3 things about Lewis Gilbert’s MOONRAKER

Posted on July 27, 2018 by robchristopher

Moonraker [1979]

1. Piano dive.
2. “Dr. Goodhead, your desire to be America’s first woman in space will soon be fulfilled.”
3. Spectacular but puzzling: a meeting room that transforms into a rocket combustion chamber.

3 other things.

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3 things about George Pal’s THE TIME MACHINE

Posted on July 24, 2018 by robchristopher

The Time Machine [1960]

1. Tracks on the ground, tracks on the floor.
2. Apocalypse in 1966.
3. “They never come back.”

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3 things about Sang-ho Yeon’s TRAIN TO BUSAN

Posted on July 23, 2018 by robchristopher

Train to Busan [2016]

1. Wrapping their arms in duct tape.
2. Chomping down on a book.
3. How apropos that he ends up getting bitten by the CEO.

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3 things about Walter Murch’s RETURN TO OZ

Posted on July 22, 2018 by robchristopher

Return to Oz [1985]

1. Billina channeling Marjorie Main in the most delightful way.
2. The heads are all asleep.
3. Human eyes set inside a stone face.

Not sure why I had never seen this before, but what a special movie.

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3 things about Michael Curtiz’s FLAMINGO ROAD

Posted on July 20, 2018 by robchristopher

Flamingo Road [1949]

1. She goes to pour him a cup of coffee and, thanks to noir lighting, the kitchen is a dungeon.
2. “The people haven’t elected anyone in this state for so long, they’ve lost the habit. It’s a lot of trouble to go to the polls. Usually it inteferes with a baseball game or a fishing trip. When people don’t care, they get about what they deserve.”
3. He’s a fiend for milk.

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3 things about Alain Resnais’ MURIEL, OR THE TIME OF RETURN

Posted on July 19, 2018 by robchristopher

Muriel, or The Time of Return [1963]

1. Magic hour: standing at the crowded bar with a coffee, chatting with the cashier, the clouds and sky in the windows behind them.
2. “It’s easier to talk outside, isn’t it?”
3. Sliding box.

Elusive. Each time I was about to identify with one of the characters, the film would do something to push me away. Haunting though.

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3 things about Boots Riley’s SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Posted on July 17, 2018 by robchristopher

Sorry to Bother You [2018]

1. Preoccupied by the joint she’s holding just out of reach.
2. At a gas station he walks up to the attendant and says, “40 on #2.” He plunks down a quarter, a dime, a nickel.
3. IKEA garage bedroom.

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3 things about Stephen Frears’ THE HIT

Posted on July 16, 2018 by robchristopher

The Hit [1984]

1. A film in which we watch Fernando Rey get out of a great many cars and size up crime scenes. And that is not a bad thing.
2. His blood between her teeth.
3. “What’s your real name?”
He smiles before answering. It’s the only time we see him smile.

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3 things about Sydney Pollack’s THE YAKUZA

Posted on July 15, 2018 by robchristopher

The Yakuza [1974]

1. A flying, severed hand still clutching a gun.
2. Rivulets of blood obscure the tattoo.
3. She instructs him how to drink the tea mindfully.

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3 things about W.S. Van Dyke’s MANHATTAN MELODRAMA

Posted on July 14, 2018 by robchristopher

Manhattan Melodrama [1934]

1. “Jew. Protestant. Catholic. What does it matter?” Then he gets killed in an anarchist riot (!)
2. He gives the $7,500 to a waiter.
3. “Goodbye, Black Boy, don’t take any wooden porkchops.”

3 other things.

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