Blockbusters and Birdwalks

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 H...

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 “La Haine”. *** Referenced media in GATEWAY CINEMA, Episode 1A: “The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)” (Tom Six, 2011) “Snow on tha Bluff” (Damon Russell, 2011) “Roar” (No...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “Sin City” (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, 2005) “Crash” (Paul Haggis, 2004) “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” (George Lucas, 2005) “Black Hawk Down” (Ridley Scott, 2001) “Gladiator” (Ridley Scott, 2000) “Hannibal” (Ridley Scott, 2001) “War of the Worlds” (Steven Spielberg, 2005) “The Lord of the Ri...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “Jaws” (Steven Spielberg, 1975) “The Color Purple” (Steven Spielberg, 1985) “The Brutalist” (Brady Corbet, 2024) “Havoc” (Gareth Evans, 2025) “The Raid” (Gareth Evans, 2011) “The RaId 2” (Gareth Evans, 2014) “The West Wing” (Aaron Sorkin, 1999-2006) “2001: A Space Odyssey” (Stanely Kubrick, 1968) “Bill & Ted’s E...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “Baghead” (Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass, 2008) “CB4” (Tamra Davis, 1993) “Zero Dark Thirty” (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012) “The Office” (Greg Daniels, 2005-2013) “The Mindy Project” (Mindy Kaling, 2012-2017) Audio quotation: “The Puffy Chair” (Jay Duplass, 2005), including “Disconnect the Dots” (2004) by of Montreal “CB4”...

This is part of a series about romance in movies.  *** Referenced media: “28 Days Later” (Danny Boyle, 2002) “Shaun of the Dead” (Edgar Wright, 2004) “Dawn of the Dead” (Zack Snyder, 2004) “Station 11” (Patrick Somerville, 2021-2022) “War for the Planet of the Apes” (Matt Reeves, 2017) Audio quotation: “Warm Bodies” (Jonathan Levine, 2013), including music by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders and th...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “Distant Sky: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Live in Copenhagen” (David Barnard, 2018) “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (Peter Jackson, 2001) “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (Peter Jackson, 2002) “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (Peter Jackson, 2003) “Indiana Jones and the Ki...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Gore Verbinski, 2006) “Shaft” (Gordon Parks, 1971) “Thelma” (Josh Margolin, 2024) “Looper” (Rian Johnson, 2012) “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (Rian Johnson, 2017) “Blade Runner” (Ridley Scott, 1982) “Sin City” (Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller 2005) “The Gre...

This is part of a series about romance in movies.  *** Referenced media: “Golden Girls” (Susan Harris, 1985-1992) “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (Stanley Kubrick 1964) “The Graduate” (Mike Nichols, 1967) Audio quotation: “Harold and Maude” (Hal Ashby, 1971), including the songs “Don’t Be Shy” and “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” by Cat Stevens

This is part of a series about romance in movies.  *** Referenced media: “Bros” (Nicholas Stoller, 2022) “Saturday Night Live” (Lorne Michaels, 1975-now) “Clueless” (Amy Heckerling, 1995) “Pride & Prejudice” (Joe Wright, 2005) Audio quotation: “Fire Island” (Andrew Ahn, 2022), including the song “Pure Imagination” performed by Kathleen, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_OPWtgi2GFGVXixDB...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.   *** Referenced media: “The Emigrants” (Jan Troell, 1971) “The New Land” (Jan Troell, 1972) “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (Peter Jackson, 2001) “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (Peter Jackson, 2002) “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (Peter Jackson, 2003) “Syriana” (Stephen Gaghan, 2005) “The Thi...

This is part of a series about romance in movies.  *** Referenced media: “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespears (~1590-1592) “Scream” (Wes Craven, 1996) “Some Kind of Wonderful” (Howard Deutch, 1987) “A Knight’s Tale” (Brian Helgeland, 2001) “Brokeback Mountain” (Ang Lee, 2005) “The Dark Knight” (Christopher Nolan, 2008) “Warm Bodies” (Jonathan Levine, 2013) “The Tragedy of Romeo and Jul...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “Michael Clayton” (Tony Gilroy, 2007) “Up in the Air” (Jason Reitman, 2009) “Good Night, and Good Luck.” (George Clooney, 2005) “The Big Short” (Adam McKay, 2015) “The Godfather” (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) “The Godfather: Part II” (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) “Traffik” (Simon Moore, 1989) “Traffic” (Steven Soderbe...

This is part of a series about romance in movies.  *** Referenced media: “Pretty in Pink” (Howard Deutch, 1986) “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” (Mark Molloy, 2024) “Ted Lasso” (Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly, 2020-2023) “Alien” (Ridley Scott, 1979) “Lethal Weapon” (Richard Donner, 1987) Audio quotation: “Some Kind of Wonderful” (Howard Deutch, 1987), including the songs “Do...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “Promising Young Woman” (Emerald Fennell, 2020) “Spartacus” (Stanley Kubrick, 1960) “Marvel’s The Avengers” (Joss Whedon, 2012) “Fargo” (Joel Coen, 1996) “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Martin McDonagh, 2017) “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (Peter Jackson, 2001) “The Lord of the Ring...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “ The Bad News Bears ” (Michael Ritchie, 1976) “Boyhood” (Richard Linklater, 2014) “Slacker” (Richard Linklater, 1990) “Dazed and Confused” (Richard Linklater, 1993) “School of Rock” (Richard Linklater, 2003) “ Friday Night Lights ” (Peter Berg, 2004) “Pollock” (Ed Harris, 2000) “Talk Soup” (Brad Gyori, 1991-2002) “...

This is part of a series about movies based on comic books.  *** Referenced media: “Twilight” (Catherine Hardwicke, 2008) “Interview with the Vampire” (Rolin Jones, 2022) “World War Z” (Marc Forster, 2013) “Beloved” (Jonathan Demme, 1998) “The Last Samurai” (Edward Zwick, 2003) “The Last of the Mohicans” (Michael Mann, 1992) “28 Days Later” (Danny Boyle, 2002) “30 Days of Night” (2002) by Steve Ni...

This is part of a series about movies based on comic books.  *** Referenced media: “Hulk” (Ang Lee, 2003) “Justice League” (1960-now) by Gardner Fox “Promethea” (1999-2005) by Alan Moore, J.H. Williams III, and Mick Gray “300” (1998) by Frank Miller “300” (Zack Snyder, 2007)) “Watchmen” (1986-1987) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (George Lucas, 1977) “The Incred...

This is part of a series about movies based on comic books.  *** Referenced media: “Point Break” (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991) “Orange Is the New Black” (Jenji Kohan, 2013-2019) “Tank Girl” (1988-now) by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett “A League of Their Own” (Penny Marshall, 1992) “Station Eleven” (Patrick Somerville, 2021-2022) “Crumb” (Terry Zwigoff, 1994) “Casper” (Brad Silberling, 1995) “Batman Forev...

This is part of a series about overlooked movies from 2005.  *** Referenced media: “The Kingdom” (Peter Berg, 2007) “Lebanon” (Samuel Maoz, 2009) “Thank You for Smoking” (Jason Reitman, 2005) “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (Gene Roddenberry, 1987-1994) “Lord of War” (Andrew Niccol, 2005) “Syriana” (Stephen Gaghan, 2005) Audio quotation: “Paradise Now” (Hany Abu-Assad, 2005)

This is part of a series about movies based on comic books.  *** Referenced media: “Superman” (Richard Donner, 1978) “Adventures of Superman” (Whitney Ellsworth and Robert J. Maxwell, 1952-1958) “Batman” (Bob Kane and Bill Finger, 1939-now) “Wonder-Woman” (William Moulton Marston, 1941-now) “Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut” (Richard Donner, 2006) “Spider-Man” (Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, 1962-no...

This is part of a series about movies from 1971.  *** Referenced media: “The Big Doll House” (Jack Hill, 1971) “A Beautiful Mind” (Ron Howard, 2001) “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (Mike Nichols, 1966) Audio quotation: “Carnal Knowledge” (Mike Nichols, 1971)

This is part of a series about movies from 1971.  *** Referenced media: “The Big Doll House” (Jack Hill, 1971) “Song of the South” (Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson, 1946) “The Birth of a Nation” (D.W. Griffith, 1915) “Drum” (Steve Carver, 1976) “Mandingo” (Richard Fleischer, 1975) “Django Unchained” (Quentin Tarantino, 2012) “Gone with the Wind” (Victor Fleming, 1939) “Dirty Harry” (Don Siegel, 1...

This is part of a series about movies from 1971.  *** Referenced media: “The Big Doll House” (Jack Hill, 1971) “The Wild Bunch” (Sam Peckinpah, 1969) “Jules and Jim” (Francois Truffaut, 1962) “Brokeback Mountain” (Ang Lee, 2005) “Red Dead Redemption” (Steve Martin, Josh Needleman, and David Kunkler, 2010) “A Fistful of Dollars” (Sergio Leone, 1964) “For a Few Dollars More” (Sergio Leone, 1965) “Th...

This is part of a series about movies from 1971.  *** Referenced media: “The Big Doll House” (Jack Hill, 1971) “The Devils” (Ken Russell, 1971) “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom” (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975) “Arabian Nights” (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975) “The Original Kings of Comedy” (Spike Lee, 2000) “Big Love” (Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, 2006-2011) “Last Temptation of Christ” (Martin Scorsese,...