RIP, Robert Altman.

hello friends, readers, well-wishers.

Today, American cinema lost a true maverick, an independent voice -- Mr. Robert Altman.

Instead of my own words to explain this extraordinary artist, I will paraphrase those I once had the privelege of hearing from actress Frances McDormand at a screening of Fargo several years ago.

Somebody had asked, "What was it like working with Robert Altman?"

McDormand sighed fondly before answering the question. "You see, Bob smokes a lot of grass." Laughter met her statement before she extrapolated more eloquently on its meaning. "Bob knows everything that could possibly happen. Every conceivable way things could happen. He has it worked out in his head the hundred different ways the scene could go. He knows what to expect." There in lies the genius of the filmmaker responsible for M*A*S*H*, NASHVILLE, POPEYE, SHORT CUTS, THE PLAYER, THE LONG GOOD BYE, GOSFORD PARK and A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION.
Robert Altman, you will be missed.