Michael and Us

Latest Episodes:

PREVIEW - #389 - Don't Go Into the Light Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/76177655 With the yuletide season upon us, our Superdelegate patron tier has voted for us to discuss the Bill Murray holiday semi-classic SCROOGED (1988). So we boiled up some hot chocolate and did our best to apply an ideological reading to this story of an '80s TV executive's path to Christmastime redemption. PLUS: Fiery hot takes on Avatar: The Way of Water, and an answer to the question on everyone's lips: what, exactly, is Elon Musk's "plan"?

#388 - House of Pelosi Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

The 20-year filmmaking career of Alexandra Pelosi has been building up to this moment: a hagiographic documentary portrait of her mother, the outgoing U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. We watched PELOSI IN THE HOUSE (2022). Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Nancy Pelosi’s Daughter Makes Awful Documentaries Fawning Over the Establishment" by Will Sloan - https://jacobin.com/2022/12/nancy-alexandra-pelosi-documentary-filmmaking-establishment "Nancy Pelosi Delivered Little for the Left, but We Might Miss Her Anyway" by Branko Marcetic - https://jacobin.com/2022/11/nancy-pelosi-house-speaker-democratic-party-center "The Obamanauts" by Corey Robin - https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-obamanauts

PREVIEW - #387 - Capitalist Hauntology Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/75918320 In this episode, we discuss a variety of decaying institutions and lost futures. We hash over some thoughts on what the HARRY & MEGHAN Netflix show says about the decline of the monarchy, and then dissect the Christmas episode of the 1980s RAMBO: THE FORCE OF FREEDOM cartoon show reimagines Santa Claus as a reformed Josef Mengele type. PLUS: thoughts on a new Blockbuster Video pop-up, and the upcoming movie that will unite a divided America.

#386 - Musicians for Free-Range Chickens Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

In 1991, actor/martial artist/philosopher/current Russian special envoy to the U.S. Steven Seagal hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. The result has gone down in history as one of the worst episodes of all time. We look back on this infamous show and find a nearly indecipherable time-capsule of the comedy and culture of the early 1990s. PLUS: Luke explores the relationship between celebrities and the NFT industry.

PREVIEW - #385 - Canon Fodder Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/75607790 With the decennial Sight & Sound "Greatest Films of All Time" poll dominating Film Twitter, we discuss Jean-Luc Godard and Anne-Marie Miéville's eccentric rumination on film history, 2 x 50 YEARS OF FRENCH CINEMA (1995). Commissioned as a documentary on the history of French cinema, the result is a cheeky dismantling of the commission itself, as well as an earnest lament to "the death of cinema." PLUS: We check in on the Kanye West meltdown tour, and its implications.

#384 - Dust Bowl Ballads Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

The quintessential American folk troubadour and a beloved national icon, Woody Guthrie was also a committed lefty for whom art and politics were intertwined. We discuss his life and legacy via Hal Ashby's biopic BOUND FOR GLORY (1976), which takes a broad look at Guthrie and during the Great Depression. PLUS: How Joe Biden crushed a railroad workers' strike. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PREVIEW - #383 - Through a Glass Dumbly Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/75275385 After fleeing the Swedish tax authorities, Ingmar Bergman briefly set up shop in Germany to make what is widely considered his worst film. We look at his Berlin-set, David Carradine-starring rise-of-fascism drama THE SERPENT'S EGG (1977) to find out if it's really as bad as all that. PLUS: What does David Brooks' taste in music tell us about him?

#382 - God and Country Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Released shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Howard Hawks' SERGEANT YORK (1941) was an attempt to rouse popular support for America entering the Second World War. We excavate one of the biggest box office hits of its day and find a movie in which God and Country are pitted together, and Country wins. PLUS: we hash over some of the drastic and unhappy changes that have happened to our local government in Toronto, Canada. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PREVIEW - #381 - A Fine Horse in the Snow Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/381-fine-horse-74986287 The dystopia is already here in Boots Riley's SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (2018). This anti-capitalist comedy follows a telemarketer who is nearly seduced by a superstar billionaire. We discuss how the film identifies revolution as both necessary and nearly impossible. PLUS: musings on the end of Twitter and Chicago-based columnist John Kass.

#380 - Occupy Mooseport Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

We've gazed into the abyss many times before but the Ray Romano/Gene Hackman comedy WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT (2004) - in which a former U.S. president runs for mayor against a small-town handyman - comes close to breaking us. PLUS: We recap the U.S. midterms, and ask: Is Ron DeSantis a serious threat to Donald Trump? (Short answer: no) Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week -

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected