Michael and Us

A socially-conscious East Coast playwright gets a taste of Hollywood in BARTON FINK (1991). We discuss Barton, Madman Mundt, and "the common man." PLUS: One last check-in on the Canadian election.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/127528125

In this solo documentary episode, Will considers the events that led to Charlie Chaplin's political exile from the United States in 1952, and the lessons he offers for the current era of neo-McCarthyism.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/127261077

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 Will Not Survive Late Capitalism — And Harry and Meghan Are Proof" by Luke Savage - https://jacobin.com/2021/03/british-monarchy-neoliberal-age-prince-harry-meghan-markle

In LONDON HAS FALLEN (2016), Gerard Butler has to save both the American President AND Great Britain from Middle Eastern terrorists... and ends up killing a lot of people who may or may not be cops! PLUS: Damn, it's a great time to be a Columbia University alum!

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/126894013

Made in the rubble of postwar Japan, RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN (1947) finds Yasujirō Ozu exploring his familiar preoccupations of family and modernity through a different kind of setting. PLUS: Is the Canadian election a done deal?

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

In the summer of 2016, with a guaranteed Hillary Clinton presidency was on the horizon, the Obama Era enjoyed a premature victory-lap with SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU (2016). Seen nine years later, this Sundance drama about the Obamas' first date has, shall we say, aged poorly. PLUS: Did you know that Elon Musk's family has a (very racist) Canadian connection?

PATREON-EXCLUSIV EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/126209063

In 2011, William Shatner directed a documentary where he interviewed all of his fellow Star Trek captains. But the resulting film, THE CAPTAINS (2011), accidentally became the beloved ham's hilarious, revealing, and occasionally moving self-portrait. PLUS: How the Trump tariffs upended Canadian politics.

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

The Newsroom: Season 1 - A Michael & Us Playlist - https://www.patreon.com/collection/1429433

TORONTO: See Will introduce VEERANA at the Fox Theatre on Tuesday, April 8 - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/important-cinema-club-masterpiece-classics-veerana/

In a moment when Canada is under existential threat, we look back on a great Canadian thinker who argued that Our Home and Native Land was already an American colony by the mid-20th century. In this special solo episode, Luke discusses George Grant, a self-described conservative who became an icon for the Canadian left, and his 1965 book "Lament for a Nation"

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/125887028

In the SEASON FINALE of our coverage of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM, we find the show's many threads continuing, if not coalescing, in Episode 10 ("The Greater Fool"). We assess where the show has taken us so far, and assess the good (not much) and the bad (plenty).

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

"The End of Resistance History" by Charlotte E. Rosen - https://proteanmag.com/2025/01/20/the-end-of-resistance-history/

What if presidential candidates had to submit to a REAL debate with REAL questions? What if they had to face the most hectoring moderator of all tie? In episode 9 of THE NEWSROOM ("The Blackout Part II: Mock Debate"), Will McAvoy tests out that very idea.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/125384007