I'm bummed about Altman's death. Can't say it's a shock considering he was an 81-year-old man with a heart transplant, but he was an American original. I love so many of his movies that, if I had to suggest something off the beaten path of Altman films, I'd suggest The Long Goodbye, Thieves Like Us, and my personal favorite of his strange films, Brewster McCloud.

To steer this post ever so slightly on topic, he made good use of music in his movies, frequently having his actors perform, most notably in Nashville and Popeye but also in casual piano-playing and -singing scenes in the likes of Gosford Park and The Player. No power pop, though, from what I can remember, although one of the only Altman films I've never seen had to do with a late-70s/early-80s rock band. I'm blanking on the title. Try as I may, I can't get this post fully on topic!

Jim
http://overlookedgems.blogspot.com/