3 things about Walter Hill’s 48 HRS.

Posted on March 12, 2011 by robchristopher

48 Hrs. [1982]

1. Proverbial early-80’s soundtrack: soprano sax and steel drums.
2. “Jack, tell me a bedtime story.”
“Fuck you.”
“Aww, that’s one of my favorites.”
3. Where did the bus come from?

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3 things about Claire Denis’ 35 SHOTS OF RUM

Posted on March 11, 2011 by robchristopher

35 Shots of Rum [2008]

1. Nighttime. A train goes by, green and yellow windows.
2. His 17-year-old cat has died. He picks it up by the scruff of its neck and puts it into a plastic bag. You can see its whiskers and a paw sticking out.
3. The pink rice cooker next to the red rice cooker.

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3 things about Ray Milland’s PANIC IN YEAR ZERO!

Posted on March 7, 2011 by robchristopher

Panic in Year Zero! [1962]

1. Shortly before 4 o’clock in the morning. In a moment of solitude he tries out his fishing rod.
2. “Somebody dropped the Bomb, Dad. Crazy scene!”
3. At gunpoint, the doc orders him to roll up his sleeves. He checks for needle marks.

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3 things about David Lowell Rich’s THE CONCORDE… AIRPORT ’79

Posted on March 7, 2011 by robchristopher

The Concorde… Airport ’79 [1979]

1. Harry Shearer as a TV newscast announcer. Ed Begley Jr. as a member of the ski rescue patrol.
2. “They don’t call it the ‘cockpit’ for nothing, honey.”
3. After the Concorde explodes in a snowy fireball, the movie ends with a shot of a Concorde flying off into the sunset.

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3 things about Jerry Jameson’s AIRPORT ’77

Posted on March 7, 2011 by robchristopher

Airport ’77 [1977]

1. Her sentimental drink of choice: champagne on the rocks.
2. “I’m lonely. I need someone to love me this week. Can you love me this week?”
3. Shag carpet waterfall.

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Unusually Bright

Posted on March 5, 2011 by robchristopher

UNUSUALLY BRIGHT

snow falls
like tracer
bullets smoking
gun radiator
car grilled cheese
greasy crumb
fingernail reflections
I’m enthralled
by the rumbling
stick of incense
shaken by the
baffling train
an automobile
hissing in
the bright wind
strewn remains
of yesterday’s light
vomited by
halogen bulbs
suspended from
evil wiring
slums of
easy luxury
tell me how
you speak
to God
an unusually
in any
sense of the word
bright afternoon
of 4.30
mesmerized by
the smoky rays
drawn through
the screen
window outside
inside outside
inside
a kind of tide
like the bellows
of an accordion
shouldn’t it
be later?
or has darkness
come
and gone?

11 February 2000

UNUSUALLY BRIGHT

snow falls

like tracer

bullets smoking

gun radiator

car grilled cheese

greasy crumb

fingernail reflections

I’m enthralled

by the rumbling

stick of incense

shaken by the

baffling train

an automobile

hissing in

the bright wind

stewn remains

of yesterday’s light

vomited by

halogen bulbs

suspended from

evil wiring

slums of

easy luxury

tell me how

you speak

to God

an unusually

in any

sense of the word

bright afternoon

of 4.30

mesmerized by

the smoky rays

drawn through

the screen

window outside

inside outside

inside

a kind of tide

like the bellows

of an accordion

shouldn’t it

be later?

or has darkness

come

and gone?

11 February 2000

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3 things about Wong Kar-wai’s 2046

Posted on March 4, 2011 by robchristopher

2046 [2004]

1. Green wood, red dress.
2. “If slapping me will make you feel good, use that as your Christmas present.”
3. She slurps up the noodles with both grace and dexterity.

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“Directors and writers and producers all have hyphens after their professions…”

Posted on March 2, 2011 by robchristopher

“I think getting the work out there is always harder than creating it. It’s one of the main reasons I don’t direct anymore. Directors and writers and producers all have hyphens after their professions, the second half being salesmen. I never wanted to be a salesman. It turned my stomach. I’d rather not work at all if I have to spend 4/5th of my time convincing people that it was worth doing.”

Read the rest of my interview with Alan Arkin.

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3 things about Jack Smight’s AIRPORT 1975

Posted on February 27, 2011 by robchristopher

Airport 1975 [1974]

1. “Is that a double?” she asks the stewardess. “Good. Keep ’em coming.”
2. Shag carpet mural on the wall in the lounge.
3. Charlton Heston grits his teeth and says, “Climb, baby, climb!”

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3 things about George Seaton’s AIRPORT

Posted on February 27, 2011 by robchristopher

Airport [1970]

1. She resists his advances. He whines, “If you get me up to full throttle and then throw me in reverse, you could damage my engine.”
2. Maureen Stapleton booking it down the empty concourse. In heels.
3. The priest makes the sign of the cross, then slaps his fellow passenger.

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