Blockbusters and Birdwalks

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray
  • 5.0 (3)
  • TV & FILM
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

At Blockbusters and Birdwalks, you’ll listen to reviews and conversations about all kinds of movies, from Academy Award winners to exploitation masterpieces with a mix of commercial hits and obscure favorites thrown in for good measure. The point is recognizing that movies present our culture with the building blocks of social memory, enabling each of us to enjoy ourselves because movies are fun.

  1. “Sinners” (2025), a conversation about a Blockbuster

    4D AGO

    “Sinners” (2025), a conversation about a Blockbuster

    Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa discuss one of 2025’s biggest blockbusters. *** Referenced media: “Swingers” (Doug Liman, 1996)“The Parent Trap” (David Swift, 1961)“From Dusk Til Dawn” (Robert Rodriguez, 1996)“The Lost Boys” (Joel Schumacher, 1987)“Fright Night” (Tom Holland, 1985)“Lord of the Dance” (Michael Flatley, 1996)“Battlestar Galactica” (Ronald D. Moore, 2003-2009)“Star Trek: The Next Generation” (Gene Roddenberry, 1987-1994)“True Blood” (Alan Ball, 2008-2014)“Assault on Precinct 13” (John Carpenter, 1976)“Fruitvale Station” (Ryan Coogler, 2013)“Black Panther” (Ryan Coogler, 2018)“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Ryan Coogler, 2022)“Creed” (Ryan Coogler, 2015)“Creed II” (Steven Caple, Jr., 2018)“Creed III” (Michael B. Jordan, 2023)“The Wire” (David Simon, 2002-2008)“Parenthood” (Jason Katims, 2010-2015)“Marty Supreme” (Josh Safdie, 2025)“School Daze” (Spike Lee, 1988)“True Grit” (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010)Audio quotation: “Swingers” (Doug Liman, 1996)“Sinners” (Ryan Coogler, 2025), including the songs “Old Corn Liquor”, written by Joe Thompson and performed by Rhiannon Giddensa and Justin Robinson; “Séance” written and performed by James Blake and Ludwig Göransson; “I Lied to You”, written by Ludwig Göransson and Raphael Saadiq and performed by Miles Caton; “This Little Light of Mine” written by an unknown lyricist and performed by Miles Caton; “Rocky Road to Dublin” written by D.K. Gavan and performed by Jack O’Connell, Brian Dunphy, and Darren Holden; and “Sinners”, written by Rod Wave, Tarkan Kozluklu, Darius Poviliūnas, Kyris Mingo, Leonard Denisenko, and Travis Harrington and performed by Rod Wave, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYcUz4vv5NU&list=PLeuk4c_cVcyrflkPU-2bQLHXw71Q-f7GO&index=14

    32 min

  2. 12/18/2025

    GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 20: Curator’s Conclusion

    This is Garrett Chaffin-Quiray’s summation of GATEWAY CINEMA, a multi-part series of conversations centered on key ideas in film studies. In these conversations, Garrett and Ed Rosa have interpreted and celebrated a set of eclectic feature films from across generations and from around the world, including “La Haine”, “Drum”, “Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)”, “Come and See”, “Perfect Days”, “Sweet Smell of Success”, “The Swimmer”, “Amadeus (Director’s Cut)”, “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia”, “Friday”, “Marie Antoinette”, “The Night of the Hunter”, “Crank” and “Crank 2: High Voltage”, “Portrait of a Lady Fire”, “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen”, “Joker: Folie à Deux”, “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Heathers”, and “The Death of Stalin”. *** Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 20: “La Haine” (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995)“Drum” (Steve Carver, 1976)“Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)” (David Fincher, 1992)“Come and See” (Elen Klimov, 1985)“Perfect Days” (Wim Wenders, 2023)“Sweet Smell of Success” (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)“The Swimmer” (Frank Perry, 1968)“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Andrew Dominik, 2007)“Amadeus (Director’s Cut)” (Miloš Forman, 1984/2002)“Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” (Sam Peckinpah, 1974)“Friday” (F. Gary Gray, 1996)“Marie Antoinette” (Sofia Coppola, 2006)“The Night of the Hunter” (Charles Laughton, 1955)“Crank” (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, 2006)“Crank 2: High Voltage” (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, 2009)“Portrait of a Lady Fire” (Céline Sciamma, 2019)“The Fabulous Baron Munchausen” (Karel Zeman, 1962)“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Todd Phillips, 2024)“Welcome to the Dollhouse” (Todd Solondz, 1995)“Heathers” (Michael Lehmann, 1988)“The Death of Stalin” (Armando Iannucci, 2017)"Star Trek" (Gene Roddenberry, 1966-1969)Audio quotation in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 20: “Also sprach Zarathustra” (1896) by Richard Strauss, performed by Berliner Philharmoniker, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szdziw4tI9o“Eugene’s Lament” by Beastie Boys, Nishita, Bobo, and Eugene Gore for the album “Ill Communication” by Beastie Boys (1994), used in “La Haine” (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995)“Drum” (Steve Carver, 1976)“Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)” (David Fincher, 1992), including “End Credits” composed by Elliott Goldenthal“Come and See” (Elem Klimov, 1985)“Perfect Days” (Wim Wenders, 2023), including “Perfect Day (Piano Komorebi Version)” (2024) by Patrick Watson, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhC3YPiBwS9Vc9nbBG1Dl6y4AfZPD23lm“Sweet Smell of Success” (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)“The Swimmer” (Frank Perry, 1968), including “Theme from ‘The Swimmer’ (Send for Me in Summer) / Big Splash” and “My Kids Love Me / Traveling Home / Closer to Home / Home / Marcia Funebre” by Marvin Hamlisch, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkAUJkbhd-RgA8zSAa_Uqqq45GMl_ONci“Amadeus (Director’s Cut)” (Miloš Forman, 1984/2002)“Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” (Sam Peckinpah, 1974)“Friday” (F. Gary Gray, 1996)“Marie Antoinette” (Sofia Coppola, 2006), including the song “Hong Kong Garden” (1978) by Siouxsie and the Banshees, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkTESLJ1DzwVuwneRvZRNBzJkbNQsX-sP“The Night of the Hunter” (Charles Laughton, 1955)“Crank” (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, 2006), including “Don’t Stop” by Paul Haslinger,

    12 min
  3. GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 19: EXTRA CREDIT: “The Death of Stalin”

    12/14/2025

    GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 19: EXTRA CREDIT: “The Death of Stalin”

    GATEWAY CINEMA is a multi-part series of conversations centered on key ideas in film studies. In these conversations, we interpret and celebrate a set of eclectic feature films from across generations and from around the world, including “La Haine”, “Drum”, “Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)”, “Come and See”, “Perfect Days”, “Sweet Smell of Success”, “The Swimmer”, “Amadeus (Director’s Cut)”, “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia”, “Friday”, “Marie Antoinette”, “The Night of the Hunter”, “Crank” and “Crank 2: High Voltage”, “Portrait of a Lady Fire”, “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen”, “Joker: Folie à Deux”, “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Heathers”, and “The Death of Stalin”. *** Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 19: “Wicked: For Good” (Jon M. Chu, 2025)“Dumb and Dumber” (Peter Farrelly, 1994)“Monty Python’s Flying Circus” (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, 1969-1974)“Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Patridge” (Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, and Patrick Marber, 1994-1995)“I’m Alan Patridge” (Peter Baynham, Steven Coogan, and Armando Iannucci, 1997-2002)“The Thick of It” (Armando Iannucci, 2005-2012)“In the Loop” (Armando Iannucci, 2009)“Veep” (Armando Iannucci, 2012-2019)“Star Trek Generations” (David Carson, 1994)“Black Widow” (Cate Shortland, 2021)“Dr. Zhivago” (David Lean, 1965)“Nineteen Eight-Four” (1949) by George Orwell“Annihilation” (Alex Garland, 2018)“Black Panther” (Ryan Coogler, 2018)“A Quiet Place” (John Krasinski, 2018)“Avengers: Infinity War” (Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, 2018)“The Lost Patrol” (John Ford, 1934)“Syriana” (Stephen Gaghan, 2005)Audio quotation in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 19: “Star Trek Generations” (David Carson, 1994), including the song “Star Trek Generations Overture” by Dennis McCarthy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBdmVGGaJEE&list=RDFBdmVGGaJEE&start_radio=1“The Death of Stalin” (Armando Iannucci, 2017), including the songs “Moscow, 1953”, “Special Delivery”, “Politburo”, “A Comedy of Terrors (End Titles)”, and “End Credits” by Christopher Willis, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2gbFqcZhpb3kOAAT1Qyp_4rlt4hwbUiT

    38 min
  4. GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 19A: EXTRA CREDIT: Alternatives to “The Death of Stalin”

    12/14/2025

    GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 19A: EXTRA CREDIT: Alternatives to “The Death of Stalin”

    In this multi-part series, we’ve focused on just one movie to explore a key idea in film studies. But this one choice means we’ve left out multitudes. Here is the larger set of also-rans we wrestled with before finally choosing “The Death of Stalin”. *** Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 19A: “The Running Man” (Paul Michael Glaser, 1987)“The Jerky Boys: The Movie” (James Melkonian, 1995)“The Manitou” (William Girdler, 1978)“Star Trek” (Gene Roddenberry, 1966-1969)“Rumble in the Bronx” (Stanley Tong, 1995)“Police Story” (Jackie Chan, 1985)“Drunken Master” (Yuen Woo-ping, 1978)“The Room” (Tommy Wiseau, 2003)“House of Wax” (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2005)“House of Wax” (Andre de Toth, 1953)“The Man Who Would Be King” (John Huston, 1975)“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” (Quentin Tarantino, 2019)“Kill Bill, vol. 1” (Quentin Tarantino, 2003)“Inglourious Basterds” (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)“The Wicker Man” (Robin Hardy, 1973)“The Equalizer” (Michael Sloan and Richard Linkheim, 1985-1989)“Cloud Atlas” (Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis, 2012)“The Ladykillers” (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2004)“Bulworth” (Warren Beatty, 1998)Audio quotation in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 19A: “Vintage Movie Projector | Sound Effect | Feel The Past Film Industry” by n Beats, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhUICp5XeJ4“Film Clapperboard Green Screen Effect With Sound” by Jacob Anderson, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1sEiCa-yic“Slide projector changing with clicks” by (Soundsnap), https://www.soundsnap.com/tags/slide_projector?page=2“Where No Man Has Gone Before” (1966) by Alexander Courage, shared by Paul Hill, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaY8XFbq-Hg&list=RDZaY8XFbq-Hg&start_radio=1“Prelude: The Atlas March” (2012) by Tom Tykwer, Reinhold Heil, and Johnny Klimek, shared by Gall Anonim, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsR1TWq-eGPwlHk6CDmdqVAci6xbd9nu5

    9 min
  5. GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 18: Conclusion: “Heathers”

    11/25/2025

    GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 18: Conclusion: “Heathers”

    GATEWAY CINEMA is a multi-part series of conversations centered on key ideas in film studies. In these conversations, we interpret and celebrate a set of eclectic feature films from across generations and from around the world, including “La Haine”, “Drum”, “Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)”, “Come and See”, “Perfect Days”, “Sweet Smell of Success”, “The Swimmer”, “Amadeus (Director’s Cut)”, “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia”, “Friday”, “Marie Antoinette”, “The Night of the Hunter”, “Crank” and “Crank 2: High Voltage”, “Portrait of a Lady Fire”, “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen”, “Joker: Folie à Deux”, “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Heathers”, and “The Death of Stalin”. *** Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 18: “Pump Up the Volume” (Allan Moyle, 1990)“Stranger Things” (The Duffer Brothers, 2016-2025)“The Breakfast Club” (John Hughes, 1985)“Weird Science” (John Hughes, 1985)“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (Amy Heckerling, 1982)“Superbad” (Greg Mottola, 2007)“Dirty Harry” (Don Siegel, 1971)“Donnie Darko” (Richard Kelly, 2001)“Say Anything” (Cameron Crowe, 1989)“The Wizard of Oz” (Victor Fleming, 1939)“Mr. Robot” (Sam Esmail, 2015-2019)Audio quotation in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 18: “Heathers” (Michael Lehmann, 1988), including the songs “Strip Croquet”, “Into the Cafeteria”, and “J.D.’s Bomb” by David Newman; and “Teenage Suicide (Don’t Do It)” by Don Dixon and performed by “Big Fun”, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCCB7F248CFECFA43“Pump Up the Volume” (Allan Moyle, 1990), including the song “Everybody Knows” (1988) by Leonard Cohen and performed by Concrete Blonde“Stranger Things” (The Duffer Brothers, 2016-2025), including the song “Stranger Things | Title Sequence” (2016) by Micheal Stein and Kyle Dixon, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RcPZdihrp4“VHS insert/eject sound” by Crazyjedi5, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeW2zunE4gw“Say Anything” (Cameron Crowe, 1989), including the song “In Your Eyes” (1986) by Peter Gabriel“Mr. Robot” (Sam Esmail, 2015-2019), including the song “Mr. Robot Theme” (2015) by Mac Quayle, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfAnT0eaCt0&list=RDrfAnT0eaCt0&start_radio=1

    32 min
  6. GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 18A: Conclusion: Alternatives to “Heathers”

    11/25/2025

    GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 18A: Conclusion: Alternatives to “Heathers”

    In this multi-part series, we’ve focused on just one movie to explore a key idea in film studies. But this one choice means we’ve left out multitudes. Here is the larger set of also-rans we wrestled with before finally choosing “Heathers”. *** Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 18A: “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” (Allan Arkush, 1979)“Summer School” (Carl Reiner, 1987)“Dazed and Confused” (Richard Linklater, 1993)“Sleeper” (Woody Allen, 1973)“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2014)“Night Porter” (Liliana Cavani, 1974)Audio quotation in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 18A: “Vintage Movie Projector | Sound Effect | Feel The Past Film Industry” by n Beats, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhUICp5XeJ4“Film Clapperboard Green Screen Effect With Sound” by Jacob Anderson, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1sEiCa-yic“Slide projector changing with clicks” by (Soundsnap), https://www.soundsnap.com/tags/slide_projector?page=2“Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” (Allan Arkush, 1979), including the songs “Do You Wanna Dance” (1958) by Bobby Freemand and performed by the Ramones; and “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” (1979) by the Ramones, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npip1IYpjxA&list=PLx3YzFbzX7zjWDz4ifN3EVJB2523_wzHH

    5 min
  7. GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 17: Emotional Realism, Part 2: “Welcome to the Dollhouse”

    11/18/2025

    GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 17: Emotional Realism, Part 2: “Welcome to the Dollhouse”

    GATEWAY CINEMA is a multi-part series of conversations centered on key ideas in film studies. In these conversations, we interpret and celebrate a set of eclectic feature films from across generations and from around the world, including “La Haine”, “Drum”, “Alien 3 (Assembly Cut)”, “Come and See”, “Perfect Days”, “Sweet Smell of Success”, “The Swimmer”, “Amadeus (Director’s Cut)”, “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia”, “Friday”, “Marie Antoinette”, “The Night of the Hunter”, “Crank” and “Crank 2: High Voltage”, “Portrait of a Lady Fire”, “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen”, “Joker: Folie à Deux”, “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Heathers”, and “The Death of Stalin”. ***Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 17: “Flirting with Disaster” (David O. Russell, 1996)“Fargo” (Coen Brothers, 1996)“I Shot Andy Warhol” (Mary Harron, 1996)“Dead Man” (Jim Jarmusch, 1995)“Mission: Impossible” (Brian De Palma, 1996)“The Cable Guy” (Ben Stiller, 1996)“Tropic Thunder” (Ben Stiller, 2008)“Lone Star” (John Sayles, 1996)“Independence Day” (Roland Emmerich, 1996)“Courage Under Fire” (Edward Zwick, 1996)“Trainspotting” (Danny Boyle, 1996)“Strangers on a Train” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951)“Superbad” (Greg Mottola, 2007)“The Princess Diaries” (Garry Marshall, 2001)“Ugly Betty” (Silvio Horta, 2006-2010)“Little Miss Sunshine” (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, 2006)“Happiness” (Todd Solondz, 1998)“Stand By Me” (Rob Reiner, 1986)“Eighth Grade” (Bo Burnham, 2018)“Star Wars” (George Lucas, 1977)Audio quotation in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 17: “Welcome to the Dollhouse” (Todd Solondz, 1995)

    43 min
  8. GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 17A: Emotional Realism, Part 2: Alternatives to “Welcome to the Dollhouse”

    11/18/2025

    GATEWAY CINEMA, a conversation – Episode 17A: Emotional Realism, Part 2: Alternatives to “Welcome to the Dollhouse”

    In this multi-part series, we’ve focused on just one movie to explore a key idea in film studies. But this one choice means we’ve left out multitudes. Here is the larger set of also-rans we wrestled with before finally choosing “Welcome to the Dollhouse”. *** Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 17A: “Anatahan” (Josef von Sternberg, 1953)“Ms. 45” (Abel Ferrara, 1981)“And God Created Woman” (Roger Vadim, 1956)“Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (Sam Peckinpah, 1973)“The Wild Bunch” (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)“Tower” (Keith Maitland, 2016)“The Deadly Tower” (Jerry Jameson, 1975)Audio quotation in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 17A: “Vintage Movie Projector | Sound Effect | Feel The Past Film Industry” by n Beats, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhUICp5XeJ4“Film Clapperboard Green Screen Effect With Sound” by Jacob Anderson, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1sEiCa-yic“Slide projector changing with clicks” by (Soundsnap), https://www.soundsnap.com/tags/slide_projector?page=2

    5 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

At Blockbusters and Birdwalks, you’ll listen to reviews and conversations about all kinds of movies, from Academy Award winners to exploitation masterpieces with a mix of commercial hits and obscure favorites thrown in for good measure. The point is recognizing that movies present our culture with the building blocks of social memory, enabling each of us to enjoy ourselves because movies are fun.

Information

  • Creator
    Garrett Chaffin-Quiray
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    185
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Blockbusters and Birdwalks
  • Show Website
    Blockbusters and Birdwalks