CinemaTherapy

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (Studio Ghibli)

How do you make meaning out of your life and find joy when things are not getting better?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are watching a movie you dared us to watch, Grave of the Fireflies. In Jono’s words, this movie is inspiring, wholesome, and devastating all at the same time. They talk about the themes of hoping for a better tomorrow and the cost of war, particularly for civilians. They also compare the Disney/U.S. perspective of animation being for...

Filmmaking Deep Dive: Action Filmmaking in Star Wars

I really love Star Wars, but I don't often like Star Wars. Look, people are complicated.

Something really bugged me about the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and I thought it was worth examining with you all. The action, in STAR WARS was boring and often poorly put together. So I decided to compare bad action in good Star Wars (I mostly liked the show) to good action in bad Star Wars (I have strong opinions about the prequels).

This is a new format of video for us, so...

January Ask the Therapist Healthy Dating Q&A

Join Jonathan for a LIVE Q&A and ask him anything about healthy dating, relationships, movies, or himself!

Saturday, January 14th at 9 am PT, 12 pm ET

If you can't watch live, it will be available to watch later.

DIRECTOR'S CUT: FIREFLY: Teamwork and Found Family

How do you set aside differences to work as a team? What makes a great team?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright go back in time to Cinema Therapy’s origin story when Jono and Alan bonded over Firefly. They discuss the eight principles for uniting a team as portrayed by the Firefly crew. The members of the crew all have different ways of living and thinking, but they come to form a family. Jono and Alan share why this diverse crew works so well together, th...

Stretch Goal Reached! [UPDATE]

We were hoping to announce merch by the end of this month. The bad news is we aren’t ready. The good news is we aren’t ready because we’re working to secure a merch partner, and these things take time. We want to do merch right for you all. When we are ready to make an announcement, you’ll be the first to know. And you’ll get that sweet Patreon discount!

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at a popcorn surprise you can expect in February!

Thank you all for your support ...

January Grab Bag of Mystery: Sponsors Blooper Reel

Each month, you get a random piece of exclusive bonus content as a thank you for supporting us on Patreon. January’s Grab Bag of Mystery perk is a blooper reel from our sponsor segments! You get to see what happens when your Internet Dads can’t say simple sentences. Enjoy the madness!

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to THE BAD GUYS

Are the bad guys naturally bad or are they socialized that way? Have you ever been given a second chance?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are reacting to Ocean's Eleven for kids, The Bad Guys! They discuss why the bad guys never had a chance to be good but how they warm up to the idea of change for the better. Jono analyzes the trope of bad being cool and how the bad guys deal with fear, insecurity, denial, and self-loathing. And they both rave about how ...

Live Chat: January 2023

Hi, Superheroes! Are you excited to chat about a new episode LIVE with Jono and Alan? Pick which episode you want to watch with us in January. Once you pick an episode, we'll set a date and then hang out on Discord in the live-chat channel. We'll watch the director's cut of the episode, and Jono and Alan will discuss behind-the-scenes about making the episode, more insights on the movie, respond to questions, and more in the Discord chat. See you there!

Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: December 2022

Alan:

Hey Heroes!

December is always busy. There’s holidays to prepare for and celebrate. Friends to feel bad about not talking to for most of the year, and not enough time to do all the things we want to do, or feel like we should do, so we curl up on the couch and just feel a bit like failures. But the good news is, we’re all a bit like failures, so graded on a curve, we’re all doing just fine. Have another spiced cider. You deserve it.

What I’m reading! 2022-12-28 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

How do you handle pressure, expectations, and finding your sense of self?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker, filmmaker Alan Seawright, and Cinema Therapy producer Sophie Téllez are reacting to Miles Morales and his journey in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. They discuss how Miles struggles to grow into himself and his power. Jono notes how much “shoulding” Miles endures, and Alan and Sophie nerd out about the groundbreaking animation. And Alan wants to go to Lord and Miller fil...

RELATIONSHIP COURSE: Bouncing Back After Breakup

Breakups may leave you in a place of pain, despair, uncertainty, or chaos, but there is hope during and after breakup and divorce. You can find resiliency, strength, hope, and excitement through the process if you have the right tools.

This course will give you those tools to navigate breakup and divorce successfully and help you feel positive and hopeful about your future.

December Filmmaker Q&A: Directorial Process

Join Alan for a LIVE Q&A and ask him anything about the directorial process, movies, or himself!

Tuesday, December 20th at 9:30 am MST.

If you can't watch live, it will be available to watch later.

RELATIONSHIP COURSE: Parenting Foundations

Parenting is both one of life's greatest challenges and greatest joys. It’s also really hard. How do you do it? What are some of the best practices?

Your internet dads are here to help. This course combines family therapy studies and their own hard-won experience to give you their best parenting wisdom.

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Five Keys to a Happy Family: The Weasleys

What makes a family bond strong and long-lasting?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are talking about five keys to happy families with the beloved Weasley family from the Harry Potter series. They discuss how the Weasleys lead with love, have fun and bond, stand up for each other, and show support and comfort during good and hard times. They praise the production designers and the brilliant actors for portraying the love and care of the Weasleys. Alan wants...

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Relationship Therapist Ranks Christmas Romances with guest Shona Kay

Which Christmas romances do you think would last? Do you like Christmas romance movies?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker, filmmaker Alan Seawright, and guest Shona Kay are diving into the world of Christmas romance movies. They’re ranking the healthiness of Christmas romances spanning across the decades: Richard and Amber from A Christmas Prince, Sawyer and Landon from A Fiancé for Christmas, Abby and Harper from Happiest Season, Kate and Tom from Last Christmas, Bob and Betty fro...

December Grab Bag of Mystery: FanX 2022 Vlog

Each month, you get a random piece of exclusive bonus content as a thank you for supporting us on Patreon. December's Grab Bag of Mystery perk is a FanX 2022 vlog! Yes, your Internet Dads know what vlogging is. Watch them wander around the convention floor, meet fans, host a panel, and celebrate 1 million subs!

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Villain Therapy: EBENEZER SCROOGE from The Muppet Christmas Carol

How do your thoughts and actions impact yourself and others? What can you do to overcome guilt and heal past mistakes?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are celebrating the holidays by watching The Muppet Christmas Carol. They follow Scrooge’s journey of exploring his guilt, learning hard lessons, and getting ghost therapy. Jonathan diagnoses Scrooge with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder and talks about how that, coupled with him being miserly an...

Weasley Family Therapy Live Chat: December 2022

Hey, Superheroes! You voted for Weasley Family Therapy to chat live with Jono and Alan on Discord.

Join us on Thursday, December 15 at 12:30 pm MST on our Discord server. We'll hang out in the #live-chat channel. You'll be pinged when it starts.

If you want to join, make sure you've connected your Patreon and Discord accounts so you don't miss out!

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to UP and Grief

How do you find happiness and purpose in life after loss?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are both crying because they’re reacting to Pixar’s Up. They talk about Carl’s reluctance to move on and find a new life without Ellie, and they cry watching the montage about their life. They talk about Pixar’s perfect screenplay and physical comedy, and they cry about that. They discuss how life can continue after loss, finding new joys and purpose, and Jon...

Live Chat: December 2022

Hi, Superheroes! Are you excited to chat about a new episode LIVE with Jono and Alan? Pick which episode you want to watch with us in December. Once you pick an episode, we'll set a date and then hang out on Discord in the live-chat channel. We'll watch the director's cut of the episode, and Jono and Alan will discuss behind-the-scenes about making the episode, more insights on the movie, respond to questions, and more in the Discord chat. See you there!

Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: November 2022

Alan:

Hey Heroes!

November has been a bit more chill! I’m actually caught up on work for the most part for the first time in… 2 years? That being said, Megan and I also really started diving in on writing Homestead, our next feature film!

What I’m reading!

• A WWII biography called Inferno about Snuffy Smith, the first airman to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was an enlisted B-17 gunner and did some pretty wild stuff, like t...
  2022-11-30 15:00:57 +0000 UTC View Post

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Psychology of a Hero: RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

What is your center and how do you find it? How do you go from isolation to belonging?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are talking about finding your center (purpose) by following Jack Frost’s hero journey in Rise of the Guardians. They discuss Jack’s transition from isolation to becoming a Guardian. Alan complains about Jack’s magic frost powers and memory loss not making sense and why Chris Pine was miscast, while Jono tries to ship Elsa and Jack ...

RELATIONSHIP COURSE: Blended Families and Adoption

Blended families face all the challenges of first-marriage families and more. But they are just as capable of love, joy, and unity.

This course will guide you through the process of mourning divorce or death, dealing with exes, winning the trust of stepchildren, and creating new traditions and rules while honoring the old ones. This course is essential for those who are in (or soon will be) a blended family.

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Movie Couples Therapy: ENCHANTED

What is the difference between love and attraction? Can you fall in love with someone you don’t initially get along with?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright compare the many couples from Enchanted, particularly Giselle and Edward and Giselle and Robert. They talk about what love is and why the classic love at first sight and true love’s kiss tropes don’t work. They discuss what it’s like to play a cartoon character in live action, and why Amy Adams n...

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to SPIRITED AWAY

How can you be brave in the face of fear? What is the key to working through hardship?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are jumping into the fantastical world of Spirited Away. They talk about Chihiro’s journey from fearing everything to being incredible brave, and how she works through her fears to achieve great things. They discuss how Studio Ghibli movies have a magical balance of being nonsensical and weird but somehow relatable to everyone. And they...

VT: Killmonger Live Chat: November 2022

Hey, Superheroes! You voted for VT: Killmonger from Black Panther to chat live with Jono and Alan on Discord.

Join us on Saturday, November 19 at 12:00 pm MST on our Discord server. We'll hang out in the #live-chat channel. You'll be pinged when it starts.

If you want to join, make sure you've connected your Patreon and Discord accounts so you don't miss out!

November Ask the Therapist Depression and Anxiety Q&A

Join Jonathan for a LIVE Q&A and ask him anything about depression, anxiety, mental health, relationships, movies, or himself!

Wednesday, November 16th at 11 am PT, 2 pm ET

If you can't watch live, it will be available to watch later.

You Pick an Episode!

Hello, Superheroes! Thank you for submitting your episode suggestions. The Cinema Therapy team has reviewed them and selected five great potential episodes. Whichever one gets the most votes, we will do an episode on it at our next shoot!

Please note: even if your top choice isn't picked, your suggestions will be saved for potential future episodes. 

RELATIONSHIP COURSE: Couples Foundations

How do you build healthy, long-lasting relationships? Family, friends, and romantic relationships take strong foundations to thrive. 

This course will give you the knowledge to build strong foundations to evolve and nurture yourself and the relationships in your life.

DIRECTOR'S CUT: Villain Therapy: KILLMONGER from Black Panther with guest Stacey Harkey

How do you cope with the anger and pain of not belonging? What leads people down a path of revenge?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker, filmmaker Alan Seawright, and guest Stacey Harkey take a look at Michael B. Jordan’s powerful performance as Killmonger from Black Panther. They talk about Killmonger’s complicated relationship with revenge and justice, why he’s probably the best movie villain ever, and why the character resonates so strongly with Stacey. And they marvel at how in...