• 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

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

What Was The Best Media of 2015? – Episode 057

• December 18, 2015
• Tagged as: borgen, brother, daredevil, entourage, ex machina, fargo, game of thrones, grandfathered, inside out, jurassic world, kingsmen the secret service, mad max fury road, me earl and the dying girl, mockingjay part 2, parks and recreation, quantico, revolutions, scream queens, silicon valley, spectre, spotlight, terminator genisys, the americans, the martian, tomorrowland, trainwreck, unreal, younger

Brent and Erik rank their top ten books, movies, TV shows, and even podcasts of 2015 (as well as a few big disappointments). You will almost certainly find something you’ll want to bookmark and check out on one…

• Podcasts

Is Netflix The New Black? – Episode 042

• July 2, 2015
• Tagged as: bloodline, bojack horseman, daredevil, game of thrones, grace and frankie, hemlock grove, house of cards, marco polo, orange is the new black, sense8, the cotton club, the unbreakable kimmy schmidt

With a slate of new programming and several Emmys, Netflix is taking TV by storm. Which leads to the question… Is Netflix the new black? Are they the model that everyone should be looking to…

• Podcasts

Should Writers Kill Their Characters? – Episode 041

• June 24, 2015
• Tagged as: big hero six, buffy the vampire slayer, city slickers, cyrano de bergerac, deep blue sea, downton abbey, game of thrones, harry potter, la confidential, mash, psycho, scream, spring awakening, star trek generations, star trek into darkness, the sopranos, the walking dead, thelma and louise, up, x men days of future past, xena: warrior princess

Sometimes when books, TV shows, and movies kill key characters, fans get outraged. And sometimes a great death scene will make a character even more memorable. What’s the difference? Brent and Erik investigate. Your Hosts Brent Hartinger Erik…

• Podcasts

Is Game of Thrones the Future of TV? – Episode 032

• March 24, 2015
• Tagged as: bad twin, game of thrones, lost, red mars, the jinx

Never has a television show pushed the envelope of both content and production as Game of Thrones. Are shows with the epic scope of Game of Thrones the future? Or is this a high-water mark for TV?…

• Podcasts

Has CGI ruined movies? – Episode 031

• March 11, 2015
• Tagged as: alien, angel heart, beauty and the beast, beowulf, charlie and the chocolate factory, chef, chronicle, cloverfield, deep blue sea, dragonslayer, game of thrones, jaws, marvel's agent carter, star wars, the adventures of tintin, the hobbit, the lord of the rings, the polar express, titanic, willy wonka and the chocolate factory

Computer generated images are in almost every major studio movie, especially the upcoming summer blockbuster season. Has it gone too far and stifled creativity? Or has CGI actually unleashed it? Your Hosts Brent Hartinger Erik Hanberg Links…

• Podcasts

How Is Technology Changing Storytelling? – Episode 028

• February 18, 2015
• Tagged as: black mirror, chicago, game of thrones, hill street blues, lost, murder one, the sopranos, the thing i didn't know i didn't know, the x-files

Technology has changed both the kinds of stories we tell and how we tell them. Brent and Erik talk about how technology has reshaped the media landscape. This episode also includes our official launch of…

• Podcasts

What Was The Best Media Of 2014? – Episode 023

• December 17, 2014
• Tagged as: 20 feet from stardom, blue ruin, boyhood, cloud atlas, divergent, edge of tomorrow, extent, game of thrones, gone girl, guardians of the galaxy, jane the virgin, mulaney, non-stop, orange is the new black, serial, silicon valley, snowpiercer, the bone clocks, the giver, the greye, the martian, the mindy project, true detective

Brent and Erik wrap year with a look at the TV, movies, books, and more that stood out in 2014. They discuss the best (and some of the worst) in media this year. Your Hosts Brent Hartinger…

• Podcasts

Should You Write What You Know? – Episode 014

• September 18, 2014
• Tagged as: bird by bird, game of thrones, the marinara murders, the thing i didn't know i didn't know

“Write what you know” is common advice to new writers. But is it always a good idea? Brent and Erik take different sides and look at what it means for writers and for the stories…