Cinema Therapy

Hello Sensitive Cinephiles! Season 4 of The Crown is here and Cinema Therapy is ready to dive into all the royal family drama- Margaret Thatcher vs. The Queen, the appalling historical accounts of British history and of course, Princess Diana. After a torrid binge session, we will endeavor to work through our feelings with Cris Soto. Spend your Thanksgiving with The Crown and Cinema Therapy!Follow @cinematherapyshow on Instagram Follow @CinTherapyPod on Twitter Become a Patreon member today - @CinematherapyPod

Hello Sensitive Cinephiles! Election Day is around the corner and Cinema Therapy is energized by the civic-minded spirit in the air. Since this may be the most important election of our lifetime, we wanted to discuss a film where a U.S. policy matter was central to its theme. We’re so excited to talk about Unpregnant, a film available now on HBO Max.  Follow Cinema Therapy on Instagram @cinematherapyshow Follow Cinema Therapy on Twitter @CinTherapyPod Support us on Therapy @CinemaTherapyPod

In the days leading up to Halloween, Cinema Therapy is honoring the season of the witch by discussing the craft, coventry, and the journey of a woman coming into her power. In this episode we discuss the films The Craft, Midsommar, and The Witch, with our featured guest, Nicole Martin!Follow Cinema Therapy on Instagram - @cinematherapyshowFollow Cinema Therapy on Twitter - @CinTherapyPodSupport Cinema Therapy by becoming a Patreon subscriber! - @CinemaTherapyPod 

Hello Sensitive Cinephiles! After a year marked with violence against Black Americans and increasing prejudice towards Asian Americans, Lovecraft Country offered an escape to a world where the same pitfalls exist for underserved populations, but magic can be used as a tool to regain their power. This week we discuss the acclaimed HBO series created by Misha Green. Joining us for this discussion is advertising professional Rachel Harrison.

Calling all formerly awkward middle schoolers! In this episode we discuss Pen15, a television series created and starring thirty-somethings Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine, who re-inhabit the setting of their middle school years while playing fictionalized versions of their teenage selves. Joining us this week is Sasha Coleman, a teacher, friend to both co-hosts Nicole and Karen, and a middle school teacher.  Follow Cinema Therapy Show on Instagram/Facebook @cinematherapyshow Follow Cinema Therapy Show on Twitter @CinTherapyPod Become a Patreon Member @CinemaTherapyPod  

Welcome Sensitive Cinephiles to Season 3 of Cinema Therapy! In this episode we consider I May Destroy You, written and directed by Michaela Coel. Destruction has been one of the consistent themes of this year - from wildfires in the Western U.S., to the erasure of our so-called normal lives. With our guest, marketing and brand management professional Simone Parker, we will unpack how this series can lead us to destroying old norms in exchange for honest boundaries. Follow @cinematherapyshow on Instagram and Facebook@CinTherapyPod on Twitter Support Cinema Therapy by becoming a Patreon member!

She's beauty and she's grace, but she's also a witch, a sister, a mother, an ambitious law student, a survivor, and so much more. She's Sandra Bullock! Tonya, a spatial data scientist, military veteran, and movie lover joins this episode of Cinema Therapy to convert Nicole and Karen into Sandra Bullock devotees. Episode 37 explores and revisits classic Sandra Bullock films such as A Time to Kill, Practical Magic, and Birdbox. Do you believe in Sandy?Please Subscribe, Rate and Review!Follow Cinema Therapy on Instagram: @CinemaTherapyShow

Pride 2020 is here, time to celebrate Cinema Therapy style! Episode 36 covers several groundbreaking films portraying the LGBTQ+ community, including Paris is Burning, The Queen, But I’m a Cheerleader, and Pariah. Movie buff, Witch, and Playwright Maxwel Martinez graces us as our special guest! Please Subscribe, Rate, and Review! Follow us on Instagram @cinematherapyshow

This week we are celebrating Black joy! After nearly four seasons of Insecure, we've watched a cast of diverse Black characters navigate romantic relationships, friendships, family, career, self love and growth! Guests Joy Anderson and Kevin Coleman bless Episode 35 of CINEMA THERAPY to discuss Season 4 of Insecure. Is Molly and Issa's friendship on its breaking point? Are you Team Lawrence or Team Nathan? Tune into CINEMA THERAPY today to prep yourself for Insecure 's Season 4 finale and to learn more sources of BLACK JOY in television and film. Please Subscribe, Rate and Review!Follow Cinema Therapy on Instagram: @CinemaTherapyShow

Whether it’s the music that tugs at our heartstrings, the inspiration from seeing dreamers of any and all ages follow their passions, the pain of witnessing the loss of a loved one, or simply the sensation that is the ups and downs of life-the magic of Disney’s Pixar encapsulates it all, and it makes us cry! Episode 34 gets opens us up to talk about our feelings with films UP, INSIDE OUT, and ONWARD. Media producer Will Salvi joins as a guest on this episode of Cinema Therapy!

Leave your guns and take your cannolis - Cinema Therapy has invested 9+ hours to the Italian Mafia! This week, Nicole and Karen discuss iconic films The Godfather, The Godfather: Part ll, and Goodfellas. Guests Micah Kanters and Tiye Kinlow join us as we weigh our personal philosophies against the Corleone family values. Tune in, this episode is an “offer you can’t refuse.” Rate, Subscribe and Review! Follow @cinematherapyshow on Instagram and Facebook!

Has the Coronavirus era made a cook out of you? Your Cinema Therapy co-hosts are making themselves home in the kitchen and turning to food-related media to make sense of it all! Join us as we dive into the film Julie & Julia, the documentary series Cooked, and the documentary series Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Hunter Zuli, chef, educator, community organizer and founder of BLK PALATE, is our guest for this episode and shares how their Haitian and Congolese origins cultivated their love of food! Please Subscribe, Rate, and Review! Instagram: @cinematherapyshow

Cinema Therapy is closing out Women's History Month by shining a light on the women of the acclaimed drama series, Mad Men. Peggy, Joan, Betty and the other women of Mad Men know a thing or two about navigating uncertain times with wile and charm. Nicole and Karen come together via video chat to share how this time has affected their everyday life and why we need the escapism and comfort of T.V. and film more than ever. Rate and Subscribe! Follow @cinematherapyshow on Instagram

After wrapping up Valentine's Day love is is in the Air at Cinema Therapy! As they reach their 30th episode (whooo!) Karen and Nicole have discussed many different types of love and their many facets-including platonic love, black love, self love, so on and so forth, but have yet to delve into the part of love that's maddening. In this episode our hosts get intimate and reveal part experiences, relationships, and patterns to help understand how a person in love can and may act out of character participating in toxic and obsessive behavior patterns. Karen and Nicole explore ways in which love can drive people crazy with help from the film "Birds of Prey: and the Fantabulous emancipation of one Harley Quinn".

Episode 30 celebrates the long-lasting, groundbreaking force of Jennifer Lopez's career! CINEMA THERAPY examines her iconic roles in Selena, Enough, and Hustlers to understand why these films became sources of inspiration for women. Miami-based hustler and dear friend of Karen and Nicole, Laurie Forrest, joins the conversation!

In this episode of CINEMA THERAPY, Nicole and Karen tackle questions raised by the social, racial, and philosophical content of HBO’s The Watchmen, based on the graphic novel of the same name. Our favorite hosts get into it and the conversation elicits emotions and affirmation revolving around shared trauma and oppression - the series is just that deep! Our guest for Episode 29 is computer engineer and CINEMA THERAPY certified tv/film aficionado Chris Gustave! Follow CINEMA THERAPY on Instagram - @cinematherapyshow

New year, new decade - Cinema Therapy is still here! We're welcoming 2020 by sharing how the holidays went and discussing intentions for the new year! Can’t think of a more perfect way to discuss starting new than with Netflix’s Marriage Story, an intimate look into a family separating and evolving. We examine how the film's characters face the growing pains of divorce and redefine themselves as individuals while co-parenting their son. Harlem based DJ and fellow tv & film enthusiast Mashiriki Brown join Karen and Nicole for the conversation!

It's the holidays and we're feeling warm and fuzzy at Cinema Therapy! In the spirit of love and joy, we're discussing the film that made us reflect most on the love we experience with our own families - The Farewell, written and directed by Lulu Wang. Join us as we consider whether we've ever lied for the greater good and listen to us reflect on our own cultural clashes with family members. Joining us for this episode is one of Nicole's closest friends, Eirene Nakamura Salvi, and her newborn son, River! Follow Cinema Therapy on Instagram @cinematherapyshow, follow Nicole at @nicolesophia and follow Karen @kjpangantihon --- Please rate, review and tell your friends about Cinema Therapy!

We're back! It's been months and we know you missed your fix of Cinema Therapy and your hosts, Nicole and Karen! The truth is we never left you. In this homecoming episode Nicole reflects on her new job and how she feels about her old life in Chicago versus her current life in New York City. Karen discusses being on Hinge (pre-requisite for potential suitors is listening to Cinema Therapy FYI). Your girls come together to share their thoughts on Amazon Prime's series Modern Love, and some of their takeaways from their favorite episodes of Season 1 - some of the sweetest relationships aren't romantic; it's an individual's right to be selective about who they reveal their personal baggage with as well as when in a relationship; and there's simply no need to be a tortured soul in love - don't try to be Humphrey Bogart and just be with the one you love. Get in your feels with us and get into Modern Love!

Karen and Nicole went fast and hard with Season 3 of Stranger Things (88 MPH to be exact...HA)! These Cinema Therapyzers have grown incredibly fond of this charming gang of children as they bonded through games of Dungeons and Dragons and battled powerful monsters, navigating a world influenced by films such as "Back To The Future," "E.T.," and "The Goonies." To join them on this explorations of the 80s is Karen's sister Mavis (the Maverick to her Iceman), who joined us from Miami, Florida to discuss why watching the newest season of Stranger Things made them so nostalgic for a time that they barely lived through.

Life can be hard. In a world of people telling you “no" - self doubt, economic, systemic, societal challenges, outside criticism - how do we even begin to nurture our dreams of being more than what the world is tells us we are? How do we continue to foster and master a lifestyle that supports the voice inside that tells us “we have something special to offer"? Musician singer/songwriter/ARTIST Jasmine Jordan (@therealjasminej) and founder of “The Smile Movement” (@dontgiveuponyou) join Karen and Nicole for an honest, supportive discussion exploring the many forms following our dreams can take.

This week, Cinema Therapy is celebrating black romance! Inspired by great cinematic classics such as Love and Basketball to Moonlight, we consider many of the joys and challenges faced by a young black couple in love. Listen as we ponder the power of black love! Film/Television discussed this week:Love and Basketball (2000)Moonlight (2016)This is Us (2016-)If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Welcome to Part 2 of Cinema Therapy's High School Reunion! This week we considered the themes explored in Euphoria and Sex Education. Carl Alvarez, one of our closest high school friends, joined us as we asked ourselves whether we were squares, if our sex education classes were sufficient, and discussed how we can best prepare the next generation as they enter adulthood. Please listen, rate, and subscribe wherever you tune into podcasts! Follow Cinema Therapy on Instagram @cinematherapyshow and on Facebook @cinematherapyshow

Welcome to our intimate High School Reunion! We didn't make it to our class's reunion in 2017, so we decided to make one of our own. Our guest, Carl Alvarez, joined us as we examined our high school experience with new perspective. We consider the themes explored in Glee and Booksmart and ask - What were our high school reputations? What labels stuck with us over the years? Did we have a satisfying high school experience because we were involved in performing arts? We had so much to say on this topic we decided to split it into TWO episodes! Tune in next week for Part 2!

Nicole’s Birthday is next week and she’s turning THIRTY! We’re celebrating this milestone by discussing film/tv that explores the 30s experience. Whether you’re 35 and thriving or approaching your 30s with dread, we consider all we can learn from characters who are trying to make the most of their 30s. Candice Dormon, host of the Breezy Moms Podcast and Nicole’s sister-in-law, joins us to discuss Insecure, Friends, and 13 Going on 30.

It’s May! It also happens to be Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Do you know how when you were you were young and you said you liked that one song from that 90s boy band ONE TIME but then no one will let you live that down and they think that’s the only kind of music you like? Nothing more? Well... that’s what it be like sometimes for Karen and her Asian identity. Karen and Nicole are celebrating some of film and television’s works from the creators, writers, actors, and filmmakers of Asian/Pacific Islander descent and those that speak on their experiences. With pathfinders like “Crazy Rich Asians”, “Master is None”, “Fresh off the Boat” and “Shoplifters” to discuss, guests Kristina Bustos ( writer, performer) and Lee Hubilla (writer, director, actor, and producer of “Those Who Wander” of Asian American Film Lab’s 72 hr shoot out) join us to discuss the importance of representation, diversity, and the need for more.

Are you ready for the Endgame? In this week’s episode, Nicole and Karen celebrate the Avengers franchise. These Marvel characters have been part of our lives since the Iron Man film was released in 2008, so we explore the ramifications of long term fandom and the logistics of a 3-hour movie adventure. Adrian @adrianfromthebx joins us to talk about our favorite Marvel characters, our one true Marvel romantic pairing, and more on why these films are so damn captivating!

It may be Spring outside but it’s Winter at Cinema Therapy!! Nicole and Karen are having a party in order to welcome the return of “Game of Thrones” and it’s final season! Joined by special guests Gianna Wright and Kayla Tyree (and commentary from Jade and Adrian at the radio station) with a spin the bottle game (no kissing sorry), “Cinema Therapy” looks back at the beloved series and discusses predictions for what the final season may bring, favorite characters, most difficult to stomach, goriest scenes, who may take the iron throne, and more.

Who would of thought the same comedic talent who gave life to sketches like “Terries” and “Obama/Luther” would create some of the most thought provoking horror films in recent memory? Karen and Nicole survey Jordan Peele’s career, from Second City to Us to find clues of the horror genius within. David Dormon, Nicole’s husband and Jordan Peele Superman, joins us for the discussion

Karen and Nicole are closing out women’s history month with an episode on Women Power! Astrologer, witch, actor, writer, creator Cassandra Cushman @thefreakywitch stops by to share goddess vibes with empowering words and affirmations. This episode discusses the women and themes found in “Shrill”, “Pose”, “Captain Marvel”, and “Mad Men”.

We’re back from hiatus and ready to talk about one of Netflix’s newest series, The Umbrella Academy! We were inspired by the plight of the Hargreeves children and it reminded us of our experiences as so-called gifted children. Are there disadvantages to labeling kids as “special” at a young age? What does X-Men get right? Will we ever get our Hogwarts acceptance letter? Listen in for all this and more!

It’s time for our favorite awards show! Yes friends, it’s Oscar Sunday and we’re not ashamed to admit we’re here for all of it. Karen and Nicole can be the Oscar hosts of your Hart, I mean heart. Meseret, Nicole’s law school friend, is making big moves in DC but he’s always makes time to watch as many Oscar-nominated films as possible! Will Spike Lee finally get his Oscar in gold sneakers? Which Best Actress nominee will be honored in this incredibly talented field? Will Green Book hold back racial progress? Listen for these speculations and more!

In the midst of all the Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day celebrating, Karen and Nicole celebrate a very special kind of love- PLATONIC LOVE! Nicole celebrated her first Valentine’s as a married woman this year by going to luxury movie theatre IPIC, and Karen, still single, went to Hooters, threw digital darts at a picture of her ex on her phone for free wings, and hosted and performed at an open mic. In celebrating platonic love our two hosts talk about some of their favorite friendship movies, such as, “Toy Story”- (Andy did Woody wrong, he wrote his name on his shoe!), and “Set it Off” (Queen Latifah broke our hearts). What kind of friend are you? Do environment and situations create the friendships we have in our lives and the boundaries we live with? Special Guest and dear friend of Karen, filmmaker and performer Tonilyn Sideco joins for today’s episode, and talks about their own short film, “Ube Raindrops”.

You know that feeling when you start a really amazing show and want nothing more than to share it with your friends? Then you must also know the soul-sinking feeling when your friends’ eyes narrow and respond with a curt “no thanks, weirdo.” We’ve been there. What about a little tit for tat to resolve the tv show stalemate? This week Nicole’s law school friend, Udoka, joins us to talk tv even though he doesn’t own one! Udoka watches HBO’s Big Little Lies, Nicole watches Twin Peaks (SPOILER ALERT - no thanks, weirdo) and Karen watches NBC’s This Is Us. Listen in to all that we discover after watching a show we would otherwise NEVER watch.

This week Nicole and Karen give praise to their favorite Femme Fatales. The cunning, maneating archetype has been gracing us in some of the most compelling movies and tv shows such as “Gone Girl”, “Basic Instinct”, “Kill Bill” and the most recent “Killing Eve”. THIS IS NOT CONDONING MURDER! There’s just something so compelling about a woman who has snapped. Special Guest Tiye Kinlow visits from DC to drop some thoughts and vibes on the exploration of the minds of these women, and why other women especially are so into it!

Karen and Nicole love a good Jane Austen adaptation! Quite frankly, we were very eager to revisit some Pride and Prejudice after the dark, twisty drama in The Favourite. Sometimes you have to wash out some whisky with tea, amirite? Join us as we consider what we love about the elegant dialogue in Sense and Sensibility, why Nicole relates to Lydia Bennett, debate on the best version of Darcy, and the discuss the advantages of playing hard to get.

Cinephiles Club, a movie enthusiasts club in New York City, is joining us for our 2019 Review of Movies! Tatiana Reign, a member of Cinephiles Club, gives her input on the most memorable films of the past year. Join us as we discuss whether Lady Gaga’s Shallow is unfinished, listen to Nicole as she has to shield Black Panther from Karen’s criticism, and delight in our shaming Lin-Manuel Miranda for his ridiculously animated character in Mary Poppins.

Part 2 of Cinema Therapy holiday special 2018! Karen hates feeling alone during the holidays in the City, and feeling very Kevin McCasllister a la HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK. Nicole’s first Christmas in New York City-going to Dyker Heights with Karen. Learning to build and foster our own holiday traditions as adults. Discussing seasonal depression during the holiday season. This episode features guest Erin Johnson, a renowned Head Elf of about 5 years at Santaland in Bloomingdales, whom Karen has been and elf with for 3. Together they also discuss David Sedaris’ “The Santaland Diaries” and all the staples that mark holidays in the City.

The first of two Cinema Therapy holiday specials! December is rough on Karen, but what better way love yourself than to indulge in your favorite romantic comedy. Two of Nicole’s best friends, Eirene and Joy, join us this week to talk about “the GREATEST film in history,” LOVE ACTUALLY! We all love Love Actually but we also know there’s some problematic relationships featured. Will Karen (Emma Thompson) wake up out of her relationship coma? Will Keira Knightly (Juliet), Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Mark (Andrew Lincoln) become a throuple? Are Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) and Joe (Gregor Fisher) in (platonic) love? We’ll explore all this and more!

Nicole and Karen LOVE musicals! Karen realizes but maybe doesn’t want to admit that she actually doesn’t like RENT...maybe she does? She can’t decide! Nicole displays such vitriol and is offended by the choice to cast Emma Watson in “Beauty and the Beast”...Why can’t we cast more strong singers in movie musicals? CHICAGO is a triple threat with Showmanship, Vocals, and Authenticity. Karen ruins the ending of “A Star is Born” for Nicole. This episode also features the first guest on the show- high school chorus friend Gizel Jimenez ( Avenue Q, Wicked), discussing musicals that are filmed live for television (GREASE LIVE, RENT LIVE, etc.), and trailblazers in the musical theatre community/industry.

It’s our second episode of Cinema Therapy! Nicole and Karen are so grateful to friends who have listened to their first episode and submitted comments. It’s a work in progress but we are learning so much each week! Thank you for bearing with us!This week we discuss our favorite Amazon darling, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Despite Karen’s abhorrence of Gilmore Girls, she’s into Amy Sherman Palladino’s latest project about a 1950s housewife who pursues a career in stand-up comedy when her husband leaves her for another woman. Listen to Nicole and Karen as they explore why fast-paced dialogue soothes Nicole’s ADHD, ponder why the “Creek Children” spoke like Shakespearean actors, and lament about partners who just can’t let you be great.

Premiere episode of Cinema Therapy!!!!Meet Karen and Nicole, two best friends in New York City who have known each other since Elementary School. Karen is a single performing artist who has been living in the City for about ten years and Nicole has recently moved to the Big Apple with her husband as law school newlyweds. The two introduce themselves through their love and dissection of one of their favorite movies that has contributed to their friendship, “ When Harry Met Sally” ! They discuss issues such as the pressures of finding a life partner by a certain age as a woman, and the time old question “Can heterosexual men and women be platonic friends?”.