Here's a belated RIP for ROBERT ALTMAN, who died Monday at age 81.
Wish I could tell you that I've been a lifelong fan, and that I've seen every film that he's made...but I haven't. Guess that de-certifies my Film Geek Credibility a bit. But with only a few exceptions, I liked everything I've seen, which includes the classic M*A*S*H*,The Player, and his swan song A Prairie Home Companion, which struck a very wistful and resonant note as it alternately celebrated and mourned the loss of old-time popular entertainment, as well as ruminations on death (I'm glad I saw it before he died; the part in which the old fellow met his maker after performing his number onstage would have been sad beyond belief) and nostalgia. Great one to go out on. On the other hand, there were the likes of Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Custer's History Lesson and Popeye (one of the few times his trademark mise-en-scene style worked against him), which were misfires of epic proportions...but every great director has a handful of those on his resume, and if you're going to bomb, make a big noise, saith I.
Two I haven't seen in their entirety are Gosford Park and Nashville, and I think I'll have to sit down and watch them soon.
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