Barry Gifford’s 80th birthday celebrations continue! San Francisco’s Roxie Theater presents “Barry Gifford: Wild Lives, Lost Highways,” a retrospective that includes Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, and Perdita Durango.
And (drum roll, please) on Sunday, October 18, Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago. As a special bonus, my new short film My Last Martini starring Wendy Robie (Twin Peaks), which adapts Barry’s short story, will also be included in the program.
Tickets will go fast so don’t delay!
Woman in the Dunes [1964]
1. Endlessly collapsing shelves of sand.
2. Tired of the conversation, he says, “Okay, whatever you say.”
3. She leaves the new radio for him.
Weapons [2025]
1. Not a glass, a bowl.
2. Collecting all the name tags.
3. “I can make them eat each other if I want to.”
Our Land [2025]
1. She doesn’t believe she’s ever been to a cinema and only started watching TV recently.
2. “I made a fortune making plaster wardrobes.”
3. He describes his occupation as athlete.
Primetime [2026]
1. He puts his laptop in his microwave but can’t bring himself to hit the button.
2. “‘Superhero,’ that’s your credit!”
3. Gun-mounted cameras.
To celebrate Barry Gifford’s 80th birthday, this October the American Cinematheque is hosting a retrospective of his indelible film work, from Wild at Heart and Lost Highway (my favorite) to Perdita Durango and Nelson Algren Live.
And the series concludes on Sunday, October 18 with Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago at the Los Feliz 3 Theatre. We’ll both be there for a live Q&A following the screening. As a special bonus, my new short film My Last Martini starring Wendy Robie (Twin Peaks), which adapts Barry’s short story, will also be included in the program.
This evening will be unforgettable. I sure hope you can make it!
One Cut of the Dead [2017]
1. A handy hatchet.
2. Blowing blood out of a tube = splat.
3. Quick lens wipe.
Eraserhead [1977]
1. Next to his bed, a framed photograph of an atomic explosion.
2. “It’s OK!”
3. Sperm in a silvery puddle.
Coyote vs. Acme [2026]
1. Allusion to Twin Peaks, Fire Walk with Me: “That’s All, Folks,” a message scrawled in the dust on the windshield.
2. “You tink you taw? I don’t pay you to tink you taw, I pay you to taw!”
3. After some deliberation, he selects the cartoon gavel.
Closely Watched Trains [1966]
1. She lifts her daughter’s dress to show the officials the girl’s hindquarters, festooned with stamps.
2. A second tear in the sofa.
3. The massive explosion sends shockwaves towards the station.
