Author Archives: robchristopher

3 things about Michael Apted’s THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER

Posted on December 22, 2011 by robchristopher

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [2010] 1. Water begins to pour out of the picture frame. 2. Rhetorical question: will filmmakers never learn that CGI breath always looks cheesy? 3. He jumps into a tiny … Continue reading →

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My favorite movies of 2011.

Posted on December 20, 2011 by robchristopher

(cross-posted from Chicagoist) Even before I finished drawing up this list, I knew that including movies not released this year would annoy lots of people. “That’s cheating!” they’d say. “How can you say a movie from 1951 is one of … Continue reading →

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3 things about Thom Eberhardt’s NIGHT OF THE COMET

Posted on December 19, 2011 by robchristopher

Night of the Comet [1984] 1.White shoe full of red dust. 2. Doesn’t Mary Woronov resemble Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth? 3. Neon, neon, neon, and a curvy leather sofa. It’s a Christmas movie! 3 other things.

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3 things about Joe Dante’s GREMLINS

Posted on December 19, 2011 by robchristopher

Gremlins [1984] 1. Chuck Jones encourages him to keep drawing. 2. Great metaphor: she’s assaulted by a Christmas tree. 3. Snowshovel as car ramp.

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3 things about Johan Grimonprez’s DOUBLE TAKE

Posted on December 17, 2011 by robchristopher

Double Take [2009] 1. A plane crashes into the Empire State Building. Everyone looks up. 2. Folgers is mountain-grown. 3. The two elderly Hitchcock look-alikes, arms linked, walk slowly away.

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3 things about Martin Scorsese’s HUGO

Posted on December 14, 2011 by robchristopher

Hugo [2011] 1. Is Django the guitar player? 2. The cracked red leather of the ancient armchair. 3. He attempts his best smile. She winces.

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3 things about Gillo Pontecorvo’s BURN!

Posted on December 14, 2011 by robchristopher

Burn! [1969] 1. A group of children help carry the headless corpse to the wagon. 2. The soldiers set the field of sugar cane on fire, and shoot the rebels as they emerge from the flames. 3. Jodhpurs. A straw … Continue reading →

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3 things about Steve McQueen’s SHAME

Posted on December 7, 2011 by robchristopher

Shame [2011] 1. She picks at a bit of fluff on his coat, but he stops her. “I like it there,” he explains. 2. The back of his head, in sharp focus, on the left side of the frame. The … Continue reading →

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3 things about Béla Tarr & Ágnes Hranitzky’s THE TURIN HORSE

Posted on December 5, 2011 by robchristopher

The Turin Horse [2011] 1. Eating a boiled potato using only one’s fingers is a tricky business. 2. The patches of worn-away fur on the horse’s flanks. 3. Do they use an outhouse? If so, where is it? Easily the … Continue reading →

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3 things about Patrice Leconte’s DOGORA

Posted on December 3, 2011 by robchristopher

Dogora [2004] 1. A ladybug slowly crawls along the bicycle’s handlebar. 2. The orchestra and singers are black and white blobs. The conductor, however, is in focus. 3. Stacks of multicolored plastic plates. Lots of pretty images, but this movie … Continue reading →

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