Be Reel

With the presidential election cycle eating itself (and many of our souls), this week's episode takes on three recent electoral satires: 1999's "Election," 2012's "The Campaign" and 2003's "Head of State." In them, races for student council president, a rural Congressional seat and the highest office in the land are wrought with the betrayal, the puppeteering and the backroom handshakes we imagine (or try not to) in the political system. This week, we're joined by journalist Leo Adam Biga, author of "Alexander Payne: His Journey In Film," to talk about "Election," a young Payne trying to capture Omaha, and a sneak preview into Payne's return to satire with 2017's "Downsizing." Table of Contents: 3:40 - "Election" and its fearlessness 16:00 - Leo Adam Biga on Alexander Payne's career and his next movie 29:00 - "The Campaign" doesn't understand satire 39:40 - "Head of State" gets a bad rap