12 Monkeys

October 02, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

For this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched “12 Monkeys,” the 1995 science fiction film from Terry Gilliam starring Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe, Brad Pitt and Christopher Plummer.

“12 Monkeys” is an adaptation of sorts of a 1962 French short film “La Jetée,” in which scientists in a post-nuclear apocalypse future send a man back and forward through time in an effort to save their present. The man eventually succeeds in his mission, only to be killed — his death being an image he had seen again and again in his dreams.

And in the film “12 Monkeys,” Bruce Willis plays James Cole, a prisoner living in an underground compound beneath Philadelphia, in a future where the human race has been nearly wiped out by viral plague. He is selected to go back in time to find the original virus to help scientists in his present develop a cure.

During multiple trips back in time, he encounters people — a patient at a mental health institution played by Pitt, a psychologist played by Stowe — who all seem to have a role in the events that will end the human race. Cole struggles to resolve whether his life and experiences are real or not, but comes to understand that the virus is real, and that the man responsible is in his orbit. He attempts to stop him but is shot and killed, fulfilling the vision he had seen, in his dreams, of his own death.

The tagline for “12 Monkeys” is “The Future is history.”

“12 Monkeys” is available for rent or purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. Our latest episode of the Patreon is on “A Face in the Crowd.”

The American President (feat. Linda Holmes)

September 17, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

For this week’s episode, Jamelle and John were joined by Linda Holmes of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Our to discuss the 1995 political romantic comedy “The American President,” directed by Rob Reiner, written by — you guessed it — Aaron Sorkin, and starring Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, David Paymer, Samantha Mathis and Michael J. Fox, among others.

“The American President” stars Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd, a widow, who falls in love with an environmental lobbyist, played by Annette Bening, while he also runs for re-election and attempts to pass major legislation. The film is both a romantic comedy, depicting the president’s courtship, and a political drama, depicting the effort to win votes, dodge criticism and shore up the White House’s political position.

The tagline for “The American President” is “Why can’t the most powerful man in the world have the one thing he wants most?”

“The American President” is available for rent or purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

Our next episode will on the 1995 science-fiction thriller, “Twelve Monkeys.”

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. The latest episode of our Patreon podcast is on the 1970 film “The Conformist.” Our next episode will be on Elia Kazan’s 1957 political drama “A Face in the Crowd.”

Goldeneye (feat. Isaac Chotiner)

September 09, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

For this week’s episode, Jamelle and John were joined by Isaac Chotiner of the New Yorker magazine to watch and discuss 1995’s GoldenEye, the first James Bond film of the 1990s and the first James Bond film of the post-Cold War era. GoldenEye is the seventeenth film in the James Bond series and the first to star Pierce Brosnan, who would go on to star in three subsequent pictures, all of which we will eventually cover on the podcast: Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Directed by Martin Campbell and starring, in addition to Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Alan Cumming, Judi Dench and Joe Don Baker, Goldeneye was something of a reboot for the Bond franchise, which had been on a six-year hiatus since the previous entry, License to Kill starring Timothy Dalton.

The plot of GoldenEye is as straightforward as one of these movies can manage: Bond is tasked with stopping the mysterious Janus syndicate from stealing and using a Soviet-era space weapon capable of causing an electro-magnetic pulse blast anywhere on the planet. Complicating this mission is the fact that the leader of Janus, Alec Trevelayn, is a former MI6 agent who was supposed to have died on a mission with Bond, nine years earlier. There’s the usual adventures and explosions and casual sexual encounters, culminating in a final showdown between Bond and Trevelayn on a massive satellite.

GoldenEye, if you’ve somehow never seen it, is available for rental and purchase on iTunes and Amazon.

For our next episode, we’re covering the 1995 romantic-political comedy, “The American President,” starring Michael Douglas and Annette Benning.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. The most recent episode of the Patreon is on the 1970 Italian political drama, “The Conformist.”

Dead Presidents

August 18, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

For this week’s episode, we watched the 1995 coming-of-age tale slash Vietnam War movie slash crime thriller “Dead Presidents,” produced and directed by Albert and Allen Hughes. It stars Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, N’Bushe Wright, Freddy Rodriguez and Bokeem Woodbine.

“Dead Presidents” is the story of Anthony Curtis, a soon-to-be high school graduate from the Bronx who chooses to join the Marines in search of his own destiny. The year is 1969 and he is sent to Vietnam, leaving his family, his girlfriend Juanita and his friends behind. He experiences the worst of the war and returns home, angry and alienated, to his old girlfriend and his daughter. His friends, who also went to war, have also had their own trials. Each desperate for meaning and for money, they devise a plan to rob an armored car. As you might expect, things get quickly out of hand.

In the course of the episode, Jamelle and John discuss the experience of Black veterans in America’s wars, the role of Vietnam in American national memory and the way race shapes our understanding of crime.

The tagline for “Dead Presidents” is “The only color that counts is green.” You can find the move for rent on iTunes and Amazon.

Episodes come out every two weeks, so we will see you then with an episode on the first James Bond film of the 1990s, “Goldeneye.”

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. Our latest Patreon episode is on the 1975 German political thriller, “The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum.”

Strange Days

July 24, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

For this week’s episode, Jamelle and John watched Kathryn Bigelow’s 1995 cult favorite Strange Days, a collaboration with James Cameron inspired by the political and social turmoil of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although not quite “cyberpunk” — it isn’t a William Gibson pastiche like its contemporary Johnny Mnemonic — Strange Days borrows heavily from the genre and its various conceits. Strange Days stars Ralph Fiennes as protagonist Lenny Nero, Angela Bassett as “Mace,” Juliette Lewis as Faith and Tom Sizemore as Max, with appearances from Vincent D’Onofrio, Michael Wincott, William Fichtner and Richard Edson.

Here is a brief plot synopsis:

Set in the year 1999 during the last days of the old millennium, the movie tells the story of Lenny Nero, an ex-cop who now deals with data-discs containing recorded memories and emotions. One day he receives a disc which contains the memories of a murderer killing a prostitute. Lenny investigates and is pulled deeper and deeper in a whirl of blackmail, murder and rape. Will he survive and solve the case?

The tagline for Strange Days is “New Year’s Eve 1999. Anything is possible. Nothing is forbidden.”

Strange Days is available to stream on HBO Max and is available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Amazon. Our next episode is on the Hughes brother’s crime thriller Dead Presidents.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. Our latest episode of the patreon is on The Battle of Algiers.

Fatherland (feat. Sam Goldman)

July 07, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

This week, Jamelle and John were joined by scholar and author Sam Goldman to watch and discuss the1994 alt-history thriller “Fatherland,” a made-for-HBO adaptation of Robert Harris’ 1992 novel of the same name.

Both the novel and the film take place in a 1964 where Nazi Germany won the war in Europe. In the week leading up to the 75th birthday of Adolf Hitler, and the opening up of diplomatic relations with the United States, an investigator in the SS looks into the suspicious death of a high-ranking Nazi official. He soon discovers that a cadre of senior Nazis are being murdered under unusual circumstances to cover up something of great importance. Our detective, along with an American journalist, eventually discover the “something” in question: evidence of the Holocaust.

“Fatherland” is not available for streaming on HBO Max, but you can find a free copy of decent quality on YouTube.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

The Net (feat. Josie Duffy Rice)

June 28, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John are joined by the Josie Duffy Rice of the Unreformed podcast to discuss “The Net,” a 1995 techno-thriller, directed by Irwin Winkler and starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam and Dennis Miller. The Net was one of several films in a mini-genre that you can describe as, “What if computer technology was used for evil?” Contemporaries include Hackers and Enemy of the State, both films we will eventually cover on this podcast.

Here is a brief plot synopsis:

Angela Bennett is a freelance software engineer who lives in a world of computer technology. When a cyber friend asks Bennett to debug a new game, she inadvertently becomes involved in a conspiracy that will soon turn her life upside down and make her the target of an assassination.

The tagline for The Net is: “NO DRIVER’S LICENSE, NO CREDIT CARDS, NO PASSPORT, NO ACCESS TO HER BANK ACCOUNTS IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY … SHE FINDS HER IDENTITY STOLEN.”

The Net is available to rent on Amazon and iTunes.

Our next episode will on the 1994 adaptation of the novel “Fatherland,” starring Rutger Hauer and Miranda Richardson. You can watch it on YouTube.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

Demolition man

June 10, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watch the satirical sci-fi action thriller “Demolition Man,” starring Sylvester Stallone as “John Spartan,” a Los Angeles city police officer who is cryogenically frozen as punishment for a failed rescue attempt; Wesley Snipes as “Simon Phoenix,” his primary antagonist; Sandra Bullock as a cop in the sterile, Brave New World-esque future society in which the film takes place; and Nigel Hawthorne as the leader of that future society.

In addition to their usual look at the headlines and news of the day, Jamelle and John discuss “Demolition Man” as one of the quintessentially conservative blockbusters of the 1990s, with a critique of liberalism as both permissive — and thus prone to disorder — and highly restrictive, and thus antagonistic to traditional ideas of manhood and masculinity. They also look at what the movie says about the role of violence in society, and try to place the film within the “end of history” context of the immediate post-Cold War period.

Episodes come out every two weeks, so we’ll see you then with an episode on “The Net,” starring Sandra Bullock.

“The Net” is available to rent on iTunes and Amazon.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. We are currently doing a mini-series on the films of the French-Greek director Costa-Gavras.

Judge Dredd

May 26, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John are joined by David Sims of The Atlantic magazine and the Blank Check podcast to discuss the 1995 comic book adaptation “Judge Dredd.” Made in the era when Hollywood had no idea what to do with comics and science fiction properties, “Judge Dredd” is, in most respects, a failure. But within that failure is interesting glimpse into one of the major political preoccupations of the 1990s — crime. As such, the conversation touches on the crime discourse of the decade, as well as the culture of American policing. They also talk a bit about Sylvester Stallone.

It’s a good episode, even if you disagree with us about the strength of the movie itself. We realized that we skipped an important entry in Stallone’s 1990s output, so our next episode will be on the 1993 film “Demolition Man.” We’ll see you then.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. Our latest episode is on the 1970 political thriller “The Confession,” directed by Costa-Gavras.

True Lies

May 14, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watch “True Lies,” James Cameron’s tonally-incoherent (but hugely successful) spy thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. They discuss the film as a straightforward take on the American crisis of masculinity in the 1990s, as a depiction of American beliefs and ideologies around sex and power, and as the beginning of a significant turn in the cultural depiction of America’s enemies. They also talk about American interventions into Haiti, welfare reform and James Cameron’s marriages.

You can watch “True Lies” on Apple TV Plus or Paramount Plus.

Episodes are released every two weeks, so join Jamelle and John later this month for an episode on the 1995 adaptation of “Judge Dredd,” starring Sylvester Stallone.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. The latest episode of the Patreon is on the 1969 political thriller “Z,” directed by Costa-Gavras.

Canadian Bacon

April 27, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

This week on Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watched “Canadian Bacon,” a 1995 political comedy written, produced and directed by Michael Moore, which takes aim at American politics in the wake of the Cold War. It stars an ensemble cast of John Candy (in his last film role), Alan Alda as the president of the United States, Bill Nunn, Kevin J. O’Connor, Rhea Perlman, Kevin Pollak and Rip Torn.

In their conversation, Jamelle and John discuss Michael Moore’s work and impact (especially on their political awareness), post-Cold War demobilization, deindustrialization and the ways that race and class work together in American life. New episodes come out every two weeks, so join the podcast then when we discuss James Cameron’s “True Lies.”

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

Die Hard with a Vengeance

April 15, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, we watched “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” the 1995 threequel to the original 1988 “Die Hard.” Directed by John McTiernan, who helmed the first film, it was written by prolific Holllywood screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh based on an original screenplay and stars Bruce Willis as recurring hero John McClane, Samuel L. Jackson as “Zeus,” and Jeremy Irons as Simon Gruber, brother of Hans.

In the episode, Jamelle and John discuss Rudy Giuliani’s New York, the racial and class politics of the film and how this movie seems to anticipate the imagery of the 9/11 era.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

Our next episode is on the 1995 political satire “Canadian Bacon,” directed by Michael Moore and starring an ensemble cast of John Candy, Alan Alda, Bill Nunn and many others. You can find it to rent on iTunes and Amazon.

Outbreak

April 01, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John discuss Wolfgang Petersen’s medical thriller slash action movie “Outbreak.” We spend the bulk of the episode discussing the experience of watching this movie having lived through a pandemic, as well as the pandemic fears of the 1990s that might have inspired this film. Unfortunately, a few technical difficulties meant the audio quality isn’t as high as it should be, but we did our best to compensate and we appreciate your patience.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. Our most recent episode of the Patreon is on Alan J. Pakula’s paranoia thriller “The Parallax View.”

On our next episode of Unclear and Present Danger, we cover “Die Hard: With a Vengeance.”

Drop Zone (feat. Soraya Roberts)

March 19, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

This week, Jamelle and John are joined by Soraya Roberts of Defector and Pipe Wrench magazine to talk “Drop Zone,” a quintessentially 1990s action film starring Wesley Snipes and Gary Busey. They talk Snipes' career and his fall into “sovereign citizenship,” the 90s obsession with “extreme” sports, and race and Hollywood.

In our next episode, we’ll discuss the (ridiculous) disaster thriller “Outbreak,” directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo. It’s available to rent or purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more. Our most recent episode is on the Clint Eastwood film “The Eiger Sanction,” and our next episode will be on the Alan J. Pakula paranoia thriller, “The Parallax View.”

Toys

March 05, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John watch “Toys,” a largely-forgotten fantasy-comedy film from director Barry Levinson. Despite its myriad flaws, the boys have a productive conversation about the film’s obvious themes — the military-industrial complex and the rise of remote and drone warfare — and its less obvious themes, specifically the bourgeois vision of family capitalism and industrial harmony at the heart of the film.

“Toys” is virtually impossible to watch if you don’t have a physical disc, but there is a low-quality version available to stream here.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

The Human Factor (PATREON PREVIEW)

February 18, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

We are concluding our Graham Greene series with an obscure spy drama from director Otto Preminger, the 1979 film "The Human Factor." It is of a piece with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and to that point, Jamelle and John spend this episode discussing the connections between the two works and the similarities (and differences) between how Le Carre and Greene view betrayal and deception.

"The Human Factor" is pretty good — Preminger was a master — so we both recommend that you check it out. It's available to view for rent on iTunes and Amazon Prime.

To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Unclear and Present Patreon and get access to our show on the films (and television) of the Cold War, as well a monthly entry into a movie raffle, and whatever else we can think of.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

The Rocketeer

February 18, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

In this week’s episode, Jamelle and John watch Disney’s “The Rocketeer,” a throwback action-adventure film starring Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino and Timothy Dalton. They discuss the 1930s revival of the late 80s and early 90s, the real-life conspiracies that might have inspired the plot of “The Rocketeer,” and the political power of nostalgia for Americans on the left and the right.

Episodes come out every other Friday, so we’ll see you two weeks from now with the 1992 film “Toys”" directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams. “Toys”" is basically impossible to find, so don’t worry about watching this one!

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

Without Warning

February 03, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

In this week’s episode, Jamelle and John discuss “Without Warning,” a made-for-television science fiction film from 1994, produced as if it were an actual breaking news event, with “reports” from on-the-ground correspondents from around the world. They discuss the inspiration for this “docudrama” genre as well as the general wave of “asteroid attack” films in the 1990s. They also talk the psychology behind the idea that a global disaster would bring humanity together (under American leadership, of course).

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

We’ll see you in two weeks with “The Rocketeer,” a science-fiction adventure film from 1991, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly. It’s available to rent on Amazon and iTunes and available on Disney Plus.

Surviving the Game (feat. Gillet Rosenblith)

January 21, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

This week, Jamelle and John are joined by historian Gillet Rosenblith to discuss the 1994 action thriller “Surviving the Game,” a loose adaptation of “The Most Dangerous Game” and a glimpse into anxieties and fears regarding poverty, homelessness and urban decay in the 1990s. They also discuss other, similar films of the era, like John Woo’s “Hard Target,” and they discuss further what distinguishes the action movies of the 1990s from their predecessors in the 70s and 80s.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.

The Puppet Masters

January 08, 2023 by Jamelle Bouie

Happy New Year! In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, we watch “The Puppet Masters,” an adaptation of a 1951 Robert Heinlein novel that feels lost an aimless in the absence of the original Cold War context. Jamelle and John discuss, among other things, the “Body Snatcher” genre, science fiction as a vehicle for allegory, and the war on drugs.

Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.

And join the Unclear and Present Patreon! For just $5 a month, patrons get access to a bonus show on the films of the Cold War, and much, much more.