A Christian boy goes up against his sinister atheist philosophy teacher (played by Kevin Sorbo!) in GOD'S NOT DEAD (2014), one of the biggest Evangelical blockbusters of all time. Luke and guest host Alex Shephard discuss the film's tone-deaf depiction of academia and its particular streak of right-wing sadism. PLUS: What's next for Tucker Carlson? And is there any life at all in the ol' Ron DeSantis?

Watch the whole damn movie for free on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ek2LEoSut0&ab_channel=Se%C3%B1iorFroggy

"Tucker Carlson Has Already Lost His War With Fox News" by Alex Shephard - https://newrepublic.com/article/172274/tucker-carlson-twitter-video-lost-war-fox-news

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Michael and Us

#424 - Know Thyself (w/ Alex Shephard)

Donald Trump has said repeatedly that Billy Wilder's SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) is one of his favorite movies. We revisit one of Hollywood's enduring classics and try to figure out if the current president identifies more with Norma Desmond or Joe Gillis. PLUS: Are we entering the worst season for political memoirs of all time?

"President Trump isn’t happy about the Oscar for ‘Parasite.’ What movies does he like?" by Josh Rottenberg - https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-02-21/president-trump-favorite-movies-parasite-oscar

"The Worst Campaign Book Season of All Time Is Here" by Katherine Krueger - https://www.discourseblog.com/p/the-worst-campaign-book-season-of

#644 - Her Celluloid Self

In WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025), Ice Cube stars as a Homeland Security analyst who uncovers a Deep State surveillance plot AND foils an alien invasion - all without ever leaving his Zoom window. We watched the certified Bad Movie that's sweeping the nation.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Luke's substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/

Come see Will will at one of the stops on his book tour:

LOS ANGELES - August 30, book signing and Q&A with Dana Gould at Artbook - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ed-wood-made-in-hollywood-usa-la-book-launch-with-will-sloan-dana-gould-tickets-1560019523389

LOS ANGELES - August 30, "Ed Wood on VHS" at WHAMMY - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ed-wood-on-vhs-feat-the-sinister-urge-1960-presented-by-will-sloan-tickets-1568174324619

CHICAGO - August 31, "Trust Fall" at Davis Theater - https://davistheater.com/special_events/trust-fall/

TORONTO - September 12, Glen or Glenda screening at the Paradise Theatre - https://paradiseonbloor.com/movies/glen-or-glenda/

#645 - NatSec: Shock and Terror

In 1994, Hong Kongers were counting down to the looming Mainland handover. But some of them were also counting down to the expiry date on a can of pineapples. We discuss Wong Kar-wai's CHUNGKING EXPRESS (1994), a quintessentially Hong Kong movie with universal resonance. PLUS: Checking in on Canada's Mark Carney government, and the unconscionable western media response to Israel's targeting of Palestinian journalists.

*

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Luke's substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/

Come see Will will at one of the stops on his book tour:

LOS ANGELES - August 30, book signing and Q&A with Dana Gould at Artbook - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ed-wood-made-in-hollywood-usa-la-book-launch-with-will-sloan-dana-gould-tickets-1560019523389

LOS ANGELES - August 30, "Ed Wood on VHS" at WHAMMY - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ed-wood-on-vhs-feat-the-sinister-urge-1960-presented-by-will-sloan-tickets-1568174324619

CHICAGO - August 31, "Trust Fall" at Davis Theater - https://davistheater.com/special_events/trust-fall/

TORONTO - September 12, Glen or Glenda screening at the Paradise Theatre - https://paradiseonbloor.com/movies/glen-or-glenda/

*

"Mark Carney won on a promise of strong but fair Canada. This is how he is betraying that vision" by Luke Savage - https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/mark-carney-won-on-a-promise-of-strong-but-fair-canada-this-is-how-he/article_4d53c228-bf60-411d-b6e3-be93669eba8e.html

"Postmedia masquerading pro-Israel 'advocacy polemics' as news" by Jeremy Appel - https://www.readtheorchard.org/p/postmedia-masquerading-pro-israel

"Chungking Express: Electric Youth" by Amy Taubin - https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/766-chungking-express-electric-youth

"Poet of Time: Wong Kar-wai on Chungking Express" by Tony Rayns - https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/poet-time-wong-kar-wai-chungking-express

#647 - Chungking Express

What if a middle-aged Toronto-based businessman decided to become Robert De Niro? Friends, you don't have to wonder! We discuss the hilarious vanity project REAL GANGSTERS!™ (2013), by Canada's answer to Tommy Wiseau.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

"Ottawa’s Air Canada strike debacle shows it failed to learn from history" by Barry Eidlin - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-air-canada-strike-flight-attendants-union-cupe/

"The Air Canada strike wasn’t just a win for workers. It was also a wrench in Mark Carney’s plans" by Luke Savage - https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/the-air-canada-strike-wasnt-just-a-win-for-workers-it-was-also-a-wrench/article_723e12c5-a225-4565-b044-206eeef18c49.html

Will's classic interview with Tommy Wiseau - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-will-tommy-22188229

"How Did an Oscar-Nominated Legend End Up in This Painfully Amateurish Horror Film?" by Vadim Rizov - https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/11/james-caan-sicilian-vampire



#649 - Once Upon a Time on King Street

The same year that American Pie became a cultural phenomenon, BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER (1999) re-invented the teen comedy from a queer angle. We try to figure out why the mainstream reception was so hostile. PLUS: So, what exactly is going on with the Cracker Barrel??

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

#651 - Break the Barrel

Before they defined Canada's political landscape - and became adversaries on the question of Quebecois independence - Pierre Trudeau and René Lévesque were allies on the road to the Quiet Revolution. We discuss Donald Brittain's documentary THE CHAMPIONS, PART 1: UNLIKELY WARRIORS (1978) and the growing pains of Canada in its postwar era.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/652-cite-libre-138171420

PREVIEW - #652 - Cité libre

Kevin Sorbo wants you to know that having a gun and using it is perfectly compatible with Christianity. We discuss THE RELIANT (2019), a right-wing Christian movie in which the Second Amendment survives the fall of civilization. PLUS: Speaking of right-wing movies, it looks like ol' Sheriff Buford Pusser was hiding a secret.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Our classic episode on the original Walking Tall - https://www.patreon.com/posts/503-suggested-by-99355800

#653 - Fervent House Media

Leni Riefenstahl remains the most famous of all Nazi propagandists, but to what extent can films like Triumph of the Will be rescued from their fascist origins. The revelatory new documentary RIEFENSTAHL (2024) argues persuasively: not at all.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

"Fascinating Fascism" by Susan Sontag - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1975/02/06/fascinating-fascism/

#654 - Fascinating Fascism

Sometimes we just want to watch a good movie. That's why we're taking a trip to the San Fernando Valley to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's breakthrough film, BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997). Ever heard of it? PLUS: Jeffrey Epstein and the British government.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/139157291

PREVIEW - #655 - The Boogie Night Episode

By popular demand, we discuss John Boorman's notorious post-sexual-revolution fantasy freakout ZARDOZ (1974), in which Sean Connery in a red diaper reconnects a future dystopia with its loins. PLUS: We discuss the man of the hour, our modern Cicero, Mr. Jimmy Kimmel.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

"Rand Paul brings back antiwoke capitalism" by Carl Beijer - https://www.peoplesline.org/p/rand-paul-brings-back-antiwoke-capitalism

#656 - From Zardoz with Love

It's time to lose ourselves in the music, the moment. At the behest of our Superdelegate patron tier, we investigate the online phenomenon known as (deep, heavy sigh) EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY... and find ourselves meditating on the evolution of online humour. PLUS: Two legendary New York filmmakers weigh in on the mayoral race, and Armond White sticks up for Leni Riefenstahl!

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/657-epic-crap-139676354

PREVIEW - #657 - Epic Crap Battles

Lurking in the deep, dark depths of Tubi, we found an ultra-low-budget, gender-swapped rip-off of Get Out... with Eric Roberts in the Bradley Whitford role. You are not prepared for WOKE (2024). PLUS: The Jimmy Kimmel scandal gives us renewed reason to ask: is politics downstream from culture?

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every month - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

#658 - Eric Roberts Squared

In light of recent revelations about legendary Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, we delved back into the Walking Tall cinematic universe with the final entry in the franchise to date, the Kevin Sorbo vehicle WALKING TALL: LONE JUSTICE (2007). In this entry, the stick-wielding sheriff moves from the rural south to big-city Dallas. PLUS: We investigate the National Review's list of the best conservative movies.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/659-into-pusser-140245478

PREVIEW - #659 - Into the Pusser-verse

Sitting in New York, not much happening. Sitting in Cleveland, not much happening. How about we go to Florida? We discuss Jim Jarmusch's breakout film STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984), a film that heroically swan against the current of Reagan-era culture and politics.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

OTTAWA - See Luke take part in a live podcast recording at Press Forward's Future of Independent Media Summit on Friday, October 3 - https://press-forward.ca/introducing-the-2025-future-of-independent-media-summit-in-ottawa/

NEW YORK - See Will present Plan 9 from Outer Space and sign copies of his book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA at Metrograph on Thursday, October 9 - https://metrograph.com/film/?vista_film_id=9999004527

" 'Protect Empathy at All Costs. And Live Groovy Lives.' An Interview with Jim Jarmusch" by Bilge Ebiri - https://www.vulture.com/article/jim-jarmusch-father-mother-sister-brother-interview.html

#660 - Missed Connections

We finally reach the end of Season Two of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. The two-parter finale ELECTION NIGHT PART I and II sends us on a nostalgic reverie back to the 2012 - the last election before everything changed. PLUS: Government shutdowns and Kamala Harris's memoir.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/661-our-are-envy-140674442

PREVIEW - #661 - Our Elections are the Envy of the World (Newsroom Part 18)

On this very special episode, we share some of the most important individual paragraphs of writing in our lives - paragraphs that have planted acorns in our brains that have grown over time into mighty oaks. We revisit Thomas Mann, Christopher Hitchens, Jean-Luc Godard, and other luminaries. PLUS: Checking in on Bari Weiss at CBS.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Our classic Leonard Cohen episode - https://www.patreon.com/posts/186-new-skin-for-44083560

Past Essential Paragraphs discussions:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-essential-28574337

https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-essential-36315183

The tweet that Luke cites in the opening discussion - https://x.com/mattpolprof/status/1976069728541245770

#662 - Essential Paragraphs

The boys enjoy a nice, casual conversation like friends sometimes have - and invite you along to join! Topics discussed include Trump on the cover of Time Magazine, Bari Weiss at CBS, Justin Trudeau's love life, and films we've been watching.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

#663 - A Nice, Chill Episode

"When a radio comedian's program is finally finished it slinks down Memory Lane into the limbo of yesterday's happy hours." So said the most brilliant comedian in old-time radio, Fred Allen, in his 1955 memoir. In this special solo documentary episode, Will considers the legacy of the pioneering comedian who is all but forgotten today, and considers how yesterday's cutting-edge can be invisible to contemporary eyes.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Episodes of Fred Allen's show - https://archive.org/details/townhalltonight1938060871musicpublisherneedsatune

A podcast featuring audio recording of a Jack Benny rehearsal - https://jackbennypodcast.libsyn.com/rehearsal-with-kids-bonus

"FRED ALLEN CENSORED; Cut Off the Air for 25 Seconds in Dispute Over Script," a 1947 report in the New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/21/archives/fred-allen-censored-cut-off-the-air-for-25-seconds-in-dispute-over.html

A collection of reportage about the censorship incident- https://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2012/10/fred-allen-1-nbc-0.html

#664 - The Night They Censored Fred Allen

In a special, Patreon-exclusive two-part AMA episode, Luke answers listener questions.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/luke-unfiltered-142286283

PATREON PREVIEW - Luke Unfiltered Two-Part Q&A Episode

It's a Gen-X and millennial touchstone that anticipated the next generation's parasocial content. But how does MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 hold up in the present moment? We investigate via one of the show's most beloved episodes, "Space Mutiny."

JOIN US ON PATREON FOR AN EXTRA EPISODE EVERY WEEK - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

"In her new book, Biden’s former press secretary lets Democrats have it" by Becca Rothfeld - https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/10/22/independent-karine-jean-pierre-review/

"Why Biden's White House Press Secretary is Leaving the Democratic Party" by Isaac Chotiner - https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/why-bidens-white-house-press-secretary-is-leaving-the-democratic-party

"Karine Jean-Pierre and the Return of the Girlboss" by Sarah Jones - https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/karine-jean-pierre-and-the-return-of-the-girlboss.html

"No Joke [MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE]" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2025/09/no-joke/

#665 - Cheesy Movies

David Cronenberg's COSMOPOLIS (2012) imagines a world where a young Wall Street billionaire is insulated in his limousine while society collapses around him. Luckily it's a work of purest fiction. PLUS: We take the temperature of the New York mayoral election, and have our longest sustained sports-related conversation ever.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/142824792

PREVIEW - #666 - The Veer of Libidinous Intellect

Just as Zohran Mamdani's New York mayoral campaign has written a new playbook for Democratic Party politics... we look back at the old playbook. We investigate THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM (2008), D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus's sequel to their 1993 documentary classic.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

Jack Califano's shots of CPAC - https://x.com/LukewSavage/status/1986174741481234616

#667 - A War Room with a View

Long remembered as "The movie that isn't The Truman Show," Ron Howard EDtv (1999) imagined a world where an average guy became a 24/7 TV superstar. We examine how the ways in which this relic of the '90s did and did not anticipate reality TV, social media, and the current-day self-surveillance state.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/143347681

PREVIEW - #668 - At Long Last, the EDtv Episode

At the turn of the millennium, one New Jersey-based auteur nailed his 130 minutes' worth of theses on the Catholic Church's door. We discuss Kevin Smith's DOGMA (1999) - the much-maligned director's biggest swing for the fences. PLUS: Is there a revolt within the Conservative Party of Canada?

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

TORONTO: See Will introduce Steven Seagal's On Deadly Ground at the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, November 19 - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/important-cinema-club-on-deadly-ground/

#669 - Just a Slob Like One of Us

A few years after Stanley Kubrick envisioned humankind ascending to a new plane with the dawn of space exploration, John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon's proudly low-budget DARK STAR (1974) imagined a working-class space odyssey. In space, no one can hear you feel exploited.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/670-space-oddity-143962526

PREVIEW - #670 - Space Oddity

Set in a world of young people and old money, Whit Stillman's METROPOLITAN (1990) offers an affectionate but melancholic view of the elite. We sort through the layers of ambiguity in this charming ode to the "Urban Haute Bourgeoisie." PLUS: A spectre is haunting the world - the spectre of Jeffrey Epstein.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

"Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Israel" by Branko Marcetic - https://jacobin.com/2025/11/trump-epstein-israel-intelligence-blackmail

"The Best Conservative Movies of the Last 25 Years: Metropolitan" by Mark Henrie - https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/3-best-conservative-movies-last-25-years-mark-henrie/

#671 - The Discreet Charm of the Urban Haute Bourgeoisie

A year before American Beauty offered its Oscar-ready glimpse beneath the placid surface of suburbia, Todd Solondz offered a truly unsparing depiction of same with HAPPINESS (1998). We discuss this legendary succès de scandale, and how it makes laughter indistinguishable from horror.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/144566731

PREVIEW - #672 - Happiness Where Are You

In A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING (2016), Tom Hanks is a depressed American businessman trying to find himself in Saudi Arabia. It's the lamest fish-out-of-water self-actualization comedy/drama we've ever tackled! PLUS: We discuss Doug Ford's war on renters in Ontario, and - of course - address the news of Rush Hour 4.

Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

#673 - Virtual Encountering on a Global Scale

As a coda to our exhaustive study of his show The Dinosaur Hour, we thought it was only fair to discuss John Cleese from when he was at his peak. We consider what it means that FAWLTY TOWERS is Britain's most beloved sitcom, and the incisive commentary about British/American relations in "Waldorf Salad." PLUS: Speaking of British legends, for some reason we get really into discussing Simon Cowell.

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/145077527

PREVIEW - #674 - Waldorf Salad

A podcast about culture, politics, and our crumbling world. Hosted by Luke Savage and Will Sloan.

Exclusive subscriber-only episodes: https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/overview

Michael and Us

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