Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
We discuss the new movie produced by Sony Pictures titled “Brightburn”. The film is different than the typical storyline in that it chronicles the rise of a superhero that uses his power for evil rather than good.
We discuss the new HBO miniseries, co-produced with Sky UK, titled “Chernobyl”. The show follows the chronological events of the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union and captures the confusion and terror in the days, months and years following the accident.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Mark Obmascik shares the incredible story of two men fighting for opposing sides and tangled in the complexities of World War II in his book The Storm on Our Shores: One Island, Two Soldiers, and the Forgotten Battle of World War II.
Binge-watching several seasons of a TV show all at once might not be the best idea after all. For some lighter shows like Stranger Things it may make sense, but it can be cumbersome and brain draining to get through all eight seasons of Game of Thrones in a matter of weeks. We discuss an alternate route that avoids the fatigue.
Racial segregation still persists throughout the U.S. One factor contributing to this inequality is the structure of our towns and cities. Richard Rothstein and Tonika Johnson talk about how past laws and our government created a divided demographic and the impact this has on certain populations.
We discuss the new album Pep Talks from the band Judah & The Lion, most known for their 2016 single “Take It All Back”. The album features a funky, electronic vibe coupled with old-time folk and bluegrass instruments, offering a refreshing perspective in the alternative rock genre.
We examine how television series have grown to be more diverse and inclusive in the Peak TV era. One such show is Ramy, a new Hulu original, which candidly follows the life of a young, first-generation Muslim man and the challenges that arise with the melting pot of cultures.
Elisabeth Moss stars in the new indie movie, Her Smell directed by Alex Ross Perry. The film follows Moss as she plays the chaotic role of fictional punk rocker, Becky Something, who is mentally unstable, addicted to drugs and clawing to get her life together.
For decades, science fiction was a genre written almost exclusively by white males. Now, the genre is flourishing with diverse voices, thanks in part to the trailblazing writer Octavia E. Butler. Historian Gerry Canavan discusses the obstacles Butler faced and her legacy on one of the most popular genres in American literature.
We examine Beyonce’s consistent influence throughout all sectors of media. The visionary artist is known for her fierce demeanor and powerhouse concert performances, rewriting traditional female and black stereotypes in media.
The sci-fi adventure movie, Annihilation, is based on a book but the adaptation is looser than what we typically expect. How director Alex Garland created something new.
Horror movies are major box office. Some experts see the film “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” as a turning point. One reason is the Gill Man character, created by an often overlooked female trailblazer in monster design, Millicent Patrick. An author who has researched Patrick discusses her significance in American culture and the horror film genre.
The wildly popular TV show Game of Thrones is set to wrap up its story with six episodes this season, yet its fans may be unsatisfied. The TV show has departed the path of the books.
Streaming services are multiplying, and none of them carry everything. Many people are finding that satisfying their TV viewing desires through streaming services is getting as expensive as cable.
You see authors thank their editors all the time in the acknowledgements section of a book. But exactly what does an editor do? We talk to an editor himself who explains to us what an editor does to get the book from a manuscript to the finished copy on store shelves.
Jordan Peele used to be best known as a sketch comic, but his second film as a director, “Us,” is showing that the success of his first, “Get Out,” was no fluke.
For a few decades now, teens have flocked to YA novels like The Hunger Games or The Fault in Our Stars. Why are they so popular? We talk to two novelists who say young adult fiction can help teens consider big issues and life and ‘practice’ their responses to real-world problems like violence and drugs.
Summer is almost here, which means the concert and music festival season in almost in full swing. We talk a look at why a day at an amphitheater can stick with you for life.
Sometimes you want to watch an expertly written and produced hour of television with central themes and a commentary on modern life… and sometimes, you just want to shut your brain off and watch something easy. This is about those latter experiences.
The Harry Potter series is full of creatures and storylines that parallel real-life adversities like depression, PTSD and grief in a heightened reality. Dr. Janina Scarlet says these stories are so powerful that she uses them to help people cope in real-life therapy sessions.
Anecdotal evidence and some real data science both suggest that we never grow out of the things we loved at 15.
We grow up hearing nursery rhymes and fairy tales that deal with good and evil. All of us fondly remember the cartoons of our youth and the stories we grew up with. We talk to Soman Chainani about authoring a new entry into the catalogue of mythology and his attempt to course-correct the lessons more modern stories have been teaching our children.
Netflix’s new show, Russian Doll is an ethical, mysterious, funny drama modeled after the Groundhog Day “waking up in the same moment” plot. It’s an especially great binge-watch.
Audiobooks used to be big, cumbersome collections of tapes. Now, they’re simply files on our phones, and their portability and convenience make them a great option for commute-time listening.
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