On our Patreon, we will be discussing the full run of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. This is the first episode.Join us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandusLuke Savage and Will Sloan, Jacobin

Hot on the heels of our magisterial Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip project, we return to the Aaron Sorkin mines with the Sorkiest Sorkin show that ever Sorked. We begin our deep dive into THE NEWSROOM with the pilot episode, "We Just Decided To."PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/119311355…

From Hyde Park on Hudson to Deadpool and Wolverine ... from the corridors around Studio 60 to the streets of Braddock, Pennsylvania ... we bid farewell to 2024 with one last look back at some of the most (and least) memorable things we discussed this year.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/585-fifth-annual-118912478…

With a biopic about Bob Dylan about to reach screens, we examined the last time that the Voice Of His Generation attempted to translate his songwriting style to cinema. MASKED AND ANONYMOUS (2003) finds Dylan working through his ambivalent feelings about politics, while also struggling to keep up with a hilariously overqualified cast.Join us on Pat…

The filmmaker who coined the term "ecstatic truth" becomes the subject of a memorable docu-fiction hybrid in INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS (2004), in which Werner Herzog joins forces with Hollywood screenwriter Zak Penn to create a hoax involving the Loch Ness Monster. PLUS: Are these the last days of the Justin Trudeau government?PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE…

In the latest instalment of the God's Not Dead franchise, Pastor Dave answers a different kind of calling, and takes aim at the barrier between Church and State. We welcome back our friend Alex Shephard, staff writer at The New Republic, to discuss GOD'S NOT DEAD: IN GOD WE TRUST (2024).Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://w…

We all know that WWE founder and ex-CEO Vince McMahon shared a long friendship with Donald Trump, and would you believe that the two men share some stuff in common? We discuss the new Netflix documentary series MR. MCMAHON (2024), an exhaustive chronicle of a man whose "Allegations" tab on Wikipedia could fill a library.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - …

With the failed coup in South Korea still fresh in our memories, we looked at Bong Joon-ho's breakthrough film MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003), a procedural set against the backdrop of martial law. PLUS: From South Korea to France to the streets of Manhattan, the vibes are, shall we say, off.Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://ww…

The story goes that the flower-power generation abruptly ended when the Rolling Stones held a free concert at the Altamont Speedway that went disastrously wrong. We revisited GIMME SHELTER (1970) to interrogate the myth.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/117294338Luke Savage and Will Sloan, Jacobin

The Canadian documentary FINAL OFFER (1985) captures the contentious negotiations between General Motors and the Canadian wing of the United Auto Workers Union. We consider the conditions that allowed a the union triumph against the backdrop of Reagan/Mulroney-era austerity. PLUS: Taking the temperature on Canada's economic "vibe-cession," and what…

While Nicaragua was being ravaged by Reagan, Alex Cox used Hollywood money to make a sharp satire of American imperialism. The result, WALKER (1987), may have killed his career... but what a way to go! PLUS: Roger Ebert as the ür-liberal critic.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/116728650…

With America suddenly lurching to the right on immigration, we checked to see where one prominent Democrat documentarian stood circa 2011. In CITIZEN USA: A 50 STATE ROAD TRIP (2011), our old friend Alexandra Pelosi travels to all 50 states, flattening all of them into the same paste. PLUS: Andy Warhol, Paul/Tyson, and the real legacy of Obama's 20…

A rural village braces itself for development from the big city in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (2024), a beautiful movie that rhymed with certain things we've been feeling lately about democracy, capitalism, freedom, and community. PLUS: We parse Toronto Life's list of the 50 most influential Torontonians of 2024, and explore the exciti…

A month before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, CNN aired a hagiographic documentary about one of the masterminds of the last 30 years of American politics. In the aftermath of a disastrous election for Democrats, we watch CARVILLE: WINNING IS EVERYTHING, STUPID! (2024) to learn how the Beltway was thinking about itself before everything came c…

For over 50 years, documentary filmmaker Tony Buba has chronicled the decline - but also the people, places, and everyday poetry - of his hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Recently we watched his best-known film, LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK: A RUSTBOWL FANTASY (1988), and fell in love with it. Today, we're pleased to welcome Buba on the show to discu…

Oh lord almighty, when will we be rid of this man? Apparently not for another four years at least. We ring in the latest chapter of this neverending "Trump Era" with the new biopic/origin story THE APPRENTICE (2024).Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus"This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Par…

On the day of the United States presidential election, let's look back at The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetimes. That's right, we're talking about 2004. We were happy to join the boys at Remember Shuffle to discuss all things Bush v. Kerry and the only presidential election since 1988 in which a Republican candidate won the popular vote. Now…

With a dreary United States presidential election covering every surface, we search for some solace in politics from the past. Early in the Thatcher era in 1981, the beloved left-wing Labour MP Tony Benn launched a populist campaign to become his party's deputy leader, and almost won. We watch a documentary from the period, BENN'S BANDWAGON (1981),…

We return to one of our perennial favourite topics, THE SIMPSONS, to consider two episodes from very different eras of its run: the legendary Season 4 banger "Kamp Krusty," and the hot-off-the-presses Season 36 ep "The Yellow Lotus." Which one earns our coveted Krusty Brand Seal of Approval? PLUS: We mark the passing of a Canadian broadcasting "pio…

Is Andrei Tarkovsky's STALKER (1979) about the Soviet Russia in which it was made? And if not, then where exactly is "The Zone"? We wade into one of the most forbidding cinematic objects of all time, but realize that the answer is only ever found within. PLUS: Justin Trudeau is historically unpopular - so why hasn't he stepped down?Join us on Patre…

We were told my our Superdelegate patron tier that the direct-to-video sequel BRING IT ON: ALL OR NOTHING (2006) was a potent 2006 time capsule. Friends... they were right. PLUS: Al Pacino's finances, the fall of the Soviet Empire, and the sad tale of Victor J. Kemper.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/568-not-another-1145999…

Five years after Joker because an era-defining cultural phenomenon, its sequel, JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX (2024), is the biggest flop of the year. We sifted through the wreckage to find a purposely abrasive object, and are split on its effectiveness.Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/c/michaelandusTORONTO - See L…

Is crime a disease? And have we possibly found the cure? We're always up for a right-wing action movie on this podcast, so it was about time we got to the irresistible Sylvester Stallone vehicle COBRA (1986).Luke Savage and Will Sloan, Jacobin

First, Will reports on visiting that most American of landmarks, Graceland. Then, we take the temperature of the U.S. presidential election in its waning days, and learn some interesting facts about the "Canadian Victims of Communism" memorial. Finally, we discuss I'M FROM HOLLYWOOD (1989), a documentary about one of the greatest pieces of performa…

The new Netflix documentary WHAT'S NEXT: THE FUTURE WITH BILL GATES (2024) positions the Microsoft founder as "one of the good billionaires." But what are the limits to his brand of philanthropy? And how neutral and objective are these documentaries on the big streaming platforms? Luke welcomes Tim Schwab (author of The Bill Gates Problem: Reckonin…

In the exciting conclusion of our discussion of David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001), Betty becomes Diane and fantasy merges with reality... or perhaps "reality" and "fantasy" are never whole extricable?PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/563-mulholland-2-113260819Luke Savage and Will Sloan, Jacobin

Movies can transport us to strange and wonderful dreamworld, including a world where a UK Prime Minister faces real risk of arrest from the International Court of Justice. From director Roman Polanski comes the greatest movie ever made about pesky extradition treaties: THE GHOST WRITER (2010).Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week: http…

Hollywood produces dreams on an industrial scale, but it also feeds our own dreams back to us. And no movie has ever understood Hollywood better than David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001). In the first of a two-part discussion, we dissect David Lynch's masterpiece. PLUS: The hallmarks of bad conservative, left-wing, and liberal writing, as seen thr…

First we saw him bring whimsy to the medical sector in Patch Adams... then we saw him make the army wacky in Good Morning Vietnam... now, we reach the conclusion of our "Robin Williams Trilogy" by going back to his mightiest-ever battle against the forces of fuddy-duddiness: DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989). PLUS: A spectre is haunting Europe... the spect…

What if we appified death? What if we commodified grieving? In David Cronenberg's new film THE SHROUDS (2024), entrepreneurialism comes for the hereafter. PLUS: Reflections on the Trump-Harris debate.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/559-dead-and-it-112172037Luke Savage and Will Sloan, Jacobin

Is it ethical for a journalist to also act as a spy for a foreign government? We consider the far-fetched claims of one of Canada's worst journalists, Adam Zivo. PLUS: In this very special episode, we catch up on some news items of Canadian interest, including the declining polling for Justin Trudeau's liberals, and the rising number of far-right C…

Our Superdelegate patron tier voted for us to discuss GARDEN STATE (2004), a millennial touchstone that may or may not have "aged well." We discuss Manic Pixie Dream Girls, whether or not the Shins are "cringe," and our own lost youths.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/111698763…

What if a movie about a corporate merger became the most popular movie of the year? Friends, you don't have to imagine it. We discuss DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (2024) and ponder the question that Vulture asked: "Is Shawn Levy the Future of Populist Filmmaking?"Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus…

At long last, we tackle the question: What, exactly, is love? Will welcomes his old j-school colleague Russ Finkelstein to discuss his documentary LOOKING FOR LOVE (2018), which offers a hair-raising glimpse into the wild world of "international marriage agencies" that connect heartsick American men with women from the Global South. PLUS: Russ shar…

We finally reach the GRAND FINALE of our STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP odyssey, arriving at Episode 22, "What Kind of Day Has It Been"... but we're left with more questions than answers. Folks... what ever happened to the Macau Deal???PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/554-studio-sucky-110898593…

A Democratic National Convention takes place against a backdrop of protests against American imperial atrocities overseas... that's right, we're travelling back in time to 1968 with Haskell Wexler's MEDIUM COOL (1969). PLUS: So, have you heard about the DNC?Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus"Th…

Whenever we need a pick-me-up, we return to one of our favourite topics: THE DINOSAUR HOUR, John Cleese's baffling chat show for Britain's right-wing GB News network. In the two episodes we watched today, Cleese opines on creativity, then welcomes his good friend Rob Schneider (!) for an agonizing hourlong chat. PLUS: What happens to the Republican…

During the 2012 election cycle, Pauly Shore went to Washington to take the temperature on American and Her Problems. His resulting comedy special, PAULY SHORE'S PAULY-TICS (2012), accidentally foreshadows some of the bad vibes of the years to come. PLUS: We chart one Oscar blogger's evolution from #StillWithHer to MAGA.Join us on Patreon for an ext…

In the penultimate episode of STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, "K&R Part 3," Aaron Sorkin wrestles with the memory of Bill Maher being cancelled after 9/11, and asks why a just and merciful god even needs you to pray to Him. Aaron Sorkin is saving some of his best stuff for last! PLUS: Checking in on the God's Not Dead franchise and the comedy career…

Tony Buba chronicled the decline of his hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania in a series of acclaimed documentaries that elevated him to national notoriety. But in the extraordinary documentary/fiction hybrid LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK: A RUST BOWL FANTASY (1988), he asks what it means when his success is tied to so many people's poverty.Tony Buba's fil…

As STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP continues its slow descent, Aaron Sorkin continues to drift away from TV sketch-comedy and back to what he knows. Episode 20, "K&R Part 2," sees the gang lashing out at journalism while also making a tortured defense of... the White House Press Secretary?PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/548-…

In Barry Levinson and David Mamet's WAG THE DOG (1997), a political spin-doctor teams with a movie producer to fake a war and save an incumbent president. You've heard of manufacturing consent, but to what extent can Hollywood and Washington manufacture reality? We're joined by Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison of the American Prestige podcast to di…

Tom's brother is still held hostage in Afghanistan, Jordan is still in the hospital, and Matt & Harriet are still arguing about religion in episode 19 of STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, "K&R Part 1." But this is all a mere appetizer to us FINALLY getting around to reading Aaron Sorkin's instantly-legendary op-ed about how the Democrats should run Mi…

It's a politics-only episode, because we've got a big subject: it's time to say goodbye to your favorite American president, Joe Biden. We welcome back Branko Marcetic to tally #46's success and failures, and do a vibe-check on the Democratic Party following the ouster of its standard-bearer. PLUS: Branko reports on the Republican National Conventi…

Banned in 16 countries! So sickening it can only be real! In this special documentary episode Will goes on a journey through the history of the Mondo movie, from MONDO CANE to FACES OF DEATH and beyond.PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/544-history-of-108683201Luke Savage and Will Sloan, Jacobin

In 2005, the Clinton family's own foundation created a DVD compilation of times when Bill and Hillary brought the funny. We discuss A TIME TO LAUGH: THE CLINTONS' HUMOR (2005), and glean a little bit of insight into how the former First Family view themselves. PLUS: From an assassination attempt of the former U.S. president to a coup attempt on the…

What do you do when you're stuck in that limbo period before your poorly-rated show has been cancelled? For Aaron Sorkin, you work through your feelings in your art. This week we discuss Episode 18 of STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, "Breaking News."PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/542-studio-sucky-108277667…

Social media has been full of smiling genocidiers lately, so it's a good time to revisit THE ACT OF KILLING (2012). Joshua Oppenheimer's experimental documentary about the legacy of the Indonesian mass killings asks: What would it take to prick a mass murderer's conscience? And how does violence linger in the human soul? PLUS: So, have you heard ab…

In Akira Kurosawa's KAGEMUSHA (1980), a lowly thief is recruited to impersonate a feudal warlord, and he almost gets away with it. This mighty epic gives us opportunity to ponder the role of illusion in maintaining power, and whether or not a lie will always be exposed. PLUS: Recapping the U.K. election, and hey, have you heard about this Joe Biden…

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF OUR ONGOING "STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP" SERIES ON PATREON - Join us there for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandusIt's Studio 60 vs the unions in Episode 17 ("The Disaster Show") of Aaron Sorkin's STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP. We're pleased to welcome Will Menaker (of Chapo Trap House and Mov…