3 things about Don Siegel’s THE VERDICT

Posted on August 7, 2025 by robchristopher

The Verdict [1946]

1. “There’s always a clue. If you can find it.”
2. A love note left in the pocket of the corpse.
3. He tries to move in for a kiss, then gracefully withdraws.

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3 things about Don Siegel’s THE BLACK WINDMILL

Posted on August 6, 2025 by robchristopher

The Black Windmill [1974]

1. Blood dripping between the slats of the floor.
2. Fuzzy white necktie.
3. Quick naked Polaroid.

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3 things about Akiva Schaffer’s THE NAKED GUN

Posted on August 4, 2025 by robchristopher

The Naked Gun [2025]

1. Deceptive office coat rack.
2. “I picked up your knife for you.”
3. Bonding with the kids over a beer.

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An autumn of martinis

Posted on August 3, 2025 by robchristopher

My Last Martini will be all over the place the next few months (and beyond?) I am so excited!

September 5 + 14, 2025: Lake County Film Festival, Grayslake, IL

September 10 – 14, 2025: Soo Film Festival, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

September 26 – 28, 2025: Maumee Film Festival, OH

September 26 – 28, 2025: Tallahassee Film Festival, FL

October 16 – 19, 2025: San Jose International Short Film Festival, CA

Hope to see some of you at one of these screenings soon. You can follow news about the film on our Letterboxd page.

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3 things about Wayne Wang & Paul Auster’s SMOKE

Posted on July 31, 2025 by robchristopher

Smoke [1995]

1. “You never know what’s gonna happen next. And the moment you think you do, that’s the moment you don’t know a goddamn thing.”
2. Daniel Auster has a cameo as a shoplifter. In real life he was later charged in the overdose death of his 10-month-old daughter and soon thereafter died of an overdose himself.
3. Tearing apart the chicken with his bare hands.

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3 things about Jack Hazan’s A BIGGER SPLASH

Posted on July 30, 2025 by robchristopher

A Bigger Splash [1973]

1. Sitting on a leather sofa. One blue sock, one red sock.
2. After studying the painting of himself he takes a few sips from a drinking fountain. A Warhol picture is visible in the foreground.
3. Wooden cutouts of tulips.

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3 things about Harvey Hart’s BEVERLY HILLS MADAM

Posted on July 28, 2025 by robchristopher

Beverly Hills Madam [1986]

1. Without trying on the dress first, she purchases it, instructing the saleswoman to “accessorize it for me” and deliver it that afternoon.
2. John Ingle as a professor.
3. Left adrift on Sunset Blvd. surrounded by WRONG WAY and DO NOT ENTER signs.

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3 things about John Bailey’s CHINA MOON

Posted on July 27, 2025 by robchristopher

China Moon [1994]

1. He makes a circular incision around the bullethole with an X-Acto knife.
2. Drinking beer on the rocks.
3. Charles Dance’s shaky Yankee accent.

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3 things about John Bailey’s THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

Posted on July 26, 2025 by robchristopher

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe [1991]

1. “I always wanted to be somebody. But now I realize I should have been more specific.”
2. A cardboard disc which reads THIS BUTTON HAS BEEN RECYCLED.
3. Zipping all the zippers.

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3 things about Michael Winner’s SCORPIO

Posted on July 24, 2025 by robchristopher

Scorpio [1973]

1. Exploding, collapsing wooden scaffolding.
2. Burt impersonates a Black priest.
3. Fake suicide capsule.

I have never, ever liked a film directed by Michael Winner. And while I can’t say it’s a “good” movie, I came closer to liking Scorpio than any other Winner film.

It’s basically a John le Carré simulacrum with a flabby, derivative screenplay, burdened with some truly terrible dialog, that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. The ending in particular has none of the gravitas it thinks it has, simply because it feels contrived rather than fated. However you do get some excellent location work, beautifully lensed by Robert Paynter, and a helluva chase sequence. Burt and Alain are fun to watch, especially in their few scenes together.

So yeah, it’s a tolerable way to kill a few hours.

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