Michael and Us

What is "good" conservative art? And does it even matter when the result is a movie that turned Chris Kyle into a right-wing saint? Will and Luke welcome writer John Semley to discuss the complicated artistry of Clint Eastwood. Plus: the lads discuss superstar billionaire Elon Musk and Canada's most visible public intellectual.

John Semley on Clint Eastwood -

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/understanding-the-art-and-politics-of-clinteastwood/article37767417/

"Democratize the Universe" - https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/03/space-industry-extraction-levine

MICHAEL AND US travels east to examine China's most popular political artist, Jackie Chan. Will and Luke watch his Beijing-approved propaganda film CHINESE ZODIAC (2012), about a treasure-hunter who repatriates stolen antiques.

"Jackie Chan: The Anti-Ai Weiwei," by Will Sloan - https://hazlitt.net/feature/jackie-chan-anti-ai-weiwei

The Important Cinema Club on Jackie Chan - https://soundcloud.com/the-important-cinema-club/100-the-jackie-chan-spectacular

What if Jon Stewart became Bulworth, but was played by Robin Williams? We excavated Barry Levinson's nonpartisan satire MAN OF THE YEAR (2006) from its Bush-era grave.

Luke's article "The Curse of Bipartisanship" for Current Affairs - https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/01/the-curse-of-bipartisanship

The hosts take a break from cinema to enjoy 90 minutes of spirited debate with two great candidates! Travel back to 2004 to revisit the beating heart of the MICHAEL & US cosmos: the first presidential debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry.

He was voted the seventh-greatest Canadian in a poll by the CBC. He is one of Canada's most beloved broadcasters. He is godawful. In the long-promised second part of their Canada 150 celebration, Will and Luke consider the legacy of Don Cherry and watch the 2012 made-for-TV biopic WRATH OF GRAPES: THE DON CHERRY STORY II.

In summer 2017, a fresh-faced socialist MP by the name of Jeremy Corbyn shocked the world by overcoming intra-party hostility to snatch away Theresa May's foreordained parliamentary majority. The BBC documentary LABOUR - THE SUMMER THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING winds up being both a chronicle of a surprising election and a meta-commentary on the media's role in politics.

The hosts revisit the 2006 documentary RALPH NADER: AN UNREASONABLE MAN in a post-Bernie Sanders world and discuss the virtues and limitations of Nader's 2000 presidential campaign. They also ponder the question: did Nader cost Gore the 2000 election? (Answer: no)

"Why Bernie Sanders was right to run as a Democrat," a Washington Post op-ed by Nader - https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/03/25/ralph-nader-why-bernie-sanders-was-right-to-run-as-a-democrat/

Joseph Uranowski's MICHAEL & US Bingo Sheet - now sweeping the nation! - https://twitter.com/Uranowski/status/925844903816556546

Our heroes revisit the impossibly candid 2016 documentary WEINER and ask: how did Anthony Weiner flame out while Donald Trump survived?

Past guest Alex Ross returns to the podcast to discuss the "1984" of the Bush era, V FOR VENDETTA. Plus: our heroes analyze the McDonalds/Szechuan sauce controversy

In the waning days of the Reagan administration, it took "Rowdy" Roddy Piper to expose the rot at the heart of America. Will and Luke welcome back Film Comment's Violet Lucca to discuss John Carpenter's left-wing exploitation classic THEY LIVE (1988). Plus: Will describes his adventure seeing Michael Moore's THE TERMS OF MY SURRENDER on Broadway. And it all leads to a freewheeling discussion about left-wing criticism and corporate culture.