In conclusion, Bell Hooks suggests that the only way we can change the world is when we all learn to love men in all of their complexity, but especially men learning to love ourselves. This episode, I take a look at what I consider to be the perfect film that delivers this message, When a Man Loves a Woman. I use the structure and story in that film as a template and apply it to another well-known text, Die Hard, to prove once and for all that you can make really great movies (of all genres) about whole, complex men. 

Thank you to all of my guests this season, and to my beloved creative producer, Eric Wolfe. You pointed out that I might have more to say about Die Hard. As it turns out, you were right. So, this one’s for you.

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Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of rape and incest survival, sexual assault, and repressed memories. Listen with caution.

This episode centers around the stories movies tell men about boundaries. Consent is a very real issue in our society, and movies do no one a favor by constantly reinforcing the narratives that, for real men, no boundary is too strict to cross, provided that you have a purpose. Christopher Nolan's visual masterpiece Inception is a perfect example of how deep this myth runs.

A very special thank you to Elizabeth McConaghy, PhD. Your continued work to help other survivors of sexual assault tell their stories is inspiring, and I want to personally thank you for helping me tell mine. 

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This episodes delves into the stories movies and TV shows about what makes a dad. Since I am lucky enough to share a love of movies and TV shows with my own dad, I figured I'd go straight to the source and interview him. So, you get two Boccumini's this episode. Happy New Year!

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In 1989, When Harry Met Sally was released, and said out loud one of the biggest and most harmful myths in American culture: Men and women cannot be friends, because sex always gets in the way. 

We take a look at this myth and what it means for men, and the stories it tells them about friendship, equality, and community.

This episode includes conversations related to gender-based inequalities in society. Listen with caution.

A very special thank you to Eric Wolfe, for his candid interview and for co-producing this episode, and this season. You are the gift that keeps giving, every day of my life. I love you, friend.

Merry Christmas, SWT nation. You are also the gift that keeps me making these episodes. 

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DISCLAIMER -- This episode deals with discussions of growing up in mental illness. Please feel free to skip it if it's too much, too close to home, or just too heavy for the already heavy burden of a holiday season.
This episode delves into movies about sex. The 90s were really big into telling stories about sex that stood in stark contrast to those about love. There are men you fall in love with and men you have great sex with. Those were not the same man. Nor could they be. 
Academics have spent lifetimes deconstructing the dichotomy of the "virgin/whore" concept that constrain women, but few have investigated the same damage that stasis has waged against men in the stories we tell. This is my attempt to look at the ways in which men have been divided and thus disconnected from themselves through messages and codes in mass media about sex and love. 
I focus specifically on the films of Adrian Lyne and support my findings with critical analysis from Bell Hooks', The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love.

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This episode looks at Pretty Woman, a film about a man. I am joined by writer Grant Cohen, as we delve into the depths of love and the many pitfalls of assumptions and unspoken rules of heteronormative love in movies. 
Pretty Woman Re-enactment Cast:
Edward: Kacy Boccumini
Vivian: Natasha Foster-Owens
Music by Lexin_Music from Pixabay

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In her book, The Will to Change, Bell Hooks describes how the lack of feminist discourse surrounding boyhood is a key factor in how Patriarchy continues to flourish. Mass Media is the perfect vehicle for Patriarchy, because it's a driving force in men's formulations of their own personalities, regardless if they admit it or not. In order to unravel how this works, I do a deep dive on Robert Downey Jr. and trace his fall from grace through his meteoric rise to Marvel infamy. 

Interview with Comedian and host James "Handsome" Sanders.

Voice Notes in order of appearance: Brandon Galbraith, Petey Gibson, Felix Mack, Joseph Gonzales, and James Hogan.

A special thanks to Natasha Foster-Owens for help in devising this episode. 

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We look at the film Poltergeist and what Steven Spielberg movies tell boys about the supernatural, trauma, and their own connection to spirits. This is part 1 of this conversation.

References:
"The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love" by Bell Hooks.

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After watching the movie Tar, I needed to take a detour on the regular episode schedule to address a really key story being told in Hollywood. 
In 1921, Virginia Rappe, a model and actress, died after attending a party with actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. He was accused of manslaughter and rape in connection with her death, though he was ultimately exonerated in the third trial. The first two ended in hung juries. At his third trial, after fellow thespian Buster Keaton testified on his behalf, he was acquitted. Thus began the long history in Hollywood of men not holding other men accountable for their misdoings.
Enter Todd Field, in 2022, who uses a lesbian conductor to testify on behalf of Woody Allen, so that he may one day direct again.
This podcast is dedicated to decoding the symbols, structures, and narratives in Hollywood movies to illustrate the myths they tell. We look for the truth. The truth is, men need to hold men accountable. Full stop. There is no pass for talent. There is no time for excuses. There is better moment than now to start getting this right.

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To kick off the second season of The Stories We Tell, we're looking at the Renaissance period of Disney movies from 1989-1999 and decode lessons they teach little boys. I also untangle the subtext of queer longing that lives beneath the surface of three iconic films: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. The powerhouse creative team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken created these masterpieces of animated cinematic history, but the story they tell obscures a much deeper, more painful reality about kids who don't feel "part of this world." Last but not least, I interviewed my friend and fellow writer, AJ Nseir, to talk about lived experience as a Syrian/Greek boy living in semi-rural Pennsylvania, and seeing Aladdin for the first time.

This episode was written by Kacy Boccumini and co-produced with the impeccably thoughtful Eric Wolfe. He has joined the crew of The Stories We Tell for this season, and we couldn't be more grateful. 

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