Forty six bombing missions in a B24.
Amazing.

Altman was one of the best of all American film-makers, and certainly one of the most influential. Short Cuts, Nashville, The Player, Tanner ‘88, Secret Honor, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller are all essential classics. — Olbgasm

…can’t say that I was too enthused by his personal habits, tastes or utterances, but within the strict scope of the legacy of his work, I’d have to disagree with you strenuously. This guy was one of the most over-rated film makers Hollyweird ever produced!

McCabe & Mrs. Miller was almost unwatchable. M*A*S*H was self-indulgent and so dated now as to be a parody of itself. Nashville was one long slander from beginning to end, sliming not only Nashville but those who enjoy country music. Furthermore, it was a self-indulgent swipe at America in general.

The work of his that I did see warned me off from his later work, like Short Cuts, The Player, Prêt-à-Porter, etc. I stayed away from Gosford Park, but caught a bit of it on cable, and was gobsmacked. It was actually *ENTERTAINING*. The sun shines on even the mangiest dog’s butt once in a while.

I didn’t like his politics, fey way of presenting himself, and his self-indulgent movie style…but I don’t like Martin Sheen’s politics but he impresses me mightily as an artist. Richard Curtis is a pretty doctrinaire British chablis socialists, making sure to include PC features in his films, but I love his work. If you don’t like the personalities or pasts of Hollywoodies, you’re apt not to see many movies…and I like movies.

So, I didn’t like him…didn’t want him to *DIE*, though. he could’ve retired…that would’ve be enough for me. So, I think that he probably did this to spite me.

One only has to recall their behavior when Reagan died to see my point.

It is unseemly.

I would hope that WE don’t behave like THEM.

I did not care for many of his comments in life. And I most certainly won’t eulogize him in death. But we, each of us, wormfood in the end. And he is beyond anything we can say about him anyway.

He is in the hands of his creator.

Dropping payloads? I guess they couldn’t bring themselves to actually say he’d dropped bombs on other human beings…

Update: Our commenters are playing celebrity dead pool below. I’m outraged!

Pah. Make your picks.

I think it’s going to be Karl Malden.

All the dead were wonderful. The older we get the greater we were. And so it is for all us mortals.

My favorites are those who threaten to leave this country and then never do, and the Europeans who move here, criticize everything, then go back and can’t wait to move back here. Too many samples to cite.

No matter what his personal views were or what I think of them, I’ll miss Robert Altman. The Silver Screen has lost a little bit of its luster with his passing.

Not sure. We can always pick from this list of celebrities over 85.