WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[moira finnie]

Altman certainly has a strong point of view, but to me, the picture is, frankly, dull. Although I appreciate that the cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond, films the shots in the first saloon scene with references to Rembrandt, Georges de la Tour, and other followers of Caravaggio, the feelings evoked by those painters do not seem connected with the script, the actors, the themes, or any other aspect of the film. McCabe and Mrs. Miller helped spawn some of the sepia sludge which I dislike in 1970s films, but Zsigmond brings more warmth to some of the shots than most of his followers did.

More than anything else, Altman seemed to be congratulating himself constantly about how superior his methods are to those of the usual western. Warren Beatty’s performance, no surprise, seems as narcissistic as the director. The performances count for little in this film, however. Putting Julie Christie’s madam at the center of the story would have been a much more interesting choice.

Thank you a thousand times. You put into words everything I've always felt about this movie--but so beautifully no more needs to be said about it by me.

[movieman1957]

I never could really get into the film either.

[RedRiver]

he shoots interior scenes in very low light, as might have been the case in real life. The faces of the actors are not always easy to pick out of the ubiquitous brown background. The dialogue is often hard to hear

These traits only serve to annoy me. I don't hate the movie. But never was I excited or enthralled by it. I'm not the director's biggest fan. The innovations he brought did nothing to improve the movie watching experience. The disjointed, ambiguous look of MASH, NASHVILLE and SHORT CUTS doesn't entertain me either. This is a classic movie site, so I imagine people will sympathise with my views. There were some fine movies in the 1970s. But they pulled the medium in a direction that wasn't beneficial. That vague, dull, ultra-realistic quality is less dramatic than the clean, straight-forward style that preceeded it.

[JackFavell]

I remember thinking McCabe and Mrs. Miller was brilliant when I first saw it in my twenties, but I haven't seen it since. I think it kind of depends on whether you can take that kind of free form style or not. I found meaning within it. McCabe, Nashville, The Player and Gosford Park my favorites. I haven't seen The Long Goodbye or Vincent and Theo yet.

[Rita Hayworth]

Watched the delightful comedy - I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE on my Cable Provider Movie List today.
I just love Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan in this movie. Movie came out in 1949.

YOU TUBE TRAILER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRVycGZk3Kg

[ChiO]

Altman may be the director about whom I am most ambivalent.

Love McCABE AND MRS. MILLER (one of my 10 favorite Westerns...and any movie that can find a use for Sisters of Mercy...well, that makes it great), THE LONG GOODBYE, and THIEVES LIKE US. Never understood the fuss about M*A*S*H and NASHVILLE. Adored COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN (but haven't seen it since its initial release). Need to re-visit CALIFORNIA SPLIT, which seems now to have a following, but I didn't like it at all upon release. Disappointed by PRET A PORTER and, though a bit less, GOSFORD PARK. Others left little impression (except THE DELINQUENTS, but that's a different matter).

[RedRiver]

MASH is entertaining in an offbeat, unpredictable way. I find little of value in NASHVILLE, SHORT CUTS, or A WEDDING. POPEYE is so different it's hard to compare. But that's not neccesarily a good thing. POPEYE is not much a movie.

I watched BOOM TOWN last night. Character driven drama at its best. Solid story, excitement, conflict. And a stalwart cast. Gable and Tracy are always good together. Colbert is always good, period. And damned if Hedy Lamar doesn't just about walk away with the whole thing! She's so sly and mysterious you can't take your eyes off her. Of course, she was one of the most beautiful women in movies. That doesn't hurt!

This is one of the most prophetic movies I've seen. "At the rate we're drilling, we're going to run out of oil. Just think what that will do to the economy!" Well...I hope young audiences are being exposed to this classic, not only as drama, but through socio-economic routes as well. If not, colleges are missing the boat.

[feaito]

I am not an Altman connoisseur nor a fan, but I must admit that when it came out I enjoyed very much "Pret-A-Porter" with all its shallow characters, the casting of such pros as Anouk Aimee, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroainni, among others. A pleasant melange, but obviously no masterpiece. Could it be a guilty pleasure? I did enjoy "Gosford Park", but then I am sucker for whodunits. I tried to see "A Prairie Home Companion" (2006) but my wife disliked the setting, the music and all so much that I had to turn it off (it's a pending task to watch it alone). I also liked "Dr.T and his Women", but nothing out of the ordinary....I am not really familiar with his other films.

[Mr. Arkadin]

I remember thinking McCabe and Mrs. Miller was brilliant when I first saw it in my twenties, but I haven't seen it since. I think it kind of depends on whether you can take that kind of free form style or not. I found meaning within it.

I see McCabe & Mrs. Miller as one of the great revisionist westerns. Roles and shots go hand in hand to create a perfect film and Cohen's mournful songs are an excellent backdrop and commentary on what we see. Like many of his later works, this film deals with independent storylines, which blend to create many interesting themes and textures that are not easily gained on a single viewing. While I'm not a huge Altman fan, there are times when he gets it right and this is certainly one of them for me.

[Rita Hayworth]

PRET A PORTER is the most disappointing film that I ever seen in my lifetime and I walked out of it about 45 minutes into the film and my THEATER promised any theatre-goer FULL REFUND if they do not like it at all. I just can't stomach the thought of this MUCH HYPED movie that came out in 1994 and this was produced by Robert Altman and I just can't believe that he actually put his name on this movie.

I completely agree with ChiO on this one.

[JackFavell]

I guess I don't understand how a shot can have 'preening self regard'. I'll have to go take a look at some of these movies again just to see what you mean.

[RedRiver]

I've heard good things about GOSFORD PARK, but I haven't seen it. THREE WOMEN is so utterly disturbing, I actually like it. I wouldn't call it a GOOD movie. But it fascinates me, as I wonder just how messed up these people can be! Particularly the Shelley Duvall character. What a time bomb!

King Rat, we're definitely on the same page. Cassavetes' work, pioneering though it is, is a little too personal for me. There's more angst than story. After about an hour, I lose interest. I do like A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE. The characters are real; the conflict dramatic. Yet, even this one is too long. I wanted it to end 20 minutes before it did. DOG DAY AFTERNOON is my kind of 1970's film. There is that sense of tension, chaos and ultra-realism. But the atmosphere so fits the story, it's not a distraction.

[ChiO]

HEY!

Diss Altman all you want (though I still love McCABE AND MRS. MILLER), but leave Cassavetes alone! Otherwise I'm siccing Timothy Carey, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk (with Seymour Cassel in the wings) on the both of ya.

Gena stuck by him and so will I.