Michael and Us

By Luke Savage and Will Sloan, Jacobin

TV & Film

What's Michael and Us about?

A podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world. Hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

Exclusive subscriber-only episodes: https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/overview

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Michael and Us episodes:

04.26.2024
#519 - Triangle of Badness
If all of our current class hierarchies were eliminated, what would replace them? This question is at the core of TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (2022), the art-house hit that show the limits of being an "equal-opportunity offender." PLUS: campus protests, keffiyeh...
04.23.2024
#518 - The Devil, Probably
Less than a decade after the revolutionary potential of the May 1968 protests, Robert Bresson's THE DEVIL, PROBABLY (1977) follows a disaffected youth in a world full of evil who asks: Is life worth living? It's a hard question, but...
04.18.2024
PREVIEW - #517 - The Civil War Episode
Aiming straight for the zeitgeist, CIVIL WAR (2024) is a disaster movie for the post-January 6th America. But in deliberately removing any politics or ideology from his vision of a country at war with itself, Alex Garland has made a...
04.15.2024
#516 - Embrace the Fire (w/ Alex Shephard)
By the third entry of the God's Not Dead franchise, its creative team had clearly started listening to their critics. The result was a kinder, gentler right-wing Evangelical Christian drama that sought to heal divides... and failed at the box...
04.13.2024
UNLOCKED - #492 - The Eddie Anderson Story
When he emerged on radio, he was celebrated as a pioneering black star in a white entertainment landscape. By the time of the Civil Rights Movement, he was regarded by many a symbol of black subservience. In this solo documentary...
04.13.2024
PREVIEW - #515 - Escape from the Dinosaur Hour
With the world in flames, it was time to have a little fun. We return to one of our all-time favourite discoveries, checking in on John Cleese's mind-bogglingly awful GB News chat show THE DINOSAUR HOUR to see how or...
04.08.2024
#514 - Sit Down, Sit Down
For seven weeks in 1936 and 1937, workers at the General Motors plant in Flint Michigan held a risky sit-down strike. A true David vs. Goliath story, their strike won recognition for the United Auto Workers and changed labour in...
04.08.2024
PREVIEW - #513 - The Parallax View
Imagine a world where shadowy forces completely disconnected from democracy control everything. Friends, you don't have to imagine, because this world is the setting for the quintessential '70s paranoia thriller, THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974). PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/513-parallax-101743154
04.05.2024
PREVIEW - #512 - Walking Tall Speed Run
We follow up our recent episode on a 1973 law-and-order semi-classic by examining its Bush-era remake. We found a gentrified and sandpapered WALKING TALL (2004), with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson" in a role "inspired by a true story" "suggested by...
03.27.2024
#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...
03.26.2024
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,...
03.23.2024
#509 - Kung Fu Bicycles
For decades, a cottage industry flourished in the subterranean depths of the American music industry: send a company your poem, and for a fee, they'll turn it into a song. Maybe the song will even be your entryway into the...
03.17.2024
PREVIEW - #508 - Spice World
An anti-imperial saga dreamed up by a Nixon-supporting conservative... a White Saviour narrative adapted to a time skeptical of White Saviours... folks, you could say that DUNE: PART TWO (2024) and its source material are a land of contradictions. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE...
03.14.2024
#507 - Fresh Prince of Persia
In 1991, over 100 of the the most famous singers, movie stars, an athletes in America got together to record a song for the troops in the first Gulf War. We take a visit to the consent-manufacturing factory and discuss...
03.14.2024
PREVIEW - #506 - Merchant Prince
Remember. Every day here, you're selling. Every thing you do, every interaction you have, every breath you take needs to be in the service of selling. But it shouldn't look like that. We're not that kind of store. Our customers...
03.08.2024
#505 - The Party's Over
Against the backdrop of the incredibly boring 2000 election, the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman went on a cross-country journey to see if George W. Bush or Al Gore represented America. The result was THE PARTY'S OVER (2001), aka THE...
03.06.2024
PREVIEW - #504 - Requiem for a Monoculture
In 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie brought some of their most famous peers under the same roof to record "We Are the World." To some, the result was the epitome of tacky celebrity philanthropy culture. But for the makers...
02.28.2024
#503 - Suggested by Certain Events
What Dirty Harry Callahan did for the big city, Buford Pusser did for the rural south. We discuss the Silent Majority semi-classic WALKING TALL (1973), a Nixon-era Red State phenomenon that asks: who needs due process when you can carry...
02.28.2024
PREVIEW - #502 - A Rainy Day in Insectopia
We've made a bit of a hobby of mining children's movies from the 1990s for ideology, so our Superdelegate patron tier sent us a challenge: discuss ANTZ (1998) and its vision of an anthill as an alienated '90s workspace. We...
02.23.2024
#501 - An Irreverent Tendency
In 1987, America was ready to look back on the Vietnam War... with laughter. We discuss GOOD MORNING VIETNAM (1987) and why it is one of the quintessential "boomer liberal" texts. PLUS: We check in on the state of Canadian...
02.20.2024
PREVIEW - #500 - The 500th Episode
We mark an auspicious anniversary in frankly self-indulgent fashion, by revisiting one of our mutual favorite movies: Martin Scorsese's THE KING OF COMEDY (1982). We ask: does the future belong to Rupert Pupkin? And if so, how? PLUS: See, it...
02.15.2024
#499 - Terminally Unfunny
The American healthcare system is broken, but why? According to Robin Williams in PATCH ADAMS (1998), it's because the medical profession has lost touch with the healing power of laughter. We discuss one of the most cloying movies of all...
02.12.2024
#498 - Eat the Rich
We discuss THE MENU (2022) and its place in the context of the current wave of "eat the rich" cinema. PLUS: we discuss Walter Isaacson's new hagiography of Elon Musk, and Joe Biden's wildly successful "I'm fit for office" press...
02.08.2024
PREVIEW - #497 - Oxbridge Blues
It begins as an "eat the rich" movie, but turns into something very different. We discuss the movie that is burning up TikTok, SALTBURN (2023), and its odd take on class mobility. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/497-oxbridge-98117512
02.07.2024
PREVIEW - #496 - An Autumn Afternoon
We're in a contemplative mood on this episode, and there's no filmmaker better suited for such a mood than Yasujirō Ozu. We discuss his final film, AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (1962), and how Ozu's seemingly narrow thematic and stylistic palette encompasses...
02.04.2024
#495 - Adaptation
Are commercial considerations always doomed to taint art? And are commercial considerations really a taint? We discuss Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman's meta-movie ADAPTATION (2002) and the artist/hack dichotomy. PLUS: We mark the passing of the world's most famous minimalist...
02.04.2024
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...
01.26.2024
#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...
01.21.2024
PREVIEW - #492 - The Eddie Anderson Story
When he emerged on radio, he was celebrated as a pioneering black star in a white entertainment landscape. By the time of the Civil Rights Movement, he was regarded by many a symbol of black subservience. In this solo documentary...
01.19.2024
#491 - Stone Dead (w/ Jack Frayne-Reid)
Cohost Will asks your kind indulgence as he invites Jack Frayne-Reid (from the Reel Politik podcast) to has over one of his personal obsessions: the blockbuster 2014 Monty Python reunion show. They discuss MONTY PYTHON LIVE (MOSTLY) and how comedy...
01.17.2024
PREVIEW - #490 - Grindset Wonka
The thing about mass culture is, it channels the ambient wisdom of its day. So we applied this theory to the new Willy Wonka reboot WONKA (2023) and looked to see what it said about our times. Friends... we were...
01.10.2024
#489 - Meet Me in Helsinki
Your coworkers are spying on you. Your boss won't let you keep the expired food. The coffeeshop is charging you an arm and a leg to rent a laptop. In Aki Kaurismäki's funny and wonderful FALLEN LEAVES (2023), can a...
01.07.2024
PREVIEW - #488 - The Fourth Annual Michael & Us Year-in-Review Extravaganza
From THE FLASH to SOUND OF FREEDOM and many more along the way, we look back at some of the movies that defined the podcast in 2023, and hand out the coveted Michael & Us Awards. What won Best Movie?...
01.01.2024
#487 - We Invented Chill!
We ring in the new year by raiding the fridge for some holiday leftovers. It's become an annual tradition on this podcast to try to extract ideology from Tim Allen's "Santa Clause" franchise. With THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE...
12.25.2023
PREVIEW - #486 - Dream Story
To celebrate Christmas (and at the behest of our Superdelegate patrons), we took a flight on Victor Ziegler's Lolita Express to a big mansion in Long Island, where we watched Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT (1999). We had a great...
12.21.2023
#485 - Gun Kata
If society outlawed emotions, could we stop all war and conflict? This is the very, very stupid question at the heart of EQUILIBRIUM (2002), the dystopian extravaganza that introduced the world to the art of "gun kata." Join us on Patreon...
12.21.2023
PREVIEW - #484 - Farewell Andy Borowitz
For years, one political satirist has dared to push the limits of comedy with such groundbreaking fake-news headlines as “Matt Gaetz accuses Kevin McCarthy of behaving like an adult” and “Trump accuses media of not listening to the voices he...
12.17.2023
#483 - A Whiff of Grapeshot
The French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte have inspired a lot of takes... so, of course, you can depend on Ridley Scott to find the least imaginative one. We discuss his lugubrious NAPOLEON (2023). PLUS: An update on...
12.10.2023
PREVIEW - #482 - A Smorgasbord of Violence
Is Popeye the Sailor a deep Jungian archetype? Did Sweethaven's tax-and-spend government lead the way for Reaganism? Is mankind divided between Blutos and Wimpys? These and other pressing political questions will not be answered in our discussion of Robert Altman's...
12.07.2023
#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...
12.04.2023
PREVIEW - #480 - Writers' Room
The boys begin by hashing out plans for the possibly-will-never-exist-but-also-possibly-will-exist-one-day "Michael & Us: The Book." Then, they move on to Christopher Nolan's OPPENHEIMER (2023), and try to identify the ideological outer-limits of a liberal political blockbuster circa 2023. PATREON EXCLUSIVE EPISODE...
12.02.2023
#479 - A Prurient Interest
Ed Harris is a senator with presidential ambitions. Diane Keaton is the love of his life, but uncomfortable in politics. And with the White House in his grasp, his campaign is about to be rattled by a very, very stupid...
11.27.2023
#478 - Killers of the Flower Moon
The old saying goes that "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing," but it helps if the men are very, very stupid. We discuss Martin Scorsese's KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, in...
11.26.2023
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...
11.20.2023
PREVIEW - #476 - Of Mice and Men
Everything is terrible, so we watched MOUSE HUNT (1997). PLUS: Can AIPAC knock out "the Squad" from Congress? Why is IDF propaganda so bad?? And how do Democratic insiders see their path to re-election??? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/476-of-mice-and-93079709
11.15.2023
#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:...
11.10.2023
PREVIEW - #474 - Fluid Karma
Reviled upon its first release, Richard Kelly's dystopian sci-fi satire SOUTHLAND TALES (2006) has earned a cult following that sees in it a prophetic vision. We wade through the soup of its sounds and images and debate what, if anything,...
11.08.2023
#473 - The Dinosaur Hour
What if Britain's notorious right-wing GB News channel gave fading comedy hero and current "anti-woke" nuisance John Cleese a weekly show to do whatever he wants? Folks... the results may surprise you. We discuss the first few episodes THE DINOSAUR...
11.06.2023
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...
11.06.2023
PREVIEW - #472 - Wine Time Fridays
While the rest of us were locked indoors, Boris Johnson and his staff were enjoying lockdown-era parties. The ensuing scandal helped topple his premiership. We discuss the new TV movie PARTYGATE (2023), and reflect on how the former British Prime...

What's Michael and Us about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Michael and Us episodes:

#519 - Triangle of Badness

#518 - The Devil, Probably

PREVIEW - #517 - The Civil War Episode

#516 - Embrace the Fire (w/ Alex Shephard)

UNLOCKED - #492 - The Eddie Anderson Story

PREVIEW - #515 - Escape from the Dinosaur Hour

#514 - Sit Down, Sit Down

PREVIEW - #513 - The Parallax View

PREVIEW - #512 - Walking Tall Speed Run

#511 - All the President's Hot Dogs

PREVIEW - #510 - 2017-core

#509 - Kung Fu Bicycles

PREVIEW - #508 - Spice World

#507 - Fresh Prince of Persia

PREVIEW - #506 - Merchant Prince

#505 - The Party's Over

PREVIEW - #504 - Requiem for a Monoculture

#503 - Suggested by Certain Events

PREVIEW - #502 - A Rainy Day in Insectopia

#501 - An Irreverent Tendency

PREVIEW - #500 - The 500th Episode

#499 - Terminally Unfunny

#498 - Eat the Rich

PREVIEW - #497 - Oxbridge Blues

PREVIEW - #496 - An Autumn Afternoon

#495 - Adaptation

PREVIEW - #494 - Joke Save America

#493 - The Inevitable Barbie Episode

PREVIEW - #492 - The Eddie Anderson Story

#491 - Stone Dead (w/ Jack Frayne-Reid)

PREVIEW - #490 - Grindset Wonka

#489 - Meet Me in Helsinki

PREVIEW - #488 - The Fourth Annual Michael & Us Year-in-Review Extravaganza

#487 - We Invented Chill!

PREVIEW - #486 - Dream Story

#485 - Gun Kata

PREVIEW - #484 - Farewell Andy Borowitz

#483 - A Whiff of Grapeshot

PREVIEW - #482 - A Smorgasbord of Violence

#481 - Ratings War

PREVIEW - #480 - Writers' Room

#479 - A Prurient Interest

#478 - Killers of the Flower Moon

PREVIEW - #477 - Guys Being Dudes

PREVIEW - #476 - Of Mice and Men

#475 - I Just Don't Think About It

PREVIEW - #474 - Fluid Karma

#473 - The Dinosaur Hour

PREVIEW - Confessions of a McKinsey Consultant (w/ Garrison Lovely)

PREVIEW - #472 - Wine Time Fridays