Peculiar Picture Show
Hosts Brandon Gregory and Maria Milazzo, two neurodivergent former English majors, talk about movies as they relate to mental health, mental illness, and invisible illness. From blockbuster hits to arthouse films, there are plenty of movies commenting on these issues. Conditions ranging from depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder to PTSD, emotional abuse, and oppression are discussed.
Episodes
Maria and Brandon discuss the 2009 film 500 Days of Summer, which is a really good example of a movie that shows us the toxic ways people can view love. During the episode we discuss the regular but also touch upon the manic pixie dream girl idea.
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January 21, 2022
Maria and Brandon discuss the 1976 Martin Scorses film Taxi Driver. They do the normal liking and disliking stuff, but when they get to the mental health section, they focus on PTSD.
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December 11, 2021
Lady Bird is a 2019 film written and directed by Greta Gerwig. Brandon and Maria discuss this Millennial coming-of-age film with a strong female voice, and they wholeheartedly agree that the movie is a great one. Brandon focuses on this movie’s Millennial voice, and Maria focuses on the effects of guilt and shame.
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November 12, 2021
Joker is a 2019 film centered on the origin story of DC’s Joker. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, the movie may be the first of its kind to focus more on mental health and mental illness than any other supervillain story up until this point. Maria and Brandon talk about this, its impact on how mental illness is viewed, and what the film has to say about toxic masculinity.
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October 29, 2021
Maria and Brandon talk about what they like in horror movies, Halloween traditions, and their favorites in the genre.
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October 1, 2021
Maria and Brandon discuss the 1991 sci-fi/action film Terminator 2: Judgment Day—also known simply as T2. The two agree that the film’s reputation as one of the greatest action movies is well deserved. They also discuss some of its flaws—like the character John Connor—and comment on its depiction of a “psychotic” Sarah Connor.
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September 17, 2021 • 55 mins
Maria and Brandon discuss the 1992 film Batman Returns, the second in the Tim Burton Batman series, and the last. This movie made the other cheesy Batman movies possible. We also talk about violence against women in movies during that time and trauma.
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September 3, 2021
Maria and Brandon talk about the 1977 Woody Allen hit Annie Hall, including the movie's intellectual nature and how problematic Woody Allen's personal life was. They also talk about how mental health was treated in the middle of the 20th Century, and age gaps in relationships.
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August 20, 2021
Maria and Brandon have a candid conversation about dealing with grief, society's folly when dealing with grieving people, and a few movies that deal well with grief.
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August 6, 2021
Brandon and Maria rank their top three (or four) Marvel films. Maria picks films that are just more entertaining, whether they are funny, Rated R, or contain a hot Cate Blanchett. Brandon picks films that are deep and tell a human story. Obviously we know who is the better person from these choices.
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July 23, 2021
Brandon and Maria discuss the 2016 film Elle. They talk about how uncomfortable the film can be and what that means for viewers. Maria explores gamergate and shame, and Brandon focuses on grief.
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July 10, 2021
Brandon and Maria discuss the 1976 film Network, talking about how, although this movie may seem outdated in terms of style, the themes are still relevant today. Brandon does some research on misinformation, hate, and the media today. Maria talks about the exploitation of mental illness.
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Maria is just getting back from vacation. Brandon has pneumonia (again). So Brandon tells Maria (and you) the story of when he wrote Royal Caribbean cruiseline asking them to host a formal cat wedding. Complete correspondence in our show notes.
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May 28, 2021 • 49 mins
Since radioactive spider was already taken, Maria and Brandon talk about the origins of their superpowers: bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. Tune in for some early stories of heroism and even some villains.
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May 14, 2021
Brandon and Maria discuss the 2013 movie Her. They agree the movie has a lot of things to ponder, including the ideas of love, technology, human evolution, and therapy.
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May 1, 2021
Maria and Brandon talk about 2020 films, this year's Oscars, and the new movies they want to add to their list to cover.
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This aggression will not stand, man! Maria and Brandon discuss the 1998 movie The Big Lebowski. Brandon explores the movie’s commentary on political discourse in America, and Maria explores some philosophies presented in this film. Maria drinks a white Russian and Brandon reminisces about drinking one once.
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Brandon and Maria discuss the 2007 film There Will Be Blood, talking about the literary nature of the film and how superb they found the filmmaking. Brandon analyzes the psychology of capitalism and religion while Maria explores invisible illness. Maria also tries to do an impression of Daniel Day-Lewis playing Daniel Plainview.
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Brandon and Maria discuss the 1994 film Serial Mom. They discuss John Waters, the types of films he typically makes, and how this movie says a lot about capital punishment and societal norms. Maria also proposes that the movie becomes the official movie mascot for the podcast, and Brandon agrees!
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Brandon talks about women in the movies (both characters and filmmakers) and the bias and other challenges they face that are holding back many films from being made.
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