{"id":148536,"date":"2025-08-15T18:53:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T18:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148536\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T18:53:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T18:53:14","slug":"robert-altmans-centennial-plus-the-weeks-best-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148536\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Altman’s centennial, plus the week’s best movies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hello! I\u2019m Mark Olsen<\/a>. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.<\/p>\n

This week, The Times published a series of articles looking at possible different futures for Los Angeles<\/a>. Greg Braxton wrote two pieces, including one about Hollywood\u2019s long-standing fascination with depicting the destruction of the city<\/a>, including \u201cEscape From L.A.\u201d to \u201cBlade Runner,\u201d \u201cThis Is the End\u201d and many more.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Anthony Edwards in the movie \u201cMiracle Mile.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Hemdale Film Corp.)<\/p>\n

Braxton noted, \u201cIn \u2018Los Angeles Plays Itself,\u2019 [Thom Andersen\u2019s] 2003 documentary chronicling the portrayal of the city through cinema history, Andersen aims his own wrecking ball. The film\u2019s narrator quotes the late Mike Davis, a noted historian and urbanist, when he says that Hollywood \u2018takes a special pleasure in destroying Los Angeles \u2014 a guilty pleasure shared by most of its audience.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He also specifically examined \u201cMiracle Mile,\u201d<\/a> Steve De Jarnatt\u2019s 1988 apocalyptic romantic adventure drama featuring the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard from La Brea to Fairfax.<\/p>\n

Robert Altman\u2019s centennial \"A <\/p>\n

Director Robert Altman speaks at the Cannes Film Festival in 1977.<\/p>\n

(Levy \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The UCLA Film and Television Archive is in the midst of \u201cRobert Altman\u2019s America: A Centennial Review,\u201d<\/a> a look at the monumental filmmaker\u2019s wildly unpredictable body of work to mark 100 years since his birth. The designated home of Altman\u2019s personal print collection, the archive will show many of the films in 35mm.<\/p>\n

Writing when Altman was to receive an honorary Oscar (an occasion that turned out to be just a few months before his death in 2006<\/a>), Peter Rainer called him \u201cperhaps the most American of directors. But his Americanness is of a special sort and doesn\u2019t really connect up to any tradition except his own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comparing Altman to such filmmakers as John Ford, John Huston, Frank Capra, Sam Peckinpah, Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges, Rainer added<\/a>, \u201cAltman, who has ranged as widely as any of these directors across the American panorama, is a more mysterious and allusive artist. He is renowned for the buzzing expansiveness of his stories, the crisscrossed plots and people, but what strikes home most of all in this sprawl is a terrible sense of aloneness. \u2026 If being an American means being rooted to the land, to a tradition, a community, then it also means being forever in fear of dispossession. Altman understands this better than any other filmmaker. It\u2019s what gives even his rowdiest comic escapades their bite of woe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The series began last week with \u201cNashville,\u201d a movie that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and which this column has recently discussed<\/a>. This Saturday there will be a fantastic double-bill of 1977\u2019s \u201c3 Women\u201d starring Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek with 1982\u2019s \u201cCome Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean,\u201d starring Sandy Dennis, Karen Black and Cher.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Shelley Duvall in Robert Altman\u2019s \u201c3 Women.\u201d<\/p>\n

(20th Century Fox Film Corp. \/ Photofest)<\/p>\n

Other pairings include \u201cM*A*S*H\u201d and \u201cBrewster McCloud,\u201d \u201cThe Long Goodbye\u201d and \u201cCalifornia Split,\u201d \u201cThieves Like Us\u201d and \u201cKansas City,\u201d plus \u201cMcCabe & Mrs. Miller\u201d and \u201cPopeye.\u201d The series concludes with separate screenings of \u201cThe Player\u201d and \u201cShort Cuts,\u201d which reestablished Altman\u2019s vitality in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

As Times critic Charles Champlin once wrote, \u201cWhen Altman\u2019s movies are good, they are very, very good, and when they are bad they are infuriating because there is something so arrogantly self-destructive about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a 2000 interview<\/a> with Susan King for a retrospective at LACMA that included a 25th anniversary screening of \u201cNashville,\u201d the often-irascible Altman had this to say about his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t any filmmaker who ever lived who has had a better shake than I did,\u201d he said. \u201cI have never been out of work and the only thing I haven\u2019t made are these big, popular films. I have never wanted to and I never will. I would fail at it. I would be late for work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Close Encounters\u2019 in 70mm \"A <\/p>\n

Melinda Dillon and Cary Guffey in the 1977 movie \u201cClose Encounters of the Third Kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Columbia Pictures)<\/p>\n

The American Cinematheque is premiering a newly-created 70mm print<\/a> of the director\u2019s cut of Steven Spielberg\u2019s 1977 \u201cClose Encounters of the Third Kind<\/a>.\u201d The film will play at the Egyptian on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then at the Aero on Aug. 29 and Aug. 31.<\/p>\n

\u201cClose Encounters\u201d was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Spielberg\u2019s first for directing. It won for Vilmos Zsigmond\u2019s cinematography as well as a special achievement award for its special effects.<\/p>\n

The story, of course, revolves around a series of sightings of UFOs around the world that leads to a spacecraft being studied in Wyoming and interactions with extraterrestrial beings. The cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and Fran\u00e7ois Truffaut.<\/p>\n

In his original review<\/a> of the film, Charles Champlin wrote, \u201cThe special effects conceived by Spielberg and executed by Douglas Trumbull and a staff that seems to number in the hundreds are dazzling and wondrous. That\u2019s not surprising: The surprise is that \u2018Close Encounters\u2019 is so well leavened with humor. \u2026 \u2018Close Encounters\u2019 stays light on its legs, mystical and reverential but not solemn. It is a warm celebration, positive and pleasurable. The humor is folksy and slapstick rather than cerebral, as if to confirm that our encounter is with a populist vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Points of interest<\/p>\n

Jean-Luc Godard, Anna Karina and \u2018Vivre sa vie\u2019 in 35mm<\/b><\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Anna Karina in Jean-Luc Godard\u2019s \u201cVivre sa vie.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Janus Films)<\/p>\n

Anyone looking to prepare for the upcoming release of Richard Linklater\u2019s \u201cNouvelle Vague,\u201d<\/a> about the making of Jean-Luc Godard\u2019s \u201cBreathless\u201d and a snapshot of Paris at the moment of the French New Wave, might well want to check out Sunday\u2019s 35mm screening<\/a> of Godard\u2019s 1962 \u201cVivre sa vie\u201d<\/a> at the Los Feliz Theatre.<\/p>\n

Starring Anna Karina, then in the midst of a tempestuous marriage to Godard, the film features what may be her greatest performance as Nana, an aspiring actress who finds herself drawn into the world of prostitution. The film stretches from the manic joy of her dancing<\/a> around a pool table to the quiet devastation of seeing her tear-stained face as she watches a movie. There\u2019s also an utterly heart-wrenching conclusion.<\/p>\n

In an appreciation of Karina<\/a> after her death in 2019<\/a> at age 79, Justin Chang wrote, \u201cWe often speak admiringly of a performer\u2019s screen presence or charisma. Karina possessed something more: flinty intelligence and deadpan wit, dark feline eyes that could project playfulness and melancholy without her saying a word. She incarnated both a matter-of-fact toughness and an expressive glamour worthy of a silent screen star.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Barbara Hershey in 1972\u2019s \u201cDealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Warner Bros.)<\/p>\n

The Aero Theatre will have a rare screening<\/a> of 1972\u2019s \u201cDealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues\u201d<\/a> in 35mm on Sunday afternoon. Director Paul Williams and actors Barbara Hershey and John Lithgow will be on hand for a Q&A moderated by screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, who recently declared it \u201cthe best 1970s movie you\u2019ve never heard of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adapted from a novel by brothers Michael Crichton and Douglas Crichton (credited as \u201cMichael Douglas\u201d), the story involves a Harvard student (Robert F. Lyons) who takes a job from his best friend (Lithgow, in his film debut) delivering marijuana across the country. Along the way he meets a woman (Hershey) and after she gets busted by a corrupt cop (Charles Durning), he tries to set things straight.<\/p>\n

\u2018Romy and Michele\u2019s High School Reunion\u2019 and \u2018Grosse Point<\/b>e<\/b> Blank\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Two <\/p>\n

Lisa Kudrow, left, and Mira Sorvino in \u201cRomy and Michele\u2019s High School Reunion.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Mark Fellman \/ Touchstone Pictures)<\/p>\n

On Saturday and Sunday, the New Beverly Cinema<\/a> will have a double-bill of two comedies from 1997: David Mirkin\u2019s \u201cRomy and Michele\u2019s High School Reunion\u201d and George Armitage\u2019s \u201cGrosse Pointe Blank.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a screenplay by Robin Schiff adapting her own play, \u201cRomy and Michele\u201d<\/a> is about two friends (Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino) who concoct a plan to impress everyone at their 10-year high school reunion by lying about how successful they are. The film also features clothes by \u201cClueless\u201d costume designer Mona May.<\/p>\n

In his original review<\/a>, Jack Matthews wrote, \u201cThe dead-pan performances of Sorvino and Kudrow, who played Michelle in the original play, are perfect. Romy and Michelle are cartoon characters, but the actresses make them both real and enormously sympathetic. \u2026 Beneath the endless silliness of the movie beats a real heart, and its theme of loyal friendship keeps propping it up every time the thin walls of the story seem about to collapse. Though \u2018Romy and Michelle\u2019 doing Tucson doesn\u2019t take us much further than Beavis and Butt-head doing America, the ride, and the company, are a lot more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

John Cusack stars as Martin in 1997\u2019s \u201cGrosse Pointe Blank.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Melinda Sue Gordon \/ Hollywood Pictures)<\/p>\n

From a screenplay by Tom Jankiewicz, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink and star John Cusack, \u201cGrosse Pointe Blank\u201d features Cusack as a succeful hit man attempting to attend his 10-year high school reunion and rewin the heart of an old girlfriend (Minnie Driver). That is, until a cadre of competing assassins and federal agents all show up as well.<\/p>\n

In his original review<\/a>, Kenneth Turan drew comparisons to Armitage\u2019s earlier caper comedy \u201cMiami Blues,\u201d writing, \u201cA wild at heart, anarchic comedy that believes in living dangerously \u2026 Clever enough to make jokes about Greco-Roman wrestling and make them funny, \u2018Grosse Pointe Blank\u2019s\u2019 greatest success is the way it maintains its comic attitude. Working with a smart script and actors who get the joke, director Armitage pulls off a number of wacky action set pieces. Even if you think you\u2019ve heard actors say, \u2018I love you, we can make this relationship work,\u2019 in every conceivable situation, this film has a few surprises in store.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other news<\/p>\n

U.S. premiere of \u2018Onda Nova\u2019 in 4K<\/b><\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

An image from 1983\u2019s \u201cOnda Nova,\u201d being released in the U.S. for the first time.<\/p>\n

(Spamflix)<\/p>\n

Also on Sunday, Mezzanine will have the U.S. premiere of a 4K restoration<\/a> of the 1983 Brazilian film \u201cOnda Nova,\u201d<\/a> which translates as \u201cNew Wave.\u201d Directed by \u00cdcaro Martins and Jos\u00e9 Antonio Garcia, the film was withheld by the Brazilian dictatorship and only released there after a lengthy legal battle. It is thought to have never before screened in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s soccer was banned in Brazil until 1979, and women were only allowed to start teams in 1983, the year \u201cOnda Nova\u201d was produced. The film brings a defiantly queer and anarchically rebellious attitude to the story of a group of women on a newly formed soccer team and features special appearances by figures involved in Brazil\u2019s struggle for freedom, including musician Caetano Veloso, journalist Osmar Santos and well-known male athletes Casagrande and Wladimir.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hello! I\u2019m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":148537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[42125,42126,1582,276,7652,42127,2882,42128,42129,21183,2961,224,2444,5337,42124,3196,6166,2433,637,103],"class_list":{"0":"post-148536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-angelina-jolie","9":"tag-barry-jenkins","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-david","13":"tag-dead","14":"tag-drama","15":"tag-evil","16":"tag-good-work","17":"tag-killing","18":"tag-la","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-los-angeles-times","21":"tag-losangeles","22":"tag-lovers","23":"tag-movie","24":"tag-series","25":"tag-short-film","26":"tag-times","27":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115034299335482757","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}