Robert Altman: The best Five -

[franklinpross]

In order of greatness---

which Robert Altman's films are his best?

More than one , please . . . . more than Five is OK, too . . .

[repete66211]

I've been hot and cold on Altman. I love MASH, but I can't stand Short Cuts. I liked McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Long Goodbye and The Player, but didn't care much for Kansas City, Ready to Wear, The Gingerbread Man and Gosford Park. And I didn't care one way or the other about Nashville and Popeye. Like Altman, I'm a Kansas City native, so you'd think I would show a bias, but I just don't count him among my favorite directors.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

My favorites are:

The Player
The Long Goodbye
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Nashville
Gosford Park

[Secretagentnumber6]

I love M.A.S.H. but the rest of his movies I either have not seen or couldn't care one way or the other.

[Mr.White]

5 of my faves: MASH,Nashville,Gosford Park,Popeye and The Delinquents(a very hard to find Altman film that's not even on DVD that starred a young Tom Laughlin future star of the Billy Jack films) Altman is no longer with us and we only have one of his films on blu here in the US of A, we need more Altman!

[fdm]

Of those I've seen, I'd go with (in order of preference):

MASH
The Long Goodbye
California Split
Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
Nashville

Most/all of the other ones I've also seen could likely be swapped in for those last two:

Brewster McCloud
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Three Women
Short Cuts
The Player
The Late Show
Afterglow

Still a bunch I need to check out, though...

Tried to get through the Nixon one, but ugh... try again later...

[Mr.White]

Let's not forget Tanner '88.

[Pondosinatra]

Short Cuts #1!

[FindYourWay]

Popeye (I'm a sucker for Harry Nilsson music)
The Player
Cookie's Fortune
Thieves Like Us
Vincent & Theo

[Ernest Rister]

Short Cuts
The Player
Nashville
MASH
O. C. and Stiggs

[Mr.White]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Short Cuts
The Player
Nashville
MASH
O. C. and Stiggs

O.C. and Stiggs, never heard of that one, but I'm an Altman fan so I might have to rent it!

[Mr.White]

Originally Posted by FindYourWay

Popeye (I'm a sucker for Harry Nillson music)

I thoght the music for Popeye was done by Van Dyke Parks?, who also had a small role in the fiilm.

[FindYourWay]

Originally Posted by Mr.White

I thoght the music for Popeye was done by Van Dyke Parks?, who also had a small role in the fiilm.

Van Dyke Parks was the conductor. Nilsson did all the original music (lyrics and music). If you know Nilsson music, you can tell.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Mr.White

O.C. and Stiggs, never heard of that one, but I'm an Altman fan so I might have to rent it!

Very obscure Altman film - I don't know if it even had a DVD release. We loved it in High School. Sort of the Altman version of Ferris Bueller and Bill and Ted. Look it up.

[Mr.White]

Originally Posted by FindYourWay

Van Dyke Parks was the conductor. Nilsson did all the original music (lyrics and music). If you know Nilsson music, you can tell.

Thanks, I'm both a Nilsson and Van Dyke Parks fan, Nilsson Scmillson is one of the best albums ever, and I own every one of Van Dyke Parks' albums(CD's),except for Moonlighting! Glad to know both were involved in the music of the film! I always thought the "Sweethaven Theme" in the beginning sounded like a Van Dyke Parks song that never made it to one of his albums.

[Ernest Rister]

Want to see some of the glory that is O.C. and Stiggs? YouTube is your friend:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpgVDREleGc

[jdc115]

I think I need to visit more of his catalog, I have only seen 3 of his films and I have a forth that is sitting at home for 2 years but not watched yet.

I loved The Player when it came out. So I quickly went to see Short Cuts when it was released and just thought.. blaaa. But I have since re-watched it and quite liked it the second time. I will watch it again at some point.

MASH was my favorite show when I was young late grade school/high school but I never knew it was based on a movie until later. I had to watch it for a film class in University but thought it was crap but I think I was just use to the TV show. I think I should give it another try after 20 years.

[Mr.White]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Want to see some of the glory that is O.C. and Stiggs? YouTube is your friend:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpgVDREleGc

Thanks, it looks awesome!

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Mr.White

Thanks, it looks awesome!

Just so we're all on the same page...O.C. and Stiggs is insane. That's what we loved about it. It is a collection of random madness as two teenagers plot to make Ned Beatty's life a living hell. That's pretty much it. Nonsensical random nonsense.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Originally Posted by Strannix136

I can't stand any of his movies. I know I'm supposed to like MASH, but I find it pretty pretentious, like any other political statement. I hate politics and politicians, especially self-appointed ones.

Sheesh, lighten up. I guess the "political statement" that war is hell is too much for you. Maybe you'd feel better about the movie if it declared that was is hell...of a lot of fun? Yeah, how dare Altman criticize an unpopular, disastrous, and undeclared war! (Technically M*A*S*H is about the Korean War, metaphorically it was about the Vietnam War.)

How can M*A*S*H be pretentious when it was presented as a bawdy, irreverent comedy? Any message it has is wrapped in a sugar pill.

You must have trouble sitting through just about every movie ever made, if you don't like political statements in film. For instance, take a gander at the following so-called frivolous entertainment:

Star Wars -- Imperialists with English accents ("The Empire") take on rebels who have American accents. A metaphor for the American Revolution!

Ghostbusters -- Three entrepreneurs make their fortune in the private sector until a meddling government bureaucrat interferes with his regulations! Obviously a movie for Libertarians and Ayn Rand Objectivists.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) -- Is it an allegorical warning against the soul-crushing conformity of Communism or McCarthyism? You decide!

Return of the Jedi -- The Empire with all it's technology is defeated by indigenous tribes using only rudimentary weapons -- just like the U.S. in the Vietnam War.