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DVD The Cooler
The premise of this swinging Vegas picture is enough to carry it over its narrative rough spots. The unluckiest sap on the planet (William H. Macy) is employed as a "cooler" at a casino; his very presence can chill the hot streak of any patron on a roll. He's valued by the old-school manager of the place, a role given a two-fisted, bourbon-swilling incarnation by Alec Baldwin. Macy means to quit, but then he falls for a waitress (the excellent Maria Bello, from Permanent Midnight)--might his luck be changing? The subplots are pretty much a mess, but the frank sex scenes between Macy and Bello give the movie a truly offbeat feel. The tawdry air of a second-rate casino is also nicely done: This is not the new family-friendly Las Vegas, but a tough place of superstitions, sinister back rooms, and shabby motels. The characters are perfectly at home. --Robert Horton
I hate to sound like a prude. There are already enough parent groups or religious groups crying out against sex, violence, and profanity in the movies, and I don't want to be lumped in with them. If a movie calls for liberal doses of skin, blood, or the F word, then its filmmakers should be true to that vision. "Last Tango in Paris," "Raging Bull," Roman Polanski's "Macbeth" -- these are all great films (to name only three) that contain controversial content which I would not want altered. The key ingredient here is that the subject matter and artistic integrity called for such a gritty take on the material.
I can't say the same about Wayne Kramer's "The Cooler." When I first heard about the film, I was intrigued by the premise: A lonesome loser's luck is so bad that he's hired by a casino to spread his misfortune to the gamblers -- only to have his luck (and that of the gamblers) turn around once he falls in love. This is a magical love-story idea worthy of great romantic-comedy directors like Frank Capra, Preston Sturges, and Billy Wilder. What's so magic -- and romantic -- about the idea is the affirmation that love casts its own strange spell over the world that can make miracles come true. The premise of "The Cooler" promised to convey this positive message: When you're in love, the world is a better place.
But instead of a romantic comedy in the tradition of Capra, Sturges, and Wilder, "The Cooler" seems more influenced by Sam Peckinpah and Martin Scorsese. The sex, blood, and salty language of the casino's underworld milieu eclipse the romance between William H. Macy and Maria Bello. The grittiness of the movie's Mafia elements may communicate how desperately the Macy and Bello characters need to escape the casino, but it also interferes with allowing the romantic elements to shine. A love born of brutality and deception is difficult to either empathize with or root for. By toning down the sex, violence, and profanity to a PG-13 level -- and perhaps delaying the physical relationship betwen Macy and Bello till later in the story -- "The Cooler" could have set a more magical atmosphere for its reality-defying premise to flourish. Also -- at the risk of sounding like a studio accountant -- I believe that the natural audience for "The Cooler" might have been older romantic-comedy fans who would be put off by the movie's R-rated aspects.
Those who disagree with me -- those who think that the film is enhanced by its seamy take on the premise -- might point out that even Sturges' and Wilder's romantic comedies sometimes had very cynical edges. But, I would reply, these edges did not overwhelm the romance. "The Cooler" is not in that tradition. Kramer's film could have still communicated how harrowing the casino's back rooms were without being so graphic. By doing so, he could have allowed the audience to concentrate on the love story and how the heart is mightier than the sword. I'm not questioning Kramer's *right* to make such a dark film, but I don't think that this darkness is right for the material.
I came to "The Cooler" expecting a valentine. What I got instead was a ripped-out heart still dripping blood.
There is hope for every underdog, now...
...if William H. Macy can win the heart of Maria Bello, then just about anything is possible! Actually, I'm being a bit tongue and cheek. What Bello's character is is sweet and with a good heart, looking for the same. Macy, the cooler at a decidedly seventies throw back casino, has a great heart and, in the end, deserves no less than the sparkling Bello. There are some other good performances in the movie, as well. Alec Baldwin can't be topped as Shelly, the casino owner that doesn't think anyone can run a casino like he can. Paul Sorvino has a small part, also, that puts him in a little more of a vulnerable situation than we usually see him. There is a little violence and some fairly strong sexuality in the movie, so the R rating is warrented.I really like this movie and would probably give it 4 stars, but since I think the 3 1/2 stars it has as an average is too little, I'll give it 5 stars.
More than just another gambling movie
If you like movies, as I do, about Las Vegas, gambling, grifters, mobsters, harvard-educated wise-guy mobsters, and hookers with a heart of gold, then you'll like this one. William Macy is perfect in the role of the professional loser, who is employed by casino owner Alec Baldwin to "cool" down the hot winners at his casino. The improbable premise of the movie is that Macy's mere presence at the gambling table suffices to make everyone lose. Macy has created a very interesting and unusual trademark character, also seen in Fargo and Boogie Nights, among other movies. Maria Bello is luminous as the cocktail waitress who falls for him, and Alec Baldwin gives depth and complexity to the casino owner/mobster.
But this movie is more that just another gambling/crime movie; it's really about true friendship and love despite all the odds. There are a couple of interesting plot twists turns to add excitement. Some of the plot actions are not realistic, as I mentioned above, which reduces the overall impact. But overall this is a quite memorable movie which is well worth seeing once.
With Sideways, Paul Giamatti (American Splendor, Storytelling) has become an unlikely but engaging romantic lead. Struggling novelist and wine connoisseur Miles (Giamatti) takes his best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church, Wings) on a wine-tasting tour of California vineyards for a kind of extended bachelor party. Almost immediately, Jack's insatiable need to sow some wild oats before his marriage leads them into double-dates with a rambunctious wine pourer (Sandra Oh, Under the Tuscan Sun) and a recently divorced waitress (Virginia Madsen, The Hot Spot)--and Miles discovers a little hope that he hasn't let himself feel in a long time. Sideways is a modest but finely tuned film; with gentle compassion, it explores the failures, struggles, and... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Alexander Payne DVD Release Date: Released the 05 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Collateral offers a change of pace for Tom Cruise as a ruthless contract killer, but that's just one of many reasons to recommend this well-crafted thriller. It's from Michael Mann, after all, and the director's stellar track record with crime thrillers (Thief, Manhunter, and especially Heat) guarantees a rich combination of intelligent plotting, well-drawn characters, and escalating tension, beginning here when icy hit-man Vincent (Cruise) recruits cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) to drive him through a nocturnal tour of Los Angeles, during which he will execute five people in a 10-hour spree. While Stuart Beattie's screenplay deftly combines intimate character study with raw bursts of action (in keeping with Mann's directorial trademark), Foxx does the best work... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Tom Cruise - Jamie Foxx - Jada Pinkett Smith - Mark Ruffalo Director(s): Michael Mann DVD Release Date: Released the 14 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium reflecting his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Leonardo DiCaprio - Cate Blanchett - Kate Beckinsale Director(s): Martin Scorsese DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Four extremely beautiful people do extremely horrible things to one another in Closer, Mike Nichols' pungent adaptation of Patrick Marber's play that easily marks the Oscar-winning director's best work in years. Anna (Julia Roberts) is a photographer who specializes in portraits of strangers; Dan (Jude Law) is an obituary writer struggling to become a novelist; Alice (Natalie Portman) is an American stripper freshly arrived in London after a bad relationship; and Larry (Clive Owen) is a dermatologist who finds love under the most unlikely of circumstances. When their paths cross it's a dizzying supernova of emotions, as Nichols and Marber adroitly construct various scenes out of their lives that pair them again and again in various permutations of passion, heartbreak, anger,... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Mike Nichols DVD Release Date: Released the 29 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Paul Haggis DVD Release Date: Released the 06 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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From Hollywood's legendary Cocoanut Grove to the pioneering conquest of the wild blue yonder, Martin Scorsese's The Aviator celebrates old-school filmmaking at its finest. We say "old school" only because Scorsese's love of golden-age Hollywood is evident in his approach to his subject--Howard Hughes in his prime (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his)--and especially in his technical mastery of the medium reflecting his love for classical filmmaking of the studio era. Even when he's using state-of-the-art digital trickery for the film's exciting flight scenes (including one of the most spectacular crashes ever filmed), Scorsese's meticulous attention to art direction...