The opportunity to see the films of Robert Altman on the big screen is always a treat, and starting tomorrow, SIFF is presenting a week of treats at the freshly refurbished Egyptian. The centerpiece: Altman, the new documentary by Ron Mann, which provides a warm, intelligent, clip-packed overview of the master filmmaker's career. (Favorite new bit of info I got from the doc: Facts of the young Altman's clashes with studio head Jack Warner, who saw the dailies for an early Altman film he was producing and was so upset he banned the director from the studio lot. "That fool!" Warner reportedly fumed. "He's got actors talking over each other!")

Along with daily screenings of the Altman documentary, SIFF is presenting seven of Altman's best-loved films, all of which are packed with seriously accomplished actors talking all over each other while Jack Warner spins in his grave. On the roster:

*The Player, Altman's hilarious, acerbic look at the Hollywood studio system from 1992, starring Tim Robbins, Whoopi Goldberg, and too many other stars to name-check, which won Altman the Best Director prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

*Popeye, Altman's seriously weird, critically derided, commercial-flop adaptation of the classic comic strip, starring Robin Williams (in his first feature film) as Popeye, Shelly Duvall as Olive Oyl, and songs by Harry Nilsson.

*M*A*S*H*, Altman's breakthrough film of 1970 and the riotous source material for the popular sitcom, starring Elliot Gould, Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt, and lots of blood and wisecracking.

*Gosford Park, Altman's brilliant take on the British manor house drama turned elliptical murder mystery, created with future Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and writer/actor Bob Balaban, and starring Emily Watson, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Kristen Scott Thomas, Stephen Fry, and Dame Maggie Smith.

*Nashville, Altman's '70s masterwork, set in Nashville but obsessed with America as a whole, and filled with more great performances than any other film I can think of. (The scene of Lily Tomlin listening to Keith Carradine sing will slay you, and should have won her an Oscar.)

*Short Cuts, Altman's sprawling 1994 work based on the short stories of Raymond Carver, which have been reset in Los Angeles and brought to life with a zillion stars, including Lily Tomlin, Lili Taylor, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julianne Moore, Frances McDormand, Tom Robbins, Peter Gallagher, Robert Downey Jr., and Tom Waits. This movie also gives viewers the chance to watch the actual Huey Lewis urinate out of his actual wang.

*McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Altman's legendary dreamscape Western of 1971, starring Julie Christie, Warren Beatty, and gorgeous cinematography.

Bonus: Tickets to all of the classic Altman films listed above are only $5. Full info here, and the trailer for the Altman documentary is right here.