Michael and Us

In a distant future, a privileged ruling class lives in a city fuelled by an invisible army of workers who toil in barbaric conditions. Yes, this is the far-fetched scenario of one of the most iconic science-fiction films of all time, Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS (1927). We finally discuss the most famous of all Weimer-era movies, and debate whether or not the mediator between the head and the hand really is the heart.

WATCH METROPOLIS IN FULL HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBnMCAIuQg&ab_channel=SupremeOverlord

LINK TO EPISODE #149: FROM CALIGARI TO HITLER (NOW UNLOCKED): https://www.patreon.com/posts/149-from-to-36101522

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/73759807

We discuss the chaotic state of British politics and the sudden end of the 44-day Liz Truss era; Alexandra Pelosi's surprise role in the January 6 hearings; and the very cheap pro-Donald Trump documentary TRUMPOCALYPSE NOW! (2017), another winner from Trump vs. the Illuminati director B.C. Fourteen.

We discuss death, bureaucracy, and postwar Japan in Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece IKURU (1952). PLUS: Everything you always wanted to know about Toronto's political culture (and upcoming municipal election) but were afraid to ask!

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/73406324

In this breezy and chill episode, your hosts compare notes on the craft of writing before getting into the most important topic of our times: a direct-to-streaming oddity called TRUMP VS. THE ILLUMINATI (2020). Cohost Will bravely watched this mysterious 69-minute movie on Tubi and is here to tell the tale.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/73169180

In one of the most popular documentaries of the Michael Moore era, Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald's for 30 days. We revisit SUPER SIZE ME (2004) and found - you guessed it! - a relic from a distinctly 2004 era of American liberalism.

In 2015, three American armed forces vets foiled an attack on a train to Paris. Three years later, Clint Eastwood enlisted the boys to re-enact their experience in a major motion picture. The result, THE 15:17 TO PARIS (2018), is a genuinely strange docu-fiction experiment that, yes, has a lot to say about America.

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

PATREON EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/370-world-of-72907776

At long last, we have an extended discussion of a film by Wes Anderson. We discuss Anderson's political vision (or lack thereof) via one of his best films, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2013), and ask the question: What is Anderson nostalgic for?

The new documentary series UNPRECEDENTED (2022) seeks to offer an unfiltered look at the Trump family in the weeks before the 2020 election and the January 6 riot. We discuss how its thickets of editorial commentary obscure a potentially compelling look into America's former first family, and then have a laugh reading from Trump Jr's debut book "Triggered."

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

PATREON EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/368-we-can-it-72470448

Our latest Superdelegate winner is Paul Verhoeven's demented blockbuster TOTAL RECALL (1990). We "get our asses to Mars" and discuss the film's future dystopia while also occasionally slipping into involuntary Arnold impressions.

Libertarian magicians Penn & Teller turn their gaze to the art world in TIM'S VERMEER (2013), a documentary that attempts to prove that, with just the right set of tools and a lot of money, one wealthy entrepreneur can paint a Vermeer. We discuss the bleak, empty void that is Penn & Teller's view of art.

See Luke at the Toronto International Festival of Authors on September 27 - https://festivalofauthors.ca/event/critical-conversation-new-working-class/

Check out Luke's book "The Dead Center" - https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/