Michael and Us

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 CNN reporters are Davids against the Goliaths that are establishment media... and the Iraqi security state. We discuss a mind-bogglingly awful piece of American propaganda from the Bush era.

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Richard Seymour on CNN and Iraq - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELrGcK6XInE&ab_channel=TeleSUREnglish

Luke's interview with Tantoo Cardinal - https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/youve-got-to-crash-a-door-and-fail-and-get-back-up-canadas-most-recognizable/article_729f94ea-8ec2-11ee-843c-733c6d38c787.html

Luke's review of Werner Herzog's memoir - https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/werner-herzogs-new-memoir-is-as-complicated-and-fascinating-as-the-filmmaker-himself/article_92daad66-8ed7-11ee-9628-9345052d7cc2.html

Will's new zine, "The Journal of Stoogeological Studies" - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPM5JBPB

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 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/94066645

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 revelation from her past. We discuss Michael Lindsay-Hogg's RUNNING MATES (1992), a movie that emerged straight from the primordial ooze of the 1992 election cycle.

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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 which the architect of a Native American genocide finds an easy pawn in one of the lowest-IQ protagonists in movie history.

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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 out. PLUS: The boys come to blows over Ridley Scott (sort of).

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/93531453

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

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: Luke will be in Windsor to promote his new book Seeking Social Democracy. See him Sunday, November 19 at 5pm at Biblioasis Bookshop: https://biblioasisbookshop.com/events

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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, this collection of late-Bush-era sounds and images is saying. This one has been a long time coming, folks!

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/474-fluid-karma-92647940

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 HOUR, the Monty Python legend's baffling new show. PLUS: Checking in on the Doug Burgum and Chris Christie campaign juggernauts.

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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 notorious — management consulting firm.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-of-w-91914451