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Episode 097: Using My Ambition and Bottom-Up Processing for Birding! The Big Year (2011) with Marc Klippenstine
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Marc Klippenstine for a personalized discussion on birding, bird-watching, and psychology: The Big Year (2011). The film stars comedy powerhouses Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson, as three men who love birding so much, they all attempt the Audubon Society’s “Big Year”. Birding is a hobby that relies on bottom-up and top-down processing, cooperation, friendship, and a little bit of intrinsic motivation! But what happens when ambition gets in the way of personal relationships? This question and more are discussed in a wonderful chat about the portrayal of birding in this film from a birder himself!…
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Episode 092: Developmental Psychology… In Song Form! The Sound of Music (1965) with Jill Swirsky
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Jill Swirsky as they enter the world of musical theater put to film in Robert Wise’s wonderful adaptation of The Sound of Music (1965)! A musical about a man (played by Christopher Plummer) who treats his kids like sailors and woman (played by Julie Andrews) who just wants to sing with Nazism as a backdrop is a perfect exploration of psychology! From developmental theories, to grief and loss, to identity and relationships, this wonderful musical with amazing songs offers a great exploration of basic psychological concepts. This podcast episode is one of my favorite things!…
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Episode 089: You Haven’t Listened to this Episode, You’re Forgetful — Gaslight (1944) with Wind Goodfriend
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Wind Goodfriend in a discussion of the psychological concepts found in the amazing psychological thriller Gaslight (1944) — THE origin of the word de jour “gaslighting” ! The film stars award-winning Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, as woman who’s reality is being warped by her conniving and selfish husband, respectively. Within the psychological manipulation of gaslighting, the hosts also explore the ways emotional and psychological abuse is carried out in these kinds of relationships and even discuss a new scale that aims to help folks determining if they/re under the gaslighting spell!
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Episode 088: I Wasn’t Expecting to Be in This Movie! Inside Out 2 (2024)
Join Alex as he takes a solo look at the sequel to a film that lives in our hearts and our heads, Inside Out 2 (2024). While the film has a lot to live up to from its predecessor, this new entry into Riley’s head isn’t a slouch. A new dynamic and new emotions enter the picture as Riley turns 13 years old and beings puberty during a summer hockey camp. Of the new emotions, Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke), butts heads with Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), and well, lots of wild and crazy events happen as they try to put the best self-concept of Riley forward.…
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Episode 079: No, There Isn’t a Gay Blood Test — Boy Erased (2018) with Lee Golembiewski
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Lee Golembiewski as they discuss the harrowing true story of a young gay man enduring conversion therapy in the US South in Boy Erased (2018). The film stars Lucas Hedges as Jared, playing a version of Garrard Conley, who wrote a memoir of the same name in 2016, detailing his journey through conversion therapy in the early 2000s. The film also stars Russell Crowe as his pastor father, who ultimately made the decision to send Jared to the harmful Christian ministry, Nicole Kidman, as his mother, who makes a startling transformation during the film, and Joel Edgerton, who plays the ministry’s lead “counselor” — Edgerton also directed and assisted in adapting the book into a screenplay.…
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Episode 072: Gender Expression and The Patriarchy and Toys! Barbie (2023) with Molly Metz
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Molly Metz as they jump into the pink land that is Barbie (2023)! There’s so much in this episode that they crammed in, and they didn’t even get to everything. Alex and Molly explore gender expression, gender identity, masculinity, femininity, queerness, relationships, and of course, the role Barbie has had in Western/American culture since her debut in the 1950s. There are lot of great nuggets of info and a lot of laughs, and that’s just in the podcast — imagine what’s in the movie!
Check out these links if you want to know more about Barbie, the film, and gender studies: BinaryThis, Fortune, The Mercury News, and AutoStraddle
This is the podcast episode Molly mentions in the episode: American Hysteria’s “Blame it On Barbie”
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Episode 063: Intersectionality is a Real Concept, Y’all — The Color Purple (1985) with Wind Goodfriend
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Wind Goodfriend in a discussion of the psychological concepts in Steven Spielberg’s critical hit drama The Color Purple (1985), which stars a breakout performer Whoopi Goldberg, amazing Oprah Winfrey, and the immaculate Danny Glover (albeit a terrible character)! The main topic on the agenda: intersectionality, and what it meant for Black folks in Jim Crow rural south, but also Black women and the bonds they make and break. It’s a window into a challenging life, where women were treated as pawns and subhuman. It’s based on the book by Alice Walker, and there’s a lot of psych found within.…
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Episode 054: Fatphobia and Misogyny in a Romantic Comedy? That Can’t Be! Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) with Jordan Wagge
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Jordan Wagge (Twitter: @jorowags) as they take a closer look at the problematic themes and issues in 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary! A successful vehicle for Renee Zellweger, which spawned two sequels, it does have strong “romantic comedy” vibes, which includes things like fatphobia, misogyny, sexual harassment, and a lot more! Would it hold up today? Probably not, and not just because of those things — just look at how many people are smoking cigarettes on film AND inside!
More information on CREP, the Collaborative Replication Education Project.
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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 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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