Movies vs. Capitalism

This week, Rivka and Frank are joined by favorite returning guest Harvey Kaye to discuss the Reagan-era film that made Tom Cruise an icon: Risky Business. The trio dives into the film’s neoliberal fantasy, its questionable sex politics, and more.

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This week, Rivka and Frank are joined by the third leg of the MVC team: editor John. Together, they discuss Father Hood, the 1993 Patrick Swayze comedy-action thrille (not to be confused with Kevin Hart’s Fatherhood). Buried beneath the film’s utterly unhinged plot, the trio uncover the politics of its era, including the decade’s fascination with the “deadbeat dad turns out to have a heart of gold” tro...

This week, Rivka and Frank are rejoined by another pod favorite Kate Eastman (ig: @k8beastman) to break down the cult-classic American Psycho. The trio discuss everything from the powers and failures of satire, Patrick Bateman as the embodiment of capitalism and the original incel. 

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This week, Rivka and Frank are rejoined by pod favorite Joe (of Joewrote) to take on the much-requested Starship Troopers. Together, they dig into the film’s anti-imperialist politics. The group discuss the film’s anti-imperialist politics and its connections (if any) to the current “manosphere” of today. 

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This week, in a rare turn for the pod, we head to television. Rivka and Frank are joined again by actor and cultural worker Chris Myers to discuss the widely beloved and much-talked-about series Andor, Season 1. The trio explore what lessons the political left might draw from Tony Gilroy’s writing, digging into Cassian Andor’s radicalization, the community and culture of Ferrix, Luthen as an accelerationist organizer, a...

This week, Rivka and Frank are joined by a guest who wishes to remain anonymous—a lifelong New Yorker deeply involved in the historic preservation community—to discuss Hal Ashby’s debut film The Landlord. Starring Beau Bridges and Diana Sands, the film is a sharp, unruly satire about the gentrification of Park Slope. It’s a wild ride, and our guest brings essential context to the history and impact of gentri...

Rivka and Frank are joined by their dear friend Peter Moses—entrepreneur, creative producer, and co-founder of Rain Delay Media—for a deep dive into the Oscar-winning 1987 classic Moonstruck, starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. They unpack the film’s take on class, family, and a version of New York City that once felt economically possible.

Next week, we’re watching Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2025 film One Bat...

Rivka and Frank are joined by returning guest and pod favorite, award-winning author and professor Harvey Kaye, to discuss the all-time classic Casablanca. The trio dig into why the film truly deserves its legendary status, its striking relevance to today’s political climate amid the rise of fascism in America, and the quietly radical politics behind the filmmaking itself.

For next week’s movie—snap out of it!&mda...

ust in time for Christmas, Frank and Rivka are back with their second holiday duet—this time breaking down The Santa Clause. The duo dive into the politics of this absolutely unhinged ’90s classic, from the divorced-dad trope to Scott Calvin being a full-on pos, the film’s fatphobic messaging, and Santa as the ultimate capitalist overlord.

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In time for the holidays, Rivka and Frank cover the 2000 Jim Carrey adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The duo dig into whether this Dr. Seuss classic is truly an anti-consumerist tale—or if it ultimately misses the mark. They also unpack Whoville as a surprisingly prophetic preview of our current plastic-surgery obsession and the class aesthetics baked into its cheerfully creepy smiles.

For next week’s movi...

This week, Rivka and Frank are joined by longtime social studies teacher and progressive activist Ron to discuss the 2005 Depression-era boxing drama Cinderella Man. Ron, who has taught for 23 years, uses the film in his 11th-grade classroom to explore politics on screen, and the trio digs into this classic “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” melodrama starring Russell Crowe.

For next week’s movie, we’ll b...

This week, Rivka and Frank are joined by former projectionist, alt-weekly critic, and illustrator Nathan Gelgud to discuss the 1990 sci-fi Schwarzenegger hit Total Recall. The trio dive into the film’s take on transhumanism and techno-feudalism, as well as life on mars and how its futuristic anxieties still hit close to home.

• Reel Politik 

For next week’s movie, we’ll...

Just in time for Halloween, Rivka and Frank team up for a premium duet to discuss the wildly adored 2025 horror-thriller-musical Sinners. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the duo unpack the politics behind this genre-bending vampire film.

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For next week’s movie, we’ll be watching the 2005 Ron Howared depression era drama Cin...

This week, Frank is joined by returning guest — psychotherapist and cinephile Shannon Amabile  — to discuss the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? starring Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin. Set during the Great Depression, the film follows a group of desperate contestants competing in a grueling, dehumanizing dance marathon run by a sociopathic emcee. Shannon and Frank unpack the film’s haunting po...

This week, Rivka and Frank are joined by musical theater writer, playwright, and organizer Ben Bonnema to discuss Spielberg’s 1993 classic Jurassic Park. The trio digs into the film’s politics: what it suggests about de-extinction, how the park embodies capitalism’s knack for turning scientific wonder into a luxury good, and whether there’s even a glimpse of a socialist horizon in this dino-thriller.

For nex...

This week, Rivka and Frank are joined by Assad Shalhoub, co-host of the Habibi House Podcast, for a deep dive into the 2001 thriller Spy Game, starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Together they unpack the film’s overt racism, its relentless Islamophobia, and its unmistakable role as propaganda for the CIA.

For next week’s movie, we’ll be watching Spielberg’s epic classic Jurassic Park. 

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This week Frank is joined by returning guests Harvey Kaye (award-winning author and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay) and Jon Shelton (professor and chair of Democracy and Justice Studies). In honor of Labor Day they discuss the John Sayles union drama Matewan and dive into labor issues, with insights on workers’ rights and the fight for social democracy.

For next week’s movie, we’ll be ...

This week, Frank is joined by comedian and actress Andrea More (STICK) and returning guest Mike Benner (Bob’s Burgers) to talk about the Paul Rudd/Jason Segel bromantic comedy I Love You, Man. Together, they unpack the epidemic of male loneliness, the pitfalls of toxic masculinity, and how male friendships are portrayed on screen—especially compared to female ones.

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