Michael and Us

A rural village braces itself for development from the big city in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (2024), a beautiful movie that rhymed with certain things we've been feeling lately about democracy, capitalism, freedom, and community. PLUS: We parse Toronto Life's list of the 50 most influential Torontonians of 2024, and explore the exciting world of Eric Roberts.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/116329275

A month before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, CNN aired a hagiographic documentary about one of the masterminds of the last 30 years of American politics. In the aftermath of a disastrous election for Democrats, we watch CARVILLE: WINNING IS EVERYTHING, STUPID! (2024) to learn how the Beltway was thinking about itself before everything came crashing down. PLUS: Get ready for the most riveting conversation about bike lanes in Toronto, Ontario you'll hear all year.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

For over 50 years, documentary filmmaker Tony Buba has chronicled the decline - but also the people, places, and everyday poetry - of his hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Recently we watched his best-known film, LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK: A RUSTBOWL FANTASY (1988), and fell in love with it. Today, we're pleased to welcome Buba on the show to discuss the full scope of his career, including such films as SWEET SAL (1979), BETTY'S CORNER CAFE (1976), J. ROY: NEW AND USED FURNITURE (1974), and more.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/115813173

Our episode on LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK - https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us/549-end-of-the-iron-cafe

We recommend this comprehensive Blu-Ray collection of Tony Buba's work - https://kinolorber.com/product/lightning-over-braddock-and-collected-shorts-the-films-of-tony-buba-blu-ray

Watch SWEET SAL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiuT9Zei81c

Watch J. ROY: NEW AND USED FURNITURE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wef3Zqq9qTw&t=208s&ab_channel=AlphaRomero

Watch THE BARBER OF NEW KENSINGTON - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyLyJ2f9278&t=2s&ab_channel=braddockfilms

Learn more about Tony Buba - https://braddockfilms.com/

Oh lord almighty, when will we be rid of this man? Apparently not for another four years at least. We ring in the latest chapter of this neverending "Trump Era" with the new biopic/origin story THE APPRENTICE (2024).

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

"This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe" by Jeet Heer - https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-party-elite-responsible-catastrophe/

"Democrats chose backing a genocide over defeating Trump" by Adam Johnson - https://therealnews.com/democrats-chose-backing-a-genocide-over-defeating-trump

On the day of the United States presidential election, let's look back at The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetimes. That's right, we're talking about 2004. We were happy to join the boys at Remember Shuffle to discuss all things Bush v. Kerry and the only presidential election since 1988 in which a Republican candidate won the popular vote. Now watch this drive!

PATREON BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/115413841

Check out Remember Shuffle - https://linktr.ee/remembershuffle

With a dreary United States presidential election covering every surface, we search for some solace in politics from the past. Early in the Thatcher era in 1981, the beloved left-wing Labour MP Tony Benn launched a populist campaign to become his party's deputy leader, and almost won. We watch a documentary from the period, BENN'S BANDWAGON (1981), and ask: Was the conservative wave of the 1980s really inevitable?

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Watch "Benn's Bandwagon" here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e4MWekQKZE&t=2s&ab_channel=ModernLonelyTV

Our previous Tony Benn episode - https://www.patreon.com/posts/209-tony-benn-47399362

We return to one of our perennial favourite topics, THE SIMPSONS, to consider two episodes from very different eras of its run: the legendary Season 4 banger "Kamp Krusty," and the hot-off-the-presses Season 36 ep "The Yellow Lotus." Which one earns our coveted Krusty Brand Seal of Approval? PLUS: We mark the passing of a Canadian broadcasting "pioneer."

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/570-krusty-brand-115031151

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 as potentially fake" by Hugo Lowell - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/19/trump-campaign-leaked-data-voters-elon-musk

Our episode on Ivan's Childhood - https://www.patreon.com/posts/263-sculpting-in-55465791

Our episode on Solaris - https://www.patreon.com/posts/317-hunters-in-64139407

We were told my our Superdelegate patron tier that the direct-to-video sequel BRING IT ON: ALL OR NOTHING (2006) was a potent 2006 time capsule. Friends... they were right. PLUS: Al Pacino's finances, the fall of the Soviet Empire, and the sad tale of Victor J. Kemper.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/568-not-another-114599903

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/