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From: Remi Category: Films Date: 30 October 2006 Time: 01:26 PM Review: As part of the London Film Festival, A. Minghella, playwright and film-maker, introduced a film whose title was unknown to us. Even he didn't know. He thought it might be to do with a motorway or a prison. Strange though, that he did no more than that, literally just introduced it. Then he received a round of applause and sat down with the audience like a cinema-viewer. There was a strange, buttery smell in my row of seats. My companion suggested moving be we stayed put as he took his shoes off and got on with the surprise, cinematic experience. It was to be a Robert Altman film, we recognised the set-pieces. He plays a familiar formation with two stars in front, a mid-field of character actors with a defending star to keep them in line, and a solid line-up of filmic actors deflecting your critical blows. It is a treat to see a film that likes to be different from others, but it works best when there is a palpable reason for this, which is intimately tied up with the narrative, the thrust of the action and maybe even the message or mood. Otherwise, spectators might not think it's worth the effort. I enjoyed it for all that, but didn't feel it lived up to its potential. Too arcane a subject matter, too much banter, too many altmanisms? Who knows, but I spent a more enthralling time last year in Marienbad.