Michael and Us

Singer. Filmmaker. Talk show host. Energy drink mogul. His name is Frank D'Angelo, and his new movie is the mind-melting cops-and-criminals saga MAKING A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL (2019). Direct from the world premiere, Will & Luke report on the newest offering from one of Canada's most distinctive public figures.

PATREON EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/27616625

What if the guy who ate McDonald's for 30 days in SUPER SIZE ME tried to capture Osama Bin Laden? That's the ridiculous gimmick at the heart of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN (2008), a little-loved documentary by the now-disgraced Morgan Spurlock. We injected this ghastly relic of the Bush era straight into our veins. PLUS: we discuss the radical history of Canadian socialist icon Tommy Douglas, and Will reveals how he altered Morgan Spurlock's legacy forever.

Before Brexit, before the "chicken coup," and before Labour's surprising showing in the 2017 British election, newly-minted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gave Vice Media unusual access for their short documentary "Jeremy Corbyn: The Outsider." This 2016 time-capsule gives us opportunity to consider where the left-wing leader came from, how he got there, how he's still here, and where he might be going. PLUS: we riff on some listener mail, and discuss Toronto's hottest new gentrifier!

"Jeremy Corbyn: The Outsider" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94ptAcbfKP0

PATREON EXCLUSIVE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/27271114

Can satire save the republic? Saturday Night Live certainly didn't when they invited then-candidate Donald Trump to host in the fall of 2015. We finally explore one of the pillars of American comedy by examining one of its all-time worst episodes. PLUS: the reactionary politics of one of Britain's best-loved citizens!

In the early 20th century, artists tried to grapple with the trauma of World War I, while regimes in the Soviet Union and Germany sought to use art as a tool of power. Legendary art critic Robert Hughes surveyed dadaism, expressionism, futurism, and the Russian avant-garde in his 1980 BBC documentary series SHOCK OF THE NEW. We ask the age-old question, "Can art inspire social/political change?"... and also ask: "Should it even try?" PLUS: the hosts grapple with the divide between high and low culture, and Luke shares his love of Star Trek.

PATREON EXCLUSIVE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/102-state-of-26935300

We discuss THE ONION MOVIE (2008) was an ill-starred attempt to adapt the beloved satirical newspaper to the big screen. PLUS: "Diamond" Joe Biden, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and the early days of one of Toronto's best-known personalities.

In the middle of the Obama era, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim made a comedy about how our world is a dystopia. America was not ready for TIM AND ERIC'S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE (2012), but seven years later, it's starting to look like one of the key films of the decade. We discuss shopping-mall culture, irony, and horrifying tales from working in a call centre.

"Decker" by Nick Pinkerton - https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/bombast-decker/

"Vic Berger Presents Jim Bakker's Buckets" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOH37W0jPpA

We toast to 100 episodes by revisiting the movie that started it all. That's right, folks - let's take another journey on Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising tour.

PREMIUM EPISODE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100-slacker-26583236

The year is 2008. The U.S. presidential election is tied. And the tiebreaking vote comes down to one less-than-average man. That's the ridiculous premise of Kevin Costner's nonpartisan political satire SWING VOTE (2008). PLUS: Mayor Pete, celebs v. bloggers, and the place of the hoi polloi in politics. It's our Unwashed Masses Spectacular!

We dive into what the New York Times has called "the Intellectual Dark Web" by focusing on one of its leading lights: Dave Rubin. We enlist Michael Brooks (host of "The Michael Brooks Show" and contributor to "The Majority Report") to help contextualise Rubin in the continuum of online right-wing commentators.

FULL EPISODE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26221174