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Showing episodes and shows of
Luke Savage And Will Sloan
Shows
Michael and Us
#637 - Approved by the Angel Guild
Angel Studios, the company that gave you Sound of Freedom, has become a major player in the faith-based movie market... so we wanted to check out one of their movies that's NOT about child trafficking. So we watched Neal McDonough's THE LAST RODEO (2025), and found some interesting new developments in the Christian movie world. PLUS: Catching up on recent events - Zohran Mamdani! Jeffrey Epstein! And of course, that Big, Beautiful Bill! Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Our episode on Sound of Freedom - https://www.patreon.com/posts/448...
2025-07-11
54 min
The ASHHRA Podcast
#153 - Hidden Strengths that Drive High-Performing Teams
In this inspiring episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan welcome Michael Sloan, CHRO at CommonSpirit Health and author of Unlocking Talent: The Hidden Strengths That Build Extraordinary Teams and Cultures. With oversight of 11 hospitals, 16 clinics, and 8,000 employees, Michael brings a bold and fresh perspective to healthcare HR leadership.From his beginnings as a prosecutor and labor attorney to leading human resources in one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the country, Michael shares his unconventional journey—and how it shaped his people-first philosophy. What You...
2025-06-12
40 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #628 - The Ballad of Willie Pete (Newsroom Part 13)
Will and Luke hash out their differences w/r/t appreciating Aaron Sorkin as they tackle Season 2 Episode 3 of THE NEWSROOM ("Willie Pete"), which offers a surprisingly cogent critique of "the boys on the bus" as well as a lot more of Sorkin's peculiar gender politics. PLUS: We check in on our favourite Who's Line is it Anyway cast member. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/628-ballad-of-13-130688755
2025-06-06
04 min
Michael and Us
#627 - Fully-Automated Luxury Partner
A little over a decade ago, Spike Jonze's HER (2013) imagined a world where artificial intelligence had progressed to the point where a man might strike up a plausible romance with Siri. We check in on its dystopian (?) vision to see what about it has come true, and in what way. PLUS: Doing a vibe check on "the 51st state," and an upsetting update about our favourite band. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus DALLAS - See Will (virtually) introduce Glen or Glenda at the Spacy Microcinema on June 19 - https...
2025-06-02
53 min
Michael and Us
#625 - Due Process (Newsroom Part 12)
When the Twin Towers fell on that September day, who was there to comfort us? In Season 2, Episode 2 of THE NEWSROOM ("The Genoa Tip"), we learn that it was - of course - Will McAvoy. We also learn a little more about his Republican politics in this complicated episode. PLUS: We pay tribute to a fallen superstar of the podcast, and Will explains to Luke what THE ROCK (Michael Bay, 1996) is. JOIN US ON PATREON FOR AN EXTRA EPISODE EVERY WEEK - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Catch up on our coverage of Season 1 of The Newsroom with this handy...
2025-05-25
46 min
Michael and Us
#623 - Occupy Sorkin (Newsroom Part 11)
After a healthy break, we finally return to Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. In the first episode of season two ("First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All the Lawyers"), we find Will McAvoy and his team learning of a movement to Occupy Wall Street and debating the ethics of predator drones. PLUS: A roundup of American politics news, including David Hogg, Joe Biden, and a Woodstock for centrists. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Catch up on our coverage of The Newsroom's first season - https://www.patreon.com/collection/1429433 See...
2025-05-16
52 min
Michael and Us
#620 - Creation In Pectore
In last year's Oscar contender CONCLAVE (2024), the election of a new pope at Vatican City becomes a centrist parable for navigating an era of political extremes. PLUS: We recap the strangest Canadian election of the century so far. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Check out Will's book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA - https://orbooks.com/catalog/ed-wood/ Subscribe to Luke's Substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/ "Conclave, and the liberal abyss," by Reuben of Haringey - https://fromthisbrokenhill.substack.com/p/conclave-and-the-liberal-abyss
2025-05-02
1h 04
Michael and Us
#616 - When the Whistle Blows
Sure, he's incredibly annoying now, but how funny was Ricky Gervais in his prime? We return to our old mandate of interrogating things we liked when we were teenagers by revisiting his acclaimed sitcom EXTRAS and its Christmas Special. PLUS: Did you know that Will wrote a book? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Pre-order Will's book ED WOOD: MADE IN HOLLYWOOD USA - https://orbooks.com/catalog/ed-wood/ While you're there, why not also order Luke's book THE DEAD CENTER? - https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/ "The British Monarchy...
2025-04-21
1h 08
Michael and Us
#606 - Sound of Freedom Fries
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/
2025-03-13
45 min
Michael and Us
#604 - Prestige Slop, Part 2
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
2025-03-05
45 min
Michael and Us
#602 - Prestige Slop
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...
2025-03-01
54 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #601 - Machine Gun Preacher (w/ Alex Shephard)
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
2025-02-26
01 min
Michael and Us
#600 - The 600th Episode Spectacular
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/
2025-02-23
49 min
Michael and Us
#596 - The Union Forever
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
2025-02-05
47 min
Michael and Us
#588 - Lubrication Theory Simulations
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...
2025-01-09
48 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #587 - Action Will Be Taken
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
2025-01-07
02 min
Michael and Us
#569 - Roadside Picnic
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...
2024-10-28
1h 31
Michael and Us
#567 - Requiem for a Joker
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/
2024-10-21
47 min
Michael and Us
#565 - Morbid Symptoms
First, Will reports on visiting that most American of landmarks, Graceland. Then, we take the temperature of the U.S. presidential election in its waning days, and learn some interesting facts about the "Canadian Victims of Communism" memorial. Finally, we discuss I'M FROM HOLLYWOOD (1989), a documentary about one of the greatest pieces of performance art of all time: the Andy Kaufman/Jerry Lawler wrestling feud. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus ST. CATHARINE'S - See Luke moderate the book launch event for Shifting Gears: Canadian Autoworkers and the Changing Landscape...
2024-10-10
1h 12
Michael and Us
#564 - The Bill Gates Problem (w/ Tim Schwab)
The new Netflix documentary WHAT'S NEXT: THE FUTURE WITH BILL GATES (2024) positions the Microsoft founder as "one of the good billionaires." But what are the limits to his brand of philanthropy? And how neutral and objective are these documentaries on the big streaming platforms? Luke welcomes Tim Schwab (author of The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire) to discuss why he declined to participate in the documentary, and what he uncovered about its making. Buy The Bill Gates Problem by Tim Schwab - https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250291431/thebillgatesproblem "Why I refused to participate in...
2024-10-08
1h 04
Michael and Us
#560 - Carpe Diem
First we saw him bring whimsy to the medical sector in Patch Adams... then we saw him make the army wacky in Good Morning Vietnam... now, we reach the conclusion of our "Robin Williams Trilogy" by going back to his mightiest-ever battle against the forces of fuddy-duddiness: DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989). PLUS: A spectre is haunting Europe... the spectre of centre-left capitulation to the far-right. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus See Luke moderate the Toronto book launch for Shifting Gears: Canadian Autoworkers and the Changing Landscape of Labour Politics...
2024-09-20
55 min
Michael and Us
#558 - From Jysk with Love w/ Luke Lebrun
Is it ethical for a journalist to also act as a spy for a foreign government? We consider the far-fetched claims of one of Canada's worst journalists, Adam Zivo. PLUS: In this very special episode, we catch up on some news items of Canadian interest, including the declining polling for Justin Trudeau's liberals, and the rising number of far-right Canadian influencers. Follow 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. Experts Call His Behaviour ‘Unethical’ and ‘Absurd’" by Luke Lebrun - https...
2024-09-15
1h 05
Michael and Us
#553 - Bottled Time
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...
2024-08-22
46 min
Michael and Us
#545 - It's Joever (w/ Branko Marcetic)
It's a politics-only episode, because we've got a big subject: it's time to say goodbye to your favorite American president, Joe Biden. We welcome back Branko Marcetic to tally #46's success and failures, and do a vibe-check on the Democratic Party following the ouster of its standard-bearer. PLUS: Branko reports on the Republican National Convention. "Joe Biden Wanted This" by Branko Marcetic - https://jacobin.com/2024/07/biden-2024-dropout-gaza-legacy "How Joe Biden Became a Steadfast Israel Defender" by Branko Marcetic - https://jacobin.com/2024/07/joe-biden-israel-support-history "Never Forget How Many Times the Liberal Establishment Saved Biden’s Arse" by Luke Savage - ht...
2024-07-25
1h 10
Michael and Us
UNLOCKED - #539 - Studio Sucky, Part 8: Comedy Will Save Us (w/ Will Menaker)
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF OUR ONGOING "STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP" SERIES ON PATREON - Join us there for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus It's Studio 60 vs the unions in Episode 17 ("The Disaster Show") of Aaron Sorkin's STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP. We're pleased to welcome Will Menaker (of Chapo Trap House and Movie Mindset fame) to help us make sense of Sorkin's perspective on organized labor. PLUS: So have you heard about Joe Biden? You've heard of Chapo Trap House, but here's there website - https://www.chapotraphouse.com/
2024-07-06
52 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #522 - The Everything Company (w/ David Moscrop and Mitchell Thompson)
A new campaign to boycott Canada's biggest grocery chain raises a plethora of issues about how monopolies work in Canada, and what role governments and consumers should play in combatting them. On this special episode, Luke welcomes writers David Moscrop and Mitchell Thompson to discuss the Loblaws boycott and Canada's grocery-store oligarchs, the Weston Family. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/103770757
2024-05-07
06 min
Bravo Outsider
VPR S11E11 & The Valley S01E04 Recap/Analysis (w/ Will Sloan) | Bravo Outsider Podcast
This week hosts Craig Midwinter and Dylan Ferguson are joined by writer and cohost of the Important Cinema Club and Michael & Us podcasts Will Sloan! Get ready to dig into S11E14 of Vanderpump Rules and S01E04 of The Valley! Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 03:23 - Vanderpump Rules Recap 44:06 - The Valley Recap 1:05:50 - Outro 🍸Featured Bravolebs: Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, James Kennedy, Ally Lewber, Brock Davies The Valley: Brittany Cartwright, Jax Taylor, Kri...
2024-04-12
1h 06
Michael and Us
#511 - All the President's Hot Dogs
In 1939, King George VI visited President Roosevelt to gain his support in the coming war. Some years later, it happened. As the Bill Murray vehicle HYDE PARK ON HUDSON (2012) unconvincingly argues, the Special Relationship was sealed over a hot dog. We dig up a forgotten piece of failed Oscar bait just to bury it all over again. BONUS Hyde Park on Hudson talk on our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/posts/101187856 "The National Review Wants You to Work Till You Drop" by Luke Savage - https://jacobin.com/2024/03/national-review-32-hour-workweek-sanders
2024-03-27
49 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #510 - 2017-core
Our Superdelgate patron tier has tasked us with discussed the sitcom THE GOOD PLACE, and it leads us down a dark and scary path of remembering culture and politics in the early Trump era. PLUS: Checking in with Garfield Eats, and Luke sounds off on Masters of the Air. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/510-2017-core-100993255
2024-03-26
04 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #494 - Joke Save America
Can "anti-woke comedy" save America? That's what a conservative scribe for the Washington Times theorizes. We give the idea due consideration, and find some of the essential contradictions in conservative comedy. PLUS: Luke visits London, and tries to find the real London. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/494-joke-save-97392407
2024-02-04
03 min
Michael and Us
#493 - The Inevitable Barbie Episode
The world can't stop discoursing about it. Hillary Clinton herself has championed it. And our Superdelegate patrons specifically requested it. It time for us to turn our attention to the most discussed movie of the past year. We talk about BARBIE (2023). PLUS: We bid a fond farewell to Ron DeSanctimonious. "Seeking Social Democracy," the book Luke coauthored with Ed Broadbent, is available here: https://ecwpress.com/products/seeking-social-democracy-ed-broadbent Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus
2024-01-26
1h 13
Michael and Us
#481 - Ratings War
In the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War, HBO made a movie about the lead-up to the first Gulf War, from the perspective of its most important factor: CNN. In LIVE FROM BAGHDAD (2002), Michael Keaton and his team of CNN reporters are Davids against the Goliaths that are establishment media... and the Iraqi security state. We discuss a mind-bogglingly awful piece of American propaganda from the Bush era. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Richard Seymour on CNN and Iraq - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELrGcK6XInE&ab_channel...
2023-12-08
46 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #477 - Guys Being Dudes
By popular demand, we discuss one of the most beloved movies of the '90s (and a movie Luke had never seen!): Michael Mann's HEAT. Does the line between "cop" and "criminal" start to blur? You'll have to listen to find out. PLUS: The boys come to blows over Ridley Scott (sort of). PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/93531453
2023-11-26
00 min
Michael and Us
#475 - I Just Don't Think About It
We've talked a lot on this podcast about "the end of history" and "lost futures," but how about a world with literally no future? We discuss CHILDREN OF MEN (2006). PLUS: Society is becoming more politicized. What does this mean? WINDSOR: Luke will be in Windsor to promote his new book Seeking Social Democracy. See him Sunday, November 19 at 5pm at Biblioasis Bookshop: https://biblioasisbookshop.com/events Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus
2023-11-15
58 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Confessions of a McKinsey Consultant (w/ Garrison Lovely)
Luke speaks to former McKinsey consultant turned whistleblower Garrison Lovely about his September cover story in The Nation magazine, the secretive but hugely influential business of elite management consulting, and what he saw inside the world's most prestigious — and notorious — management consulting firm. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-of-w-91914451
2023-11-06
04 min
Michael and Us
#471 - Nosferatu, the Wrath of Pod
It's Halloween, so we offer a fond nod of the hat to our old old friend Count Dracula by discussing NOSFERATU, PHANTOM DER NACHT (1979) - and because we've both just read Werner Herzog's new autobiography, we discuss how its depiction of science vs. the unknown fits squarely into the larger Herzog project. PLUS: More reflections on the crisis in Gaza. VANCOUVER: See Luke and Ed Broadbent in conversation at the Central Library on November 1 - https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/650b36ea2d0219cf8b5cf95f
2023-10-31
56 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #470 - The Height of the Flames (w/ Ettingermentum)
In this special interview episode, Luke talks to Ettingermentum about the defining figure of modern Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They discuss how Netanyahu's long political career has fundamentally reshaped Israeli society, and how the October 7 attack has changed his legacy. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - GET IT HERE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/470-height-of-w-91780490
2023-10-27
09 min
Michael and Us
#468 - Citizen of the World
With the crisis in Gaza on our minds, we spend a little time with one of the most acclaimed Palestinian filmmakers, Elia Suleiman, and his lovely film IT MUST BE HEAVEN (2019). * "We Cannot Cross Until We Carry Each Other" by Arielle Angel - https://jewishcurrents.org/we-cannot-cross-until-we-carry-each-other * Order Luke's new book "Seeking Social Democracy: Seven Decades in the Fight for Equality," coauthored with Ed Broadbent - ecwpress.com/products/seeking-s…cracy-ed-broadbent TORONTO: See Luke and Ed Broadbent in conversation at the Toronto Reference Library on October 22 - www.eventbrite.ca/e/seeking-social…ets-713793665067 VANCOUVER: See Luke and Ed at the Cent...
2023-10-19
33 min
Michael and Us
#466 - I Heart New Wave
In DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN (1987), Charles Bronson wages a one-man war against the Los Angeles drug trade, despite being as old-looking as anyone has ever looked. We discuss how the ridiculous fourth entry in the iconic action franchise takes its reactionary politics a step beyond "law and order." PLUS: We discuss two milestones in cinematic surrealism (1989's THINGS and 1994's TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME) and bid farewell to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Preorder Luke's new book "Seeking Social Democracy: Seven Decades in the Fight for Equality," coauthored with Ed Broadbent - ecwpress.com/products/seeking-s…cracy-ed-broadbent OTTAWA: Se...
2023-10-06
52 min
Michael and Us
#464 - Wheatfield with Crows
Late in his career, Akira Kurosawa plumbed his subconscious and came up with DREAMS (1990), one of his most underrated films. We discuss the ways that this film captures the mood and style of a dream, and its unifying theme of humankind's relationship with nature. PLUS: We attempt to define the ambient politics (and anti-politics) of the post-Trump years. "Martin Scorsese: 'I Have To Find Out Who The Hell I Am'" by Zach Baron - https://www.gq.com/story/martin-scorsese-profile Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - www.patreon.com/michaelandus Preorder Luke's new book "Seeking...
2023-09-27
55 min
Michael and Us
#463 - Jewellbilly Elegy
In 2019, Clint Eastwood's RICHARD JEWELL took aim at two institutions — the FBI and the media — that were supposed to save America from Trumpism. We discuss one of the veteran auteur's most beautiful films, which is also one of his most loaded and ambiguous political hot-potatoes. PLUS: David Brooks' expensive meal, Doug Ford's about-face, and Jean-Luc Godard's film criticism. "David Brooks and the $78 airport meal the internet is talking about" by Timothy Bella - https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/09/22/david-brooks-newark-airport-meal/ See Will introduce THINGS (1989) at the Fox Theatre on October 3 - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/the-important-cinema-club-masterpiece-classics-things/ Preorder Luke's new book "Seek...
2023-09-24
1h 19
Michael and Us
#460 - The Stranger Song
In Robert Altman's MCCABE & MRS MILLER (1971), a couple of entrepreneurs find themselves crushed by monopoly capitalism. Of course, this could only happen in a small Old West mining town. We discuss the power and beauty of one of the greatest films of all time. PLUS: A primer on the Ontario greenbelt scandal, and why are Joe Biden's poll numbers so bad? Preorder Luke's new book "Seeking Social Democracy: Seven Decades in the Fight for Equality," coauthored with Ed Broadbent - https://ecwpress.com/products/seeking-social-democracy-ed-broadbent See Luke and Ed Broadbent in conversation at the Toronto Reference Library on October 22...
2023-09-15
1h 02
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #450 - Echo of Forgotten Laughter
PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/450-echo-of-87439056 Luke has been a Trekkie (or perhaps he's a Trekker - sound off in the comments!) for all his life. Will has spent very little time with Star Trek. Now, the boys confront STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) to see if its middling reputation is correct. The answer may or may not surprise you.
2023-08-09
03 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - BONUS: A Podcastful of Secrets (w/ Nick Mason)
PATREON EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-podcastful-86089621 In a very special interview, Luke talks to Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason about reviving the band's early music, their legendary 1975 Hamilton show, and why they're experiencing a renaissance.
2023-07-15
01 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #441 - The Flaming Cow (w/ Ron Geesin)
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.
2023-07-08
08 min
Michael and Us
#434 - If Movies Tire You, What Will Podcasts Do?
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...
2023-06-12
41 min
Michael and Us
#432 - America Would Never
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...
2023-06-06
55 min
SLEAZOIDS
279 - TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE (1970) + THE ONLY HOUSE IN TOWN (1971) ft. Will Sloan
Hosts Josh and Jamie and special guest Will Sloan (of The Important Cinema Club and Michael and Us) discuss Ed Wood's drunken, depressed 70s softcore porno era with a double feature of his goofy sexploitation noir parody TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE (1970) and his bizarre, unfinished orgy-horror dream THE ONLY HOUSE IN TOWN (1971). Next week's episode is a patron-exclusive bonus episode on I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932) and COOL HAND LUKE (1967) you can get access to that episode (and all past + future bonus episodes) by subscribing to our $5 tier on Patreon: www.patreon.com/sleazoidspodcast Intro // 00:00-13:29 ...
2023-06-03
1h 50
Michael and Us
#430 - Motern and Us
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...
2023-05-29
47 min
Michael and Us
#424 - Know Thyself (w/ Alex Shephard)
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"...
2023-05-02
1h 10
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Bonus: Déjà Q (w/ Will Sommer)
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
2023-04-13
04 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #410 - Vanderpump Rules the Oscars
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.
2023-03-12
02 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #407 - Trust the Fungus
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).
2023-03-01
02 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #398 - The Cheese Stares Back
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.
2023-02-01
01 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #390 - The Santa Clause 2, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism
PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/76653894 If you'll indulge us, we'd like to keep the holiday spirit going a little longer by doing a deep ideological reading of one of the most important films ever made. Several years ago on this podcast, Cohost Luke was startled and delighted to discover that 1994's The Santa Clause was loaded with deep ideology . Today, we look at its long-delayed sequel, THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 (2002), to find what it tells us about our world in the Bush era.
2023-01-02
01 min
Michael and Us
#388 - House of Pelosi
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.or...
2022-12-19
41 min
Michael and Us
#386 - Musicians for Free-Range Chickens
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.
2022-12-13
45 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Brazil Election Special w/ Vincent Bevins
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-brazil-w-73950546 Brazil’s extreme-right president Jair Bolsonaro might go down to defeat in the second round of presidential voting. But, win or lose, the political coalition he’s assembled may endure after October 30. In this interview, Luke talks to Vincent Bevins — who lived in Brazil from 2010 to 2016 and worked as a correspondent, wrote The Jakarta Method (2020), and moved back to São Paulo last year to work on his second book — about the issues at play.
2022-10-30
06 min
Michael and Us
#367 - Penn and Paintbrush
Libertarian magicians Penn & Teller turn their gaze to the art world in TIM'S VERMEER (2013), a documentary that attempts to prove that, with just the right set of tools and a lot of money, one wealthy entrepreneur can paint a Vermeer. We discuss the bleak, empty void that is Penn & Teller's view of art. See Luke at the Toronto International Festival of Authors on September 27 - https://festivalofauthors.ca/event/critical-conversation-new-working-class/ Check out Luke's book "The Dead Center" - https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/
2022-09-25
51 min
Michael and Us
#366 - Coronation Training Montage
We mark Queen Elizabeth's passing by looking at towering work of royalist kitsch, THE KING'S SPEECH (2010). We discuss how this Oscar-winner humanizes the monarchy in order to uphold it. See Luke speak at the Toronto International Festival of Authors on September 27 - https://festivalofauthors.ca/event/critical-conversation-new-working-class/ Hear Will on Canadaland - https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/815-our-royals-our-elves/ Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus
2022-09-19
43 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #365 - Journeys With John
PATREON EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/365-journeys-72120783 Luke finally returns to the podcast, and have we got a doozy of a movie for him. We return to the oeuvre of political scion Alexandra Pelosi and discuss DIARY OF A POLITICAL TOURIST (2004), a freewheeling account of the 2004 Democratic Party primary. It's both the worst and the best Alexandra Pelosi documentary we've watched yet... as well as the most elusive movie we've ever tried to find. This episode was made possible by Kyle Bridgett, who found a very rare movie. Check out his website: https://kylebridgett.com/ Kyle Bridgett's...
2022-09-18
03 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #360 - A Hitch in Time
PATREON EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/360-hitch-in-71080314 A new book collection, A HITCH IN TIME, brings together a wide range of writings by Christopher Hitchens from before his 9/11-era neocon conversion. Returning once again to one of our favourite subjects, we discuss how the essays show Hitchens at his best, while also foreshadowing the negative qualities that would come to overwhelm his work. Luke also discussed the book on this week's episode of The Harper's Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/christopher-hitchens/id1405872370?i=1000577130158
2022-08-26
06 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #358 - The Arc of Progress
PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/posts/358-arc-of-70689387 A wonk who believed in incremental reform and parliamentary process, the Canadian NDP politician Stanley Knowles was a genuine socialist who earnestly embodies many of the qualities that we distrust in liberals. We watched STANLEY KNOWLES: IN WORD AND DEED (1987), and Luke discusses why he finds Knowles an inspirational figure in these troubled times.
2022-08-18
03 min
Michael and Us
#355 - Omni Consumer Products
Many movies in the 1980s depicted American urban landscapes as lawless hellholes, but Paul Verhoeven's ROBOCOP (1987) was unique for locating the source of the problem in the corporate world. The Superdelegate patron tier has voted for us to watch one of the most beloved screen satires of all time, and we were happy to oblige. See cohost Will introduce a screening of Don't Let the Riverbeast Get You (2013) at Toronto's Fox Theatre on August 23 - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/dont-let-the-riverbeast-get-you-10th-anniversary/ Order cohost Luke's book The Dead Center - https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/ Join Michael & Us on...
2022-08-08
37 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #354 - Division of Playbour (w/ Alex Ross)
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/70079242 COUNTER-STRIKE became a video game phenomenon. It also served as a laboratory for the exploitation of video game labor and the commodification trends that dominate the games industry and the broader internet today. On this episode, Luke is joined by beloved guest Alex Ross for a wide-ranging discussion of labour and the gaming industry. "How Counter-Strike Helped Shape the Future of Digital Capitalism" by Alex Ross - https://jacobin.com/2022/07/counter-strike-valve-live-service-mods-exploitation
2022-08-05
03 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #333 - Weekend Warriors
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/66509310 In DELTA FARCE (2007), "blue collar" comedian Larry the Cable Guy goes to fight in Iraq, but winds up in Mexico. That's right, folks - it's another document from the Bush era. We discuss conservative comedy and touch on the legendary Larry/David Cross feud that tore a nation asunder. PLUS: Luke reveals a traumatic memory involving the Ninja Turtles.
2022-05-16
03 min
Michael and Us
#332 - The Futility Consensus
The documentary WHITE NOISE (2020) follows three very prominent members of the alt-right (you'll be familiar with all of them, folks) as their fortunes rise and fall during the Trump era. We discuss the ethics of interviewing/"platforming" ideological enemies, the differing aesthetic styles of various alt-right personalities, and what happens to political "scenes" during periods of eclipse. PLUS: Luke takes stock of the Canadian Conservative leadership race, and Liam Neeson makes a movie about the U.S./Mexico border.
2022-05-13
58 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #323 - The Analog Strikes Back
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/65062325 Will, a longtime Star Wars skeptic, revisits THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) in a version that recaptures what it looked like in 1980. Luke, a longtime Star Wars fan, joins him for a discussion on the role that context, texture, and technology play in making a beloved movie beloved. PLUS: a reading from the Al Goldstein archives!
2022-04-12
02 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #313 - The Future Is No Longer What It Was
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/63521141 The Superdelegate Patreon tier has selected HIGH FIDELITY (2000), and this beloved film gives us ample opportunity to discuss such loaded topics as memory, physical media, niche culture, ageing, and hauntology. PLUS: we check in on Ukraine, and Luke reveals a movie-star pen-pal.
2022-03-08
04 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #309 - Everything is Communism
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/309-everything-62861504 ✓ Luke's immersion into right-wing Trucker Convoy streams ✓ Howard Stern ✓ Roman Polanski ✓ Inventing Anna ✓ Jordan B. Peterson: songwriter
2022-02-27
05 min
Michael and Us
#302 - Guy's Winnipeg
The great Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin was assigned to make a documentary about his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He made MY WINNIPEG (2007), a hilarious, surreal dreamscape that combines autobiography, history, and fiction into a free-flowing meditation on a city and a home. We discuss the film's treatment of truth, memory, and the Canadian identity. PLUS: Luke discusses the glamorous life of being a published book author. Preorder Luke's book The Dead Center- https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/ "Manitoba History - February 19, 1942: If Day" by Michael Newman - http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/13/ifday.shtml Guy Maddin's "...
2022-01-23
1h 00
Michael and Us
Patreon Bonus Preview: The Terrifying Future of the American Right (w/ Matt Sitman & Sam Adler-Bell)
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/60215138 What exactly is “national conservatism” and to what extent does it represent a break from the post-Reaganite consensus as we’ve known it? Luke talked to Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell (cohosts of the Know Your Enemy podcast) about the recent National Conservative Conference (NatCon), the so-called national conservatives, and where the Right may be headed in the coming years.
2021-12-22
06 min
Michael and Us
#294 - Everything is Awesome
For months we've been immersing ourselves in such Intellectual Property soups as Ready Player One, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and The Simpsons in Plusaversary, so we felt it was time to examine the animated hit that helped birth this new phenomenon: THE LEGO MOVIE (2014). PLUS: the return of COVID, a bad week for the Democrats, and the actual, honest-to-goodness phenomenon of official Rifkin's Festival NFTs. "What’s behind global covid inequalities? Corporate greed" by Luke Savage - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/13/covid-vaccine-corporatism-inequality/ "Beyond NFT: DAMOVE company is building the future of movies & entertainment" - https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr...
2021-12-19
1h 09
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #289 - For Pete's Sake (w/ Josh Olson and Dave Anthony)
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/289-for-petes-w-59307399 In a jumbo-sized crossover with The West Wing Thing podcast, Luke discusses Amazon's new Pete Buttigieg documentary MAYOR PETE (2021) with Josh Olson and Dave Anthony. Relive the magic and fun of those early primaries with Pete, Chasten, Lis Smith, and the whole gang! And fall in love with the sitting United States secretary of transportation all over again! (NOTE: cohost Will is off this episode because, sadly, he has fallen down a well. Rescue teams are at the scene, and we all pray for his speedy recovery) Check out The West...
2021-11-30
05 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pyramid Schemes w/ Robert FitzPatrick
PATREON EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/58634648 Multilevel marketing is a scam. But thanks to protection by political elites and well-funded industry propaganda, it keeps growing. Cracking down on it would be as simple as enforcing the laws against fraud — if only the political will could be found. Luke talks to MLM expert Robert FitzPatrick for a wide-ranging conversation about the history, scale, and structure of MLMs, and why there’s no such thing as a legitimate MLM.
2021-11-12
06 min
Michael and Us
UNLOCKED: The Problem Is Neoliberalism w/George Monbiot
A month or so on, we're releasing this one from behind its Patreon paywall. If you want to hear more interviews like this, and get an extra episode each week, sign up at Patreon.com/MichaelandUs. In this interview, recorded in September, Luke talks to Guardian columnist and activist George Monbiot about the extreme right’s appropriation of countercultural idioms and revolutionary language in the age of QAnon and COVID; the corrosion of community in the neoliberal era; and the desperate need for a new narrative of solidarity and common good in an age of resurgent fascism and ecological collapse. "It...
2021-11-08
34 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #282 - Meltdown (w/ Alex Gibney and David Sirota)
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/58314876 In this very special episode, Luke talks to Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, and many others) and investigate journalist David Sirota to discuss their new podcast series Meltdown. The series looks back on the 2008 financial crisis and mounts the case that the institutional response from Democrats still haunt politics today, and represents a skeleton key to understanding the current moment. NOTE: this conversation was recorded before this week's US elections, but has much to say about the results.
2021-11-05
05 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - The Problem is Neoliberalism w/ George Monbiot
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-problem-is-56805720?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copy_to_clipboard&utm_campaign=postshare With the scale of our current social and political crises, it’s unsurprising to see a proliferation of conspiracy theories across unusually broad swathes of society. Luke talks to Guardian columnist and activist George Monbiot about the extreme right’s appropriation of countercultural idioms and revolutionary language in the age of QAnon and COVID; the corrosion of community in the neoliberal era; and the desperate need for a new narrative of solidarity and common good in an age of resu...
2021-09-30
04 min
Michael and Us
#266 - Ghosts
In Apichatpong Weerasethakul's UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010), the boundaries between life and death, past and present, ghost and human, and human and animal fade away. We discuss some possible philosophical and political readings of this cryptic masterpiece. PLUS: the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the media is covering the Canadian election. "Why Justin Trudeau’s snap election is backfiring" by Luke Savage - https://www.newstatesman.com/world/north-america/2021/09/why-justin-trudeau-s-snap-election-backfiring
2021-09-10
42 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - DuffyGate Revisited w/ Luke LeBrun
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/duffygate-w-luke-55808939 With Will on a temporary hiatus, Michael and Us is pleased to welcome Luke LeBrun, editor of my journalistic alma mater PressProgress, for a chill discussion of media coverage in Canada's ongoing federal election. With that behind us, Luke and I turn to a decidedly low-stakes political scandal from the already forgotten Harper era (colloquially known as DuffyGate), recount some old war stories from our days covering Canada's many right wing think tanks, and talk about one our country's most ignoble institutions: the Senate. Watch CBC's The Rise and Fall of...
2021-09-06
01 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Richard Seymour on Afghanistan and the British Establishment
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/55643199 Just as the American media has turned on Joe Biden following the announcement of withdrawal from Afghanistan, the British media has given a rapturous reception to Tony Blair as he's waded back into the discourse. Luke talks to writer and author Richard Seymour about the British establishment’s crack-up over Afghanistan, its inability to quit Blair, the storied history of liberal justifications for war and empire, and other issues raised in his recent essay “Disaster Liberalism.”
2021-09-01
04 min
Michael and Us
#259 - Oliver's Twist (w/ Anders Lee)
In 1994, the most vilified member of the Reagan administration tried to stage a political comeback, and it almost worked. The documentary A PERFECT CANDIDATE (1996) follows Oliver North's attempt to unseat Democrat Chuck Robb as a Virginia senator, and captures the political currents in both Virginia and the United States as a whole. Pod Damn America and Redacted Tonight's Anders Lee fills in for Luke to discuss. Follow Anders Lee on Twitter - https://twitter.com/andersleehere Follow Pod Damn America - https://twitter.com/andersleehere
2021-08-13
37 min
Michael and Us
PREVEW - #256 - Remembering Things Our Own Way (w/ Alex Ross)
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/256-remembering-54272869 Bill Pullman, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake... what if we told you that these three men are all the same? That's the situation in David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY (1997), if not real life. Perennial guest Alex Ross helps us deconstruct a prickly film, and provides a political reading that will have your galaxy brain expanding. PLUS: Luke tells about his most famous reply-guy yet!
2021-07-29
02 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #245 - No War But The Culture War
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/52738757 The acclaimed documentary CRUMB (1994) tells the story of Robert Crumb, the legendary underground cartoonist who has channeled his pain and unleashed his darkest thoughts into some of the funniest and most offensive comics ever made. We discuss how this film captures a longtime culture war lightning-rod during a very different moment in the culture war, and try to articulate usefulness of transgressive art. PLUS: culture wars of many stripes, from the uneasy relationship between Silicon Valley and pornography to Luke's reflections on writing about liberalism for The Atlantic.
2021-06-21
05 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #241 - The One Where History Is Over
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/52173881 Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Monica... even 17 years after their show ended, these characters remain as dear as real-life friends for millions of viewers. But why has a show that's so stubbornly of the '90s endured? On the occasion of the megabucks FRIENDS: THE REUNION (2021) special, a longtime Friends hater (Will) and a Friends fan-turned-quasi-apostate (Luke) attempt to provide an answer. PLUS: examining Boris Johnson's side-hustle as an author/historian!
2021-06-06
03 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - The Assault on Voting Rights / Trash Cinema
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/51686456 The boys have a chat about some of their current writing projects. Luke talks about a new wave of Republican legislation that represents an assault on American democracy, and why the Democrats are likely not up for the challenge. Then Will talks about a filmmaker who he passionately loves: the gutter auteur Andy Milligan. "If Democracy Is Dying, Why Are Democrats So Complacent?" by Luke Savage - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/democrats-voting-rights-filibuster/618964/
2021-05-25
04 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW #237 - Bill's Brain (w/ Cory Doctorow)
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/237-bills-brain-51613897 Microsoft founder/self-appointed global health czar/Epstein buddy Bill Gates is receiving his worst press in 20 years. To celebrate, we looked back all the way to 2019 at the documentary series INSIDE BILL'S BRAIN: DECODING BILL GATES - a hagiographic look at his selfless charity work and harmonious marriage. PLUS: Luke talks with novelist Cory Doctorow, a longtime critic of restrictive intellectual property laws, about Gates’s dogged commitment to monopolism.
2021-05-24
07 min
Reel Politik Podcast
Episode 206 - Renegades: Made In Canada (ft. Will Sloan & Luke Savage)
In the hottest crossover event of the century (sadly Jack's dumb "joint episode" pun was lost to the sands of time) Jack and Geraint join/are joined by Canadian podcasting kingpins Luke Savage and Will Sloan, past RP guests and hosts of the podcast institution Michael and Us (@michael-and-us here on SoundCloud) to subject themselves to lovely Bruce Springsteen and evil Barack Obama's dreary centrist podcast RENEGADES: BORN IN THE USA, a Spotify exclusive produced by Obama's Higher Ground Productions and featuring episodes called shit like "Looking Toward American Renewal". Sadly we decided, on balance, that "Looking Toward Canadian Renewal"...
2021-05-19
1h 04
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #229 - When Dougs Cry
PATREON EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/50457119 It was one of the worst-received comedies of all time. Twenty years later, its cult following cannot be denied. On this episode, Will makes a passionate case for how the passage of time has been kind to Tom Green and FREDDY GOT FINGERED's destructive project, while Luke works through his complicated feelings. PLUS: a plethora of topics, from Doug Ford vs. Alex Jones to the White House Press Corps under Biden to an aggrieved right-wing columnist who feels wokeness has destroyed Disney World.
2021-04-25
02 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - #223 - Whose Cube Is It Anyway?
Patreon Episode - https://www.patreon.com/posts/49602781 The latest Superdelegate selection is the Canadian cult classic CUBE (1997), in which a handful of people need to find their way out a mysterious, deadly structure comprised of many identical cubes. The structure is, of course, a metaphor for our society, but what, exactly, is its ideology? We offer a theory. PLUS: the return of Godzilla, Luke's days as a child actor, and why the Biden years will be The Era of the Mods.
2021-04-04
04 min
Michael and Us
#222- Guillotine in Piccadilly
With the British monarchy at its lowest ebb of popularity since the week after Diana's death, we consider these two moments within the context of the wretched institution's ignoble history. We watch Christopher Hitchens' documentary DIANA: THE MOURNING AFTER (1998) - a controversial dissenting take on the Diana myth - and also discuss Netflix's THE CROWN and the Harry/Meghan phenomenon. In the process, we speculate how the existential threat facing this frankly worthless institution might lead to an unholy reinvention. PLUS: a rueful look back at James Berardinelli, the most popular web-based critic of the '90s. "The British Monarchy...
2021-04-02
1h 06
Kino Lefter
105 - Nomadland with Will Sloan and Luke Savage: put me on the Turner Classic Movies cloud and leave me there
Who will win Oscar? Will Sloan and Luke Savage of the wonderful Michael and Us podcast join me to discuss Chloé Zhao's Nomadland. We also workshop some potentially viral takes and peruse reviews from the average Joes on the Internet Movie Database. ReComradationsWill: Wanda, dir. Barbara Loden (1970) Luke: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World , dir. Peter Weir (2003) Evan: [1] Lost Themes III - Life After Death by John Carpenter [2] Loveless, dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev (2017) Listen to Michael and Us and check out their Patr...
2021-03-17
1h 03
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Interview: Clearing The Smoke Around Joe Biden's Climate Policy w/ Kate Aronoff
PATREON EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/interview-smoke-47833534 Joe Biden issued an executive order recommitting the United States to the Paris climate agreement and rescinding the construction permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, moves that have been heralded throughout the media as the beginning of a new era for climate policy in the United States. But what are the real prospects for the transformative policies actually needed to combat climate change in the years ahead? What will Biden’s much-touted green jobs initiative do in practice? And how has the fossil fuel industry responded to Biden’s early moves? Luke...
2021-02-22
04 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Interview: Will Sommer on QAnon after Trump
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/46829970 What is QAnon? Where did it come from? And where does it go now that "the Storm" didn't happen? Luke talks to Daily Beast reporter and QAnon expert Will Sommer about this most ridiculous of Trump-era phenomena.
2021-01-29
01 min
Michael and Us
#201 - Pretend It's an Insight
Martin Scorsese's new Netflix documentary PRETEND IT'S A CITY (2021) is nothing more or less than a series of jokes and riffs by former writer and current professional curmudgeon Fran Lebowitz. We take a dive into this New York institution and discover what happens when a legendary wit is sorely lacking a worldview. PLUS: new lockdown restrictions, what happens to politics and the media post-Trump, and Marvel vs. 1950s America. "Pretend It's an Insight" by Will Sloan - https://willsloanesq.wordpress.com/2021/01/10/pretend-its-an-insight/
2021-01-13
49 min
Michael and Us
PREVIEW - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Patreon Bonus)
PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/43213235 We had to do it. We discuss the new Borat movie, the difference between "good" and "bad" liberal comedy, and the difference between liberal and left comedy. "Notes on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" by Will Sloan - https://willsloanesq.wordpress.com/2020/10/25/notes-on-borat-subsequent-moviefilm/ Our episode on the original Borat - https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us/episode-30-borat
2020-10-27
05 min
Michael and Us
#174 - Rule of Thumb, Part II
What does it mean to be "America's Critic"? What does it take to be the most powerful critic the world has ever known? Several months back we discussed "Siskel & Ebert," but now we turn our attention specifically to Roger Ebert, the Pulitzer-winner who may forever be America's best-known film critic. We watch the Ebert documentary LIFE ITSELF (2014), and ponder the movie's questionable assertion that "He did not get caught up in certain ideologies of what cinema should be." PLUS: why are liberals sending thoughts and prayers to the president? NOTE: As a special experiment for the month of October 2020, we...
2020-10-03
50 min
Michael and Us
UNLOCKED - Movies as Politics w/ Jonathan Rosenbaum
No less than Jean-Luc Godard called Jonathan Rosenbaum the best living American film critic, and for decades his hugely influential writing has been political, internationally conscious, skeptical of received wisdom, and enormously curious about forms of cinema beyond mainstream. Our own Will Sloan talks to Rosenbaum to discuss his career, his politics, and how the cinematic landscape has changed since the ‘90s. A Rosenbaum Reading List: List-o-Mania - https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/list-o-mania/Content?oid=896619 Stupidity as Redemption (Forest Gump) - https://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2019/03/stupidity-as-redemption/ Cutting Heroes Down to Size (Small Soldiers and Saving Private Ryan) - https://ww...
2020-08-14
31 min
Reel Politik Podcast
Episode 157 - The Cuckable Mr Blair (ft. Will Sloan & Luke Savage)
Jack, Yair and Geraint are joined by returning RP guest, Toronto's own Luke Savage, and his fellow Torontonian and co-host of the esteemed Michael & Us podcast, Will Sloan. The topic of discussion is the film released as The Ghost Writer in the United States, and The Ghost in most other territories, in 2010; a conspiracy thriller based on Robert Harris' thinly-veiled account of his former friend Tony Blair's potential troubles with international criminal law, with a screenplay by Harris himself, and directed by another friend of his, none other than well-known sex criminal and fugitive from justice Roman Polanski. We ask...
2020-06-21
1h 09
Reel Politik Podcast
BONUS RP: Michael & Us & Us - The A-Material (ft. Will Sloan & Luke Savage) (PATREON PREVIEW)
Subscribe to patreon.com/reelpolitik to hear the full minisode (not technically a contradiction in terms) Jack, Yair and Geraint recently sat down with friends of the show Will Sloan and Luke Savage to talk about The Ghost Writer, a film about a thinly veiled version of Tony Blair played by Pierce Brosnan, written by the hated ex-PM's erstwhile friend Robert Harris, and directed by international sex criminal Roman Polanski. Before - and after - we got into the swing of things, we recorded some idle chatter that mostly won't make the final episode. I thought RP's loyal Patreon subscribers...
2020-06-18
01 min