Hit Factory

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It's our 100th episode of Hit Factory! To celebrate, we recruit New York-based filmmaker Donald Borenstein to discuss one of the undersung greatest films of the 1990s, Martin Scorsese's 'Bringing Out The Dead' written by the brilliant Paul Schrader. It's a frenzied, vividly-lensed story of death & salvation which also serves as a spotlight on the people pushed to soceity's margins by liberalism's rot.

We discuss the pitch-perfect Nic Cage in a role he was seemingly born to play, the film's sly indictment of Giuliani's broken windows crackdown on NY crime in the late 90s, and Schrader's virtuoso ability to blend stories of spiritual catharsis with profound examinations of institutions.

Later, we take a moment to reflect on 100 episodes of Hit Factory and share some messages of congratulations from friends of the show.

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Special Thanks to all our friends who sent messages of congratulations!

Listen to The Odd Podd. Follow The Odd Podd and hosts Trevor and Valerie on Twitter.

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Read The Pitch of Discontent and follow its creator Owen Morawitz on Twitter. 

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

There's a new Predator movie getting dumped straight to Hulu this weekend. In anticipation of the franchise's dimishing returns, we revisit the overlooked sequel to the 1987 action classic, 'Predator 2' - a film that brilliantly turns the imperialist anxieties of its predecessor inward to explore early-90s reactionary crime wave narratives and the Bush-era fixation with gang violence & emboldened police response.

We discuss the proliferation of early 90s depictions of Los Angeles as a crime-ridden helscape, the deeper symbolism of the titular Predator (and what it's like to look at your reflection and see a monster), & why Danny Glover's Harrigan is the perfect choice to replace the musclebound macho action stars of the original film.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

UNLOCKED: Podcaster, writer, and Twitter's Most Wanted Man™ Aaron Thorpe joined us back in April to discuss Robert Zemeckis's 1997 science fiction masterpiece 'Contact' starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. It's a thrilling, expansive film that explores Big Questions about science and faith while maintaining a profoundly moving sense of wonder throughout.

We discuss Contact's origins as both film treatement and eventual novel by the brilliant Carl Sagan and his wife Ann Druyan, explore the film's ideological opposition to the neoliberal hegemony of the mid-90s, and make a case for the necessity of a post-scarcity (perhaps even spiritual) perspective to the success of a humanist political project. 

Follow Aaron Thorpe on Twitter (while you can!).

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Read Aaron Thorpe at his Substack Space + Light.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Prestigious podcaster and poster Grimm joins us to discuss two documentaries chronicling the 1992 presidential election cycle from very different perspectives.

First, we discuss Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker's lionizing character study 'The War Room', chronicling the efforts of Bill Clinton's campaign advisors, George Stephanopoulos and "Ragin' Cajun" James Carville. It's a hagiographic text owed a great deal of blame for the faux-proletarianization of democratic politics in the 90s.

Next, we cover the underseen, revelatory 'SPIN' by Brian Springer. It's a revealing look behind the scenes of 1992's biggest news items through the use of raw satellite footage that shows the multitude of ways the media surreptitiously flattens, omits, and outright fabricates the news to sell us the status quo.

Follow Grimm on Twitter.

Check out SPIN, available for free on YouTube.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Writer Brandon Streussnig joins us to discuss Olivier Assayas's 1996 postmodern masterpiece 'Irma Vep'. It's a revelatory metatextual exploration of creation, capitalism, and cinema - past, present & future.

We discuss the indelible magnetism of star Maggie Cheung (playing a version of herself), the film's considerations of the shifting proclivities of audiences on the global stage in the mid-90s, and the ways in which modern moviemaking seems averse to asking big questions about itself and the ways people watch it. Then, we briefly discuss Assayas's return to the property in the form of a brand new HBO miniseries that loses none of the potency of the original a quarter century later.

Follow Brandon Streussnig on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish