The Left Page & Here Be Media

Hello everyone!!For our first May episode we have a mega collab with Horror Vanguard, on Starship Troopers (1997), directed by Paul Verhoeven!As we interweave Heinlein's book with the film we ultimately dive into how fascism works and should be fought at every turn, in every way.Enjoy!Do check out Jon's book on Bloch and Utopia: https://www.amazon.com/Primer-Utopian-Philosophy-Jona

Hello everyone!!For our Left Page episode of the month we are talking about a very interesting book, and documentary series! It's John Berger's "Ways of Seeing", and to dive deep we are joined by our friend, podcaster and art historian, Nadjah of Imaginarium Podcast!We think about colonialism, the idea of "value" when atributed to art, the connection with the viewer of an art piece

Hello everyone!!As a special treat for Pesach, we dive into the incredible animated film The Prince of Egypt!Approaching Faith and Liberation, we consider not just the question of religious & historical narratives and their complex relations, but also of their representation in media. Further still, we talk about violence and how to comprehend "violence" in the name of Liberati

Hello everyone!Our first episode of April is a different one, if something we've been meaning to do for a while, more than talking about a game, it's a studio, so join us as we talk about Bethesda and their games!Jumping off from our mention of Bethesda games and their connection to mods last month, and Leon's previous writing on Skyrim, we decided to dive properly into their games

Hello everyone!To round out this month's episodes, we dive back into sci-fi, and more utopian fiction! With a recommendation from listener, and patron, Nate: Monica Byrne's The Actual Star!It's a complex discusson on Utopian writing, its challenges, and how sometimes things don't quite work out as we'd like. So join us in this conversation on Utopia and Religion, historical and soc

Hello everyone!!As we're rounding out March, we offer a different kind of conceptual HBM episode! We take a look at videogame mods, what they are, what they can be, and what's so damn interesting about them!Join us as we talk about the difficulties involved in modding, the relationship to game companies, and how mods, at their best, can express an immense passion and creativity, in

Hello everyone!!As a logical continuation of Leon's writings on Rockstar and GTA, we both revisited a game (not a franchise, mind you), which enrages and frustrates us both Max Payne 3.In a game where you relentlessly shoot poor brown and black people and play the "American Hero" cop, we dive into what this game does with this setup and what it doesn't believe in. For as Leon put i

Hello everyone!!For this final February episode, we, talk about when Cyberpunk... goes awry, to put it mildly, it's time to see the issues of Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk Edgerunners!We dive into what happens when one tries to recreate just the aesthetics of a genre, and the effects of cutting out the politics. And so we turn to this hollowness at the heart of a "cyberpunk" that ha

Hello everyone!!We continue well into February, as we bring in the incomparable Labor Kyle to talk about... one of the best games of all time. It's time to talk about Disco Elysium!!Join us as we dive into the real genesis and formation of revolutionary character that can happen in Harry DuBois, and then, with no less gravitas, about the intersection of this game with Walter Benjam

Hello everyone!! Happy 5 year anniversary of the Left Page!! This is a huge achievement and one I still can't believe is here, and yet, it has been a wonderful journey so far, and we're not thinking about stopping anytime soon! To celebrate such a date, Leon and I spoke about a book foundational to my entire research, the 1516 book by Thomas More: Utopia. We delve into some of its