Episodes
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Episode 050: Self-Discovery Right Before a Wedding is Ill-Advised — The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Join Alex as he discusses a solid romantic screwball comedy from the early film days, The Philadelphia Story (1940), starring Golden Age of cinema heavyweights like Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart! In this episode, we’ll explore how Katherine Hepburn’s character, Tracy, comes to learn more about herself through social psychological principles regarding the formation of the SELF. Alex also dives into the portrayal of gender roles, as this movie revolves around Tracy’s very important wedding. Alex also gushes about the Mid-Atlantic accent, a highlight of films in this era! It’s positively lovely…
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Episode 049: Birthdays Are Random, Folks — Born on the Fourth of July (1989) with Anthony Zoccolillo
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Anthony Zoccolillo as they discuss the middle film of Oliver Stone’s Vietnam trilogy, Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), patriotism, and activism are fantastic topics to explore in this war film based on the life of a real Vietnam veteran that went from blind patriot to leading antiwar activist, Ron Kovic. It really puts events of today in perspective, sheesh…
Check out 50 States of Terror episode that Zocc was on for Mental Health Awareness Month, May 2022!
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Episode 048: Who Woulda Thunk Superheroes Would Make Decent Leaders? The Marvel Cinematic Universe with Sy Islam & Gordon Schmidt
Join Alex and guest hosts Drs. Sy Islam and Gordon Schmidt in a discussion of the various leadership qualities of several Marvel superheroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008 – Present)! The Universe is huge, there are so many movies, but the characters span several movies, played by the same actors, so we have the ability to track growth and development in this action-adventure genre! Sy and Gordon literally wrote the book on leadership in the MCU, so join us to find out which characters Papa Kevin Feige has made successful leaders — and you’ll even hear our three funniest MCU moments!…
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Episode 047: I Wouldn’t Say I’ve Been Missing Work—Office Space (1999) with Ed Hansen
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Ed Hansen in a discussion of the various psychological concepts in the sharp witty satire of late-1990s office work in Mike Judge’s Office Space (1999)! It’s high time we discussed the often-neglected child of psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and all that it has to offer in this laugh-filled podcast episode exploring a laugh-inducing commentary on bad bosses, crappy office work environments, and toxic corporate mentality. The movie starts Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, John C. McGinley, Gary Cole, and Stephen Root as Milton… you’ll have to listen to hear me doing my best Milton impression!
Follow Ed on Twitter: @EdHansen_PhDAD
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Episode 046: Let’s Talk About Sex… Research — Kinsey (2004) with Leslee Koritzke
Join Alex and guest host Leslee Kortizke in a discussion of the various psychological concepts in the biopic of Dr. Alfred Kinsey in the aptly-named Kinsey (2004)! The discussion is of course on the titular character’s groundbreaking work on the sexual behaviors of Americans in the 1940s and 1950s, an extremely taboo subject of the time! The episode features an exploration of the precursors to the work, as portrayed in the film, with an explanation of the methods used and a critique of the work through a more modern lens. Let’s have a discussion about sex, shall we?
Check out Leslee’s book: On Amazon
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Episode 045: A Juicy 90s Satire of Conversion Therapy—But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) with Molly Metz & Will Ryan
Join Alex and guest hosts Drs. Molly Metz & Will Ryan as the three dissect and discuss the bubbly and rich 90s satire But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)! The film stars Natasha Lyonne and Clea Duvall as lesbians forced to attend a straight conversion camp. While the content is heavy — conversion therapy is wrong at all levels for both orientation AND gender conversion — if you’re ready to laugh at the absurdity of it all, tag along! The trio chat about gender identity and roles, sexual orientation, and how this movie turns typical gay and lesbian tropes on their head!…
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Episode 044: Wait, Zimbardo Didn’t Do An Experiment? The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) with Keli Braitman and Jen Simonds
Join Alex and guest hosts Drs. Keli Braitman and Jen Simonds as the three dissect and discuss the dramatic take on the real life The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)! The film stars Billy Crudup as the real Dr. Philip Zimbardo, a psychologist who became famous for putting college-aged men in a fake prison in the basement of the psychology building in the summer of 1971, letting guards treat these men as less than humans. We tackle the ethical issues, the psychology of the situation, and how this kind of study would never pass muster in this modern era of psychological research.…
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Episode 043: A Disney Version of a Discussion on Racial Prejudice—Remember the Titans (2000) with Wind Goodfriend
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Wind Goodfriend in a discussion of the psychological concepts in the uplifting but superficial film, Remember the Titans (2000)! We discuss whether the discussion and commentary in this “Based on a True Story” story holds up in our modern discussion on prejudice and race, dive deep into the Allport theory of contact and cooperation and the Sherif Robbers Cave field experiment, and finally chat about the real life events surrounding this story versus the film’s creative license. But, football? LEFT SIDE… STRONG SIDE!
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Episode 042: A Trans, Religious, Simulation Allegory, Oh My! The Matrix Film Franchise
Join Alex in an exploration of the themes and allegories — that have a psychological flair, of course — in The Matrix (1999) film franchise! In this episode, Alex dives into the Wachowski sisters’ true meaning of the first film, which was a transgender allegory. He also explores the iconic religious allegory, as well as a discussion about simulation theory. Some other details are also discussed, like how you can really function with a giant spike shoved into the back of your skull! (Hint: you can’t.) While there is minimal discussion of the new film, The Matrix: Resurrections (2021), consider this a minor spoiler alert!…
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Episode 041: If Freud is the Butt of the Jokes, What Does it Mean? What About Bob (1991) with Jordan Wagge
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Jordan Wagge (Twitter: @jorowags) as they take a closer look at the goofy Bill Murray comedy What About Bob? (1991). This Frank Oz classic that also stars Richard Dreyfuss as Dr. Leo Marvin is a wild ride in anxiety, therapy, and Freud jokes! Alex and Jordan officially start the Dr. Leo Marvin Haters Club and decide he is one of the worst people — not just therapist — in the world. But remember, don’t think too hard about the psych portrayal in the movie, it’s a comedy!
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