Reaction Shots

I finished last year strong with   Poor Things   and there is nothing of that ilk out right now. I am going to see Babydoll later as the first movie of 2025, but I knew Sis wanted to watch a flick and we had been discussing   Gosford   for years.  It’s not just that it’s a stacked cast with some of the greatest actors of several generations or that Fellowes delivered the sharpest script of his career; it’s that it’s one of those premier examples of how film is a collaborative medium and that Bob Altman knew that better than many, if not most.  When he fired on all cylinders, Altman turned out at least a dozen genuinely great films. When he wasn’t quite as inspired, he had control of his craft enough that even the most workmanlike movie was still pretty entertaining. And like everyone, he had his off cays and more than a couple of his sub-par works suck.  But not here.  Altman always had an eye on class and the codification of and limitations to re...