Épisodes

  • Episode 107: Believing in Angels Really Does Enhance Sports Performance! Angels in the Outfield (1994) with Corinne Hobbs

    Episode 107: Believing in Angels Really Does Enhance Sports Performance! Angels in the Outfield (1994) with Corinne Hobbs
    Dec 15 2025

    Join Alex and Corinne Hobbs as they dive into a headfirst slide in home, exploring the mid-90s Disney hit Angels in the Outfield (1994)! Corinne is working toward her doctoral dissertation about coaching and pregame speeches, and knows all things sports psychology, so this is the perfect film to explore. The pair discuss how George Knox (Danny Glover) evolves as a coach, from curmudgeon to a strong believer in his players and the truth that anything can happen. A discussion of faith in sports follows, including how superstitions play a role in an elite athlete's sphere of influence on their sport and abilities. Sports and magic go together like a horse and a carriage!

    Also, check out Corinne at Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports!

    Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you!

    Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs!

    Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.

    Episode Transcription

    Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!
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    1 h et 14 min
  • Episode 106: No Mnemonics Detected but at Least We Have Jones — Johnny Mnemonic (1995) with Celeste Pilegard

    Episode 106: No Mnemonics Detected but at Least We Have Jones — Johnny Mnemonic (1995) with Celeste Pilegard
    Nov 24 2025

    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. Nerve Attenuation Syndrome is still a bit far-fetched, though and reminds us all of class struggle rather than literal 5G causing COVID.

    Also, check out Celeste's Cognitive Psychology OER textbook (Cognitive Foundations) in Second Edition!

    Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you!

    Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs!

    Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.

    Episode Transcription

    Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!
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    1 h et 47 min
  • Episode 105: Defying Gravity is the Self-Actualization Anthem We All Needed — Wicked (2024) with Jill Swirsky

    Episode 105: Defying Gravity is the Self-Actualization Anthem We All Needed — Wicked (2024) with Jill Swirsky
    Nov 3 2025

    Join Alex and guest host Dr. Jill Swirsky as they enter the world of musical theater yet again, this time traveling to the land of Oz in Wicked (2024)! The film is an adaptation of the Broadway play, which was an adaptation of the novel by Gregory Maguire. We follow Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, the eventual Wicked Witch of the West, on her journey as a child and young adult. Along the way, she learns about her true magical abilities but ultimately becomes the villain of Oz when she uncovers a terrible secret. Along for the ride is Ariana Grande's Glinda (Galinda at the start!), who at first is antagonistic toward Elphaba but ultimately creates a powerful friendship. Jeff Goldblum shines as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Michelle Yeoh is truly a scary Madame Morrible. The story offers a rich well of psychological concepts, from ostracism and adolescent development in its wake, as well as Maslow's self-actualization theory. It's such a good story, you'll definitely end up defying gravity!

    Read Dr. Swirsky's Psi Chi blog Psychology Pop Culture Corner for contributions on more musicals! Also, check out these OER materials to use Sesame Street in developmental psychology.

    Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you!

    Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs!

    Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.

    Episode Transcription

    Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!
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    1 h et 25 min
  • Episode 104: The Family That Crimes Together Stays Together — The Godfather (1972) with Jon Mandracchia

    Episode 104: The Family That Crimes Together Stays Together — The Godfather (1972) with Jon Mandracchia
    Oct 13 2025

    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. Further, an there is an exploration of the mafia as an extension of Italian American immigrant culture and how this film portrays the softer side of power politics and dynamics. Listening to this episode is an offer you can't refuse!

    Learn more about Avila University's Master's in Counseling program, email Jon to ask questions, or head to his Research Gate profile to read his work!

    If you like this content, you might like my new Audible audiobook/course, A Psychologist Goes to the Movies, available now! It features six films that have been on this show, condensed into 25-30 min essays, researched and analyzed.

    Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you!

    Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs!

    Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.

    Episode Transcription

    Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!
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    1 h et 20 min
  • Episode 103: Finding Love, Family, & Metaphorical Food Through Psychodynamic Therapy — Antwone Fisher (2002) with Katherine Marshall Woods

    Episode 103: Finding Love, Family, & Metaphorical Food Through Psychodynamic Therapy — Antwone Fisher (2002) with Katherine Marshall Woods
    Sep 22 2025

    Join Alex and guest host Dr. Katherine Marshall Woods as they explore the psychodynamic themes in Denzel Washington's directorial debut, Antwone Fisher (2002). The film also stars Washington, and in his Hollywood debut, Derek Luke plays the titular character. The film was based on the real Fisher's autobiography, Finding Fish (2001), and is about a man with anger issues on a hair trigger. But as the two psychologists explore in this episode, perhaps its because he's hungry for family, for a place of belonging, and to find those folks who won't abandon him like his early family. It's an engaging story and an even better analysis. This is a solid entry of Black cinema and leaves you with a good feeling!

    Check out Katherine's new book, Black Film Through a Psychodynamic Lens, for more exploration of psychodynamic and psychoanalytic theory in Black cinema!

    If you like this content, you might like my new Audible audiobook/course, A Psychologist Goes to the Movies, available now! It features six films that have been on this show, condensed into 25-30 min essays, researched and analyzed.

    Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you!

    Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs!

    Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.

    Episode Transcription

    Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!
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    1 h et 9 min
  • Episode 102: Hitchcock, Freudian Theory, and the Perfect Murder — Strangers on a Train (1951) with Brooke Cannon

    Episode 102: Hitchcock, Freudian Theory, and the Perfect Murder — Strangers on a Train (1951) with Brooke Cannon
    Sep 1 2025

    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. It's a well-done nail-biter to the very end... maybe don't ride the carousel, though.

    Head to psychmovies.com to see all the work Brooke has done to compile an excellent resource for psych and film enthusiasts!

    Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you!

    Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs!

    Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.

    Episode Transcription

    Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!
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    1 h et 22 min
  • Episode 101: Basic Film Editing and Human Perception are a Match Made in Cinema Heaven! The Cinema Within (2024) with Chad Freidrichs

    Episode 101: Basic Film Editing and Human Perception are a Match Made in Cinema Heaven! The Cinema Within (2024) with Chad Freidrichs
    Aug 11 2025

    Join Alex and guest host Chad Freidrichs, documentary filmmakers, as they discuss one of Chad's recent releases, The Cinema Within (2024). The documentary cleverly explores and visualizes one of film's greatest mysteries: how humans intuitively process film editing's most basic pieces: the cut! The pair discuss film theory and how it relates to cognitive processes and perception. While documentaries are rare on this show, it's a great exploration of how human psychology allows the cinematic experience to work and how it has been astonishing movies goers for nearly 140 years! If you're intrigued by cinema and film as an art form, have a listen to this film, watch the documentary and explore the science behind it!

    Head to cinemwithin.com to watch the documentary and explore the educational features associated with the film!

    To read Sermin Ildirar's work explored in the documentary, go here: Watching Film for the First Time: How Adult Viewers Interpret Perceptual Discontinuities in Film or to find out more about audio's impact in the visual processing, go here: Audio Facilitates the Perception of Cinematic Continuity by First-Time Viewers

    Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram (@cinemapsych_podcast). We'd love to hear from you!

    Don't forget to check out our Paypal link to contribute to this podcast and keep the lights on! Don't forget to check out our MERCH STORE for some great merch with our logo and other designs!

    Legal stuff: 1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended). Permission obtained from the copyright holder, Chad Freidrichs. 2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license. 3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.

    Episode Transcription

    Go to this link to read a transcript generated by Whisper AI Large V3 Model. Disclaimer: It is not edited and may contain errors!
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    1 h et 33 min
  • Episode 100: The Past Six Years and Episodes of Shows and Psychology Squeezed into Three Hours — Worth It!

    Episode 100: The Past Six Years and Episodes of Shows and Psychology Squeezed into Three Hours — Worth It!
    Jul 21 2025
    Join Alex in a celebration of the past six years of CinemaPsych Podcast content and 100 episodes! It's been a journey, with so many films and guests, and so what better way to highlight that time with a clip show! In this double-sized episode, explore some of my favorite moments and discussions, from great films, actors, and directors to awesome psychology content and critical thinking in art. In addition to the past episode clips, Alex describes the new additions to the website, a reimagined resource for this show and the larger aim of film pedagogy in psychology. The film and clips discussed are grouped by broad psychology category. Of course, if you love what you hear in this super-sized episode, you should check out the rest the show! This episode features clips from the following episodes, in order of appearance: Clip from the first show, affectionately numbered Episode 000: An Introduction & a Memento (2000) for the FutureA quick defintion of amnesia and how it is used in the film Memento (2000): Episode 039: Do You Remember the Last Time We Talked About This Film? Memento (2000)An introduction to the emotions in Inside Out (2015), with Dr. Molly Metz: Episode 010: I Need to Remember That Jingle Like I Need An HQ Crisis in My Head! Inside Out (2015) with Molly MetzA brief primer on Gestalt problem solving in Cast Away (2000) by Dr. Marc Klippenstine: Episode 002: Is Being Stranded a Problem? Cast Away (2000) with Marc KlippenstineSocial influence and jury deliberations, featuring Dr. Jordan Wagge and Jason Spiegelman, in both versions of 12 Angry Men (1957/1997): Episode 038: Men Can Get Really Angry! 12 Angry Men (1957 & 1997) with Jordan Wagge & Jason SpiegelmanAlong a similar vein, Dr. Olivia Aspiras explains social conformity and relational aggression in Mean Girls (2004): Episode 005: On Podcasts, We Wear Pink—Mean Girls (2004) with Olivia AspirasDr. Christina Ragan "rages" on the 10% brain myth depicted in Lucy (2014): Episode 009: One Neuron, You’re Alive; Two Make a Pair! Lucy (2014) Rage Watch with Christina RaganExploring Oliver Sacks and when real life meets drama with Dr. KatieAnn Skogsberg in At First Sight (1999): Episode 074: Virgil Picked Up His Hammer and Saw, and Hated it — At First Sight (1999) with KatieAnn SkogsbergHow classical and operant conditioning are differentiated in A Clockwork Orange (1971) with Dr. Wind Goodfriend: Episode 001: Come Viddy, Me Little Droogies—A Clockwork Orange (1971) with Wind GoodfriendLearning is either baby steps or flooding in What About Bob? (1991) with Dr. Jordan Wagge: Episode 041: If Freud is the Butt of the Jokes, What Does it Mean? What About Bob (1991) with Jordan WaggeLearn a little about the history of chimp language projects with Dr. Karen Brakke and how they were depicted in Project X (1987): Episode 040: Wait, A Chimp Can Fly A Plane?! Project X (1987) with Karen BrakkeGet a quick rundown of the developmental stages of each of the Von Trapp children from The Sound of Music (1965) with Dr. Jill Swirsky: Episode 092: Developmental Psychology… In Song Form! The Sound of Music (1965) with Jill SwirskyLearn a little something about Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCBs) in Office Space (1999) with Dr. Ed Hansen: Episode 047: I Wouldn’t Say I’ve Been Missing Work—Office Space (1999) with Ed HansenLearn the opposite of OCBs with Counterproductive Worplace Behaviors (CWBs) in Clerks (1994) with Nic Baldwin: Episode 059: He Wasn’t Even Supposed to Be There Today! Clerks (1994) with Nic BaldwinExplore the history of L-dopa and how experimenting with it changed the lives of so many patients in Awakenings (1990) with Dr. Sara Bagley: Episode 033: With L-Dopa, You Too Can Do the Hokey Pokey (But Only if You’re Rigid)—Awakenings (1990) with Sara BagleyGet a great psychological definition of addiction from Dr. Melissa Maffeo as portrayed in Requiem for a Dream (2000): Episode 078: Drugs are Bad, MMKay? Requiem for a Dream (2000) with Melissa MaffeoSports and stats are a dream made in heaven, at least in Moneyball (2011) and to Dr. Jess Hartnett: Episode 060: Baseball is a Game of Statistics! Moneyball (2011) with Jessica HartnettHypothesis testing is the core feature of Groundhog Day (1993), as devised by Dr. Jordan Wagge: Episode 083: Behaviorism and Research Methods on Repeat? Sign Me Up! Groundhog Day (1993) with Jordan WaggeExplore the reasons why satire might be a good avenue for discussing hard topics, like the conversion therapy in But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) with Drs. Molly Metz and Will Ryan: Episode 045: A Juicy 90s Satire of Conversion Therapy—But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) with Molly Metz & Will RyanLearning about the true definition of "gaslighting," its resurgence into the lexicon, what students think of it now and its origin in Gaslight (1940) with Dr. Wind Goodfriend: Episode 089: You Haven’t Listened to this Episode, You’re Forgetful — Gaslight (1944) with Wind GoodfriendExplore the rivalry ...
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    3 h et 5 min