I totally agree. He was terrible. Everything he every directed was a mess. His masterpieces are crap and haven't aged we
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Robert Altman
AndaleArriba — 13 years ago(September 24, 2012 08:46 PM)
I totally agree. He was terrible. Everything he every directed was a mess. His masterpieces are crap and haven't aged well. The only people I know who like Altman are idiots with their heads so far up their asses that they can't enjoy good movies anymore.
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dosdanmalo — 13 years ago(March 02, 2013 05:51 AM)
Well, I assume there's bit of hyperbole there i.e. worst of all time, but I get the point. First of all, I enjoy non-linear films that make you think, but I firmly agree with people who have mentioned the naked emperor and his snooty acolytes as a metaphor for the Altman experience. If you have to see something five times to construct a far-flung abstract rationale for its existence, maybe there's something rotten in Denmark to begin with. Every year or two, I'll watch another of his "underrated works of genius" and I almost always come away shaking my head (I'll admit to liking McCabe and Mrs. Miller a lot, though Warren Beatty [who Altman reportedly didn't want and didn't get along with] and the music of Leonard Cohen had much to do with that). The Long Goodbye was my latest catatonic disappointment. I generally love the slow, naturalistic pacing of 70s films (one of my favorite decades for film and music), but this guy could put a deranged tweeker to sleep. Ugh. Give me a garden variety Rockford Files episode any day. And whose cousin is Elliot Gould? That said, if Lebowski was in fact strongly influenced by TLG, then I humbly tip my hat to the Coen's for successfully making lemonade
IMHO, it's as if most of Altman's films exist in a maddening sort of undead vacuum; I find observing birds and insects in a garden, to say nothing of interesting human beings, to be much more life-affirming and entertaining than the typical "genre redefining" Altman somnolexperiment. Yeah, I know: I must be a mouth breathing imbecile for finding his work to be excessively vague and excruciatingly dull, right? So be it. As an unabashed vintage movie buff, I'll probably take another Robert Altman Thorazine plunge again before it's all said and done. Here's hoping the sixth or seventh time's the charm, eh? -
SimplemindedSociety — 13 years ago(March 12, 2013 04:48 PM)
'I must be a mouth breathing imbecile for finding his work to be excessively vague and excruciatingly dull, right?'
Not at all. I agree with you.
But you do enjoy the verbosity of your commentsyou know,where every idea is preceded by two/three adverbs and adjectives, or using 3 sentences to express what can be stated in 1,in a manner that isn't done in everyday life.
Those 'somnolexperiments','hyperboles','non-linears,and 'undead vacuums' can be tricky,huh? -
dosdanmalo — 13 years ago(March 15, 2013 07:40 AM)
Well, there are utilitarian writers and there are lyrical writers, savvy? Disciples of Hemingway may well detest Flaubert and vice versa. Doesn't make anybody "right". Personally, I think there's a place for both brevity and verbosity when it comes to the written word. Not all writing is meant to mimic everyday life; if I were drafting an instruction manual for a toaster, I suppose I'd keep it dry and tight. Those objectionable adverbs and adjectives provide texture and depth to the feelings I'm (imperfectly) trying to convey with regard to certain artistic works. I'll happily admit to being an enthusiastic opponent of the modern tl;dr nanosecond soundbite trip, though. Life to me is a poem, not a turbine.
To be honest, when it comes to Altman, I still don't know that I've managed to accurately describe to my satisfaction the unique, seemingly pregnant but ultimately stale tease sensation (there's another attempt) I pick up from most of his films. Anyway, what you apparently consider to be redundant parallel statements I see as formational bombing runs orchestrated in an attempt to bulls-eye elusive thought targets. Better too much than not enough when by the grace of God one is loaded for bear, says I. Then again, one person's technicolor carpet bombing campaign is another's dose of Delhi belly, eh? Different strokes for different folks (as the wise man smiles silently on the hilltop) -
franzkabuki — 13 years ago(April 05, 2013 11:34 AM)
"If you have to see something five times to construct a far-flung abstract rationale for its existence, maybe theres something rotten in Denmark".
Now thats a big if indeed. No idea why anyone would or should do that.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan -
w22nuschler — 12 years ago(June 01, 2013 06:51 PM)
I checked out his films that he directed and did not find one that I liked at all. He is overrated. He did do some good tv work with Combat, Bonanza & Whirlybirds.
He must be a Deomcrap. Most times people overrate liberals because of their political views.