-
Episode 106: No Mnemonics Detected but at Least We Have Jones — Johnny Mnemonic (1995) with Celeste Pilegard
Join Alex and Celeste Pilegard as they discuss the first of two Keanu Reeves dystopian cyberpunk future films, Johnny Mnemonic (1995). The film was directed by Robert Longo and he quit filmmaking after this one. A film having to do with storing other people’s memories in your head while others suffer from a debilitating disease caused by electronics, while set in 2021… you have to wonder if the author of the short story, William Gibson, was some sort of soothsayer! The pair discusses the interesting memory portrayals and their relation to scientists’ current understanding of memory, as well as the recent introduction of generative AI and its effects of cognition.…
-
Episode 095: Lucy’s Consolidation is Broken or She Gets Blackout Drunk Everyday! 50 First Dates (2004) with Melissa Maffeo
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Melissa Maffeo as they discuss the hilarious memory mishaps in Adam Sandler’s 50 First Dates, also starring Drew Barrymore, Sean Astin, and Dan Aykroyd. Barrymore plays a woman, Lucy, who had suffered brain trauma, and when she goes to sleep, her brain resets to that same day. Sandler’s Henry Roth falls in love with her and wants to create a life with her, despite this very large limitation. Psychological concepts of memory, consolidation, learning, and consent are explored, even through all the hilarious moments that make most laugh out loud! There’s a very real possibility that Lucy’s brain is constantly blackout drunk!…
-
Episode 082: Would You Take This Drug? Limitless (2011) with Christina Ragan
Join Alex and returning guest host Dr. Christina Ragan as they continue their tradition of rage (?) watch another movie that has drugs that unlock portions of unused brain matter — Limitless (2011), a Bradley Cooper psychological thriller. Directed by Neil Burger and based on the book The Dark Fields (2001) by Alan Glynn, the film also stars Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. Would you take a drug that unlocks amazing brain power, but has a high risk of death? These are important questions that Alex and Christina address, while also explaining the drug actions portrayed in the film AND what amalgamation of drugs could be contained with the NZT-48…
Check out the Neuroscience Teaching Conference!…
-
Episode 080: Does an Android’s Dreams Define Them? Blade Runner (1982) with Chris Mazurek
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Chris Mazurek as they discuss the implications of a near-future world with human-looking androids called Replicants in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). The film is based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The film stars Harrison Ford, in between his Indiana Jones and Star Wars stints, who plays Rick Deckard, a Blade Runner — a person who hunts and kills (retires) these replicants because they’re not supposed to be on Earth. Rutger Hauer plays Roy Batty, the leader of the replicant group being hunted, who ends up a tragic figure rather than merely a bad guy.…
-
Episode 053: False Memories AND a Trip to Mars? Sign Me Up! Total Recall (1990)
Join Alex as he discusses a timeless sci-fi classic from Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall (1990)! Of course, this movie is all about how you might implant memories into a person, giving them the experience without the experience! We follow Doug Quaid, having an existential crisis in his life, realizing he got his memories changed into false ones by a criminal syndicate called the Agency. Do these false memories, from Rekall Inc., really mean he’s a new person? Join the discussion of the 90s best — yeah, we said it — sci-fi jaunt from Phillip K. Dick and Verhoeven.…
-
Episode 039: Do You Remember the Last Time We Talked About This Film? Memento (2000)
Join Alex in an renewed exploration of the memory issues and portrayal Memento (2000)! We first talked about this film all the way back in July 2019, in Episode 000. In this episode, Alex dives a little deeper into the portrayal of anterograde amnesia and the ultimate outcome of the story, including the speculation about which character is telling the truth. This is truly a wonderful film that does a pretty decent job at exploring how anterograde amnesia might work in the wild. And let’s not forget Christopher Nolan’s wonderful storytelling technique of a backwards narrative!
Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com…
-
Episode 028: It Really is Hard to Forget This Film—Still Alice (2014) with Shana Southard-Dobbs
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Shana Southard-Dobbs in a discussion of the psychological concepts in the somber and illustrative film, Still Alice (2014)! Alzheimer’s disease is front and center in this tour de force by Julianne Moore. Both Shana and I thought some of the aspects of the film came too close to home, but not for the memory loss, but that it happens to a college professor and cognitive scientist!
Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com) or on Facebook (@CinPsyPod). We’d love to hear from you!
Don’t forget to check out our Paypal links to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on!…
-
Episode 021: The Film Where the DID Psychologist Does Everything Wrong—Split (2016) with Lyra Stein
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Lyra Stein in a discussion of the psychological concepts in Split (2016), a film where M. Night Shyamalan returns to the height of his powers in an exploration of Dissociative Identity Disorder, but breaks that whole thing by bringing in some supernatural elements. James McAvoy is so good, though!
Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com) or on Facebook (@CinPsyPod). We’d love to hear from you!
Don’t forget to check out our Paypal links to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on!
Legal stuff:
1.… -
Episode 000: An Introduction & a Memento (2000) for the Future
Episode Notes:
Hi everyone!…