𝔽𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔽𝕚𝕝𝕞𝕤

In this episode, Dave discusses an underrated teen comedy in Easy A.  Things get a tad serious during Fangirl Fixation with Britt.  Just add alcohol, I guess.  Dave dives into the psychological literature on rumors to discuss how realistic or not the rumors in Easy A are presented.  Enjoy! Listen! Show Notes Fangirl Fixation: 0:02:18 Rumors:0:20:09 Easy A: 0:35:20 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

Hey everybody, Pixar's new masterpiece (?) Inside Out came out yesterday! In this episode, Dave revisits the original Pixar classic, Toy Story.  At Britt's behest, we discuss the importance of imaginary play for kids and adults.  Additionally, Dave and Britt discuss their first memories of seeing Toy Story in theaters.  Check out Toy Story before you go see Inside Out! Listen! Show Notes Fangirl Fixation: 0:03:38 Imaginary Play:0:21:54 Toy Story: 0:35:04 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

In this episode, Dave discusses another classic, Citizen Kane.  He also forces Britt to stay awake through pain and watch it!  Through this show, Dave attempts to diagnose Charles Foster Kane with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  Take a listen and find out! Listen! Show Notes Fangirl Fixation: 0:02:38 Narcissism:0:22:42 Citizen Kane: 0:40:48 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

Director Clint Eastwood’s provocative adaptation of Chris Kyle’s memoir is an absorbing look into the life of a serviceman and the toll his work and departure takes on his family. Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the most lethal marksman in U.S. military history. A highly publicized angle to this story, it turns out to be a rather small part of the overall puzzle. What Eastwood and screenwriter Jason Hall choose to focus on instead is the impact these battles have on his personal life. Presented from a single-person viewpoint its commentary is shared with a blunt candor. You can’t pull many punches with this material, it is in-your-face aggressive and it stirs a reaction that stays long after the credits roll. What it is has to say is at times chilling and infinitely haunting. The opening scene goes for the jugular as Kyle (Cooper) stares down the sights of his rifle to the unthinkable. Through flashbacks we learn how he arrived at this moment. He’s raised in a discipline

Crazy, kooky and ferociously goofy, Johnny Depp’s latest is a send-up to the 70’s caper movies and the genre that parodied them. Striking a similar if distant cord to “The Pink Panther”, “Mortdecai” features a bungling lead character whose charm lies in being larger than life. The situations are over the top, the characters zany to the hilt and the laughs more frequent than anticipated. A titled art dealer living beyond his means, Lord Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) is recruited to track down a stolen painting for MI5. His money troubles at the forefront of his travails, he simultaneously juggles his disgruntled wife Johanna (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the Inspector in charge of the investigation who was Mortdecai’s college schoolmate and a romantic rival for Johanna’s affections. The storyline feels a bit dated and for viewers who haven’t watched a steady diet of the aforementioned movies, the jokes can be too insular to achieve their desired effect. There are some running gags that

In the midst of her arduous journey, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) makes her entrance onto the screen in an opening scene that sums up the nearly 2 hours to come. Startlingly painful and cringe inducing, she must endure an agonizing side effect of her walkabout. Her screams of frustration zip the movie to a flashback, whisking the narrative back to where her voyage began. It is the first in a long series of garbled recollections that act as the jagged little puzzle pieces, scrapped together in the hopes of explaining why Strayed made the decision to go on a very unpleasant 1,100-mile trek. Cheryl has had a rough go in life and empathy for her plight is easy to come by. Her father was an abusive alcoholic who the family has to eventually flee from him. Her lighthouse is her loving single-mom Bobbi (Laura Dern) who receives no mercy at life’s cruel hand. Tragedy strikes when a 45-year old Bobbi is diagnosed with cancer and Cheryl’s world is consequently ripped apart. Foll

Love, madness and a mystery consume a newlywed couple who’ve embarked on their honeymoon at a lakeside cabin in the woods. What begins as a picturesque excursion for Bea (Rose Leslie) and Paul (Harry Treadaway) soon descends into a nightmare when the new bride disappears in the middle of the night. After a tense search, she is discovered in the woods by her groom; nude, bruised and incoherent. He is immediately alarmed and when he questions her over what has happened she rebuffs his curiosity, initially blaming it on an episode of sleepwalking. It’s an explanation that seems adequate until her behavior becomes increasingly erratic and despondent. Her physical condition rapidly deteriorates and the question of what ails her, casts a dark specter over their celebratory trip and the future of their marriage. Bea and Paul have an idyllic relationship: playful, caring and lighthearted. First-time director Leigh Janiak spends most of the film’s opening getting viewers to invest in t

In this episode, Dave finally takes on what is, in his opinion, the best movie ever made, Lawrence of Arabia!  During Fangirl Fixation, Britt assures that her marriage continues by enjoying the movie and even stating that she would watch it again.  She also discusses her feminist rage about video games!  Dave teaches the audience different methods of persuasion and how they work.  Finally, Dave gushes about Peter O'Toole and Lawrence of Arabia.  Enjoy! Listen! Show Notes Fangirl Fixation: 0:03:31 Persuasion:0:25:42 Lawrence of Arabia: 0:39:30 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

In this episode, Dave and Britt disagree strongly on the qualities (or lack thereof in her opinion) of A History of Violence.  During Fangirl Fixation, Britt gets distracted and talks about everything from Viggo Mortensen's various endowments to her terrifying crush on Rutger Hauer.  Join us as we talk about the movie and Identity! Listen! Show Notes Fangirl Fixation: 0:04:30 Identity:0:20:55 A History of Violence: 0:35:59 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

Hey Mad Max Fans! Check out our episode that brought Tom Hardy into the mainstream! In this episode, Dave takes on a Christopher Nolan epic, Inception.  He also talks to Britt about her memories of it and her own experiences with Self-Deception.  Speaking of self-deception, Dave looks at pain tolerance, the evolutionary advantage of deception, and ethical fading. Listen! Show Notes Fangirl Fixation: 0:03:48 Self-Deception:0:22:09 Inception: 0:36:45 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

Underneath the dim lights of a nocturnal Los Angeles, a hollow eyed creature claws out of the ether. He is a predator equipped with cunning, ambition and a chillingly calm demeanor. He is Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man whose most dangerous weapon is his mind and it might be coming unhinged. Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut is a thrilling character study that plunges viewers into the seedy underworld of television journalism alongside an engrossingly strange character. Bloom is looking to make a sizeable income and when he follows police cruisers to the scene of an accident, he sets his sights on a promising new career opportunity. With his curiosity peeked by what he witnesses, he begins asking questions and learns about “nightcrawling”, the business of capturing video footage of horrific crime or accident scenes, to sell to television stations for airing on the news. There is a competitive angle to it and Bloom has his eyes set on dominating the field, which is b

In this episode, Dave discusses a fan favorite, Moulin Rouge. Is this one as good as he remembers? Or will the untrained voices of Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor prove faulty? Regarding psychology, he takes the easy way out and discusses sexual jealousy, easily one of the most clear themes of the film. Britt continues her trend of serious discussion topics, with a fixation on invisible illnesses. Listen! Show Notes Fangirl Fixation Intro: 0:00:00 Fangirl Fixation: 0:02:06 Jealousy:0:27:28 Moulin Rouge: 0:39:00 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

In this episode, Dave discusses the film the listeners chose for him, Girl, Interrupted. He takes a closer look at Borderline Personality Disorder and decides whether or not the film does a quality job of representing this disorder on screen. Britt also makes an appearance to talk about stigma and the effects of pop culture on diagnosis. Listen! Intro: 0:00:00 Fangirl Fixation: 0:05:08 Borderline Personality Disorder:0:22:00 Girl, Interrupted: 0:42:22 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

In this episode, Dave discusses one of his old science fiction favorites, Gattaca.  Britt makes an appearance to talk about Dystopian movies, in general.  We discuss both the movie and how it connects to the touchy subject of privilege. Listen! Check out the Show Notes here! Fangirl Fixation Introduction: 0:00:00 Fangirl Fixation: 0:03:07 Privilege: 0:20:25 Gattaca: 0:35:30 Rate and Review on iTunes! Visit our website!

A list of ten films that are currently streaming on Netflix. You may have seen some, most or all of these films but they are all ones that every cinefile should see.  12 Angry Men   A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. Director: Sidney Lumet Writer: Reginald Rose (story) Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam Anatomy Of A Murder  In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case? Director: Otto Preminger Writers: Wendell Mayes (screenplay), John D. Voelker(based on the novel by) Stars: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara A mysterious outsider's quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up