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Episode 122: Magic Hijacks Your Weak Attentional Systems, Even if You Look Close — Now You See Me (2013) with Chelsea Bell
Join Alex and Chelsea Bell as they explore the magical world of illusion craft and sleight of hand in Now You See Me (2013), Louis Leterrier’s hodge-podge of heist, mystery, and real-world magic. The film is a dominant ensemble, featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Melanie Laurent. The different kinds of magic portrayed are discussed, along with the ways that magic, illusion, and misdirection work on the limitations of the human brain, including attention and cognitive biases. The episode also forays into topics related to magic, like hypnosis and suggestibility, and subliminal priming.…
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Episode 099: My Availability Heuristic Says It’s a Shark Attack! Jaws (1975) with Jordan Wagge
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Jordan Wagge as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the first summer blockbuster films, Jaws (1975)! One of Steven Spielberg’s great filmmaking achievements, featuring one of the best dolly zoom shots in cinema history, as well as a fully functional animatronic sharks, affectionately named Bruce. Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw, as three very different shark hunters when a great white attacks a small summer island. The episode explores biases by one infamous mayor, including the dynamics of each of the three men as they struggle to end the horror of brutal shark attacks.…