#677 - Guilty Pleasures

On this episode, the hosts divulge some of their guiltiest pleasures, from Judge Judy to Kenny G to the writings of a couple of bona-fide right-wing pundits. They also interrogate the immortal question: should you truly feel guilty about something that brings you pleasure? (Spoiler: Yes. Sometimes you should.) PLUS: the Warner Bros sale, public domain day, an a surprising new front in the right-wing culture war. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

George Orwell's famous essay "Politics and the English Language" leads us into a discussion of good language, good thought, and their relationship. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/145712151

Ten years before Siri and quarter-century before Grok, Steven Spielberg and the late Stanley Kubrick considered a new form of humanity in A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001). We discuss a meeting of the minds between two very distinctive authorial voices. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Best of Both Worlds" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2024/01/the-best-of-both-worlds/ "A Matter of Life and Death" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2024/05/a-matter-of-life-and-death-ai-artificial-intelligence-tk/ Call for submissions: "The Journal of Stoogeological Studies Vol. 2" - https://x.com/WillSloanEsq/status/1995213884635193456

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

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

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

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/

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

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/

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