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Casino Movie Review
Sometimes even the most dedicated gambler needs to take the cards and chips out of their hands. There are still ways to enjoy the atmosphere without actually playing the games, however. One such activity can be watching a movie.
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Ocean’s Eleven Review
Entertainers as just as important to Las Vegas as the casinos. Think of Vegas, and what comes to mind? Seigfreid and Roy, Elvis, magicians and the Rat Pack. In 1960, the Rat Pack, which consisted of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford, made a movie entitled Ocean’s Eleven, which is recommended for casino enthusiasts everywhere.
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Ocean’s Eleven (2001) Review
Movie remakes are everywhere. Film producers will re-make anything from Bewitched to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What is more difficult to fine, however, is a re-make that is actually worth watching. The exception to the rule: the 2001 version of Ocean’s Eleven.
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Casino Royale Review
Casino Royale is a great movie for someone taking a short break from the casino. Not only is it good for a laugh, it is one of the only movies ever to prominently feature baccarat. That’s right, baccarat plays as large of a part in this movie as any of the characters.
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Viva Las Vegas Review
“Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire…” At least seventy-five percent of all people who hit the Vegas strip for the first time are at least singing that in their heads, and why not?
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Vegas Vacation Review
When you’re in the casinos, whether it’s playing a high-stakes game of blackjack or throwing coin after coin into the nickel slot machine, there is always a feeling of electricity and excitement in the air. One film that seems to capture that energy is, surprisingly enough, 1997’s Vegas Vacation.
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A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966)
The old west is to the gambling industry what Camelot is to British Royalty. There is much more romance and adventure ascribed to it than with the reality we live today.
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Born Yesterday (1950)
When the topic of the film “Born Yesterday” comes up, most people think of the horrible re-make from the mid-nineties. Melanie Griffith starred in that particular movie. Though she proves quite often that she looks good rather fetching in tight clothing or something from Victoria’s Secret, that is not a good reason for choosing the re-make over the 1950 original.
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California Split (1974)
For those who are looking for a movie about casinos and gambling that will leave a warm positive feeling long after the VCR has been turned off, I strongly suggest you stay away from this particular film. It is a dark and sometimes bleak look at the world through the eyes of compulsive gambler.
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Casino (1995)
Most people would not believe that a review of this film is even necessary. Anyone who has any sort of familiarity with films will see the names Martin Scorsese, Robert De’Niro, and Joe Pesci and just know that they are about to be treated to a fantastic cinematic event.
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Diamonds are Forever (1965)
James Bond in Vegas instead of Europe is kind of like watching Godzilla kick over Hollywood instead Tokyo. It is not something you expected to see, but you are glad when it happens.
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Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler (1922)
If digitally manufactured Dinosaurs, big budget films with talking Lions, and anything with Keanu Reeves is the sort of film that floats your particular boat, this film is something you not seek. If you have a healthy respect for the art and beauty of the old silent films, this early effort that tackles the topic of gambling is something you should actively seek out.
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the screen adaptation of the book by the same name. Originally the responsibility of bringing this story to the big screen fell on director Alex Cox who was also responsible for introducing the world to Courtney Love in the movie “Sid and Nancy”. Had he stuck around long enough to complete “Fear and Loathing” he may have atoned for that particular sin against nature. Instead, though, he abandoned the project citing “creative differences”. Terry Gilliam, of Monte Python fame, took on the struggling project and used his unique vision to finish this project.
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High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (2003)
Stu Ungar has been one of the cornerstones of professional poker for quite some time. Along with his winnings and reputation, Stu has three World of Series of Poker bracelets as a testament to his skill in the game of poker. Generally, the people who reach the level that Stu has attained don’t get there by taking the easy way. Mostly you find them along the narrow and rocky path that the majority of us avoid. Some turn back, some die along the way, others, like Stu, come out the other side and have a heck of a story to tell.
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Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
When some guys visit Vegas all they lose is a few hundred dollars to the casinos and a few thousand brain cells to sheer amount of alcohol that is cheaply and easily available anywhere you happen to visit. In the case of Honeymoon in Vegas, the main character lost a rather attractive fiancé along with money and points off of his IQ.
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Maverick (1994)
There are a number of movies about casinos, poker, and gambling in general that are dark and gritty enough to give Tim Burton a warm and fuzzy feeling deep down in his core. These are the type of movies that most of us need anti-depressants and some occasional therapy if we make a steady diet of them. Maverick seems to be the comical and uplifting yang to this depressing ying.
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Rounders (1998)
No good deed goes unpunished. This is the lesson that is learned by Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) in the 1998 film, Rounders.
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Shade (2003)
Card hustlers often work in packs, much like wolves or killer whales. They cruise through the casinos and ring games looking for prey. In most cases they target those who are wealthy but also weak, but what happens when they take a bite out of someone who can bite back?
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Showgirls (1995)
Showgirls was a drama that almost became a film about murder. Considering the sheer number of careers this single movie nearly put to death, one could suggest that it was a serial killer.
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Snake Eyes (1998)
Finding Nicholas Cage in a film that is set in a Casino is about as difficult as finding a computer programmer at the opening of a Star Wars movie. Casinos seems to be the setting he is most comfortable in, and films where this is the backdrop, you can find him giving his best performances. Snake Eyes is no exception to this rule as he plays a corrupt Atlantic City cop.
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The Big Blind (1999)
When writer/director of “The Big Blind” envisioned this film, he decided to give the movie a “Pulp Fiction” feel to it. He abandoned the idea of a linear story line in favor of a story with multiple plot lines that only intersect at various points. For those who are used to Rounders, The Sting, and other such films, this might seem like a very unusual approach, but in the case of this movie, it works.
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The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
The image most of us have of Steve McQueen involves a car chase in a classic Ford Mustang, and some moves made with vehicle that would make Barry Sanders gawk in wide eyed amazement. For those who have only been exposed to this bit from his resume, the Cincinnati Kid will be a dramatic shift in gears.
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The Gamble (1965)
What is the most you have ever lost on a hand of poker? A couple hundred dollars? A car? The deed to your home? Well in the film “The Gamble” a man who cannot resist the allure of games of chance manages to toss his son into the pot and come out of it one kid short. Arguably though, the real loser here is the son who was lost in a hasty wager.
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The Gambler (1974)
Sometimes the most intelligent people can be as bison who follows the rest of the herd over a cliff. That is the crux of this film. We follow the trials and tribulations as a brilliant college professor succumbs over and over again to a gambling addiction.
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The Gambler and the Lady (1952)
No matter how fast you run it seems that your past always moves much faster. The Gambler and the Lady is a crime drama that centers around the desire to escape the past for something better.
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The Gambler from Natchez (1954)
Sometimes great stories need to be re-told in different settings to appeal to a brand new audience. The Gambler from Natchez is an adaptation of the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” and is set in the American riverboat scene of the mid 19th century.
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The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991)
Kenny Rogers proves that a good thing need not end with just a hit song as he reprises his role as Brady Hawkes in the fourth film of “The Gambler” series.
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The Sting (1973)
This doesn’t happen with that many films, but the Sting is one of those few movies when you hear the first few notes of theme song (“The Entertainer”, tinkling across the keyboard, you suddenly remember the whole film. This is perhaps the best gambling movie ever made.
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Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold
This is going to be an accurate movie review of Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (which will be called CJCG from now on), but before the review can begin, there needs to be a disclaimer: words can not truly explain this movie. Due to the cinematic style as well as the era in which it was made, there are simply some facets of this movie that need to be viewed in order to be properly appreciated. Remember that fact and enjoy the review.
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The Music of Chance
The Music of Chance starts off as a chance meeting at the side of a road between two strangers. Jack Pozzi is a disheveled, almost homeless traveler in need of a ride. James Nashe is the Good Samaritan who offers Pozzi a lift. As it turns out Jack is a professional gambler who has been robbed of ten thousand dollars. The money was to be his bankroll in a poker tournament that he described as a "sure thing".
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