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Episode 104: The Family That Crimes Together Stays Together — The Godfather (1972) with Jon Mandracchia
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Jon Mandracchia as they become members of the Corleone family discussing Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972). This first part stars Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, a mafia Don whose life is based on tradition. Also starring Al Pacino as Michael, Vito’s son, who unexpectedly, but with his full throat, becomes the new Don. Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton, and many others bring an amazing cast of characters to life. The conversation centers around criminogenic thinking, the cognitive processes that lead to criminal behavior, and inputs into that thinking, like the Dark Triad personality traits.…
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Episode 102: Hitchcock, Freudian Theory, and the Perfect Murder — Strangers on a Train (1951) with Brooke Cannon
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Brooke Cannon as they explore one of Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant thrillers, Strangers on a Train (1951). The film stars Farley Granger as a tennis pro, Guy Haines, who meets stranger Bruno Antony on… you guessed it, a train! Bruno hates his dad, Guy wants to divorce his wife, and well, Bruno tinks they are going to share a pair of murders — criss-cross! Intrigue erupts as Bruno follows through, but Guy thought he was joking. The episode explores the Freudian theory Hitchcock was a fan of, along with the Dark Triad personality theory. The hosts also jump into film analysis mode when discussing their favorite scenes.…
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Episode 084: How to Spot a True Narcissist in One Easy Step — Whiplash (2014) with Simon Rogoff
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Simon Rogoff as they explore the blatant narcissism in Damien Chazelle’s jazz drumming masterpiece Whiplash (2014). Starring Miles Teller as Andrew Nieman, the jazz student, and J.K. Simmons as Fletcher, the jazz teacher, this film goes hard. Fletcher is the worst of the worst teacher, who justifies his actions by thinking he’ll one day create the best jazz musician, while Andrew will top at nothing to become the next Charlie Parker. Explorations include, narcissism, of course, but also resiliency, perfectionism, and whether there are two narcissists in the movie, or just the one (Fletcher).…
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Episode 076: The Technosocial Commentary isn’t So Subtle — The Circle (2017)
Join Alex as he takes a solo look at the prophetic alternate reality in The Circle (2017), a film about a tech company and social media conglomerate that is parts Apple and other parts Facebook. The film, directed by James Ponsoldt and starring Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Karen Gillan, John Boyega, and Patton Oswalt, explores the chaotic world of a tech company that creates technology to link everyone together and put cameras all over the world. You know, your typical data-farming and unregulated surveillance we’ve all come to integrate into our lives 24/7. There are a ton of psych concepts easily accessed through the blunt, low-hanging fruit conundrums our characters find themselves.…
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Episode 056: How Did Psychology Hurt Scott Calvin? The Santa Clause (1994)
Join Alex as he discusses a timeless Christmas classic, The Santa Clause (1994), starring Tim Allen in one of his more-famous roles. Watch as he becomes Santa after being tricked into it by magical law — this sounds like real life — and as he spends the entire runtime throwing psychiatry and psychology under the bus! It’s almost like the real Tim Allen put in his own disdain for an entire professional field into the movie! But don’t forget about all the great examples of belief perseverance and belief revision amongst the characters! Just press play on this episode — your ears will know what to do!…
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Episode 023: All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Narcissist—The Shining (1980) with Sully Coleman
Join Alex and guest host Dr. Sully Coleman in a discussion of the psychological concepts in Stanley Kubrick’s wild psychological horror The Shining (1980), a film where you get the sense something is wrong—perhaps it’s all the ghosts in the hotel OR, and hear me out, it’s Jack’s unrelenting narcissism!
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Episode 014: This is an Idea of a Podcast Episode—American Psycho (2000)
Join Alex in a solo episode as he discusses the psychological concepts in an “American” classic, American Psycho (2000), starring Christian Bale in perhaps one is his most iconic performances as Patrick Bateman, an investment banker who likes to kill folks but has an awesome skincare routine.
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. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C.…