Michael and Us

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#556 - The Void Soys Back Sep 04, 2024

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What if a movie about a corporate merger became the most popular movie of the year? Friends, you don't have to imagine it. We discuss DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (2024) and ponder the question that Vulture asked: "Is Shawn Levy the Future of Populist Filmmaking?" Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PREVIEW - #555 - The Love Guru (w/ Russ Finkelstein) Aug 31, 2024

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At long last, we tackle the question: What, exactly, is love? Will welcomes his old j-school colleague Russ Finkelstein to discuss his documentary LOOKING FOR LOVE (2018), which offers a hair-raising glimpse into the wild world of "international marriage agencies" that connect heartsick American men with women from the Global South. PLUS: Russ shares stories from deep inside the dark heart of corporate media. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/111164366

PREVIEW - #554 - Studio Sucky, Part 12: What Kind Of Day Has It Been Aug 31, 2024

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We finally reach the GRAND FINALE of our STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP odyssey, arriving at Episode 22, "What Kind of Day Has It Been"... but we're left with more questions than answers. Folks... what ever happened to the Macau Deal??? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/554-studio-sucky-110898593

#553 - Bottled Time Aug 22, 2024

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A Democratic National Convention takes place against a backdrop of protests against American imperial atrocities overseas... that's right, we're travelling back in time to 1968 with Haskell Wexler's MEDIUM COOL (1969). PLUS: So, have you heard about the DNC? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "This National Post Columnist Says He Spied for a Foreign Intelligence Agency" by Luke LeBrun - https://pressprogress.ca/this-national-post-columnist-says-he-spied-for-a-foreign-intelligence-agency-experts-call-his-behaviour-unethical-and-absurd/ "Medium Cool: Preserving Disorder" by Thomas Beard - https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2773-medium-cool-preserving-disorder "The New Yorker Political Scene Scene" podcast with special guest Will - https://rss.com/podcasts/newyorkerpoliticalscenescene/1619477/

PREVIEW - #552 - Battle for the Dinosaur Hour Aug 20, 2024

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Whenever we need a pick-me-up, we return to one of our favourite topics: THE DINOSAUR HOUR, John Cleese's baffling chat show for Britain's right-wing GB News network. In the two episodes we watched today, Cleese opines on creativity, then welcomes his good friend Rob Schneider (!) for an agonizing hourlong chat. PLUS: What happens to the Republican Party after Trump? And checking in on Aaron Sorkin. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/110427266

#551 - Shore Leave Aug 15, 2024

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During the 2012 election cycle, Pauly Shore went to Washington to take the temperature on American and Her Problems. His resulting comedy special, PAULY SHORE'S PAULY-TICS (2012), accidentally foreshadows some of the bad vibes of the years to come. PLUS: We chart one Oscar blogger's evolution from #StillWithHer to MAGA. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PREVIEW - #550 - Studio Sucky, Part 12: Two Cathedrals Aug 11, 2024

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In the penultimate episode of STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, "K&R Part 3," Aaron Sorkin wrestles with the memory of Bill Maher being cancelled after 9/11, and asks why a just and merciful god even needs you to pray to Him. Aaron Sorkin is saving some of his best stuff for last! PLUS: Checking in on the God's Not Dead franchise and the comedy career of Chris Cillizza. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/109920511

#549 - Death of the Iron Age Cafe Aug 09, 2024

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Tony Buba chronicled the decline of his hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania in a series of acclaimed documentaries that elevated him to national notoriety. But in the extraordinary documentary/fiction hybrid LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK: A RUST BOWL FANTASY (1988), he asks what it means when his success is tied to so many people's poverty. Tony Buba's films are hard to find on streaming, so why not just get this Blu-Ray? You'll be glad you did - https://kinolorber.com/product/lightning-over-braddock-and-collected-shorts-the-films-of-tony-buba-blu-ray Elon Musk's Elden Ring tweet - https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1528955104463814656

PREVIEW - #548 - Studio Sucky, Part 11 - The Karl Rove Sketch Aug 06, 2024

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As STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP continues its slow descent, Aaron Sorkin continues to drift away from TV sketch-comedy and back to what he knows. Episode 20, "K&R Part 2," sees the gang lashing out at journalism while also making a tortured defense of... the White House Press Secretary? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/548-studio-sucky-109590201

#547 - Albanian Bacon (w/ Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison) Jul 31, 2024

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In Barry Levinson and David Mamet's WAG THE DOG (1997), a political spin-doctor teams with a movie producer to fake a war and save an incumbent president. You've heard of manufacturing consent, but to what extent can Hollywood and Washington manufacture reality? We're joined by Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison of the American Prestige podcast to discuss. Check out American Prestige - https://www.americanprestigepod.com/ Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

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