This Soviet made piece of art, Soy Cuba, tells four stories during the final days of the Batista regime. With the help of Russian Sam and Cuban Jaime we discuss how and why this movie was made, and the response in Cuba and the Soviet Union.

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Jaime.

Charlie Wilson was a Texas Congressman whose involvement with the Afghan people and the Mujahideen was immortalized in the film Charlie Wilson’s War. With the help of our friend Kevin, we try figure out who Charlie Wilson is really, and more importantly, what war is really.

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Kevin.

We’ve got a mutiny on our hands in Seven Days in May, a 1964 film that explores the idea of a military coup in America. We talk about it, the book it was based on, what JFK thought about it on release, and the general uneasy atmosphere that propelled right wing reaction in the 1960s and onward.

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Halal Sam.

Continuing on the themes discussed in E13, we go back to England and discuss the BBC show The Last Kingdom, and the topic of Viking invasions of the British Isles. Then we discuss King Alfred, the fabled man who “saved” England.

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Halal Sam.

Les Rallizes Dénudés were a pioneer of the psychedelic drone rock sound, but no one knows about them. With the help of our friend Zach, we get into their history and try to figure out what happened to derail this bands career.

Hosted by Liam, Abram, and Zach.

Further Reading

Was King Arthur an Englishman? Did ancient Turks build every civilization in history? What do ice cream men in Istanbul have in common with reindeer herders in northeast Siberia?

Liam and the two Sams answer these questions and more as they dive into the mythology of nationalism and political abuses of the ancient past.

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Halal Sam.

To Live tells the story of a degenerate gambler and his shadow puppets. But it also tells the story of one family living through the Chinese Civil War, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution.

This film and its reception would also mirror a process which has been ongoing since the beginning of Xi Jinping’s tenure: the battle against so-called “historical nihilism”. We look to the CPC, and Xi himself, to learn what historical nihilism is and how they are seeking to fight against it.

Hosted by Liam, Russian Sam, and Cnut.

In 2002, S1m0ne posed the question of what would happen if we were to replace actors with computers. What 20 years ago seemed like a fantasy in the realm of science fiction has increasingly begun to rear its head in our world, and we as a society are still grappling with the consequences and implications of our increasingly virtual reality.

Computer-generated actors, models, influencers, and pop stars, we’ve got them all on this week's episode.

Hosted by Liam, Abram, and Pam.

Further reading