The film The Shape of Water received thirteen Oscar nominations and won four (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score). The film follows the romance between a custodian at a secret government laboratory and a captured human-like...
Films
50 Shades… of Fear
With the recent release of the third installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey series there has been considerable consternation about what effect the film (and its predecessors) will have on the public. A Christian Science Monitor story by Gloria Goodale explained "How...
Explaining ‘Unexplained’ Photos for TV’s ‘Strange Evidence’
I will be appearing on a new 10-part series on Discovery’s Science Channel, on a show titled “Strange Evidence.” It examines bizarre and seemingly inexplicable photographs and videos. (I’m one of the guests who takes the “un” out of “unexplained.”) Will I be on the...
Return of Pennywise the evil clown!
My new CFI blog on the return of Pennywise the evil clown! Horror fans around the world have waited for years to see one of the most terrifying clowns in cinematic history, and finally Pennywise returns later this week in the new version of Stephen King's It....
Amy Schumer, the “Trainwreck” Shooting, and the Benefits of Skepticism
My new blog about Amy Schumer blaming herself for a shooting at her film "Trainwreck." By applying skepticism to news media claims we can see that she's blaming herself needlessly, and that there's no clear connection between the content of a film and violence that...
Doubt and Skepticism at ’10 Cloverfield Lane’
The new film 10 Cloverfield Lane contains some interesting lessons about skepticism, doubt, and the nature of knowledge... You can read it HERE. You can find more on me and my work with a search for "Benjamin Radford" (not "Ben Radford") on Vimeo.
‘Bridge of Spies’ on Spying and Due Process
My new CFI blog on James Donovan, the hero in the new Spielberg film "Bridge of Spies," is HERE. The film is largely about his integrity in demanding due process, yet Americans often are happy to ignore due process in favor of social justice outrage... You can find...
A Look at Last Week’s “Exorcism Live” TV Show
On October 30, Destination America aired a 2-hour live special about a group of ghost hunters trying to exorcise a house; my article on it is HERE.
Charles Darwin, Skeptic
From the Radford Files archives: The film Creation, starring Paul Bettany as Charles Darwin, tells the story of Darwin's revolutionary book On the Origin of Species. Darwin, steeped in the ways of science, was also a skeptic who demanded good evidence for...
2012 Disaster Film Contains Pro-Science Themes
From the Radford Files archives: 2012 Disaster Film Contains Pro-Science Themes The recent big-budget Hollywood blockbuster disaster film 2012, directed by Roland Emmerich, depicts a global catastrophe and flood. John Cusack stars as a divorced Los...