Robert Altman what's your Favorite and Least Favorite

Original Filmmaker of the new Hollywood Rober Altman has used the basic genre's in order to in some fasion turn them on there heads. Therefore against the basic thoery of American filmmakingfor instances McCabe and Mrs Miller, M*A*S*H and his backstage satire The Player that takes aim at Hollywood itself and criticizes the content of the dream factory's products.

Altman's fascinating use of unusual techinal sound effects. Bits of dialogue from simultaneously occurring conversations overlaping themselfs. With his abrupt cuts and constant changing of camera perspectives which create his unusual visual fragmented point-of-view.

Altman has a controled envirorment which he chooses you the viewer to see. Not always showing what's right there always having shoots through glass and other semierflictive surfaces.



Gosford Park (2001)
Dr. T & the Women (2000)
Cookie's Fortune (1999)
Gingerbread Man, The (1998)
Kansas City (1996)
Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
Short Cuts (1993)
Player, The (1992)
Vincent & Theo (1990)
"Tanner '88" (1988) (mini) TV Series
Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, The (1988) (TV)
Aria (1987) (segment "Les Boréades")
Basements (1987) (TV)
Beyond Therapy (1987)
Dumb Waiter, The (1987) (TV)
Fool for Love (1985)
O.C. & Stiggs (1985)
Secret Honor (1984)
Streamers (1983)
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Popeye (1980)
H.E.A.L.T.H. (1979)
Perfect Couple, A (1979)
Quintet (1979)
Wedding, A (1978)
3 Women (1977)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)
Nashville (1975)
California Split (1974)
Thieves Like Us (1974)
Long Goodbye, The (1973)
Images (1972)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Brewster McCloud (1970)
MASH (1970)
That Cold Day in the Park (1969)
Countdown (1968)
James Dean Story, The (1957)
Delinquents, The (1957)

Nashville and M*A*S*H are his best films I think, but as for my very "favorite", the one I've watched the most times, it has to be The Long Goodbye. Part parody, part satire, part detective flick, part comedy, and ALL Altman. Love everything about this movie. Some Chandler and Noir purists hate this movie with a passion, but as a fan of both Chandler and Noir I absolutely adore what Altman and crew did here. Even the score is one of the most clever bits of film business I've ever come across.


I suppose if I had to rank 'em...

B E S T
1. NASHVILLE
2. M*A*S*H
3. Short Cuts
4. The Long Goodbye
5. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
6. Images
7. Secret Honor
8. The Player
9. Gosford Park
10. That Cold Day in the Park
11. "Tanner '88"
12. Thieves Like Us

W O R S T
1. Dr. T & the Women
2. Beyond Therapy
3. O.C. & Stiggs
4. A Perfect Couple
5. Quintet
6. Popeye
7. The Dumb Waiter
8. Ready to Wear


There's twenty: a dozen that I think are brilliant and endlessly fascinating, and eight that I think are complete misfires and painful to watch.

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Oh come on Holden, you didn't like Popeye!? What's a matter with you.

The only movies of his i've seen is Dr. T, and Popeye(caught it on TV once), so I can't really comment on his good ones.

__________________
"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

When Altman is good, he's very good, but when he's bad, he's awful.

The Player is one of my favourites... it completely changed my opinion of Richard E. Grant who I used to dislike. He rocked the world in the Player. "No stars. No Hollywood happy ending"

MASH was a lot of fun. I believe the asteriks were only put in for the TV series, Mr Pike (Don't you just love catching Holden out on something?). "Suicide is painless" scene is priceless.

And Short Cuts was the best ensemble-type film (What exactly do you call this genre?) until Magnolia came along.

One thing about Altman is that his picture's are never pretty. The Player looks like any other show on TV when you switch it on. As do MASH and Short Cuts - the only others I've seen. I've heard Gosford Park has got a pleasant look but I'd be surprised. Altman goes for such a realist approach that he often sacrifices on cinematography.

Popeye? Uggh. It's one of the worst films of all time. What a wasted opportunity. Altman didn't know how to tackle a kids film.

__________________
I couldn't believe that she knew my name. Some of my best friends didn't know my name.

I hate Magnolia and Boogie Nights. P.T. Anderson is trying WAY too hard to be Altman and Scorsese. If he doesn't find his own voice soon I'm going to start completely ignoring the guy. Technically he's a strong craftsman, but his homages/rip-offs of Altman and Scorsese distract me to no end (especially in Magnolia) and ruin whatever else is going on in his flicks. His works are ambitious, but I find them pretentiuos and missing the mark. If he doesn't want to be compared to Altman, either favorably or unfavorably, he should stop making it an issue. He even went and cast Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Michael Murphy and most of all Henry Gibson in Magnolia, just to make sure the source inspiration is 100% clear (and annoying, to me anyway). I'll take Nashville and Short Cuts over P.T.'s work every single time.

And there isn't a title for the kind of movie Nashville or Short Cuts are (or that Magnolia attempts to be), no real subgenere. You can't really call them anything other than ALTMAN.


I know very well the initial theatrical title of MASH didn't include the asterisks. BUT all subsequent releases, posters, video covers, etc. and even the title credits in the print of the film itself upon re-release in 1971 have all adopted the asterisks, so I include them now too. It doesn't really matter either way, both are equally acceptable.

And Bigval, I love Richard E. Grant in The Player too, but you mean you didn't dig him in Withnail & I, How to Get Ahead in Advertising or L.A. Story before hand? I've always liked him on screen. He's wonderful in Gosford Park, very subtle, droll stuff.

My favorite Altman is most definitely McCabe & Mrs. Miller, with M*A*S*H a close second and Nashville in third. I don't really distinguish between 'best' and 'favorite', so there you have it. Honorable mentions are Thieves Like Us, Short Cuts, and The Player. I haven't seen a few of his movies, like A Perfect Couple or Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean or Gosford Park, but I've seen a good majority of them.

I guess if you were judging on how well-directed a movie is technically or something along those lines, I would distinguish between best and favorite, but for just overall best, I choose the one I like most.

As for the worst, I choose The Gingerbread Man. I thought that was one of the worst movies of its year.

__________________
**** the Lakers!

BTW, here in R1 the deluxe two-disc M*A*S*H DVD streets today. I just picked it up and will be popping it the machine shortly. It has an Altman commentary track and three documentaries.

I thought McCabe & Mrs. Miller had some pretty pictures in it, so did Thieves Like Us and Kansas City.

Paul Thomas Anderson, like every filmmaker, uses techniques that were done before him, but I wouldn't call it ripping off. One can sense that Magnolia was done in an Altman style because of the multiple story threads but what else? The stories themselves in Magnolia weren't exactly Altmanesque. PT Anderson's movie is a far more emotionally involving movie than Short Cuts, which is detached from its characters; that's not to say that Magnolia is any better, it's flawed, but I love to watch it all the same.

How does Anderson imitate Scorsese, aside from the obvious director credit?

I think PT Anderson is the most interesting new filmmaker in Hollywood. I won't hear a bad word against him.

i haven't really looked at pt's work and seen Altman, i will take a look at his films and see if i can see this influence. as far as scorsese goes, i do see the influence in the tracking shots, but i think you would be hardpressed to find a young filmmaker who hasn't been influenced in some way by scorcese.

as far as my favorite Altman films they would have to be

the player
the long goodbye
mash
tanner '88

my least favorite

oc and stiggs


and of course, I was really pleasantly surprised by Gosford Park. I just saw it and really liked it. Altman had disappointed me recently but he definitely is back with this one. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should. its a fine, fine film.

Short Cuts of course, Fool for Love and DocT and the Women, Cookie's Fortune, A Wedding, The Player and Kansas City are the best, that is, for me.
James Dean's Story, Nashville, well...
Secret Honor, boring, and so was (but less so) Pret-a-Porter
Gingerbread Man, bad
Gosford Park, don't like
the rest or i haven't seen or i don't remember them.

I haven't had much exposure at all to his body of work. I have seen MASH, Popeye, and I caught part of Gosford Park. MASH was the best of the films I saw, but that film is a classic at this point, so what did I expect? I'll have to watch more of his stuff, but I am on a massive Kubrick kick right now, and i think it's time to watch A Clockwork Orange again....

Popeye was terrible...

__________________

mash is my favorite

mcabe and mrs. miller my least favorite

1. Nashville
2. Short Cuts
3. Gosford Park
4. M*A*S*H
5. McCabe and Mrs. Miller
6. The Long Goodbye
7. Images
8. The Player

I got into a little bit of an Altman craze but it didnt last as long as many other directors.

__________________
Just back from my Alaskan cruise.
Highlights - art auctions at amazing prices, got my Divine Comedy original edition for the cost of the frame. All you can eat steak, lobster, shrimp, ribs... hmmmmm
Low points - Seen it all before not living too far from Alaska

Even though I've only seen very few of Altman's work, I already think he's a wonderful director. The first of Altman's work that I viewed was Short Cuts, and I must say I was impressed. I loved the film, Altman and Raymond Carver wrote a great screenplay together, and everybody in the film was fantastic. I especially loved the storyline with Tim Robbins. I love films with multiple storylines, which brings me to Altman's better film from the 70's, Nashville. Man, this film became one of my favorites, it just left me feeling great. I could see this film over and over, which makes me so glad I started watching Altman pictures. I most recently discovered "Tanner '88" on the Sundance Channel this weekend, saw two episodes and I now love this show. It's certainly not the best show of it's kind, but is sure is a treat to watch.


I can't wait to buy both Criterion Collection DVD's of Short Cuts and "Tanner '88".

1. M*A*S*H
2. Nashville
3. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
4. The Long Goodbye
5. A Prarie Home Companion

His movies were all, if nothing else, interesting.

__________________

"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."- Groucho Marx

Have seen a few more Altman films at this point.

Short Cuts is probably my favorite, followed by The Player, MacCabe and Mrs. Miller, and The Long Goodbye...

It's hard for me to rank them, some I haven't seen in a while, and some I haven't seen at all. The last Altman film I saw was Nashville which I dug. I think The Player was the first one I saw and I remember being very impressed with the lenghty shots and the reflective theme. It was just around the time I was beginning to be really aware of the importance of film. Then Short Cuts followed and it's amazing of course. The Long Goodbye and M*A*S*H, both incredible. My last Altman "hallelujah moment" was when I saw Gosford Park at the cinema. It certainly is a feast for the eye, a film you definitely want to see on a big screen. It really shows that Altman could make good looking movies as well. And the homage he's paying to Renoir's La Règle du jeu is clever and brilliant. I think I'll pick Gosford Park.

I think The Gingerbread Man is perhaps not underrated but unfairly beat up in a way. I think it looks really good and got some good Altman moments even if the story is forgetable and the stab at the thriller genre is a bit lame. But it's a comfortable ride anyway.

I've stayed away from the films I've heard the most bad things about.

__________________
The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

--------

They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

McCabe and Mrs. Miller is pretty.

The Altman films I've seen are:

MASH, McCabe and Mrs Miller, The Long Goodbye, Nashville, 3 Women, The Player, Short Cuts and Gosford Park and I've yet to see a bad Altman film (although I'm sure I will eventually)

My favourite by far, has to be 3 Women which I've only seen once but I think is one of the best films I've ever seen. It's a shame it doesn't get more recognition and I can't understand why....

Also Holden's post about Paul Thomas Anderson....I completely disagree, sure it's clear Altman is a big influence on his work as is Scorsese and a lot of other great directors too but for me film is all about feeling and Anderson's films have a totally different feel to them from Altman and I come away from his films with something completely different from an Altman film....

I do hate filmmakers who's entire work seems to consist of homages and references etc (like Tarantino) but I don't think Anderson takes it to that level, he makes his own type of films.