Rob Christopher's Blog, page 29

3 things about Robert Altman’s 3 WOMEN

3 Women [1977]

1. “Hi, Pat.”
“Millie. You’re back.”
“I hadn’t been anywhere.”
2. She goes to write in her diary but her pen has run dry. She gives in and turns out the light.
3. A large pile of old tires next to the house.

3 other things.

3 things about Robert Siodmak’s THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON

The File on Thelma Jordon [1949]

1. Erasing then reapplying fingerprints.
2. No hangover the next day? Come on.
3. Gloved hand drawing the eyelids closed.

3 things about Calin Cazan & Mircea Toia’s DELTA SPACE MISSION

Delta Space Mission [1984]

1. Marauding rock giants.
2. A metal munching dog named Tin.
3. Fruit-eating goo dweller.

What a trip. Pop a few edibles and fasten your seatbelt.

3 things about Errol Morris’s AMERICAN DHARMA

American Dharma [2018]

1. Real profits from fictional currency.
2. It all began with an encounter at Sundance.
3. Breitbart shouting himself into a coronary.

announcing “My Last Martini,” a new short film

Allow me to introduce the cast of my forthcoming short film My Last Martini, based on the story by Barry Gifford:

WENDY ROBIE
[Anna]

MICHAEL STEJSKAL
[Paul]

MADRID ST. ANGELO
[Sharif]

EDWARD THOMAS-HERRERA
[Waiter]

We shoot next month at Milwaukee’s lovely Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge!

For me, the perfect bar is convivial and intimate, lively yet tranquil. That sums up Bryant’s, a place I’ve visited regularly for nearly a decade. Filmmaker Luis Buñuel once wrote that bars “are the perfect places for the meditation and contemplation indispensable to life.” When all the correct elements are in place, there’s something about the atmosphere in a bar that can lead to surprising epiphanies–and encounters. I’ve told very personal stories to complete strangers in bars on more than one occasion. Just such an encounter is at the heart of Barry Gifford’s short story “The Last Martini.” Adapting this story for the screen and filming it at Bryant’s is the proverbial no-brainer; and casting Wendy Robie from Twin Peaks in a key role is simply a dream come true!

3 things about Otto Preminger’s BONJOUR TRISTESSE

Bonjour Tristesse [1958]

1. Deborah Kerr’s cashmere (?) car dress in ivory.
2. The patio at twilight. On the right, the group tanks up prior to their trip to the casino; on the left, the housemaid swigs a beer while standing behind the bar.
3. Subterranean powder room with an asymmetrical mirror.

3 other things.

3 things about Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL

20 Days in Mariupol [2023]

1. Charging cellphones just to be able to use them as flashlights.
2. The nurse explains that the injured woman’s condition was “incompatible with life.”
3. A dirty hand jerking in pain.

3 things about Jack Smight’s AIRPORT 1975

Airport 1975 [1974]

1. Take a shot every time Charlton Heston calls her “honey.”
2. Her manuscript and tape recorder take the place of her jewels in the bomb-proof carrying case.
3. The only reason he’s on the plane is to watch the in-flight movie?!

3 other things.

3 things about Damián Szifron’s WILD TALES

Wild Tales [2014]

1. His former psychiatrist attempts some rush therapy.
2. Charred embrace.
3. The room gasps as he picks up the cake knife.

3 things about George Seaton’s AIRPORT

Airport [1970]

1. “I’m going to move this mother by midnight!”
2. A plate of tiny sandwiches.
3. She moves through the throng, tearfully apologizing. Everyone ignores her.

3 other things.