Friday, December 28, 2012

Top 10 Las Vegas Films


In August, my mom and I were sitting on the beach celebrating our birthdays, and we got to thinking. We collectively decided that we wanted a change of scenery this holiday season. I proposed Vegas, and so here we are. I’ll be in Sin City through the New Year, so this list will act as my final post of 2012.

I plan on posting a ‘12 retrospective a little later, but for now, please know that I am forever grateful to anyone who has spent any part of their day reading this blog. When I began this beast five years ago, I never imagined I would gain an audience. My appreciation for you all is boundless. I’ll see you in ‘13.

10. Showgirls (1996)
The finest So Bad It’s Good film ever made is a Vegas movie staple. The glow, the glamour, the glitz, the tackiness, the excess – Showgirls IS Las Vegas. Say what you will about the film’s lame plot (or complete and utter lack thereof) but once you’ve bathed in the city of sin, it’s not at all difficult to believe that the world Showgirls depicts is alive and well underneath the surface.

9. Bugsy (1991)
Bugsy Siegel had a vision. An LA pusher tempted by fame, wealth and indulgence, Siegel sought the comforts of the Nevada desert to help legitimize his business practices. There’s a great scene in Barry Levinson’s remarkable film in which Warren Beatty has an epiphany while driving through the desert. He stops the car, gets out, and looks. This could be it. This spot of land could reinvent him. And did it ever.

8. Swingers (1996)
Most of the films on this list take place exclusively in Las Vegas, others expertly highlight the city in just a handful of scenes. Noting that, it’s impossible to not include the film that forever embedded “Vegas baby, Vegas,” in pop culture on a list of this sort. Early in Doug Liman’s kind-of-brilliant LA bachelor romp, Swingers, Trent (an unrecognizably young Vince Vaughn) senses his buddy Mike is down, so he proposes a spontaneous trip to Vegas. Their car ride to Sin City is one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever witnessed, and it isn’t nearly the most hilarious thing that these guys get into while they are there.

7. Very Bad Things (1997)
The old (or current, or never ending) maxim states that if you want to do a bachelor party right, there’s only one real proper way, and that is the way of Vegas. Five friends shack up in a large hotel suite, boozing, snorting, smoking and, ultimately (accidentally) killing. Very Bad Things is a fiercely dark comedy that executes the concept of Murphy’s Law as entertainingly as you could possibly imagine. There’s certainly nothing wrong with a Vegas bachelor party… until you create something wrong.

6. Go (1999)
Like Swingers, Doug Liman’s Go (which, for the record, is easily my favorite Pulp Fiction knockoff ever made) contains a brilliant Vegas set piece that ultimately serves as the best sequence in the movie. Heading to Vegas for Christmas, four dudes quickly find themselves in hot shit after a playful night at a strip club turns lethal. The result is one of the most reserved, and frankly masterful car chase sequences ever shot. It is a remarkable study of how music and film can be married oh so flawlessly.

5. The Cooler (2003)
What I love about The Cooler is that it depicts a side of Vegas we rarely see in movies, at least Vegas-set movies that take place in contemporary times. If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas, then you know the very obvious distinction between Vegas and Old Town. Vegas has the strip, Old Town has the nostalgia. Bernie Lootz is one such nostalgic fella. A loser who gets paid to bring people’s luck down, there’s simply nothing better than watching a schlub like William H. Macy finally get the girl and attempt to turn his life around. Oh, and how fucking perfect is Alec Baldwin in this flick? He alone makes it worthwhile.

4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1997)
I have a complex relationship with Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It starts strong (so very, very strong) but after about 30 minutes, continues on a downward spiral that it never finds its way out of. Once Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro leave Sin City for the first time, the movie is essentially over. In short, pay attention to its first half, and you have one of the finest, most warped visions of Vegas ever filmed.

3. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Ocean’s Eleven so perfectly captures what Vegas is today. Although the hilarious heist antics are treated as the primary objective of the film, I’ve always viewed the theft as secondary to the city at hand. The best way to articulate my sincere appreciation for the way in which Ocean’s Eleven chronicles this city is by using one of its final scenes as an example. With the heist done and the reward netted, the merry band of misfit men stand around the fountain of the Bellagio, in awe of its beauty. The scene reminds us that, underneath the lights and the ceaseless lunacy, there is magic in Las Vegas. Magic waiting to be discovered.

2. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Now, to move completely opposite of the world Ocean’s Eleven depicts, we have to go to Mike Figgis’ perfect and relentless Leaving Las Vegas. And think about it, if you’re an alcoholic failed writer with a desire to drink yourself to death, is there really a more appropriate city to do it in than Las Vegas? Beyond that, this film is so many things, and more. A flawless depiction of addiction, a unique portrayal of hopeless love, and, just as significantly, a sorrowful sonnet to the city of sin.

1. Casino (1995)
From my perspective, there’s really no arguing this point: Martin Scorsese’s Casino is the best Las Vegas film ever made. It has it all: the highs in the ups, the lows in the falls; it showcases the luxury of extreme material wealth, and the heartbreak that can accompany it. There are many noteworthy sequences to make specific mention of (point in fact, Casino may indeed be the shortest three hour film I’ve ever seen), but specifically to the Vegas culture, nothing captivates me more than the film’s closing minutes, in which Robert De Niro’s Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein narrates how Vegas has turned from the Who’s Who Insider’s town of yesteryear, into a family friendly theme park. He says this with resentment, or, more specifically, contempt. He misses the city that brought him up and tore him down. For better or worse, he misses the life. And that’s that.

30 comments:

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    1. Dude, you're so fucking money and you don't even know it.

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  2. Dude, I live in Vegas. Nobody remembers "Very Bad Things" here. You're missing "Rain Man"! The rest of the list is... okay. You should've put "The Hangover", over "Go", (I'm not a fan of either myself, but "The Hangover" was an important Vegas film, trust me.) but it's not a bad list.

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    1. Ha, I remember Very Bad Things, but you're right, I may indeed be the only one. Rain Man is a great pick, no doubt. The Hangover... ah, can't do it man. The sequel all but ruined the original for me. I agree, it is more of a "Vegas movie" than Go, but I just don't dig it.

      Either way, thanks so much for reading a commenting. Feel free to tell me your Top 10. Love to hear an insider's perspective.

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  3. Woah, Vegas, I'm so jealous! It must be such a magical place, from the movies I've seen that were taking place there it seems like this city really never sleeps.

    Love the list and the fact that Casino is number 1. Very Bad Things is such a hilarious movie, Slater was just unreal in this one.

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    1. That city is crazy nocturnal. Kind of a desert wasteland during the day, but at night, it's alive.

      God, I just love that you love Very Bad Things. I can always count on you to get my back!

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  4. Nice list. But I will not give Showgirls the time of day lol. Enjoy your break, man.

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    1. Ha, thanks man. Have you seen Showgirls? Or just never a need to bother?

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    2. I've only seen the infamous pool scene and that was enough to have me laughing with secondhand embarrassment. I'm not sure if it's one of those so bad it's good films or whether it is just outright bad; I never bothered to find out which. Is it worth it?

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    3. Oh, definitely in the So Bad It's Good Category. It is trash cinema at its finest. I can't say it's worth it... but it is completely mindless and hilarious.

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    4. I'm going to take that as a dare! Watch out for a review in a week.

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    5. Oh God, what have I done haha. Well, Godspeed, my friend.

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  5. Your top 5 picks, rankings included, are brilliant! Still have a few to see from the bottom half.

    Oh, Baldwin is fantastic in The Cooler! "Hey, everybody look, it's a boy!"

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    1. Thanks man! Oh God, that scene with Baldwin is juts perfect. Repulsive to shocking to pitiful.

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  6. I was surprised not to see Hard Eight on the list, but I guess it's more Reno than Vegas, so okay. But there's some related list (casino/gambling/Nevada) on which it would rank, I'm sure.

    I thought Very Bad Things was basically unwatchable. I like the rest of the list though... not sure about Leaving Las Vegas vs. Casino at the top. Leaving Las Vegas is a better movie, but I'd agree that Casino is a better Las Vegas movie, so you're ordering makes sense.

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    1. I actually did have Hard Eight ranked initially, but then remembered, yeah, it's a mostly Reno-set flick.

      You nailed the reasoning behind my first and second orderding perfectly. Leaving Las Vegas is the better film, but Casino is the better Vegas film.

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  7. I'm not fond of Showgirls but I would rather have that than The Hangover which I think is extremely overrated.

    One film I would put in the list, though it's very flawed is One from the Heart by Francis Ford Coppola. Sure, it's shot in a soundstage that features an artificial Las Vegas but it is still a very entertaining film. Hope you have a Happy New Year.

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    1. Ah thank God, I'm not the only one who thinks The Hangover is crazy overrated. Showgirls is far from a good, or decent, or bearable film, but it's a perfect Vegas movie.

      Going to seek out One from the Heart asap, thanks for the reco! Hope you had a happy new year as well, my friend.

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  8. I've gotta hand it to you, your mom, and the rest of the gang ... you guys know how to party! I've never been to Sin City. The only Christmas "vacation" I ever got was visiting Mom's relatives in the armpit of Mississippi. My brother and I got so bored one year that we watched Beverly Hills Cop at the nearest theater (which was in the next town) about four times ... back to back. That damn movie is forever burned into my brain.

    Leaving Las Vegas has been on my to-watch list for several years. Nice list! Though I agree with David, I would've included Rain Man. "What did you do is Las Vegas? I counted cards."

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    1. Ha shit, what a hilarious story about the epic Beverly Hills Cop Christmas marathon. That sounds like a pretty dreary holiday right there, yikes!

      Oh, you MIUST see LLV. Considering your affinity for addiction dramas, it's just... wow.

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    2. I actually bought LLV -- I found it cheap, bundled with a couple of other movies. I'm am definitely NOT a Nicolas Cage fan, but something tells me I'll appreciate this movie. I'm not sure why I haven't gotten around to it yet.

      Interestingly enough, I first heard of LLV when researching a "class" I was designing for my homeschooled daughter on exploring philosophy through movies. At first glance, it doesn't look like a particularly philosophical movie, but the website author (a university philosophy prof.) had put a really interesting spin on it. One day, if I get around to it, I might post about our "philosophy movies."

      Oh ... and yes ... that's a bit too much Eddie Murphy for ANYONE to take in one go. What can I say? My brother and I were 14 and 18 and stuck in a hole in the wall town in Mississippi. :-)

      Glad you had a blast in Vegas! Your parents sound exceptionally cool. ;-)

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    3. Holy crap, I would LOVE to read about that class. That sounds amazing. Really, you should write that one. I'm not Cage's biggest fan either, but I'd arguably call his work in LLV the best performance of the '90s. He's perfect. The best portrayal of alcoholism I've ever seen.

      Not sure if I'd call it a philosophical movie either, but I suppose with the right spin, any movie can be philosophical.

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    4. "I suppose with the right spin, any movie can be philosophical." I have to agree with that. :-)

      Sometime I will write about the philosophy/film gig, since now I know at least one person is interested in reading it. ;-)

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    5. Ohh you'd have a ton of comments on that post, I suspect. That's such a nifty idea for a class.

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  9. Great list and what a place! I agree on number one but might put Fear and Loathing at number 2!

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    1. Thanks Pete! Fear and Loathing is such a classic Vegas flick isn't it?

      "Those of us that had been up all night were in no mood for coffee and donuts, we wanted strong drink."

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  10. You nailed the top 3 again, Alex. Hope you are having a good time in Vegas!

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  11. Awesome choices here. Completely agree with your top 2. Casino and Leaving Las Vegas are, by far, the best films I've seen that are set in Vegas.
    You're also right to point out how Casino feels so damn short despite it being 3 hours long. The most memorable character is for me the one depicted by Sharon Stone, who is also perhaps the most tragic one in the whole film. Possibly the best performance of her career.
    What about Elizabeth Shue and Nic Cage? Probably at their very bests in the film, never to come close to this level again.

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    1. Nice, glad you love Casino and LLV so much - two of my absolute favorites.

      Stone may indeed be my favorite performance in the film as well, and I agree that it is the best work she's ever done by far.

      Cage has been pretty good a few other times, but certainly not Shue. Either way, their work in that film is otherworldly. Perfect in every way. They just kill me.

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