From The Hustler in 1961 to 2014's The Gambler, movies about gambling and casinos have been winning big at the box office for decades. After all, who doesn't love a high-stakes rush of cinematic adrenaline? Here are five of the best gambling movies of all time to check out before you head to Vegas or enter some online casinos.
The Hustler
Paul Newman stars in this highly-rated 1961 film about a headstrong novice pool player competing in a high-stakes match against a legendary contender. Nominated for several of the American Film Institute's Top 100 lists, this movie is a true classic.
Casino
Released in 1995, Martin Scorsese's Casino tells the story of two mob men (played by Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci) who move to Las Vegas in the 1970s and find love, drugs and drama against a backdrop of casino games. Criticized for its depictions of violence, the film nonetheless received award nominations, resulting in a win for Sharon Stone's performance.
The Cooler
Indie film The Cooler (2003) stars William H. Macy as Bernie Lootz, an unlucky gambler who is used by the mob to "cool" the winning streaks of high rollers. Love, secrets and change take center stage in this film, which received positive reviews and many award nominations.
The Sting
Among the most classic of betting movies is the 1973 film The Sting, featuring the team of Robert Redford and gambling movie veteran Paul Newman. With twists and turns that delight, this story of two con men in the 1930s trying to get one over on a mob boss is truly timeless.
Ocean's Eleven
Of course, we need to mention one of the most famous casino movies, Ocean's Eleven. This remake of the 1960 Rat Pack movie stars an ensemble class of the greatest caliber, with names like Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon popping up in the credits. This movie was met with great reviews and a few sequels.
If you feel inspired by the antics in these movies and want to brush up on your own skills before heading to the tables or slots, practice online at sites like the Zodiac, Captain Cooks or Luxury Casinos. This way you'll be ready to win big and have a truly happy ending to your own story.
A day of leisure means a full use of the internet. You have several options like chatting, trying your luck in an online casino or watching some great movies. If you are thinking about the third, then here is a list of the five best movies that won Academy Awards for Best Picture. All these 5 movies not only won film awards but these are also highly favored by common people, thus you can expect to have an enjoyable experience with a few things to learn.
Titanic (1997)
If you are talking about best movies that won academy awards, then you can never overlook the Titanic. Based on a true story, it tells a tragic story of a couple and the gigantic ship called "Titanic", full with high-class amenities like casino, bar, and live Music. The Titanic was released in 1997 and the director James Cameron was able to make it an all time phenomenon. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the lead couple, this film went on to earn almost $2.1 billion collections all over the world. The jaw-dropping visuals and out of the world music combined with great acting led this film to win many film awards.
The Godfather Part II (1974)
The Godfather series is known for superior acting and The Godfather part II takes it to a new level. Robert Di Niro, Al Pacino and the other star cast like Diane Keaton set some new benchmarks for acting with this underworld saga. The Director Francis Ford Cappola was brilliant in capturing those lovely moments through the cinematography and smart editing. It is considered as one of the best movies to study camera acting and got a tremendous appreciation from the critics and audiences for its natural flow.
Gladiator (2000)
Gladiator is a complete package with entertainment, artistic class and emotional moments. The Director Ridley Scot takes us to an epic world of gladiators where we see a general is fighting and taking his revenge from the King Caser. The story revolves around the lead character Maximus played by Russel Crowe. He gives you so many "goosebump" moments throughout the film that you will definitely feel emotional by the end. Like all his great works, Hans Zimmer comes up with some memorable soundtracks to make the experience special. This movie was released in 2000 and readily became the favorite among the mass and critics. Russel Crowe also went on to win the academy award in the best actor category.
Rocky (1976)
“Rocky” is always considered a hit franchise and came up with 6 successful films, but the best one was undoubtedly the first. Rocky released in 1976 introduced the Hollywood with Silverstone Stallone, who later went on to rule the silver screen for decades. This story of a boxer is considered as one of the most inspiring films in the history of Hollywood film industry. This John G. Avidsen directed film is based on the script written by none other than Silver Stallone himself. The journey of Rocky from a club fighter to the world heavyweight champion inspired millions all over the world and became one of the highest grosser of that time.
Forrest Gump (1994)
This comedy-drama is about a journey of a man with low IQ. This was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks in the lead. It was one of the highest grossing films of 1994 and got a great deal of critical appreciation. The interesting characters and a simple yet engaging and aesthetic film-making helped it to win the academy award and many other film awards on that year.
“Inside Out” is an animated film released in 2015 that went on to win millions of hearts all over the world. It got the Academy awards in the Best Animated Movie category and won several other awards like BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award.
This film is one of those rare films, which can be enjoyed by people of all ages. This psychedelic drama has a strange sweet spot that will give you a special kind of surprising joy, which can be compared to winning a sudden prize in a casino.
The director started working on the script when he saw a strange psychological change in his daughter’s life. This change in her daughter was quite similar to the social anxiety he himself went through in that teenage period. He later went on the consult several psychologists, who helped him to shape up the story.
This animated movie revolves around the story of a girl named Riley Anderson and her five basic emotions- Sadness, Joy, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. These emotions influence her actions and drive her energy. This is a journey of this girl and how she realizes her emotions. The director carefully handles the complexity of human minds with incidents happening around the girl and teaching her a new lesson every time. The engaging story also features the parents of Riley, who also play a pivotal role in the journey of their girl.
The voice always plays a big role in an animation movie and people like Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Bil Hader (Fear) played their part and added the much needed emotional content in the movie. The other actors like Richard Kind (Bing Bong), Lewis Black (Anger), and Mindy Kaling (Fear), Kaitlyn Dias (Riley Anderson) did a commendable job to put life into the characters. Most of the characters said that they loved the story and was very much emotionally attached to the film.
The music composed by Michael Giacchino helped the film to connect with the audiences. This was his second collaboration with Docter after the film Up. The music helped the emotional journey of Riley to become an entertaining tale of life.
The movie received a great response from the public and also from the critics. It got a whopping 98% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes, featuring 317 reviews. This has already made its place as one of the best animated movie ever. Most of the critics praised the film for its imaginative and powerful story and they congratulated the director for coming up with such a unique concept. The speculations were there before the release, as the Pixar Animation Studios was experiencing a slide in their performance. The film not only gave a strong position to Pixar, but it also gave them quite an earning as the grossing figures crossed $800 million in worldwide box office.
This is kind of a film that comes once in a decade. This innovative idea of making people aware of their emotions is not only a learning experience for kids, but for elders also. It tells you that it doesn’t matter if you are playing in casino, watching a movie or having a chat with your best friend, your emotions are always active and it is your emotions that make you what you are.
The Danish girl is directed by Tom Hooper and this biographical romantic drama is based on the novel by David Ebershoff “The Danish Girl”. This novel is inspired by the life of Lil Elbe and Gerda Wegener, two Danish painters. The novel itself got a good critical acceptance and people were very much curious about the movie even before it was released. It was quite clear that the film was not made for mass and was made on a modest budget of $15 million, but surprisingly it got a good response as people rated it as a "good movie". This helped the movie to gross a worldwide collection of $53.7 million, a turnover rate that every casino players dream of.
The Uniqueness
The film is based on an unusual love story of the painter couple- Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. It showcases their journey as a couple and how Lili becomes the pioneer of the transgender concept. The director and the lead cast, Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander put a brave performance and talk about a very sensitive subject.
The Plot
On a day when Gerda asks her husband to substitute a female model, Lili discovers a hidden side of himself. He felt that he was more comfortable in dressing up as a woman. This shocking secret strangely gets the support of his wife who understands the feeling of her husband Lili Elbe. Then the story indulges into those tough moments that the couple goes through while Lili and his wife try to establish a new identity of Lili Elbe. They go through an emotional journey and had to take several tough decisions regarding personal life and sensitive medical procedures at a time when going under the transgender procedures was like trying your luck at a casino.
Critical Response:
The film received a mixed critical response as some went on to praise the bold and adventurous concept and the performance, but some others criticized it for distorting historical facts. Still, the movie was able to get a good amount of attention. It was screened at many film festivals throughout the world.
The Performance That Makes It a Good Movie
Redmayne and Vikander were highly appreciated by the critics and the common people. Although Vikander was able to overtake Redmayne in terms of her performance, she was brilliant in portraying a sensitive wife who loves his husband and realizes his problem. Vikander was brilliant in those between the lines moments, her thoughtful acting helped her to win the Academy Award for best actress in a supporting role. Redmayne portrayed the iconic character of Lili brilliantly and showed us the problems a person goes through while taking the route of a transgender. He wanted that the life of transgender becomes easy after people watch this movie.
Things We Learned
The movie not only showed us the struggle of Lili Elbe, but it also told us about how his wife Gerda supports her husband and takes a very brave stand to give her husband the life he deserves. This part of this good movie really taught us about what is love and how important it is supporting your loved ones in the most disturbing circumstances. This pure love between the couple was a big reason of getting so much response from the fans. The simple making and different story made it a worthy experience for the viewers as they also went on to the touching journey with Lili and Gerda.