robert altman

Ideological Incoherence in Films ‘3 Women’ ‘Girlfriends’ and Late ‘70s Feminism

Ideological Incoherence in Films ‘3 Women’ ‘Girlfriends’ and Late ‘70s Feminism

The inconclusive nature of modern womanhood espoused by 3 Women and Girlfriends reflects and reifies the inconclusive nature of second-wave feminism.

Robert Altman’s ‘Nashville’ Is a Many-Headed Musical-Political Animal

Robert Altman’s ‘Nashville’ Is a Many-Headed Musical-Political Animal

Robert Altman’s Nashville is sour and sympathetic, accurate and exaggerated, messy and beady-eyed, a sprawling canvas reminiscent of Bosch or Breugel.

Robert Altman’s Quirky ‘Popeye’ Boasts a Can Full of Geniuses

Robert Altman’s Quirky ‘Popeye’ Boasts a Can Full of Geniuses

Robert Altman's busy, mobile style perfectly captures and mirrors E.C. Segar's rowdy, rambunctious Popeye comic.

20 Films That Went From Bombs to Beloved

20 Films That Went From Bombs to Beloved

Not every cinematic bomb remains forgettable. Sometimes, a failure is just a gemstone in disguise that will only reveal itself well past the release date.
Absurdism and Power: Robert Altman’s ‘Brewster McCloud’ in Today’s America

Absurdism and Power: Robert Altman’s ‘Brewster McCloud’ in Today’s America

Robert Altman’s comedy Brewster McCloud is as relevant to our absurd society today as it was to our absurd society half a century ago.

In Two Minds: Robert Altman’s ‘Images’ Essays the Terrors of Schizophrenia

In Two Minds: Robert Altman’s ‘Images’ Essays the Terrors of Schizophrenia

Altman’s Images is a complex, haunting, and always disturbing film about the slow realization that one’s sanity is at stake.

Tom Waits: Preacher on a Pale Horse

Tom Waits: Preacher on a Pale Horse

A guide to nine songs for the faithful, the faithless, and the searchers.

The 100 Essential Directors Part 1: Chantal Akerman – Bernardo Bertolucci

The 100 Essential Directors Part 1: Chantal Akerman – Bernardo Bertolucci

Neurotic New Yorkers, Queer Mavericks, Swedish close-ups and the art of putting a microphone on every person on set are but a few of the themes explored in PopMatters' first group of ten essential directors, Chantal Akerman through Bernardo Bertolucci. Please note that any perceived omissions were likely on purpose...

America’s Dirty Secrets Revealed in Robert Altman’s Short Cuts

America’s Dirty Secrets Revealed in Robert Altman’s Short Cuts

Altman spent his entire career amplifying the hidden comedy in America’s soul. Short Cuts is his most sweeping and relatable sketch of the country caught off-guard.
How About Some Noah Baumbach, Paul Thomas Anderson, Robert Altman and Akira Kurosawa for the Holidays?

How About Some Noah Baumbach, Paul Thomas Anderson, Robert Altman and Akira Kurosawa for the Holidays?

If you ever wonder why certain elements get tossed into a movie, remember: beauty never needs to be justified. These and other thoughts on recent Blu-ray releases.
Robert Altman, the Blackguard of American Elections

Robert Altman, the Blackguard of American Elections

At times it feels as if Altman is forcing us to drink drain cleaner in order for us to feel the gut wrenching pain of the farce that American democracy has become.
On Robert Altman’s Subversive Anti-western, ‘McCabe & Mrs. Miller’

On Robert Altman’s Subversive Anti-western, ‘McCabe & Mrs. Miller’

McCabe & Mrs. Miller toys with and subverts western tropes and traditions while flat out refusing to fall into others.