So here’s my admission. My initial exposure to Robert Altman’s movies was the remarkably awful Pret-a-Porter, and saying that I was less than impressed would be saying it lightly. Luckily, a friend of mine urged me to see MASH only two weeks later, and it was then that I realized that even great directors can make mistakes.

I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to Altman films, having only seen twelve of them, but they were all as good, if not better, than MASH. Altman’s style of interweaving dialog and multiple thematic strands was perfectly suited for my movie-watching tastes, and I came to love his eccentricities and particularities that permeated every single one of his pictures. I followed up MASH with McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and since then I have come to love classics like A Wedding, Nashville, 3 Women, Vincent & Theo, Short Cuts, and The Long Goodbye, as well as contemporary wonders like Dr T and the Women, Gosford Park, and A Prairie Home Companion.

I still have trouble trying to figure out which of his films I like best — it’s definitely a toss-up between Nashville and Gosford Park — but in the end, it isn’t Altman’s individual films that stick with you and resonate inside. Instead, what stays with you is the intensity and dedication that Altman puts into his craft, a resolve that is clearly demonstrated in the detail in the dialog, the intricacy of movement, and the powerful storytelling power that is characteristic of every Altman movie.

I remember telling my brother when Altman received his Honorary Academy Award last year that it felt as though Robert Altman would never die, and I was glad that he wouldn’t because I enjoyed his work so much. Now that he is gone, the film world has a lot to grieve for. Rest In Peace, Mr. Robert Altman.