Politics of Cinema

On this episode we dive into one of Isaac's favorite films of the 2020's, Michael Sarnoski's Pig (2021). Sure, on the surface it's a simple story of a man who just wants his beloved pig back. But, as Robin and Amir journey through the Portland culinary scene to find said pig, the film explores what it means to live a life true to oneself, the importance of rejecting marketplace exp

As we celebrate 3 years of the show, we decided to take a look at one of our favorite eras of American film - the 1970's. We're specifically looking at the Vietnam Anti-War Movement as captured by a fictional film and a documentary; Milestones (1975) and F.T.A. (1972). On this episode we discuss Francine Parker's documenatry, F.T.A. (1972). Once again, we're also joined by special

As we celebrate 3 years of the show, we decided to take a look at one of our favorite eras of American film - the 1970's. We're specifically looking at the Vietnam Anti-War Movement as captured by a fictional film and a documentary; Milestones (1975) and F.T.A. (1972). On this episode we discuss Robert Kramer's experimental opus, Milestones, and are joined by special guest Jim Mil

Luis Buñuel was a master at creating lasting images that stay in the viewers brain long after the film is over. He had a career that spanned multiple decades and working in multiple countries, yet he consistantly took aim at political and social elites. In his 1962 masterpiece, The Exterminating Angel, the acclaimed filmmaker crafts an allegorical comedy that confronts the socio-

On this episode, we're looking at two cinematic exampoles of the Palestinian expereince. One documentary and one fictionalized portrayal. The documentary, Gaza Ghetto: Portrait of a Palestinian Family (1985), captures exactly what the title implies. We get the lived experiences from grandmother down to grandchildren as they recount their experiences ranging from the 1948 exile to

The fallout 2008 financial crisis has been portrayed on film in a number of ways; from documentary's like Iniside Job (2010) and Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) to ficiton films "inspired" by the events like The Big Short (2015) and Margin Call (2011). Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly (2012) takes a different approach. It starts with George V. Higgins' 1974 crime novel, itself

This Halloween season we take a look at a recent film we hope gets to cult status soon, Green Room (2015). Anton Yelchin and his bandmates are forced to battle against Patrick Stewart and his group of Neo-Nazis. We get into the pros and cons of non-political punk bands, why the Pacific Northwest is such a haven for white ethnonationalists and when it's okay to swap out character a

One of the topics that first inspired us to start this podcast, Resource Frontiers. Back in 2016, when Hell or High Water was released, Isaac and I were still working at our beloved art house theatre and our discussion of the film kept coming back to its multi-layered resource frontier setting. Settler colonial zones and the effects on indigenous populations were regular topics of

On this Double Feature episode, we take a look at films about strikes. As the WGA and SAG continue to strike, we thought it would be a good time to examine how Hollywood has protrayed strikes throughout the years. We discuss; Norma Rae (1979), The Pajama Game (1957), Sorry to Bother You (2018), Harlan County, USA (1976), The Organizer (1963) and Chi-Raq (2015) and then put together

While Isaac is immersed in his Arabic language summer camp, we're rebraodcasting our very first episode. In 2027, after 18 years of global human infertility and depression, the world is on the brink of collapse and humanity faces extinction. The United Kingdom, one of the few nations with a functioning government (Stiff upper lip chap!), is deluged by asylum seekers fleeing radiat