Buffaloed

I've been meaning to say something about how much I've been enjoying Lance Mannion's Virtual Robert Altman Film Fest, a chance to give people an excuse to watch a few movies by the most fondly remembered American moviemaker who didn't invent kiss-proof lipstick and then jaw about them at Lance's site. Lance and company have already dealt with a couple of my all-time favorites, California Split and Thieves Like Us.; last night's movie was Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976), a film that I've always wanted to like a lot more than I do, for reasons that I try to explain in the comments section here. Next up, Thursday March 4: a double bill drawn from Altman's filmed-theater phase, Streamers and Secret Honor. It'll make for an interesting contrast, not just compared to what's come before (Buffalo Bill itself was based on a play by Arthur Kopit, indians, that Altman scarcely bothered to honor) but as two very different examples of the director's '80s work. Hope to see you there.