Altman-o-Rama at the Brattle

The late, great director Robert Altman made some brilliant movies (Nashville, anyone?). He also made some unbelievably crappy ones (Pret-a-Porter).

But the Brattle is here to sort the wheat from the chaff and to bring you the best of Robert Altman - at least the '70s Altman, anyway - all week long. Movie buffs, fill out your calendars!

Tonight
M*A*S*H (1970), 4:30, 7:00
People are so used to Alan Alda as Hawkeye that it's a little strange to see Donald Sutherland in that role. Sometimes the movie comes off as unfocused, but that's probably because tries to do much more than the thirty-minute-long sitcom TV viewers know so well.

Saturday
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), 2:00, 4:30, 7:00
The Brattle compares this Western to Deadwood. Bostonist would like to say that Altman simply captures lightning in a bottle with the combo of Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.

Sunday
California Split (1974), 2:30, 7:30
The Long Goodbye (1973), 5:00
It's Elliott Gould night. In California Split, Altman tackles the subject of gambling. Then Altman and Gould turn iconic detective character Philip Marlowe into a '70s slacker who gets mixed up with a chilly blonde. Keep a sharp eye out for a cameo from future superstar and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Monday
3 Women (1977), 5;00, 7:30
Bostonist votes that this movie is Altman's finest. It's completely different from Altman's enormous casts, overlapping dialogues, and meandering plotlines. Instead, Altman focuses on a handful of characters in Palm Springs as a young woman loses herself - literally - in admiration of her seemingly more sophisticated roommate.

Tuesday
Brewster McCloud (1970), 8:00
Before Harold & Maude, the wide-eyed Bud Cort starred as wing-builder Brewster McCloud. This one is hard to find, so take advantage of it. The tag line of the trailer available on TCM says the movie is about "A young boy's struggle against the combined forces of gravity and the Houston police." Bostonist is more than happy to translate: "Shit happens in Houston." Literally. That's a big part of the plot.

Wednesday
Images (1972), 8:00
Images covers Hitchcock terrain as a woman seemingly goes mad while on a trip to the country. Judging from the trippy trailer, a proper British woman fires off a shotgun and then claims she didn't do so, all the while having affairs with men who may or may not exist.

Thursday
Nashville (1975), 4:00, 7:00
Nashville embodies every element of what critics consider the "Altman movie." However, while it seemed as if Altman sometimes lost control of unwieldy projects, the vision of Nashville is as clear as can be, and the intersection of celebrity and politics is even more relevant today.

Screenshot from 3 Women from filmforum.org. German poster for Images from filmprogramm-edition.de. (This poster was far more representative of the movie than the current dull and boring DVD cover for the movie.)