Spencer Parsons and Chris Stachiw join Mike to dig into the ideological undercurrents of The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan’s contentious capstone to his Batman trilogy. Released in 2012, the film finds a broken Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) pulled back into action as Gotham—now pointedly resembling New York—falls under siege by Bane (Tom Hardy) and the League of Shadows.
The conversation moves past spectacle to examine the film’s deeply anxious view of revolution, class conflict, and populist politics. Drawing connections to Occupy Wall Street–era fears, Mike, Spencer, and Chris unpack how Bane’s rhetoric of liberation masks authoritarian control, how mass movements are portrayed as dangerous and irrational, and how order is ultimately restored through elite sacrifice rather than systemic change.
Special Guest: Mei Fong Guest Co-Hosts: Keith Gordon, Christine Makepeace
While we often talk about a few movies on every episode -- one main film and some supporting works, sequels, and so on -- we're spotlighting two movies on this episode: Michael Campus's Z.P.G. (1972) and Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men (2006).
Z.P.G. (Zero Population Growth) stars Oliver Reed as Russ McNeil and and Geraldine Chaplan as his wife Carol. The film is set the near future where global resources have been strained and the environment has paid the price for the blight of human beings which have polluted the air so much that they live under a shroud of smog. "They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum where they charge people a dollar and a half just to see 'em." The film was inspired by Paul Ehrlich's 1968 clarion call, The Population Bomb which warned of overpopulation.
Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men is a very loose adaptation of P.D. James's 1992 novel. The film stars Clive Owen as Theo Faron who's biding his time on planet earth as the population is dying -- or killing itself off. No babies have been born in over 18 years which has exacerbated social strife, leading to terrorism, mass suicide, and refugee crises.
Special Guests: Mike Hodges, George Armitage, Stephen Kay, John C. McGinley Guest Co-Hosts: Eric Zaldivar, Maitland McDonagh
For the final episode of 2015, we look at Mike Hodges's 1971 feature film debut, Get Carter starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a mobster from London who travels back to Newcastle after the suspicious death of his brother.
We talk to Mike Hodges along with the director of Hit Man, George Armitage, and of the 2000 remake, Stephen Kay. We also discuss Get Carter with actor John C. McGinley. Mike is joined by Eric Zaldivar and Maitland McDonagh.
Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Stachiw, Spencer Parsons
Special Guest: 
Special Guests: