Podcast
Michael and Us
Hosted by Luke Savage and Will Sloan · EN
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
47episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
PREVIEW - #723 - Accept No Substitutes (w/ Adam Johnson)
1w ago00:04:54Tap to summarizeIt's the late 1990s, and your kids are being terrorized by the greatest menace to ever hit the schoolyard... steroids. We welcome Adam Johnson (of the Citations Needed podcast) to walk us through THE SUBSTITUTE 3: WINNER TAKES ALL (1999), the third entry in the beloved direct-to-video action franchise about murdering teenagers. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/723-accept-no-w-161527620
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#722 - Negative Buzz
2w ago00:48:51Tap to summarizeAcross this podcast's long existence, we have attempted to give you a magisterial study of the art and politics of the 2000s. And no comprehensive study of that time would be complete without Jerry Seinfeld's BEE MOVIE (2007). So here, friends, is what happens when the worker bees of the world unite. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - http://patreon.com/michaelandus Check out the brand new Michael & Us online database and episode guide - https://michael-and-us.com/
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PREVIEW - #721 - A Tedious Mediocre Slog
2w ago00:04:14Tap to summarizeAfter 25 years of conservative political dominance, the indie black comedy THE LAST SUPPER (1996) asked: should liberals just try killing their political opponents? We drive our DeLorean back to the '90s and analyze a very particular moment in Gen-X political comedy. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/721-tedious-slog-160912726
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#720 - Hanging Chads
3w ago00:49:32Tap to summarizeIn the year 2000, Al Gore conceded a presidential election he won to George W. Bush in attempt to save the legitimacy of American institutions. Safe to say he succeeded in that goal. We discuss Jay Roach's RECOUNT (2008), a star-studded dramatization of the stolen election that kicked off the New American Century. Introducing the Michael & Us website/database - https://michael-and-us.com/ Full episode guide - https://michael-and-us.com/episodes
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PREVIEW - #719 - Grogu's On First
3w ago00:02:39Tap to summarizeIn about 10 short years, Star Wars has gone from Hollywood's top franchise to a summer box office also-ran. We checked out STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (2026) to try to understand the decline. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/160203437
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#718 - Would That It Were So Simple
4w ago01:00:58Tap to summarizeLike all empires, the Hollywood studio system had its decadent stage. We discuss Joel and Ethan Coen's HAIL, CAESAR! (2016), which pits an idealogue for the Hollywood studio system against a cabal of communist writers. PLUS: We discuss The Fall of the House of Colbert, and a hot new Washington Post podcast that gets "biz-zay." Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Listen to Luke discuss the future of the left with Jacobin founding editor Bhaskar Sunkara - https://www.lukewsavage.com/p/time-for-socialism-ft-bhaskar-sunkara
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PREVIEW - #717 - Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie the Pod
4w ago00:05:39Tap to summarizeAs a Toronto-based podcast, we are duty-bound to cover Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol's NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE (2025). We travel back to 2008 the discuss one of the most requested movies in our show's history. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/717-nirvanna-pod-159525773
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#716 - The Roger Ebert Mystery Box Episode
May 2401:18:08Tap to summarizeWe keep bringing up the beloved American film critic Roger Ebert over and over again, and we've decided it's time to finally exorcise this demon. Before we put Roger in the penalty box for a while, we're going to put our accumulated knowledge to good use and play a long-threatened game: The Roger Ebert Mystery Box Challenge, in which we attempt to predict his reviews for movies we've covered on this podcast. The balcony is open! Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - patreon.com/michaelandus
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#715 - Failure to Communicate (w/ Josh Lewis)
May 1900:46:15Tap to summarizeOne of the pillars of the cursed "Everything is Connected" trend of the 2000s, Alejandro González Iñárritu's BABEL (2006) offers a de-politicized look at our global village. Josh Lewis (of Sleazoids podcast fame) fills in for Luke to discuss one very heavy exampe of White Elephant Art. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Check out Sleazoids - https://www.sleazoidspodcast.com/ If you're in Toronto on June 8, 2026, come see Josh present Michael Mann's Blackhat at the Paradise - https://paradiseonbloor.com/movies/blackhat-directors-cut/
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PREVIEW - #714 - Pulp Friction
May 1400:04:08Tap to summarizeAfter too long a drought, we return to the writing of Armond White, the legendarily contrarian conservative film critic (currently with the National Review) whose writing has texture like no one else's. We focus on his recent defense of Pete Hegseth via Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. PLUS: Is Remains of the Day a #grindset classic? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/714-pulp-158271632
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