Rob Christopher's Blog, page 69

3 things about Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s MEMORIA

Memoria [2021]

1. A huge ball of concrete hitting the bottom of a metal tube that’s surrounded by seawater.
2. She asks him what it’s like to be dead. “It’s okay.”
3. The “O” slowly fades away.

3 things about Ernst Lubitsch’s TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Trouble in Paradise [1932]

1. “See here, my good man. You’ve been saying good-bye for the last half hour and staying on. I wish you’d say ‘How do you do?’ and go.”
2. Giant Art Deco hall clock with built-in light fixture.
3. Tonsils.

3 things about Tina Rathborne’s ZELLY AND ME

Zelly and Me [1988]

1. David Lynch says, “Holy smokes!”
2. Two burnmarks on her arm.
3. Lacking any other playthings, she creates Socky.

3 things about Mark Sandrich’s SHALL WE DANCE

Shall We Dance [1937]

1. “You only had one drink.”
“Yes, but you kept filling it.”
2. Tripping over the curb in their roller skates.
3. Eric Blore’s spelling bee.

New trailer, new screenings

Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago is returning to theaters!

April 30: The Wilmette Theatre, Wilmette, IL
Yours truly in person; Q&A with Lee Shoquist (ChicagoFilm.com)

May 6 – 7: The Broad Theater, New Orleans, LA
[tickets on sale soon—stay tuned]

May 7: The Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA
Barry Gifford + yours truly in person

3 things about Michael Glover Smith’s RELATIVE

Relative [2022]

1. She calmly explains e-books to a library patron.
2. In this alternate Chicago universe, Hopleaf is a pizza parlor.
3. “I need you. I don’t need you. I need you. We need you.”

Bonus: the ugly couch in Rod’s room is actually my old futon. I donated it to the production.

3 things about Christopher Nolan’s BATMAN BEGINS

Batman Begins [2005]

1. 10,000 masks.
2. Tom Wilkinson’s murky accent.
3. The Gordons live on the first floor.

3 other things.

3 things about Luis Buñuel’s THE MILKY WAY

The Milky Way [1969]

1. The Virgin Mary advises Him not to shave.
2.  Pierre Clémenti: barefoot hippie Angel of Death.
3. The desiccated corpse is declared a heretic and cremated.

3 other things.

3 things about Edward Cline’s MILLION DOLLAR LEGS

Million Dollar Legs [1932]

1. Dismantled nightclub.
2. “You’ll always be Sweetheart to me.”
3. Double gold medals.

3 other things.

3 things about Dorothy Arzner’s MERRILLY WE GO TO HELL

Merrily We Go to Hell [1932]

1. He explains that he’s on the wagon. Immediately she mentions that if he needs it, there’s a bottle in the closet.
2. She’s powdering her nose. “I spent the morning realizing that we’re living in a modern world, where there’s no place for old-fashioned wives. You seem to want a modern wife and that’s what I’m going to be.”
3. From the doorway of the kitchen she watches her husband share a long kiss with his mistress. The others in the room seem blasé about her presence.

Extraordinary. Hollywood wouldn’t make a comparatively complex portrait of a marriage for another 30 years. And it’s 83 minutes long!