Popcorn Psychology

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween! For our spooky episode of 2025, we are discussing Sinners! This is Hannah and Brittney's favorite movie of 2025 and we are so excited to be tal

10/31/2025

This sounds familiar!

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When Starship Troopers (1997) was released, many dismissed it as a flashy sci-fi war movie — but behind the scenes, director Paul Verhoeven was waging a different kind of battle. He wasn’t making a film about war; he was making a film against it.

From day one, Verhoeven told his cast, “This isn’t about heroism — it’s about manipulation. Smile while you’re being brainwashed.” The young actors, led by Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards, were often confused. The script read like propaganda, but Verhoeven urged them to play it straight. “Don’t wink,” he said. “That’s the horror — you believe it.”

One night, during filming of the boot camp scenes, Verhoeven gathered the exhausted cast and showed them old black-and-white footage — N**i youth rallies. Then he quietly said, “This is what your characters think they’re fighting against. But they’ve already become it.” The room went silent. Van Dien later recalled, “That’s when it hit us — this wasn’t sci-fi, this was a warning.”

The film’s violence and irony were so sharp that many audiences missed the message. Critics at the time called it “mindless” and “militaristic.” Verhoeven was heartbroken. “They didn’t see the satire,” he said later. “They thought I was cheering for fascism when I was screaming against it.”

Years later, Starship Troopers was re-evaluated as a dark masterpiece — a bold, biting mirror of how easily freedom turns into fanaticism.

Verhoeven once summed it up best: “The real terror isn’t the aliens. It’s the humans who stop questioning why they fight.”

10/28/2025

New episode alert! Check out our discussion of Ben’s favorite movie, KPop Demon Hunters!! We discuss identity, shame, secret keeping, and self acceptance! Comment below and tell us if you’re a Rumi, Mira, or Zoey!

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10/28/2025

Today we are gonna show you how its's DONE DONE DONE as we cover the MOVIE. OF. THE. YEAR. K-Pop Demon Hunters! In this episode we discuss Identity, Shame, and

09/29/2025

Become a pATREON subscriber to get early unedited access to our episodes, currently featuring our episode on K-POP: DEMON HUNTERS!

09/24/2025

Come with us on a journey to Fantasia in this episodes film, Neverending Story. In this episode we discuss the shift in idenity that takes place when we lose a

09/22/2025

Jump on your luck dragon and fly us to Fantasia!! We are discussing The NeverEnding Story! We talk about identity, grief, and the power of healing through stories. We also all cry 😭. So grab your tissues and join us!!

Come with us on a journey to Fantasia in this episodes film, Neverending Story. In this episode we discuss the shift in idenity that takes place when we lose a

09/22/2025

COMING SOON!

09/16/2025

09/02/2025

In our next episode we're gonna show you how it's done done done

08/29/2025

Popcorn Psychology LIVE at FanExpo Chicago 2025!!! Panel 1 of 2 on Thunderbolts and When Marvel Gets Mental Health Right!