Directed by Stephen Kessler What did you expect? Vegas Vacation is fine, and that's about it. It's a later installment in the Griswold story, yet another vacation in which we revisit Clark, Ellen, Cousin Eddie and, this time, the Griswold kids who were much older than last we saw them (8 years prior) and played … Continue reading Vegas Vacation (1997)
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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Directed by Mike Figgis We get right to the point with the romance between Ben and Sera (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) in Leaving Las Vegas. One is an alcoholic, and the other is a prostitute. They've both moved to Las Vegas following disappointing or unsustainable lives in Los Angeles. You get the sense that try as … Continue reading Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
The Cooler (2003)
Directed by Wayne Kramer Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) has rotten luck in The Cooler, but when he meets Natalie (Maria Bello), things start to turn around. This is a problem because Bernie's job depends on his poor luck. Nicknamed the "cooler," Bernie haunts the floors of a Las Vegas casino, directed to specific tables in … Continue reading The Cooler (2003)
Hard Eight (1996)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson Hard Eight, Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature film, is a beautiful crime film about a mysterious guardian angel named Sydney (Philip Baker Hall). The word that comes to mind when I think about this film is 'lurid,' and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm not even exactly sure what the … Continue reading Hard Eight (1996)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Directed by Miguel Arteta An insurance convention takes place in Cedar Rapids, the second most populated state in Iowa, and for the people flying into town, it might as well be Las Vegas. As one woman says, "what I do in Cedar Rapids, it stays here." The movie frames the setting in such a way … Continue reading Cedar Rapids (2011)
