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In theaters Friday: The Nativity Story and Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj.

New on DVD: The Ant Bully, Clerks II and Superman Returns.

So I spent Thanksgiving surfing in Jaco, Costa Rica with family, and while I was gone the great Robert Altman died. I found out reading Time Magazine on the flight home. What’s weird is the last movie I rented a week ago was Altman’s Short Cuts. Short Cuts is a pretty fascinating mixture of short stories, all set in Los Angeles. It stars a bajillion actors you’ll recognize, and some you may not. I’m always up for Tom Waits and Lily Tomlin, and they don’t disappoint here. It’s a little nihilistic, but if you’re a fan of Magnolia or I Heart Huckabees, you should definitely rent Short Cuts. It’s not Altman’s best, The Player probably takes that prize, but here is a nice summary of his life and work, courtesy of IndieWire. Robert, you will be missed.

I know I wrote this article praising Netflix, but don’t count Blockbuster out. Last night I was cruising the bargain bin there and stopped at the Four-for-$20 case. I picked up Wedding Crashers, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Match Point and Layer Cake. Well, I had $4 left on a gift card, so it was really only 16 bucks. 16! That’s the cost of renting four movies, but I get to keep these for life.

We’re almost to December, which means the Oscar campaigning is in full swing. I’m anxiously awaiting my gift basket from the Academy as I type. Entertainment Weekly takes a look at this year’s contenders in pictures.

Want to ask Sylvester Stallone a question? Just go here. Personally, I’d like to ask Sly if there was any on-set hanky panky with Estelle Getty. But he’s probably the kind of guy who doesn’t kiss and tell.

Will Ferrell says he’s not enrolling in Old School Dos. Check out the interview here. Good decision William. Just like it was a good decision to turn down Elf 2. Now is your chance to stretch as an actor. Wait until you’re far past your prime to make unnecessary sequels for lots of cash.

And finally, here’s the full-length trailer for The History Boys, which I’m really looking forward to seeing. It may be derivative of Dead Poets Society, but there are worse films you could copy, and its set in old England instead of New England, so there. It’s completely different.