incredibly interesting, builds out the cultural shifts to give a sense of the dynamics that leave us where we are in the present epoch

I’ll listen to Jamelle talk about anything, but it’s especially delightful to hear him talk about movies he likes (or even ones he doesn’t like that much).

I’m the ideal age for these 90’s movies but I always learn a lot from the newspaper flashback segment and I really enjoy the dynamic of the co-hosts, with Jamelle having an unshakable enthusiasm for “bad” movies as entertainment and John being harder on some of the films. Highly recommended! If you’re unsure pick a blockbuster title like Armageddon and see if you like it.

It seems like John Ganz is always so annoyed by the films. I look forward to new episodes and really enjoy hearing Jamelle’s takes but it’s getting exhausting listening to John complain and be annoyed.

Unapologetically spoiled the movie within the first 5 minutes and then started reading a news article verbatim lol what

And not just because it makes me feel smart for enjoying Broken Arrow, Bulworth, and worse.

If you are expecting in depth review of the films (which it seems like a few of the low reviewers were), this podcast will probably disappoint you. They are interested in how the films provide a window into their contemporary political world. Hard to find two better guides for that than these two! Go elsewhere for pop culture analysis.

I’ve listened to 5 episodes and have yet to find one that the hosts don’t find some reason to overly criticize and throw blanket terms like all of these great dad thrillers were “subliminally mediocre”. I would be so enthused to talk about these great films but we all know that negativity garners the most engagement on the internet. One saving grace is the both of the hosts political knowledge and finding ways to segue it (sometimes) to the film. It’s one thing to have constructive criticism but to bash every film or rank them all as “meh” has me wondering why are you even here doing this podcast ? Did the A24 podcast send you both a rejection letter. Or maybe there wasn’t enough room at Joe Rogan’s table? And for the love of all things that were holy in the 90’s, please do not eat during a podcast. Listen to U.S. Marshals ep for some wet lipsmacking and munching and the cardinal sin of talking while eating. You realize this is an auditory form of entertainment, right? No one wants to hear food stretch and mush while you talk about how bad all these fun nostalgic films were.

Politics, history, and movies. 3 of my favorite things all brought together in an entertaining fashion by the two hosts.

I really expected to like this, it’s right up the alley of the type of movie podcast that I usually love. The problem is that one host seems to not understand story pacing, culture, or conflict. I knew it ultimately wasn’t going to be for me when he said the movie a few good men did not have any compelling drama, interesting characters, or moral complex. Then it seemed like it just turned into the other host trying to sway him, so there was no real intelligent commentary. He’s welcome to his opinion, but when I’m listening to something that just feels devoid of understanding then I get annoyed.

This series is a great idea and features a pair of hosts whose work is consistently insightful and interesting. It’s just that the conversations features a shocking lack of institutional/pop culture knowledge on the part of both hosts, but especially Ganz. Many more Inaccuracies and groping for basic facts as they try to add context, than I would have expected from these hosts. Bouie does try his best to keep it afloat, but the other guy seems like he lived under a rock when these films were released.

I look forward to new episodes of this show and can’t get enough of it

Such a great review of some of my favorite 1990s films (well… some that are not too) and the politics that surrounded them. Each episode brings it back to today to add further context, but most of all it’s fun.

Is that they don’t put out more content.

I love it but especially John Ganz’s riffs and pithy summarizations of obscure moments in history and politics.

Only Jamelle’s audio was included in the podcast. Long chunks of dead air. Corrected podcast being released soon?

The greatest compliment I can give is that I want to be in on these conversations- I honestly am talking to my phone on a regular basis listening to this. Absolutely great.

Great podcast. I could listen to Jamelle and John cover any topic. It’s been fun to rewatch old favorites and discover new-to-me films as I listen along. Entertainment, the art of film, history, and geopolitics rolled into one.

Very Insightful Podcast! Love the hosts and the format works very well! Wish List: Mad City- 97(not because it’s great or anything) Enemy of the State- 98 Love all the choices so far though!

Very interesting discussions based on 90’s action flix.

Love the concept. Follow politics and grew up in the 80s and 90s. Jamelle Bouie is so thoughtful and I seek out his content. So this podcast should be for me! But for me, his cohost talks too much. I may not agree with 100% of what either host says, but I think Jamelle is engaging in a discussion. John is lecturing. Even when I agree with him, it’s become annoying. Glad others like it as is so it can keep going but I need to take a break…

This is one of my favorite all-time podcasts. The hosts always have great analysis. They are also charismatic and funny. For me, it is a great look back to a time and movies i lived through.

I was thrilled with this podcast when I first heard of it, I greatly enjoy many of the movies discussed as they were part of formative movie watching experiences for me with my father and grandfather. However, I can no longer support a podcast with such deep ties to the NYT as they whitewash a genocide, neither can I continue to listen to or respect John Ganz after reading his thoughts on the genocide in Palestine that amount to little more than slightly milder traditional colonialist propaganda. I genuinely wish both John and Jamelle the best but I simply cannot engage with their voices or opinions while innocents are slaughtered and while their words and works help to legitimize it in any way.

They don’t really talk about the movies all that much but the discussion around the political context of the films is far more interesting than yet another generic movie talk podcast. I’ll often listen even when I haven’t seen the movie! Ganz can ramble on at times in a way that would be annoying from almost any other podcaster, but he’s smart and witty enough to pull it off nearly every time - actually kind of incredible. Both guys are really good, as are their guests. This all goes for their patreon show as well. 5 stars!

I came for the political discussion, I stay for the punk vs. goth analysis.

JB: I would say Kanye is a Nixonian figure.

A terrific podcast that weaves together history, politics, and culture, all while discussing great (and not-so-great) movies with just the right amount of nostalgia.

Contextualizing this time period brings these movies back to the future where insightful commentary and knowledge, once buried in the newsstands, augment your memories into a fully operational social interpretation, breathing newfound fun (or eyeroll) to the “classics.” Just listen to the Hackers episode. There’s even more in the Patreon.

I like that this is first and foremost a political podcast. I’ve already got a movie podcast in my arsenal (WHM). The insight and commentary is a great crash course in certain aspects of 90s politics. Between John and Jamelle there is more than enough expertise to help give context and background on the topics at hand and my To Read list continues to grow along with my To Watch. If you’re interested in the politics of the 90s and how the “vibes” of the time were then reflected in the culture it’s hard to imagine a better podcast than this.

Perfect movie podcast: two people mine a niche but nearly limitless vein of genre films, and discuss in depth in a interdisciplinary way. Even though many of the films they discuss are quite bad, I’m always inspired by the respect they bring to each one—watching and enjoying movies isn’t about judgment! Required additional reading: Jamelle’s letterboxd reviews.

There is such good discussion about these movies I always look forward to new episodes

The New York Times is Zionist trash

Fairly good movie podcast. They cover a genre of movies I really enjoy. Jamelle is great. But, good lord can John Ganz ramble. He has a tendency to monopolize a conversation with meandering speeches that don’t really arrive anywhere interesting. I’d really like to hear more from his cohost and guests. I’m sure they have interesting thoughts as well!

I get that their New York Times leftists, but not every movie from the 90s requires analysis through a socialist lens. “I’m disappointed that people like Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan didn’t stop Trump.” It’s too much.

It's more than just nostalgia – it's a covert operation!

As someone who saw many of these films in theaters I appreciate the reflections of the films of this period (for better or worse) and the historical/cultural context.

A fabulous informal discussion of 1990’s politics, discussed around 1990s action movies. John: Keep talking at your normal, fast pace. Please!

One of them said he thought “rhizomatic” was a dumb word. I would prefer that they learn something about mycology before making such absolutely ridiculous statements. Rhizomatic is a fascinating and important sociological concept related to the idea that people communicate based not always on language or perceptible action but are still connected by other means. Sorry for the not great review, but I expect better, at least from Jamelle, Ganz is kind of a pr1ck.

This podcast is such a fun listen. The discussion of a movie within the context of the history, politics, and culture of its particular moment it time really makes for a fascinating and wonderful experience. It’s made me go back and rewatch many different movies with the new perspective provided in these episodes.

lots of fun, takes a serious look at action films with a self aware lens about how silly the whole endeavor is

This is a podcast *about politics* that uses movies of the time as contextualizing material, not the other way around. If you’re looking for a podcast *about movies* there are many great ones, but again this is a podcast *about politics*.

The perfect intersection of pop culture and politics. I love Jamelle Bouie’s NYT column and am so happy to have found this series, too!

Excellent discussion about a period of time I lived through but was too young to understand through the best way - pop culture and movies.

The premise of this podcast is great, using the movies of this period as a jumping off point to discuss the politics of the 1990s. What do the movies say about the changing international political situation and how Americans view themselves in the world? Excellent idea. But they often spend relatively little time discussing the actual movies before diving into the political stuff. If you have not watched the movie, you can get lost not knowing what they are talking about. And it is hard not to get the impression that they don’t actually care about the movies but just want to discuss the politics. They also end up breathing a lot of their own air, stuck in a feedback loop of progressive politics. In one episode they began ranting about over-policing in America and never acknowledged that crime is bad and police are necessary. It’s wonderful to live in that bubble until somebody breaks into your house or steals your car. In their second Hunt for Red October podcast, they seemed oblivious to the idea that Soviet communism might have been oppressive. They could really use a dissenting voice to challenge their over-confidence in their world view.

The show’s concept is good the film’s reviews are not done in tedious blow blow or even by scene by scene. Instead Bouie and Ganz do well to use them to explore topics and concepts of the era. The Audio has become worse over time. Often times Ganz sounds like he is 12 feet from the mic or underwater. Demolition Man for example is impossible too.

I really wanted to like this because I like some of the hosts’ other efforts, as well as many of the guests, but it’s just always so half baked. I don’t especially care about the NYT page from that day (honestly, what’s the point of that when the movie probably was greenlit years prior - why not just give us some big topics of the month or year?). However, my real issue with the show is how little they talk about the actual movies. The problem with talking about the things happening around this movie is they all pretty much came out around the same time and deal with the same subject matter - so on some level, every episode feels exactly the same. “This is what politics were like, this is what gender relations were like, they don’t make them like this anymore.” The only way to make this compelling is to really go deep on the movies because then the same-y context is secondary. But really, it mostly seems like the hosts just don’t have that much to say. Maybe I’ll check in again someday, but there are simply too many good movie podcasts out there to bother with this one.

Outstanding historical perspective so that our children will understand and respect their ancestors and hold their heads high when they realize how far we have come and how much more we must do, together. Not acknowledging each person’s contribution, historical and present, makes ghosts of those of us that sat in classrooms, completely disconnected and invisible to those around you. Stand up and scream it loudly—Black, Brown,Red, Yellow and White people all contributed to our society and must be recognized and valued. Thank you

Unclear and Present Danger is one of the most informative, insightful, and simultaneously entertaining podcasts I’ve ever listened to. Listening to each episode is like attending a deeply researched, eloquently delivered, and highly accessible college course that Jamelle and John have prepared about political theory, US history, and the complex stories of the late Cold War and post-Cold War world, through the lens of these very entertaining (or at least textually interesting) films. Their tagline is “what [the films] say about the politics of that decade”, but I would add “and of today” for how deeply insightful their conversations are about the earlier roots of the social and political crises we are living through now in the 2020’s. Their Patreon show about earlier era Cold War thrillers is equally compelling and highly recommended as well. I cannot praise this show highly enough.

This show is the perfect blend of entertaining movie talk and sharp thinking about the politics of the time. Fascinating to be told about the specific NYT headlines the day of each movie’s release. As an immigrant who came to USA in 2011 I have learned a huge amount.

This is a great show, and I always look forward to new episode days. The hosts are smart and engaging and always have interesting conversations that I learn from. Even when I haven’t seen the movie under discussion, I enjoy the trip back in time to the 90s NYT front page. Thanks for making this show!