Michael and Us

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PREVIEW - #605 - Fahrenheit 5/11 (Newsroom Part 7) Mar 10, 2025

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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

#604 - Prestige Slop, Part 2 Mar 05, 2025

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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

PREVIEW - #603 - Hail, Coens! Mar 04, 2025

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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

#602 - Prestige Slop Mar 01, 2025

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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/

PREVIEW - #601 - Machine Gun Preacher (w/ Alex Shephard) Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

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

#600 - The 600th Episode Spectacular Feb 23, 2025

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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/

PREVIEW - #599 - Olbermanncore (Newsroom Part 6) Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

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

#598 - We Have Lingered In Puddles of Melted Gremlins Feb 15, 2025

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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

PREVIEW - #597 - Live from Tahrir Square (Newsroom Part 5) Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

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

#596 - The Union Forever Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

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

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