Movies vs. Capitalism

Rivka and Frank are joined by journalist Matthew Cunningham-Cook to dig into Stanley Kubrick’s dark satire about nuclear war, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. They explore the historical parallels between Dr. Strangelove and what actually transpired during the Cold War. Matthew explains how one of the film’s main characters was loosely based on eccentric anti-communist Air Force General Curtis "Bombs Away" LeMay. They also also touch on the influence of the right-wing anti-communist John Birch Society on 1950s American politics, and the origins of Operation Paperclip, in which the U.S. intelligence community recruited former Nazi military officials and scientists to help defeat the Soviet Union. 🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

Rivka and Frank are joined by Devon Young, organizer and founder of the performance venue Little Secret LA, for a truly mind-altering conversation about the 2000 stoner comedy Dude, Where’s My Car? They discuss the concept of “male amnesia” and how the film’s protagonists, Jesse and Chester, progress through their adventure as unbiased babies. While the film remains immensely offensive upon a rewatch, Devon mentions a thesis by queer theorist Jack Halberstam that explores the characters’ latent heteroflexibility. Devon also tells Rivka and Frank the story of going on a date with the ’90s supermodel Fabio.  🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

Rivka and Frank are joined by musician, writer, and This Is Revolution host Jason Myles, to talk about the 1984 military drama, A Soldier’s Story, which depicts a racially motivated murder at a Louisiana Army base during World War II. They unpack how the film. based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Soldier’s Play,  presents the complex perspectives of the Black community on morality, respectability, and violence. 🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

Rivka and Frank are joined by comedy writer and podcaster Andrew Ti to unnecessarily analyze the 1997 Nickelodeon original movie Good Burger. They talk about Good Burger’s central theme of “good capitalism” versus “bad capitalism,” and how the film propagates the myth that some businesses are “nicer” than others. They also explore the bizarre racial dynamics of this kids movie written by middle-aged white men, starring Black teenagers, marketed to white children. Wild.  🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

Actor, director, and educator, Wren Mack joins the MVC group to discuss The Matrix's anti-capitalist metaphor and its unintended transgender allegory. They also touch on the film's impact on the LGBTQ community, its misinterpretation by online right-wingers, and its reputation as an entertaining action film.

Rivka and Frank are joined by David Sirota to break down the series finale of HBO’s Succession. Now that the show has ended, will it be entered into the great television pantheon? Who was the most sympathetic character in the series? And who ultimately won? Presumably we answer these questions. 🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

Rivka and Frank are joined by political commentator Jessica Burbank to discuss Bong Joon-Ho’s 2019 masterpiece, Parasite, digging into the themes of class antagonisms, failed solidarity, and elitism that run through the characters' relationships. Also how the film uses “the smell” as a perfect metaphor for classism, and why being stinky in real life is actually a good thing..  🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

Rivka and Frank are joined by filmmaker and activist Robin Johnson to talk about Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s deranged rom-com You’ve Got Mail, arguing that the movie’s plot is essentially a pro-capitalist psychological thriller about a woman who is manipulated and subdued by her corporate oppressor. They discuss how film's characters are emblematic of 90s liberalism that uses racially coded language and casually jokes about falling in love with fascist dictators, and how the character of Joe Fox is a manipulative pathological liar whose only redeemable quality is that he’s played by Tom Hanks. 🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

Rivka and Frank talk with Evan from Left of the Projector, a podcast that explores film from a leftist perspective, to discuss the Wachowskis’ 2005 graphic novel adaptation V for Vendetta. They ask questions like: How is V able to take down the English government all by himself? Where does he get all of his supplies? How did he inspire an entire country to revolt without a comprehensive organizing campaign? And when did he find the time to set up that elaborate domino run?? Rivka also points out how V’s torture and reinvention of Evie detracts from what could have been a compelling heroine’s journey. 🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

This week, historian Harvey Kaye joins the show to gab about the 1992 live-action musical Newsies. They question how it was possible for a major studio like Disney to produce a movie about labor organizing in which police officers literally punch children in the face. They unpack how the film’s two main characters represent the dichotomy between labor “activists” and “intellectuals," and Harvey provides additional historical context about the Gilded Age, the Bonus March, and the “neoliberal turn” of the 1970s.  🤝 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON 🤝 www.patreon.com/movies_vs_capitalism MVC donates its ad space to progressive or leftist causes and organizations. If you’re interested in promoting your work, email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com. Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen