Comments on: On Robert Altman

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 04:57:33 +0000

I still can’t believe he’s gone…that seemed to just come out of nowhere. And just as “A Prairie Home Companion” was nearing #1 in my Netflix queue.

He really did have a unique style and an insight into how people relate to each other. We’re not going to see films like his again.

I loved Gosford Park, and Cookie’s Fortune was so fun. Short Cuts was anything but short, but it was always interesting. Come to think of it, the guy was responsible for Julia Roberts meeting Lyle Lovett.

Anyway, he will be missed. Nice tribute.

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 03:40:08 +0000

Just coincidentally, Mrs. Jones and I rented California Split last night. About 10 minutes in, we both looked at each other with the same “holy shit, is this good” expression on our faces. The audio alone blew me away – all the overlapping dialogue, half-heard stuff, all the messiness of life on the screen (and in your ear). Plus Eliott Gould is a riot.

By: Bolton

Bolton — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:53:43 +0000

There won’t be another Altman… just as there wasn’t another Wilder and will never be another Scorsese, Spielberg, et al. He was truly one of a kind.

Having said that, I maintain that P.T. Anderson remains Altman’s heir apparent — though not, thankfully, as a slavish imitator. (Then again, I liked the Aimee Mann singalong in Magnolia.) The differences between them are certainly notable, but it appears Altman himself saw enough similarities, hence Anderson assisting him in directing A Prairie Home Companion.

Still, there will never be another Altman, which is both sobering and refreshing. His piece of film history is unique and it will always be all his own.

By: Shubha Ghosh

Shubha Ghosh — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 22:46:58 +0000

The same day Pynchon’s new book comes out, too. I think Altman is one of the few, perhaps the only director, who could have done justice to Pynchon’s work. Similar sensibilities, similar styles:complex plots with lots of characters and a sense of things not ending completely or resolutely. Another missed cultural opportunity…