Blockbusters and Birdwalks

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa discuss Alma, a high school girl boiling over with sexual curiosity in a small Norwegian town.

***

Referenced media:

• “Top Gun” (Tony Scott, 1986)
• “The Hunger Games” (Gary Ross, 2012)
• “American Pie” (Paul Weitz, 1999)
• “American Reunion” (Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, 2012)
• “The Avengers” (Joss Whedon, 2012)

Audio quotation:

• “Turn Me On, Goddammit!” (Jannicke Systad Jacobsen, 2011)
• “Take Me Breath Away”, composed by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock and performed by Berlin, from “Top Gun” (Tony Scott, 1986),
• “boing sound effect 1” (2021), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-3qnJxEYmc

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa consider how Herman Melville’s novella, “Billy Budd”, was translated into a movie that the 2022 “Sight and Sound” poll of the greatest films of all time maintains is the seventh greatest ever.
***

Referenced media:

• “Dune: Part One” (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)
• “Blade Runner 2049” (Denis Villeneuve, 2017)
• “Chocolat” (Claire Denis, 1988)
• “High Fidelity” (Stephen Frears, 2000)
• “American Psycho” (Mary Harron, 2000)
• “Gladiator” (Ridley Scott, 2000)
• “Trouble Every Day” (Claire Denis, 2001)
• “Blood for Dracula” (Paul Morrissey, 1974)
• “Olympia 1: Festival of Nations” (Leni Riefenstahl, 1938)
• “Olympia 2: Festival of Beauty” (Leni Riefenstahl, 1938)
• “Reflections on a Golden Eye” (John Huston, 1967)
• “Blue Lagoon” (Randal Kleiser, 1980)
• “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” (Cal Bunker, 2023)

Audio quotation:

• “Dune: Part One” (Denis Villeneuve, 2021), “Paul’s Dream” composed by Hans Zimmer
• “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” (Cal Bunker, 2023), “PAW Patrol: The Might Movie” composed by Pinar Toprak

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa feel the weight of what really is the most intense horror story ever made.

***

Referenced media:

• “Band of Brothers” (Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, 2001)
• “Eddie Murphy Raw” (Robert Townsend, 1987)
• “The Day After” (Nicholas Meyer, 1983)
• “Avatar” (James Cameron, 2009)
• “Kill Bill: Volume 1” (Quentin Tarantino, 2003)
• “Kill Bill: Volume 2” (Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
• “Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.” (Errol Morris, 1999)

Audio quotation:

• “Shoah” (Claude Lanzmann, 1985)
• “Band of Brothers” (Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, 2001), Episode 9: “Why We Fight” (John Orloff, 2001)
• “Eddie Murphy Raw” (Robert Townsend, 1987)

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa sink into the first half of what might be the “greatest” horror story ever made.

***

Referenced media:

• “Parks & Recreation” (Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, 2009-2015)
• “To Be or Not to Be” (Alan Johnson, 1983)
• “To Be or Not to Be” (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942)
• “The Twilight Zone” (Rod Serling, 1959-1964), Season 3, Episode 9: “Deaths-Head Revisited” (Rod Serling, 1961)
• “Sophie’s Choice” (Alan J. Pakula, 1982)
• “Schindler’s List” (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
• “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, 1975)
• “Twilight Zone: The Movie” (John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller, 1983)
• “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
• “Son of Saul” (László Nemes, 2015)
• “A Clockwork Orange” (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
• “Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS” (Don Edmonds, 1975)
• “The Night Porter” (Liliana Cavani, 1974)
• “Night and Fog” (Alain Resnais, 1956)
• “John Wick” (Chad Stahelski, 2014)
• “Mad God” (Phil Tippett, 2021)
• “Boyhood” (Richard Linklater, 2014)
• “Evolution of a Filipino Family” (Lav Diaz, 2004)
• “Back to the Future” (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
• “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” (Tim Burton, 1985)
• “Cocoon (Ron Howard, 1985)
• “Commando” (Mark L Lester, 1985)
• “Agnes of God” (Norman Jewison, 1985)
• “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Héctor Babenco, 1985)
• “After Hours” (Martin Scorsese, 1985)

 Audio quotation:

• “Parks & Recreation” theme song (Gaby Moreno and Vincent Jones, 2009)
• “Parks & Recreation” (Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, 2009-2015), Season 5, Episode 16: “Bailout” (Joe Mande, 2013)
• “Shoah” (Claude Lanzmann, 1985)

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa respond to a moody and twisted police procedural.

***

Referenced media:

• “Sicario” (Denis Villeneuve, 2015)
• “La La Land” (Damien Chazelle, 2016)
• “The Shape of Water” (Guillermo del Toro, 2017)
• “Zodiac” (David Fincher, 2007)
• “The Sixth Sense” (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
• “Happy Days” (Garry Marshall, 1974-1984)
• “Little Miss Sunshine” (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, 2006)
• “The Elephant Man” (David Lynch, 1980)
• “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (George Lucas, 1999)
• “Fruitvale Station” (Ryan Coogler, 2013)
• “Blue Jasmine” (Woody Allen, 2013)
• “Enough Said” (Nicole Holofcener, 2013)
• “Don Jon” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 2013)
• “Gravity” (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013)
• “Captain Phillips” (Paul Greengrass, 2013)
• “12 Years a Slave” (Steve McQueen, 2013)
• “All is Lost” (J.C. Chandor, 2013)

 Audio quotation:

• “Prisoners” (Denis Villeneuve, 2013)
• Trojan Commerical: Fire & Ice” (2012), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbmZhgAW1-s

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa mourn the decline of theatrical movie-going and celebrate sentimental entertainment.

***

Referenced media:

• “Belfast” (Kenneth Branagh, 2021)
• “Don’t Look Up” (Adam McKay, 2021)
• “Drive My Car” (Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2021)
• “Dune: Part One” (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)
• “King Richard” (Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2021)
• “Licorice Pizza” (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021)
• “Nightmare Alley” (Guillermo del Toro, 2021)
• “Power of the Dog” (Jane Campion, 2021)
• “West Side Story” (Steven Spielberg, 2021)
• “Marty” (Delbert Mann, 1955)
• “Our Gang” (also known as “The Little Rascals”) (Hal Roach, 1922-1944)
• “Barbie” (Greta Gerwig, 2023)
• “Oppenheimer” (Christopher Nolan, 2023)
• “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (Christopher McQuarrie, 2023)
• “Top Gun: Maverick” (Joseph Kosinski, 2022)

Audio quotation:

• “CODA” (Sian Heder, 2021)
• “Polybius Cypher” (written by John Williams, and performed by the San Francisco Symphony, from “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (James Mangold, 2023))
• “Closer to Fine” (written by Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, and performed by Brandi Carlile and Catherine Carlile from “Barbie” (Greta Gerwig, 2023))

Garrett Chaffin-Quiray and Ed Rosa ponder old cowboys.

***

Referenced media:

• “The Simpsons” (Matt Groening, 1989-now)
• “The Terminator” (James Cameron, 1984)
• “Barry Lyndon” (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
• “Blood Simple” (Joel Coen, 1984)
• “Psycho” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
• “Batman Begins” (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
• “The Dark Knight” (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
• “The Dark Knight Rises” (Christopher Nolan, 2012)
• “Iron Man” (Jon Favreau, 2008)
• “The Kingdom” (Peter Berg, 2007)
• “3:10 to Yuma” (James Mangold, 2007)
• “Eastern Promises” (David Cronenberg, 2007)
• “Michael Clayton” (Tony Gilroy, 2007)
• “Blade Runner (The Final Cut)” (Ridley Scott, 1982/2007)
• “Lake of Fire” (Tony Kaye, 2006)
• “Lars and the Real Girl” (Craig Gillespie, 2007)
• “Gone Baby Gone” (Ben Affleck, 2007)
• “Dan in Real Life” (Peter Hedges, 2007)
• “American Gangster” (Ridley Scott, 2007)
• “Beowulf” (Robert Zemeckis, 2007)
• “The Savages” (Tamara Jenkins, 2007)
• “Atonement” (Joe Wright, 2007)
• “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Mike Nichols, 2007)
• “The Great Debaters” (Denzel Washington, 2007)
• “There Will Be Blood” (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
• “Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982” (Roger Lay, Jr. and Mark A. Altman, 2003)
• “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
• “Top Gun: Maverick” (Joseph Kosinski, 2022)

Audio quotation:

• “No Country for Old Men” (Ethan and Joel Coen, 2007)

In this idiosyncratic history of post-World War II movies, we conclude with “Summer of Soul” and Nostalgia.

Past podcasts in this series:

• “Rome, Open City” (Robert Rossellini, 1945)
• “The Killers” (Robert Siodmak, 1946)
• “Rashomon” (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
• “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (Howard Hawks, 1953)
• “The Seventh Seal” (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
• “North by Northwest” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
• “Midnight Cowboy” (John Schlesinger, 1969)
• “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” (Lau Kar-leung, 1978)
• “The Castle of Cagliostro” (Hayao Miyazaki, 1979)
• “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (Wes Craven, 1984)
• “Pulgasari (Shin Sang-ok, 1985)
• “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (James Cameron, 1991)
• “The Piano” Jane Campion (1993)
• “Persepolis” (Marjane Satrapi/Vincent Paronnaud, 2007)
• “Parasite” (Bong Joon-ho, 2019)

Audio quotation:

• “Typewriter” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsEbtUcDw40
• “Summer of Soul” (Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, 2021)

In this idiosyncratic history of post-World War II movies, we continue with “Parasite” and Commentary.

Future podcasts in this series:

• “Summer of Soul” (Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, 2021)

Past podcasts in this series:

• “Rome, Open City” (Robert Rossellini, 1945)
• “The Killers” (Robert Siodmak, 1946)
• “Rashomon” (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
• “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (Howard Hawks, 1953)
• “The Seventh Seal” (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
• “North by Northwest” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
• “Midnight Cowboy” (John Schlesinger, 1969)
• “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” (Lau Kar-leung, 1978)
• “The Castle of Cagliostro” (Hayao Miyazaki, 1979)
• “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (Wes Craven, 1984)
• “Pulgasari (Shin Sang-ok, 1985)
• “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (James Cameron, 1991)
• “The Piano” Jane Campion (1993)
• “Persepolis” (Marjane Satrapi/Vincent Paronnaud, 2007)

Referenced media:

•  “Joker” (Todd Phillips, 2019)

Audio quotation:

• “Typewriter” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsEbtUcDw40
• “Parasite” (Bong Joon-ho, 2019)
• Trump mocks Oscar win for Parasite: ‘What the hell was that about?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suIT517IBmg

In this idiosyncratic history of post-World War II movies, we continue with “Persepolis” and Memoir.

Future podcasts in this series:

• “Parasite” (Bong Joon-ho, 2019)
• “Summer of Soul” (Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, 2021)

Past podcasts in this series:

• “Rome, Open City” (Robert Rossellini, 1945)
• “The Killers” (Robert Siodmak, 1946)
• “Rashomon” (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
• “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (Howard Hawks, 1953)
• “The Seventh Seal” (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
• “North by Northwest” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
• “Midnight Cowboy” (John Schlesinger, 1969)
• “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” (Lau Kar-leung, 1978)
• “The Castle of Cagliostro” (Hayao Miyazaki, 1979)
• “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (Wes Craven, 1984)
• “Pulgasari (Shin Sang-ok, 1985)
• “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (James Cameron, 1991)
• “The Piano” Jane Campion (1993)

Referenced media:

• “Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood” (Marjane Satrapi, 2000)
• “Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return” (Marjane Satrapi, 2004)
• “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” (Jon Turtletaub, 2007)
• “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (James Cameron, 1991)

Audio quotation:

• “Typewriter” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsEbtUcDw40
• “Persepolis” (Marjane Satrapi/Vincent Paronnaud, 2007)