Politics of Cinema
Films are cultural artifacts. There is a political and artistic message in every one and we're here to document. On each episode we pick a film; sometimes current and sometimes from the riches of world cinema’s 100+ year history, and take a deep dive into what the film is really saying about the world. Both overtly and covertly.
Film Noir & Capitalism II: Capitalism is Crime
Our Primordial Past: Folk Horror in Penda's Fen (1974) & La Llorona (2019)
Commentary Track: Sorry to Bother You (2018)
The Paranoid Lens: Warren Beatty vs Chuck Norris in 1970's Political Thrillers
Victim of Subtlety: The Missed Opportunity of Civil War (2024)
Beyond Borders: Joint Security Area (2000) and the Rise of South Korean Cinema
Culinary Tyranny: Exploring Capitalism, Identity and Authenticity in Pig (2021)
Political Vaudeville: FTA (1972), Jane Fonda, and Mobilizing the Military Against Vietnam
The Continuous Process of Becoming: Robert Kramer's Milestones (1975)
Buñuel's Banquet: Feasting on Satire in The Exterminating Angel (1962)
The Palestinian Experience: Documented and Portrayed
Systemic Risk: Killing Them Softly (2012) & the Precarity of Modern American Crime
Green Room & Fascist Tendencies in the Pacific Northwest
Resource Frontiers: Commodity Zones and the Vampiric Nature of Capitalism
Double Feature: Strike!
Rebroadcast - Children of Men: The Psychology of the Long Take, Maoist Urban Guerrillas Getting Lost in the Struggle and the Power of Radical Hope
July 4th Special: How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022)
May Day Special: The Man in the Orage Jacket (2014)
DTV Action: Universal Soldier Regeneration & Day of Reckoning
Double Feature: Hong Kong Action
Auteur Films: Claudine (1974)
Auteur Films: Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975)
Auteur Films: The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)
Classic: Alphaville - A Techno Dystopian Vision of the Future from 1965
Classic: Harakiri (1962)
Yakuza Noir #2 - A Colt Is My Passport (1967)
Yakuza Noir #1 - Tokyo Drifter (1966)
Double Feature: Halloween Night
Humans Hunting Humans: Punishment Park (1971) & Turkey Shoot (1982)
LSD Horror: Blue Sunshine (1977) & Mandy (2018)
Double Feature: American Urban Landscapes
American Urban Landscapes: Summertime (2020)
American Urban Landscapes: The Plot Against Harry (1971)
American Urban Landscapes: City of Hope (1991)
American Urban Landscapes: Falling Down (1993)
Double Feature: Communism on Film
May Day Special: Reds (1981)
Auteur Films: Ganja & Hess (1973)
Auteur Films: The Watermelon Woman (1996)
Auteur Films: Losing Ground (1982)
Auteur Films: Killer of Sheep (1978)
On Screen: Plan B (2021)
On Screen: Don't Look Up (2021)
On Screen: The Last Duel (2021)
On Screen: Dear Comrades! (2020)
Film Noir and Capitalism
Films of Romero - Romero Roulette (8 Films)
Films of Romero - Martin (1977)
Films of Romero - Knightriders (1981)
History of the Blockbuster Film - Part IV: 2000-2017
History of the Blockbuster Film - Part III: The 1990's
History of the Blockbuster Film - Part II: The 1980's
History of the Blockbuster Film - Part I: The 1970's
On Screen: Nomadland and Leftist Film Criticism
Workers on Film: Barbershop (2002) & The Molly Maguires (1970)
Workers on Film: How Green Was My Valley (1941) & Empire Records (1995)
Workers on Film: Car Wash (1976) & Salt of the Earth (1954)
May Day Special: The Killing Floor (1984), Gung Ho (1986) & Finally Got the News... (1970)
Double Feature: They Live (1988) & Society (1989)
Watch Challenge #3
Classic: Blondie Johnson (1933)
Double Feature: No Blade of Grass (1970) & Princess Mononoke (1997)
Deep Dive: The Great Silence (1968)
Watch Challenge #2
Nostalgia Pick: Dead Presidents (1995)
Classic: Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Watch Challenge #1
Bonus: Uptight and Filming in the CLE with Mike Wendt
Deep Dive: Uptight (1968) - Part II
Deep Dive: Uptight (1968) - Part I
Holiday Special: Gremlins (1984)
On Screen: Mangrove (Small Axe Film #1)
Nostalgia Pick: Conan the Barbarian (1982)
RoboCop / Starship Troopers: Neoliberalism, Fascism and Paul Verhoeven's Unsung Comedic Skills
The Purge - Election Year: From High Concept Horror to an American Reality
Art House Horror - Midsommar (2019) / Werewolves and Metaphorical Zombie Films
Art House Horror - The Babadook (2014) / Vampires and Horror in the 80's
Art House Horror - The Witch (2015) / 80's Slashers and Nostalgia Films
Summer of Sixties - Final Thoughts and Recommendations
Summer of Sixties - 1969: Easy Rider / Medium Cool / Several Friends
Summer of Sixties - 1968: Targets / Barbarella / Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One / Monterey Pop / In the Year of the Pig
Summer of Sixties - 1967: Bonnie & Clyde / Point Blank / The Dirty Dozen / Beach Red / Dont Look Back / Titicut Follies
Summer of Sixties - 1966: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf / The Shooting / The Endless Summer
Summer of Sixties - 1965: The Bedford Incident / Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! / Beach Party Film Report
Summer of Sixties - Japanese New Wave: Seijun Suzuki and Nagisa Oshima
Summer of Sixties - 1964: Nothing But A Man / The Pawnbroker
Summer of Sixties - 1963: The Birds / Blood Feast / Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment
Summer of Sixties - French New Wave: Agnes Varda and Jean-Luc Goddard
Summer of Sixties - 1962: Advise and Consent / The Manchurian Candidate / The Intruder
Summer of Sixties - Kick Off with Black Panthers (68) & Burn! (69)
First Reformed - Transcendence Thru Cinema
Captain America - Winter Soldier: Hijacking Geekdom for Capitalist Profits and Scorsese vs Marvel
Wanda: Second Wave Feminism and 1970's Industrial Spaces
The Present and Future of Film: Corona Comfort Cinema Vol. 3
Film Noir: Corona Comfort Cinema Vol. 2
Night Comes for Us: Corona Comfort Cinema Vol. 1
American Factory: Hyper-Exploitation, Lean Production and the Village People
The Last Truck - Closing of a GM Plant: Direct Cinema, Obama's Trade Legacy and the Inefficiency of Capitalism
Invasion U.S.A. & Wolf Warrior 2: American Blue Jean Masculinity versus Chinese Elite Forces Hypermasculinity