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Top Ten Tuesday: Vegas Movies – We Are Movie Geeks

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Top Ten Tuesday: Vegas Movies

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In honor of this weeks must see Vegas/funniest movie of the year ‘The Hangover’, we decided that it was only fitting to do a top ten list of the best Vegas movies. Not to mention will are going to be rocking it at Cinevegas in about 9 days! Enjoy the list..

10. Rain Man

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It’s not a huge part of ‘Rain Man,’ but Vegas plays such an important part in the story of Charlie Babbitt and his autistic brother.   The city brings the brother so close together, since Charlie is a greedy ass and Raymond can count cards with the best of them.   In fact, the shot of the two brothers coming down the escalator might be the most iconic shot of any film on this whole list.   The Vegas segment in ‘Rain Man’ is great.   Yeah, definitely great.

09. Go

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Vegas is the setting, more than the focal point in this high-energy innovative tale of a drug deal gone bad, but still plays a significant role in the strength of the movie. The story follows the events that take place after the mishap, revealing the varied perspectives of what happened from three different characters connected by the same scenario. Directed by Doug Liman and starring Katie Holmes, Sarah Polley, Desmond Askew, Jay Mohr, William Fichtner and Timothy Olyphant, this movie has become something of a forgotten gem and deserves another look.

08. The Hangover

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Have you ever had a night so crazy that you woke up the next morning, had no memory of the previous night, tried to pee only to find a tiger in your bathroom, missing a tooth and a baby is hiding out in the closet? Every weekend for me, but if you havent then you HAVE To see ‘The Hangover’ which opens in theaters this friday June 5th. The movie is ridiculously funny to the point of peeing your pants. Its not only the funniest movie of the year, its probably the funniest movie this decade! If you dont see this, I feel sorry for you and we arent friends anymore.

07. Swingers

Jon Favreau wrote and stars alongside Vince Vaughn in this movie about out of work actors who are living in Hollywood. Although there is only 1 night in Vegas, its still so damn good that it had to make this list baby. Trent(Vaughn) takes his buddy Mike(Favreau) to Vegas to help him get over his ex girlfriend and find some new women to have fun with. Still obsessed with his ex girlfriend the night of debauchery goes south and they return home to Hollywood. This is one of the earlier Vince Vaughn films before he really honed his comedic skills, but its still hillarious.

06. Ocean’s Eleven

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Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake of ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ has, in the past, few years, become more memorable than the original.   Taking the concept of a group of old friends/thieves who plan, in one night, to rob a number of Vegas casinos, Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin work out the perfect type of remake.   It takes the idea, updates, makes it their own, and executes the hell out of it.   ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ is one of the better caper films in recent years, and its Vegas setting gives it a style and intensity that can’t be matched.

05. Very Bad Things

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So they call Vegas “Sin City”… big deal! What’s the WORST that could happen? Well, ‘Very Bad Things’ is the predecessor of ‘The Hangover’ in terms of how terribly wrong a Vegas bachelor party can truly go. Directed by peter Berg, this extremely dark and painfully hilarious tale of a group of guys struggling to survive the best night of their lives begins as harmless fun and ends in murder. The movie stars Jon Favreau, Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven and Cameron Diaz… who can this be bad?

04. The Cooler

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William H. Macy really “brings it” for ‘The Cooler’, which in my opinion is one of the most underrated movies of our time. He plays the unlucky Bernie Lootz who works as a “cooler” in the Shangri-La casino. When he is about to reach his payoff agreement(due to gambiling) with casino boss Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), he finds love in a cocktail waitress named Natalie Belisario (Maria Bello). Shelly quickly realizes that the happier he is, the less his effectiveness becomes. Eventually Shelly decides he has no choice but to seperate them so he can get his “cooler” back in action.

03. Leaving Las Vegas

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Mike Figgis’ direction, Nic Cage’s incredible acting job (for a change of pace), and the incredible setting of the grittier side of Vegas make ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ more than just a romantic comedy about a hooker with a heart of gold.   It’s a romantic-drama that looks at the uglier side of everything, even a city as glamorous as Las Vegas.   Vegas doesn’t propel the story all that much, but the loneliness and angst Cage and Elizabeth Shue project make this a film not to be missed.

02. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

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When you think of Vegas, what comes to mind? OK sure, gambling, strippers and the like, but what about the drugs and alcohol? Sure, maybe it’s not for everyone, but Terry Gilliam’s 1998 interpretation of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson’s drug and alcohol induced trip through the Wonderland called Vegas is a classic mind#@$%! The film is a brain-bending, eye-popping, potentially nausea-inducing adventure that follows the gonzo journalist’s wreckless, self-destructive antics as he attempts to cover a motorcycle race as a magazine article. The film stars Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro.

01. Casino

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“In Vegas, everybody’s gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I’m watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all” – Ace Rothstein

Bugsy Siegel might have been the driving force that built Vegas, but there wasn’t a picture perfect Mafia movie about the city until Scorsese came along in ’95.   Based on the novel by Nicholas Pileggi, who adapted the novel for the screen, ‘Casino’ is a fantastic look at what keeps the city ticking.   With unmatched performances by De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci, an unwavering soundtrack, and Scorsese’s style of perfection, ‘Casino’ is a film that is the embodiment of everything Vegas.   Style, glamour, a little bit of heartbreak, and a whole lot of pain, ‘Casino’ is a fantastic film about fantastic people in a fantastic city.