• Podcasts

What Are The Best Movies And TV Shows About Politics? – Episode 079

• October 19, 2016
• Tagged as: 30 rock, battlestar galactica, best of enemies, bob roberts, frost/nixon, game of thrones, hamilton, house of cards, idiocracy, lincoln, mash, milk, nightcrawler, orange is the new black, parks and recreation, platoon, primary colors, star trek vi: the undiscovered country, team america: world police, the americans, the brainwashing of my dad, the manchurian candidate, the west wing, the x-files, veep, wargames

In this episode, Brent and Erik talk about how politics and power are portrayed in movies and TVs. How are US politics portrayed? How does Game of Thrones speak to our modern politics? We also talk…

• Podcasts

Would You Rather Be a Bestselling Hack Or A Critical Darling Who Never Sells? – Episode 078

• October 12, 2016
• Tagged as: ride around shining, the art of fielding, the girls

In this episode, Brent and Erik talk about the choices writers face as they consider their future career. “Would you rather be a bestselling hack or a critical darling who never sells?” How writers approach…

• Podcasts

Is One Great Thing The Secret to Success? – Episode 077

• September 23, 2016
• Tagged as: being john malkovich, casablanca, charlie and the chocolate factory, die hard, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, gone girl, heroes, mahogany, mission impossible: ghost protocol, stranger things, swiss army man, the hangover, the rocky horror picture show, the thin man, vertigo

In this episode, Brent offers up a theory about how to write something that will be successful over the long run: either write something perfect or write something with just one great thing that outweighs any…

• Podcasts

Was Summer 2016 Different? – Episode 076

• September 7, 2016
• Tagged as: birth of a nation, captain america civil war, central intelligence, finding dory, ghostbusters, petes dragon, source code, star trek beyond, stranger things, the crazies, the jungle book, the little prince, three truths and a lie

Summer 2016 felt a little different, especially when it came to movies. Sequels bombed, and Netflix killed it with Stranger Things. So did something change? Was Summer 2016 a tipping point somehow? Brent and Erik…

• Podcasts

What Makes Calvin and Hobbes So Great? – Episode 075

• August 3, 2016
• Tagged as: calvin and hobbes, chicago, garfield, peanuts, shrek, the simpsons

Calvin and Hobbes ran for ten years from 1985 to 1995. Bill Watterson, its creator, is famously protective of his creation. He retired at the top of his career, he has never authorized any merchandising…

• Podcasts

What Is Three Truths and a Lie? – Episode 074

• July 27, 2016
• Tagged as: grand and humble, russel middlebrook: the futon years, three truths and a lie

We’re talking about Brent’s new book, Three Truths and a Lie, published August 2, 2016, by Simon and Schuster. The YA/psychological thriller/horror is a new direction for Brent. Four teenagers go for a weekend vacation to…

• Podcasts

Has Fandom Gone Too Far? – Episode 073

• July 22, 2016
• Tagged as: captain america, frozen, ghostbusters, stranger things, the lord of the rings

Fandom brings artists and storytellers the opportunity to create art for a waiting and eager audience. Fans can be brought in to give feedback early, which helps both the fans and the creator. But sometimes fans…

• Podcasts

Is Spielberg America’s Best Director? – Episode 072

• June 29, 2016
• Tagged as: amistad, bridge of spies, close encounters of the third kind, e.t., hook, independence day, jaws, lincoln, minority report, munich, raiders of the lost ark, ready player one, schindler's list, the color purple, the iron giant, the terminal, war of the worlds

It is easy to say that Steven Spielberg is the most successful American director. Just look at the box office of the movies he’s directed. But is he the best? That’s a much trickier question….

• Podcasts

Why Do We Love Scary Movies? – Episode 071

• June 22, 2016
• Tagged as: 10 cloverfield lane, 28 days later, alien, american horror story, dawn of the dead, game of thrones, jaws, jeepers creepers, leviathan wakes, paranormal activity, saw, station eleven, the babadook, the crossing, the invasion of the body snatchers, the omen, the thing, the unknown, the walking dead

What is it about humanity that makes us enjoy watching scary movies? Why do we pay to go into a dark movie theater and watch terrible things? Brent and Erik delve into horror films and look at…

• Podcasts

Is Shawshank The Best Movie Ever? – Episode 070

• June 8, 2016
• Tagged as: one flew over the cuckoos nest, orange is the new black, showgirls, starship troopers, the bucket list, the green mile, the legend of bagger vance, the matrix, the shawshank redemption, three truths and a lie

Since 2008, The Shawshank Redemption has been at the top of the IMDb Top 250 Films. It is a fixture on cable television. It is one of the most commonly cited “favorite films.” Why is…