Your Good Dog, Richard

Whenever I think of Robert Altman, I think of this uncharacteristic movie. The always amazing Phillip Baker Hall plays Nixon on the eve of his resignation. He pulls out his revolver, a bottle of Chivas, and his favorite tape recorder and rambles off a letter to his late mother. Or his last will and testament. Or a suicide note. It's really hard to say.

Essentially, this is a filmed one-man show, and as such it lacks all the stuff we expect from Altman as far as densely-layered dialogue and soundtrack. But there's just a great interplay between camera and the language that it really takes the often stagy monologue to a place that's quite interesting. It's hard for me to imagine these lines sounding better on a stage.

Of course, if you're looking for a great obscure Altman film, it's hard to go wrong. Sad to lose another American original. Stupid cancer.