Rob Christopher's Blog, page 88
March 13, 2021
3 things about Paul Verhoeven’s STARSHIP TROOPERS
Starship Troopers [1997]
1. Rue McClanahan!
2. Cronenbergian orifice.
3. “It’s afraid!”
March 12, 2021
3 things about Chloé Zhao’s NOMADLAND
Nomadland [2020]
1. Jigsaw puzzle in a laundromat.
2. “That one’s on me.”
3. Maudlin music, a cursed crutch.
March 9, 2021
The new poster!
Doesn’t that new laurel look beautiful?!
March 8, 2021
3 things about Otto Preminger’s SUCH GOOD FRIENDS
Such Good Friends [1971]
1. Truly tasteless joke about slavery.
2. “Tell me what we’re doing is wrong so I can enjoy it.”
3. Corset.
March 6, 2021
3 things about Bertrand Tavernier’s THE JUDGE AND THE ASSASSIN
The Judge and the Assassin [1976]
1. Two bullets in the skull.
2. Her face pressed against a mess of potato peels on the table.
3. Ends with a musical number!
March 4, 2021
ROY’S WORLD wins Best Illinois Feature!
In a virtual ceremony (coincidentally, held exactly one year to the day after the film had its World Premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival) my documentary Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago was awarded Best Illinois Feature at the 2021 Beloit International Film Festival. Yours truly and producer Michael Glover Smith were on hand to accept the honor; you can watch the video on Facebook—the big moment is around 13:00 in.
In their citation, the festival says: “The film’s director uses a wide, wide array of visual and sonic devices that whisk the filmgoer back to a time when Chicago, and the US in general, was transitioning through the Beat Generation era. The film uses clever artwork, unique animations, remarkable period photography and 8mm film clips, underpinned with a cool jazz soundtrack to create a smoldering hybrid atmosphere. With narrations by Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon and Lili Taylor as icing on the cinematic cake, this film is a treasure trove of Windy City lore. It doesn’t get any more Illinois than this.”
Thank you everyone at BIFF for this tremendous recognition!
March 1, 2021
3 things about Jack Arnold’s THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN
The Incredible Shrinking Man [1957]
1. Nuclear fallout as glitter.
2. Sugar shaker.
3. He can now fit through the bars of his prison.
February 28, 2021
3 things about Garrett Bradley’s TIME
Time [2020]
1. Dingdong #2 and #1.
2. Bad credit, wants the most expensive car on the lot.
3. Torching the cardboard cutout on the grill.
February 27, 2021
Final days–ROY’S WORLD at Beloit
Only two more days! If you’re reading this from Wisconsin or Illinois, you can watch the film as part of the Beloit International Film Festival—through February 28!
3 things about Paul Thomas Anderson’s PHANTOM THREAD
Phantom Thread [2017]
1. POV car shots that recall the opening sequence of Lawrence of Arabia.
2. Literally sizing her up.
3. Vest, jacket, ascot over pajamas.
