Rob Christopher

Sporadic #filmmaker. ROY'S WORLD: BARRY GIFFORD'S CHICAGO is now streaming! (Featuring Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor.) New film: MY LAST MARTINI. Some stuff I scribe: #Chicago things, #movies, #cocktails, #music, #books. And yup, I'm #gay. “Living and ceasing to live are imaginary solutions. Existence is elsewhere.” –ANDRE BRETON

ROY'S WORLD: BARRY GIFFORD'S CHICAGO: https://www.roysworldfilm.com/
my blog: https://randomcha.net/
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/randomcha/

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Last Notes

2026-01-11 14:10:32 GMT

Watching this singular film at this moment in time, with all the chaos in Iran, makes it feel even more miraculous. My jaw was on the floor. https://boxd.it/cA1vIP

2025-12-24 22:18:52 GMT

Puzzlin'. Happy Xmas Eve everyone!
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2025-12-04 22:48:19 GMT

So I started making a new documentary today. Do you like Chicago tavern-style pizza?
https://media.mstdn.social/media_attachments/files/115/663/730/102/204/279/original/5e7f4abf676b86dc.jpg

2025-12-01 16:57:21 GMT

"Vinnie Deserio once said that the reason Dave & I worked so well together is that he takes the ordinary and makes it seem extraordinary, and I take the extraordinary and make it seem ordinary. Maybe so; it sounds good, anyway."
Barry Gifford remembers David Lynch: https://www.artforum.com/columns/david-lynch-obituary-barry-gifford-1234738013/
#barrygifford #davidlynch

2025-11-30 14:10:57 GMT

We plowed through all 6 episodes of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION this weekend. Really engrossing. How many millions in the US did likewise? Couldn't be more urgent or timely.

2025-10-26 21:09:18 GMT

3 things about David Cronenberg’s COSMOPOLIS [2012]
1. A slow elevator, soundtracked with Satie.
2. The way Juliette Binoche simply vanishes.
3. Eggplant leftovers for the chauffeur.
#3things #movies #davodcronenberg #dondelillo #cinema
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2025-10-20 09:58:57 GMT

I just paid a visit to Barry Gifford, who turned 79 on Saturday! The guy has two books ready to publish and a couple screenplay ideas. We should all stay so young!
#barrygifford
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2025-10-09 16:26:46 GMT

Last three chances to see MY LAST MARTINI
Well, for now anyway ... I will be at the screenings in Tryon and San Jose; if you make it out, please say hi! And here's a lovely new review of the film by Jared Mobarak: " Robie becomes an enigmatic reminder that we mustn’t only give into the automated routine of convenience to transport an audience through time and space.
http://randomcha.net/2025/10/09/last-three-chances-to-see-my-last-martini/

2025-09-22 15:22:03 GMT

Canceled Hulu and Disney+.

2025-08-31 00:27:15 GMT

My husband chose MALLRATS as tonight's movie and thus far it's excruciating. Witless, frenetic, and the kind of movie that thinks that any profanity is automatically hilarious. Still 55 minutes to go.

2025-08-30 21:32:58 GMT

3 things about Katsuhiro Ôtomo & Kôji Morimoto & Tensai Okamura’s MEMORIES [1995]
1. A feast that looks beautiful but is actually inedible.
2. Thick bodies, tiny heads.
3. We are never shown who the war is being fought against.
#3things #movies #anime #japan #Animation #scifi #cinema
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2025-08-28 19:34:49 GMT

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I have a better chance of winning the lottery!

2025-08-28 17:08:45 GMT

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We have submitted to several festivals in Italy but alas, no luck. I'd love to screen it there if you have any suggestions!

2025-08-28 14:18:11 GMT

Calling all #DavidLynch & #twinpeaks fans! MY LAST MARTINI, starring the incomparable Wendy Robie, screens at
2025 Lake County Film Festival, September 5 + 14! I'll be there on the 5th for a Q & A. Hope to see you there! https://2025.lakecountyfilmfestival.org/shorts-support-local/
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2025-08-24 18:32:05 GMT

A good moment to share this image.
#Chicago
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2025-08-22 01:34:29 GMT

I turn 50 tomorrow. Hmm.
So I'm seeing a jazz show tonight at the Hungry Brain.
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2025-08-18 20:35:40 GMT

MY LAST MARTINI is gonna have a busy autumn--in the best way! And I'm hitting the road: see you on Sept. 5 in Grayslake, Sept. 20 in Aurora, Sept. 26 - 28 in Tallahassee, Oct. 12 in Tryon, and (whew) Oct. 16 - 19 in San Jose.
Check out all the details over at Letterboxd: https://lnkd.in/gvHaCKUZ
#wendyrobie #twinpeaks #maumee #tallahassee #grayslake #aurora #soofilmfestival #filmfestivals #tryon #sanjose
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2025-08-14 00:45:39 GMT

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They don't make 'em like that anymore--they CAN'T make 'em like that anymore.

2025-08-14 00:33:19 GMT

Seeing CLEOPATRA in 70mm on Saturday. It'll be like going to church.

2025-08-08 22:08:01 GMT

Much to my delight, MY LAST MARTINI is really taking off! You can keep up with the film at #Letterboxd https://tinyurl.com/utt763hy
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2025-07-20 00:28:27 GMT

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Yes, isn't it crazy? https://www.jewelosco.com/shop/product-details.970111046.html

2025-07-19 23:18:08 GMT

Just had a martini with the Jewel brand gin and it's pretty good!

2025-07-17 20:44:48 GMT

RIP #ConnieFrancis ... This album is wonderful: https://tidal.com/browse/album/269119383?u

2025-07-13 12:56:35 GMT

#silentsunday
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2025-07-11 02:13:39 GMT

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Thank you!

2025-07-09 21:49:07 GMT

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BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA.

2025-07-04 17:53:02 GMT

3 things about THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE [2024]
1. Foreshadowing.
2. A monster consisting of an eyeball stalk, novelty teeth, and gum.
3. Clampett’s Diner.
#3things #movies #looneytunes #animation #cinema
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2025-06-23 14:47:56 GMT

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I like to use this tool for alt-text: https://asuo-ai-labs.streamlit.app/Image_Accessibility

2025-05-14 18:32:18 GMT

For the multitudes who have wondered if my first film will ever be available to stream, the answer is YES.
vimeo.com/110092742
For the price of a VHS rental you can time-travel back to the mid-90s!

2025-04-06 12:18:44 GMT

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Some photos from Chicago yesterday! 30k people.
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2025-03-29 14:56:37 GMT

Tix are going fast for our CHICAGO PREMIERE at the Music Box!
On April 17 join Wendy Robie from TWIN PEAKS & yrs truly for MY LAST MARTINI (w/ Q & A) immediately preceding David Lynch's WILD AT HEART. https://musicboxtheatre.com/films-and-events/wild-at-heart
trailer: https://youtu.be/iwFmQ2Fq4zg?si=elDX2kfPfEyEQP5C
#twinpeaks #davidlynch #musicbox #wendyrobie #indiefilm
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2025-03-29 12:47:42 GMT

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Want!

2025-03-15 14:49:42 GMT

My husband has been suffering with acute sciatica for the past six weeks. It has been sobering to be confronted with all the things we take for granted on a daily basis. Easy movement. Going for a walk. The ritual of an evening cocktail. A good night's sleep.

2025-03-08 19:38:11 GMT

3 things about John Huston’s KEY LARGO
Key Largo 1. Lounging in the bathtub with a cigar, and a fan aimed directly at him. 2. A lengthy whisper that we can't quite make out, which makes it feel even filthier. 3. Her song is pathetic, tender, brave, sad, and uncomfortable. All at the same time. 3 other things.
http://randomcha.net/2025/03/08/3-things-about-john-hustons-key-largo-2/

2025-03-04 16:54:28 GMT

Well done, everyone.
'US supreme court weakens rules on discharge of raw sewage into water supplies' https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/04/epa-ruling-sewage-water

2025-01-16 19:15:15 GMT

RIP David Lynch. Gutted. I can't calculate the effect that seeing the very first episode of TWIN PEAKS had on me when I was only 14, except that it quite literally altered the course of my life. It eventually led me to the work of Barry Gifford, which in turn led me towards making ROY'S WORLD.
#davidlynch
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2025-01-01 16:14:08 GMT

What I Watched in 2024: My 12 Favorite Films
ALL OF US STRANGERS
THE BEAST
OTHER PEOPLE
THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS
PERFECT DAYS
QUEER
SAM NOW
THE SEA WOLF [1941]
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
VENGEANCE IS MINE
THE ZONE OF INTEREST

2024-12-24 21:00:08 GMT

3 things about Ernst Lubitsch’s THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER
The Shop Around the Corner 1. He proffers an over-large tip to the taxi driver, telling him to send his son through college. 2. A shattered lightshade. 3. "Do you like chicken soup?" 3 other things.
http://randomcha.net/2024/12/24/3-things-about-ernst-lubitschs-the-shop-around-the-corner-2/

2024-12-22 22:36:32 GMT

#silentsunday
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2024-12-16 21:49:01 GMT

There are certain secrets you only tell a complete stranger at a bar.
Coming in 2025:
MY LAST MARTINI, a new short film starring Wendy Robie and Mickey O'Sullivan.
Based on the story by Barry Gifford and filmed entirely on location at Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, serving Milwaukee since 1938.
https://letterboxd.com/film/my-last-martini/
#twinpeaks #wendyrobie #davidlynch# #milwaukee #indiefilm #chicagofilm #chicagofilmmaker
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2024-11-26 21:16:44 GMT

3 things about Alfred Hitchcock’s SPELLBOUND
Spellbound 1. Bit part for Victor Kilian (Grandpa Larkin from Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman).2. "Women make the best psychoanalysts until they fall in love. After that they make the best patients."3. Proprietor with a sheer stocking concealing his face. 3 other things.
http://randomcha.net/2024/11/26/3-things-about-alfred-hitchcocks-spellbound-2/

2024-11-20 20:43:34 GMT

This is terrible. I didn't know Kris well but we had a certain kinship from the blog world. He with Gapers Block and me with Chicagoist. He was such a decent guy, devoid of drama. I feel for his family and friends.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024/11/20/kris-vire-dies-theater-critic-and-advocate-for-storefront-companies-was-47-obituary?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

2024-11-19 15:46:47 GMT

3 things about Alan Arkin’s LITTLE MURDERS [1971]
1. As he ascends the subway stairs, he crosses paths with a man bleeding from a head wound.
2. Carol deftly opens the breech.
3. “I married you because I wanted to mold you. I love the man I wanted to mold you into, but you’re not even there. How can I mold you when you’re not there?”
#3things #comedy #ElliottGould #julesfeiffer #alanarkin #movies #newyork #cinema
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2024-11-14 13:47:59 GMT

The "Lynch corner" in my home office.
#DavidLynch #green #twinpeaks
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2024-11-10 20:20:16 GMT

There is no alternative to persevering.
Rebecca Solnit: They want you to feel powerless and to surrender and to let them trample everything and you are not going to let them. You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving. You may need to grieve or scream or take time off, but you have a role no matter what, and right now good friends and good principles…
http://randomcha.net/2024/11/10/there-is-no-alternative-to-persevering/

2024-11-02 16:26:58 GMT

A note from my Mom in Florida.
She's voting.
Are you?
#VoteBlue
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2024-10-31 14:18:34 GMT

Happy #Halloween! Here's how to make an authentic Zombie #cocktail:
https://randomcha.net/2018/10/31/happy-halloween-cocktail-zombie/
#rum #tiki

2024-09-18 20:36:50 GMT

More about my new film project!
https://screenmag.com/my-last-martini/
#barrygifford
#indiefilm
#chicagofilmmaking
#milwaukee
#mylastmartini
#wendyrobie
#twinpeaks

2024-09-17 18:23:16 GMT

3 things about Roy Andersson’s SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR [2000]
1. Passing around a crystal ball.
2. A vast hall at the edge of which multitudes of teams struggle to move overloaded luggage carts forward.
3. Singing subway car.
#3things #movies #cinema
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2024-09-16 23:50:07 GMT

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FWIW I quite enjoyed it, and thought it was very skillful and intelligent.

2024-09-11 15:26:12 GMT

My own memories of 9/11 are (blessedly, considering what’s come later) self-contained. Working a full day at the coffeehouse, not wanting/wanting to be there, spending a few hours at home glued to the TV, then going to a Laurie Anderson concert.
No one was sure whether she'd cancel the show or not, but she didn’t; it remains probably the most meaningful concert of my life. During the beginning of her first song she said, simply, “We’d like to dedicate this show to all those who died today.”

2024-09-08 22:20:17 GMT

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Sigh. Same in the US. Then again, when I was a teen most of my peers also listened to crappy music...

2024-08-24 16:00:48 GMT

Another BTS shot from MY LAST MARTINI, courtesy John Otterbacher.
Rehearsing the opening moments of the film with Madrid St. Angelo and Mickey O'Sullivan ... The "bourbon" in Madrid's glass is actually a non-alcoholic herbal aperitif.
#barrygifford #indiefilm #chicagofilmmaking #milwaukee
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2024-08-21 20:32:51 GMT

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This was my first time directing a scene on set since 1996 (!) A few things have changed ...

2024-08-21 19:19:57 GMT

The first of many behind the scenes photos from MY LAST MARTINI, this one courtesy Spencer Parks. I'm dressing the bar for one of the film's big scenes. In the background is John Otterbacher, who's making sure I don't make a fool of myself.
#barrygifford #indiefilm #chicagofilm #milwaukee #bryantscocktaillounge
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2024-08-13 23:57:20 GMT

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oh wow, please describe that rum.

2024-08-11 17:25:21 GMT

"He discovered that 68% of data used by companies is never used again, and estimates that personal data tells the same story."
https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/aug/09/excess-memes-photos-and-reply-all-emails-are-bad-for-climate-finds-study

2024-07-21 14:52:56 GMT

"Last Year at Marienbad" (1961): Alain Resnais, Delphine Seyrig, production still.
#cinema
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2024-07-09 16:41:36 GMT

This is the glass I'll be featuring in my upcoming short film MY LAST MARTINI. It's called a "Nick & Nora" (after the mystery-solving couple in THE THIN MAN). Riedel produces the best cocktail glass I've ever had the pleasure to use. With a capacity of 4 ounces, your martini stays cold until the final sip. It's going to look exquisite onscreen!
#cocktails #indiefilm #barrygifford #barware #martini
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2024-07-07 15:37:13 GMT

3 things about Richard Linklater’s HIT MAN
Hit Man 1. Pie passcode. 2. "Unbuckle your safety belt." 3. Speedboat barter.
http://randomcha.net/2024/07/07/3-things-about-richard-linklaters-hit-man/

2024-07-06 16:28:43 GMT

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Not having a good week. It's gonna take weeks to sort out all the insurance stuff.

2024-07-06 16:06:10 GMT

This illustrates the consequences of when your upstairs neighbors' toilet has a total wax seal blowout.
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