GOD'S NOT DEAD (2014), one of the biggest Evangelical blockbusters of all time. Luke and guest host Alex Shephard discuss the film's tone-deaf depiction of academia and its particular streak of right-wing sadism. PLUS: What's next for Tucker Carlson? And is there any life at all in the ol' Ron DeSantis? Watch the whole damn movie for free on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ek2LEoSut0&ab_channel=Se%C3%B1iorFroggy "Tucker Carlson Has Already Lost His War With Fox News" by Alex Shephard - https://newrepublic.com/article/172274/tucker-carlson-twitter-video-lost-war-fox-news Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/423-silence-of-82062473 Your hosts agree that Martin Scorsese's SILENCE (2016) is one of his great films, but also find room for discussion on how their differing backgrounds with religion affect their perspectives on the spiritual side of Scorsese. PLUS: Elon Musk's Twitter: is there a plan? (Hint: no)

A young man caught between his socialist father and Thatcherite uncle falls in love with a young National Front street punk while building a laundromat. We watched MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (1985) and discuss the context that birthed it. PLUS: Fiery hot takes on Bruceploitation and Ron DeSanctimonious. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/421-super-bros-81712064 Look, we're lifelong Mario-heads, so we were curious to see the most popular movie in the world right now. We discuss some of the funnier culture-war takes that have greeted THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (2023) during its right to the top of the box office, and perhaps even generate a few more of our own.

How did Warren Beatty convince a Hollywood studio to make a movie about American communists in 1981? We discuss REDS (1981), his epic biopic of writers John Reed and Louise Bryant, as well as Reed's landmark book about the Russian Revolution, Ten Days That Shook the World. PLUS: Fiery hot takes on billionaire Hitler collector Harlan Crowe. "The Paid Pundits Defending Clarence Thomas And His Billionaire Benefactor" by Andrew Perez - https://www.levernews.com/the-paid-pundits-defending-clarence-thomas-and-his-billionaire-benefactor/ Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-deja-q-w-81469561 Luke talks to Will Sommer, author of the new book Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America, about where QAnon came from, why it isn’t going away anytime soon, and how material deprivation helps drive conspiracy theories. Buy Trust the Plan: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/trust-the-plan-will-sommer?variant=40493482541090

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/81425372 Underground filmmaker Damon Packard took the behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the Star Wars prequels - and a lot of other stuff, too - and turned it into a hilarious (and very copyright-infringing) film called UNTITLED STAR WARS MOCKUMENTARY (2003). In the process, he reclaimed one of the biggest entertainment franchises for the audience. PLUS: Our old friend Joe Lieberman is at it again.

Ben Affleck's AIR (2023) chronicles the wheeling and dealing that led to Michael Jordan signing with Nike, and this unabashed celebration of the world's most famous shoe brand positions the Air Jordan as a victory for trickle-down economics. We discuss the movie that asks the question: "What if you made The Social Network about people who were frickin epic??"

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/81011839 The great Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin was hired to direct a documentary about the populist Canadian filmmaker Paul Gross as he makes an Afghanistan War epic. The result was BRING ME THE HEAD OF TIM HORTON (2015) - one serious artist's piss-take about a decidedly less serious artist, which also manages to make some serious points. PLUS: Jeremy Corbyn's expulsion from Labour, reconnecting with Bernie Sanders, and the hosts hash over one of their biggest disagreements yet.

With Trump's indictment in the news, we thought it might be a good time to watch the movie that has been more influential on QAnon than any other: Ridley Scott's little-loved seafaring adventure WHITE SQUALL (1996). We parse this half-forgotten film to figure out why, exactly, the QAnon people love it so much. "Where we go one, we go all!" Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/80753271 Guy Maddin's Depression-era cinematic fantasia THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD (2003) is not only a great film, but also a great piece of Canadian culture. We grapple with the truths about the True North that only an artist of Maddin's calibre manages to articulate. PLUS: A.O. Scott is leaving his job - but why?

We mark the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War by revisiting some of the classic clips from our cowed and deferential news media circa 2003. PLUS: What is artificial intelligence and what does it mean for the future? Pulitzer-winning columnist Thomas Friedman doesn't know, but that didn't stop him from writing about it.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/80445971 For years, the conservative film critic Armond White has been the scourge of Rotten Tomatoes readers with his contrarian taste and awkward prose. We compare some of his recent writings for the National Review to some of his '90s-era criticism to find out what has happened to his prose. PLUS: We discuss the culture criticism of another National Review correspondent, Dan "The Baseball Crank" McLaughlin.

For nearly 20 years, one libertarian businessman with a wildly dangerous theme park held the state of New Jersey under his thumb. We discuss the documentary CLASS ACTION PARK (2020) and its uneasy mix of nostalgia and condemnation for Action Park. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

A man spends a night in an isolated woman's desert shack, and loses his identity in the process, in WOMAN IN THE DUNES (1964), Hiroshi Teshigahara and Kōbō Abe's resonant parable about... what, exactly? Your hosts are not entirely sure, but forge ahead anyway with this seminal work of postwar Japanese cinema. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week: https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/79902001 First: a passionate Will gives a bewildered Luke a thorough breakdown of the VANDERPUMP RULES scandal that has torn a nation asunder, and what it all means. Then: on the eve of the 95th Academy Awards, the hosts remember some of the great Oscar moments of days past, and fire off fiery hot takes about this years nominees.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/79746684 We begin with Will setting the record straight on perhaps the most important topic the podcast has ever covered before moving on to a discussion about two showbiz movies of wildly differing quality that both deal in excess: BABYLON (2022) and SHOWGIRLS (1995).

George Orwell's popularity is at a new high in the post-Trump era, and he's been claimed by both the left and right. We discuss NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR (1984, Michael Radford's feature-film adaptation of Orwell's most famous novel, and try to rescue a self-described socialist from the Dave Rubins of the world. Listen to us discuss Orwell's writing in episode #190 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/190-lion-and-44728064

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/79406807 We discuss a movie that has, for some unknowable reason, been much-requested by our loyal listeners. Will has seen it many times. Luke had never seen it before. It hails from a very different era of blockbuster filmmaking. Folks... it's SUPER MARIO BROS. (1993).

Abbas Kiarostami's masterpiece CLOSE-UP (1990) used the true story of a poor man who impersonated a famous filmmaker to meditate on class, identity, and the cinematic apparatus. PLUS: the slow erosion of universal healthcare, and checking in on Fox News post-Trump.

Some topics are too vast, too vital for us to cover on our own. Today, we address one such topic. We invited Jacobin Magazine's Meagan Day and Branko Marcetic for a roundtable discussion of EMPIRE RECORDS (1995). We proffer some theories about why this attempt to hit the Gen X zeitgeist actually resonated more strongly with millennials, and how its depiction of alt-culture proved life-changing for at least one of the panelists. Our previous symposium on "You've Got Mail" - https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us/176-youve-got-mail-a-michael-us-symposium-w-meagan-day-and-branko-marcetic Meagan at the Oxford Union - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEnqmgVaOjc&ab_channel=OxfordUnion

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/404-boy-in-78936344 We look back on the prototypical modern viral media phenomenon: the "Balloon Boy" hoax of 2009. After bingeing about 90 minutes' worth of MSNBC coverage, we discuss how the Balloon Boy both presaged and diverged from the sorts of flash-in-the-pan viral sensations that would dominate the next 14 years. PLUS: fiery hot takes on the sudden resignation of Toronto Mayor John Tory.

The amateur documentary MY YANG GANG DIARY (2021) gives us opportunity to look back on the presidential candidacy of Andrew Yang. We discuss how the "Not left, not right, but forward" candidate offered a vision of radical centrism. "What Happened to Andrew Yang?" by Akela Lacy - https://theintercept.com/2021/08/15/andrew-yang-new-york-mayor/

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/78564941 On February 7, Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union to a new congress. A little bit was different, and plenty was the same. We discuss Biden post-midterms, the inept Republican response, and do a little spitballing about the future. PLUS: a cancelled movie star who might stay cancelled, and a surprising return to the Beatty Tracyverse.

Terrence Malick perfected his now-signature style with his rapturously beautiful second film, DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978). We discuss the film's depiction of hardscrabble American life in the early 20th century, and Malick's holistic view of humanity and nature. PLUS: an alarming update on the state of Canadian media, and the U.S. Congress condemnation of socialism. "On Earth as It Is in Heaven" by Adrian Martin - https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/555-days-of-heaven-on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/400-amityville-78332944 We've reached episode #400, and we're celebrating this auspicious anniversary by revisiting some of our favorite topics. First, we create the definitive canon of the most important movies we've discussed on the show. Then, we stare into the heart of darkness by watching Shawn C. "Coolduder" Phillips' directorial effort AMITYVILLE KAREN (2022), a no-budget horror film that attempts to cash in on the "Karen" phenomenon.

A key moment in the evolution of the modern blockbuster, JURASSIC WORLD (2015) is a cynical reboot about cynical reboots. We discuss what this enormously popular movie says about the world that spawned it, as well as its very peculiar sexist streak you may have noticed. PLUS: Why is Canada's conservative movement so Americanized?

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/398-cheese-back-77885785 First, Luke breaks down exactly what's going on in the peculiar saga of noted compulsive-liar congressman George Santos. Next, Will offers an appreciation of the late New York underground filmmaker Nick Zedd and his "campy ACAB" classic POLICE STATE (1987). Finally, we all come together to share a laugh about a Guardian columnist who's having serious problems with a slice of cheese.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/397-view-from-77710234 After Mondo Cane it was time to watch a good movie, so we dipped back into the oeuvre of Werner Herzog. Popularly known as "the one where he hypnotized the entire cast," HEART OF GLASS (1976) and its apocalyptic vision offer some unique insights into the German maverick's view of civilization.

A misanthropic catalog of shocking images from around the world, the bizarre, unpleasant, baldly racist, and extremely influential MONDO CANE (1962) was a pioneering "shockumentary." We revisit this strange and ugly artefact to discuss why it was taken so seriously in its day. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/395-all-films-77414105 According to official White House documents, Bill Clinton watched over 150 movies in the White House Screening Room during his presidency. In this very special episode, we discuss the films the 42nd president watched.

Upon its release, Steven Soderbergh's TRAFFIC (2000) offered something novel: a cinematic tapestry that criticized America's War on Drugs. More than 20 years later, we consider its strengths, as well as the impact that time has diminished. PLUS: Let's read a little from Prince Harry autobiography, shall we? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus