Altman DVDs

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Let it never be said that the guys who run West L.A.'s Laser Blazer are ones to let the grass grow under their feet -- this Altman display was up and running around by noon today -- Tuesday, 11.21.06, 6:28 pm

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 21, 2006 at 6:26 PM

comment #1

D.Z. says ...

Wait, I thought Lazer Blazer was going out of business. (At least according to AICN...)

Posted by D.Z. at November 21, 2006 6:32 PM

comment #2

Drew says ...

It wasn't Lazer Blazer I worked at and wrote the requiem for.

It was Dave's Video in the Valley.

Posted by Drew at November 21, 2006 7:07 PM

comment #3

alynch says ...

Damn, I wasn't even aware that O.C. and Stiggs was on DVD. I might have to check it out for curiosities sake.

Posted by alynch at November 21, 2006 7:48 PM

comment #4

D.Z. says ...

Drew: Oh yeah. My bad.

Posted by D.Z. at November 21, 2006 8:31 PM

comment #5

Joe Leydon says ...

O.C. and Stiggs is unimaginably bad. I'd be much happier if someone released a decent DVD of Streamers, one of Altman's most under-rated films.

Posted by Joe Leydon at November 21, 2006 8:54 PM

comment #6

JD says ...

If you accept OC & Stiggs's slightly obnoxious and pranksterish sense of humor, it's not bad at all. It has irritating moments, but it's totally watchable. In fact, OC&S is essential viewing, if only for its status as a semi-sequel to Nashville.

Posted by JD at November 21, 2006 10:34 PM

comment #7

The Movie Man says ...

Drew-Nice Prairie write up today man, thanks. Also, I didn't know OC was on DVD either, I've never seen it and will be checking it out sometime over the weekend.

Posted by The Movie Man at November 22, 2006 6:21 AM

comment #8

Rich S. says ...

OC & Stiggs was one of the funniest things that ever appeared in National Lampoon. And, yes, it is EXCEEDINGLY juvenile and scatological. I was intrigued when it was announced that Altman was directing it, but to the best of my knowledge, it was never released in my part of the country and it's been impossible to find on video.

I've always been hesitant to watch it because of what they eventually did to Vacation '58. As Mark Twain might have said, they got the words right, but not the music. It would be virtually impossible for anyone, even Altman, to capture the attitude of OC & Stiggs. I've heard it's awful, but that might be from reviewers who would have found the story equally repellent.

I'd still like to see it, if only to reminisce about where I was in my life when the story came out.

Posted by Rich S. at November 22, 2006 6:28 AM

comment #9

Mike Schaefer says ...

I saw OC & Stiggs in the late '80s at Film Forum in NY. They trumpeted it as "the Altman flim the studios wouldn't release", and as a "wicked parody of teen flicks" but it's pretty awful, the title characters are indeed completely unlikable.

Posted by Mike Schaefer at November 22, 2006 9:00 AM

comment #10

York "Budd" Durden says ...

I couldn't get through OC & Stiggs, something I never thought I'd say.

I also felt that Quintet was a huge misfire. Well-intentioned, but terrible in its execution. As I wrote in an IMDB review after I finally saw it this summer, the fogged-lens concept was the most intrusive directorial conceit I'd ever seen, and kept me completely "out" of the story.

No failure of Altman can undermine the genius of his best work, the titles of which you all are quite well aware of after the blizzard of tributes and obits over the last day.

Posted by York "Budd" Durden at November 22, 2006 12:11 PM

comment #11

Hallick says ...

The first time I saw O.C. and Stiggs I thought it was one of the best anarchic comedies ever made, but the second viewing had about 30% of the same effect on me, and the cringy stuff stood out a lot worse.

From what I've read, if you liked the original Lampoon story, you'll hate the movie.

Posted by Hallick at November 22, 2006 2:01 PM

comment #12

RoyBatty says ...

12:30 the day it hits the paper in Des Moines is commendable.

But a full day after it was well known within the town he died in??? C'mon, love the guys at Lazer Blazer and the breaks they give me, but I found out about Altman from a friend around noon yesterday.

Friend lives in a Buttfuck town in North Carolina...

Posted by RoyBatty at November 22, 2006 6:10 PM

comment #13

RoyBatty says ...

Considering the crap he said about Glen Ford, least hope Wells points out that the closest he got to his peak 70's period was THE PLAYER ('92) and SHORT CUTS ('93) back to back. Everything after that promised greatness, but never delivered.

Very surprised that Wells doesn't do his usual iconclast thing because Altman for the last decade has always had the wiff of sacred cow about him.

Got a chuckle out of PT Anderson using that song from POPEYE in PUNCH DRUNK LOVE. When I was a kid, I wanted to live in that village.

Posted by RoyBatty at November 22, 2006 6:20 PM

comment #14