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underrated works. Studios were furious that Altman introduced a dark tone into a musical comedy starring Robin Williams as the spinach-guzzling sailor. But that's what makes it so fascinating. Harry Nilsson wrote some bittersweet songs for the residents of Sweethaven, including the lonely Olive Oyl and the father-less outsider, Popeye. Ultimately he delivers not just Popeye, but the entire complicated world that had populated the original 1930s comic strip.

"McCabe and Mrs. Miller" was an experimental western with music by Leonard Cohen. Altman had his actors wander the film's rustic location, imagining what kind of character they would've been in the American west. Towards the films end some powerful men are approaching to shut down the brothel. But after meeting the ordinary, flawed, and lonely people trapped on the edge of the frontier, it's not clear whether the heroes will prevail.

"The Player" launched Altman's comeback in the '90s. He had great credibility for this film, since he'd clashed with studio executives for decades. In a world of powerful "players," one man struggles against studio power brokers - but then faces the added complication of a series of violent threats. Even when a murder enters the plot, the real question is whether an individual can triumph against all the pressures in the system.

"Gingerbread Man" was a John Grisham story that became even darker after Altman directed it. Robert Duvall plays the dangerous father of Daryl Hannah's character, a one-night stand picked up by a slick lawyer (played by Robert Downey). There's murky threats of violence leading to real crime and betrayal, but the simple answer leads to one that's more complex.

"Fool For Love" was a Sam Shepard play with a surprise ending and a very lively beginning. Kim Basinger and Sam Shepard play two lovers, the woman trying to escape her feelings for the man, without the audience knowing why. It takes an appearance from Harry Dean Stanton at the end of the film to explain why - and ultimately, it's a very Altman-esque kind of hell.

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