Michael and Us

Luke tests out the APPLE VISION PRO and it leads us on a long discussion of the many ills (and even some of the upsides) of our emerging techno pseudo-utopia. PLUS: On the return of Sacha Baron Cohen, and on the coming Toronto mayoral election. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus TORONTO: See Luke in conversation with Matt McManus on "What Is Liber...

At long last, we discuss one of the most popular American liberal Zionist movies of all time, Adam Sandler's YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (2008)... and discover a movie that is actually about leaving Israel behind! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/752-dont-mess-173188694

After a run of highbrow content, we're right back in the muck! We treated ourselves to the ridiculous Christian hostage thriller FORGIVEN (2016), starring Kevin Sorbo as a police negotiator dealing with a kidnapping at a church. PLUS: The hosts disagree sharply over whether or not Shane Gillis is worth talking about. Watch FORGIVEN if you dare - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKzNTNlUrEw Join us...

In the early 1970s, Japanese New Wave auteur Masao Adachi travelled to Lebanon, joined the Japanese Red Army, and chronicled the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in his film RED ARMY/PLFO: DECLARATION OF WORLD WAR (1971). And when the PLFO was designated a terrorist organization, Adachi found himself labelled "the terrorist filmmaker," and didn't return to Japan for over 20 years. In...

On public space, the death of cinema, cruising in Taipei, and Tsai Ming-liang's masterpiece GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (2003). PLUS: How many DIGGERs is a CEO payout worth? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus Check out the Michael & Us website and episode guide - https://michael-and-us.com/

With Sylvester Stallone back in the news, we felt it was time to consider a movie that has become not just a consensus classic, but also a piece of American folklore, ROCKY (1976). What does this movie tell us about ourselves? Will, a lifelong Rocky fan, and Luke, who only just saw his first Rocky movie today, try to get some answers. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandu...

Eight years after the start of the Great Recession, and mere months before a certain New York real estate mogul ascended to the presidency, several of Hollywood's most elite liberals made a cinematic response to the financial crisis. We discuss Jodie Foster's MONEY MONSTER (2016), starring George Clooney as Jim Cramer. PLUS: Can monoculture be declining when all of culture is centralized? We ponde...

We continue our patriotic streak by finally tackling one of the true Canadian cultural institutions of our childhoods. In the days of the monoculture, they defined Canadian political satire. And to many, they were a little bit lame. But today we ask: can we reclaim THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FARCE? PLUS: What is "imperialist realism"? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/po...

With Luke returning from a week in the Algonquin wilderness, we discuss another great Canadian outdoorsman, Troy Hurtubise. We discuss the cult documentary PROJECT GRIZZLY (1996), about one man's quixotic journey to create a big metal suit that withstand a bear attack. PLUS: On the right-of-centre politics of the reigning Canadian Liberal government, and a scene report from the Toronto Internation...

Shortly before he was unceremoniously cancelled, Morgan Spurlock (y'all remember him?) directed a documentary about the legendary Simpsons episode "Homer at the Bat." Sort of. We discuss SPRINGFIELD OF DREAMS: THE LEGEND OF HOMER SIMPSON (2017). PLUS: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times in popular cinema - and our financial system is to blame. Join us on Patreon for an extra episod...

We mark the quarter-century anniversary of 9/11 by watching the Adam Sandler film REIGN OVER ME (2007), a movie that proves that there's nothing Hollywood can't turn into grist for the mill. PLUS: Thoughts on the legacy of the late Gloria Steinem. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/743-they-covet-169479427

In 1967, the creator of the modern conservative movement welcomed one of the most beloved comedians of all time to debate whether the world is fundamentally funny or tragic. The results may surprise you. We discuss William F. Buckley vs. Groucho Marx on FIRING LINE. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus Check out the Michael & Us website and episode...

In 2004, the nominees for both American political parties attended the same Ivy League secret society. For years, whispers and conspiracy theories have followed Yale's "Skull & Bones." But whatever goes on in there, it's probably less funny than what's in THE SKULLS (2000). PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/741-gentlemanly-168595662

One of Europe's most revered filmmakers travels to America to make a movie about the times. But instead, he makes a movie out of time. We discuss Michelangelo Antonioni's legendary film maudit, ZABRISKIE POINT (1970) Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus Check out the official Michael & Us website and episode guide - https://michael-and-us.com/ "Anto...

A few years after "hope and change" curdled, HOUSE OF CARDS offered a cynic's guide to the Beltway circa Obama's first term. We finally discuss a cultural phenomenon that reality would soon hopelessly outpace. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus Check out the Michael & Us website and episode guide - https://michael-and-us.com/ "Casual Viewing" by W...

We turn our attention to a bona fide cultural phenomenon and ask: where do Homer's The Odyssey and Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY (2026) intersect and diverge? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/738-odysseus-and-167166546

Like Anderson Cooper before us, we catch up on the news! We discuss the ups and downs of the recent senate primaries in the U.S. PLUS: What do Alex Jones and Goop have in common? And the unlikely story of the world's greatest Jerry Lewis impersonator. TORONTO: Join us at the Toronto premiere of CHUNKS on September 1 at the Paradise Theatre. We will be participating in an onstage discussion with Am...

When the financial crisis hit and Americans were losing their homes, one movie had the courage to suggest: have you considered going to community college and dating Julia Roberts? We discuss LARRY CROWNE (2011), a rare directorial offering from Tom Hanks. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/736-larry-crowne-166250639

Did you know that a private, monopolistic, unaccountable, and socially conservative organization has free reign to define the limits of artistic expression in the United States? We discuss Kirby Dick's expose of the MPAA and its ratings system, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED (2006), and how (and how not to) combat censorship. PLUS: Ebeneezer, the original bad-boy of Tinseltown, is back. Join us on Pat...

To sustain the illusion of America, you need to compartmentalize or deny a lot of violence. We discuss David Cronenberg's existentialist masterpiece A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005). PLUS: We mark the passing of the so-called "Godfather of the New Right," Jim Goad. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus Check out the Michael & Us website and episode guide...

So beyond being the famous turtleneck guy, what exactly did Steve Jobs do during his long tenure at Apple? According to Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle's STEVE JOBS (2015), he did... everything and nothing. We discuss a Great Man biopic from a writer who truly believes in Great Men. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/732-bicycle-for-164653829

From back in an era when Ricky Gervais was widely considered funny, he cashed all his chips on a New Atheism-themed studio comedy built around an incoherent premise. We dig up THE INVENTION OF LYING (2009) just to bury it again. PLUS: Reporting from the smoky-aired hellscape that is Southwestern Ontario. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus Check ou...

Jacques Tati rebuilt Paris from the ground up - and bankrupted himself in the process - to make his masterpiece PLAYTIME (1967), a gentle satire of ultra-modern postwar France that has a certain affection for what it's satirizing. We discuss the film that couldn't quite kill Monsieur Hulot. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/730-malaise-of-164033227

Like 'em or not, Angel Studios have emerged as the only explicitly right-of-centre movie company that knows what movies look like. But does their new historical drama YOUNG WASHINGTON (2026) meet that minimum standard of quality? We marked America's 250th birthday by heading to our local multiplex and hanging out with a Founding Father. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://...

The very same year as Parasite, one of Hollywood's most accomplished filmmakers tried to take on the corrupt financial system, with less-than-spectacular results. We discuss Steven Soderbergh's answer to the Panama Papers scandal, THE LAUNDROMAT (2019). Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://patreon.com/michaelandus Check out the Michael & Us website and database - https://mi...