In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watch “Toys,” a largely-forgotten fantasy-comedy film from director Barry Levinson. Despite its myriad flaws, the boys have a productive conversation about the film’s obvious themes — the military-industrial complex and the rise of remote and drone warfare — and its less obvious themes, specifically the bourgeois vision of family capitalism and industrial harmony at the heart of the film.

“Toys” is virtually impossible to watch if you don’t have a physical disc, but there is a low-quality version available to stream here.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

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John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

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We are concluding our Graham Greene series with an obscure spy drama from director Otto Preminger, the 1979 film "The Human Factor." It is of a piece with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and to that point, Jamelle and John spend this episode discussing the connections between the two works and the similarities (and differences) between how Le Carre and Greene view betrayal and deception.

"The Human Factor" is pretty good — Preminger was a master — so we both recommend that you check it out. It's available to view for rent on iTunes and Amazon Prime.

To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Unclear and Present Patreon and get access to our show on the films (and television) of the Cold War, as well a monthly entry into a movie raffle, and whatever else we can think of.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

In this week’s episode, Jamelle and John watch Disney’s “The Rocketeer,” a throwback action-adventure film starring Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino and Timothy Dalton. They discuss the 1930s revival of the late 80s and early 90s, the real-life conspiracies that might have inspired the plot of “The Rocketeer,” and the political power of nostalgia for Americans on the left and the right.

Episodes come out every other Friday, so we’ll see you two weeks from now with the 1992 film “Toys”" directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams. “Toys”" is basically impossible to find, so don’t worry about watching this one!

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

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John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

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And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

In this week’s episode, Jamelle and John discuss “Without Warning,” a made-for-television science fiction film from 1994, produced as if it were an actual breaking news event, with “reports” from on-the-ground correspondents from around the world. They discuss the inspiration for this “docudrama” genre as well as the general wave of “asteroid attack” films in the 1990s. They also talk the psychology behind the idea that a global disaster would bring humanity together (under American leadership, of course).

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

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John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

UnclearPod

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

We’ll see you in two weeks with “The Rocketeer,” a science-fiction adventure film from 1991, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly. It’s available to rent on Amazon and iTunes and available on Disney Plus.

New Episode

This week, Jamelle and John are joined by historian Gillet Rosenblith to discuss the 1994 action thriller “Surviving the Game,” a loose adaptation of “The Most Dangerous Game” and a glimpse into anxieties and fears regarding poverty, homelessness and urban decay in the 1990s. They also discuss other, similar films of the era, like John Woo’s “Hard Target,” and they discuss further what distinguishes the action movies of the 1990s from their predecessors in the 70s and 80s.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

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John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

UnclearPod

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

Happy New Year! In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, we watch “The Puppet Masters,” an adaptation of a 1951 Robert Heinlein novel that feels aimless in the absence of the original Cold War context. Jamelle and John discuss, among other things, the “Body Snatcher” genre, science fiction as a vehicle for allegory, and the war on drugs.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

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John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

UnclearPod

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

What do you get when you mix Boston, bad accents and a lot of explosions? The 1994 thriller “Blown Away” starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones! Jamelle and John are joined by Clare Malone of The New Yorker to talk Irish-American identity, Irish nationalism, the racial politics of Boston and much, much more.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

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John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

UnclearPod

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

Hello listeners! This on the Patreon week we continued our journey into the work of Graham Greene and Carol Reed with the 1949 British noir “The Third Man.” It suffices to say that this is one of the most famous and acclaimed movies of all time, so Jamelle and John had a lot to say about its production, its writing and its themes. They also spoke a great deal about Orson Welles, the politics of postwar Europe, existentialism, and the career of star Joseph Cotten.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Unclear and Present Patreon and get access to our show on the films (and television) of the Cold War, as well special mailbag episodes, monthly entry into a movie raffle, and whatever else we can think of.

In this week’s episode, Jamelle and John scrape the bottom of the cinematic barrel with the 1994 environmentalist action flick, “On Deadly Ground,” directed by and starring Steven Seagall. It’s not a good movie, but they had a good conversation covering Seagall’s political trajectory, right-wing misogyny, and the psychological origins of authoritarian politics.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

Contact us!

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John Ganz

Jamelle Bouie

UnclearPod

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

Links from the episode!

New York Times front-page for February 18, 1994

A Variety review of “On Deadly Ground”

Siskel and Ebert review “On Deadly Ground”

Next week, Jamelle and John will be joined by The New Yorker’s Clare Malone to discuss “Blown Away” with Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones.

For this week’s Patreon episode, Jamelle and John cover the 1959 film “Our Man in Havana,” an adaptation of a 1958 Graham Greene novel by the same name. We talk Graham Greene, director Carol Reed, and Alec Guinness, the star, as well as esoteric topics like motivated reasoning, the nature of intelligence work, and the power and peril of propaganda. We also, as always, looked at the news for the day the film was released, December 30, 1959.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Unclear and Present Patreon and get access to our show on the films (and television) of the Cold War, as well special mailbag episodes, monthly entry into a movie raffle, and whatever else we can think of.