The 100 Greatest movies of the 1990s #27. Casino (111 Viewers)

[KarmaPolice]

Although I think Hunt is a tremendous actor, I don't consider this her best role and was surprised she won the Oscar for this.

You seem like a Twister guy.

Twister rules.

Based on your last two posts we might have to break up.

 

[General Malaise]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I think the 90s were good — much better than the 80s. Rise of independent film led to a lot of films that would not have been made only a decade earlier.

Yeah I would say 90s is considered one of the best decades ever. Right?

I think so, but it's also the decade many of us in here were moving from adolescence to adulthood, the first time many of the movies we watched involved topics germane to our own lives. We were kids in the 80s and by the aughts many of us were having kids.

So the 90s is a decade that marked our journeys into independence and we could identify with many of the characters in many of the films as they too struggled with things like finances, love, sexuality, infidelity, addiction and trying to find purpose and meaning. At least for me.

So while I sure did enjoy movies like Forrest Gump or Independence Day, movies like Swingers, As Good as it Gets etc really resonated with me. Movies about real people dealing with real issues and the struggle for identity and acceptance.

I didn't need more car chases or explosions. I needed films to speak to me and the 90s delivered these in droves.

I think you just might like Sound of Metal,

That's the plan for tonight!

I got sidetracked by The Big Lebowski

Lol. I almost watched it again last night. Instead, I clicked on The Wrestler.

Eta: i meant watched Lebowski, not SoM

Wrestler was one I really liked but never watched a 2nd time. Might have to queue that one up this weekend.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

LEAVE TODEM ALONE!

 

[KarmaPolice]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I think the 90s were good — much better than the 80s. Rise of independent film led to a lot of films that would not have been made only a decade earlier.

Yeah I would say 90s is considered one of the best decades ever. Right?

I think so, but it's also the decade many of us in here were moving from adolescence to adulthood, the first time many of the movies we watched involved topics germane to our own lives. We were kids in the 80s and by the aughts many of us were having kids.

So the 90s is a decade that marked our journeys into independence and we could identify with many of the characters in many of the films as they too struggled with things like finances, love, sexuality, infidelity, addiction and trying to find purpose and meaning. At least for me.

So while I sure did enjoy movies like Forrest Gump or Independence Day, movies like Swingers, As Good as it Gets etc really resonated with me. Movies about real people dealing with real issues and the struggle for identity and acceptance.

I didn't need more car chases or explosions. I needed films to speak to me and the 90s delivered these in droves.

I think you just might like Sound of Metal,

That's the plan for tonight!

I got sidetracked by The Big Lebowski

Lol. I almost watched it again last night. Instead, I clicked on The Wrestler.

Eta: i meant watched Lebowski, not SoM

Wrestler was one I really liked but never watched a 2nd time. Might have to queue that one up this weekend.

The Wrestler is on Hulu, I believe.

I was thinking of a double feature for Sound of Metal on the week, and considered Whiplash, but thought the tone of The Wrestler might be more fitting.

 

[KarmaPolice]

LEAVE TODEM ALONE!

Of course I'm just busting balls. Twister is fun, but not one I like to watch a lot. My tiebreaker for movies like that usually comes down to the actors, and I lean towards stuff like ID4 and Men in Black if I want a fun 90s movie.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I did like Twister, haven't go to Twisters yet.

 

[General Malaise]

Twister was horrendously dumb. Good lord.....

 

[Todem]

Although I think Hunt is a tremendous actor, I don't consider this her best role and was surprised she won the Oscar for this.

You seem like a Twister guy.

Twister rules.

Based on your last two posts we might have to break up.

I do have a serious artsy side too Karma.

 

[jwb]

I love the classic stereotypes of the tornado chasers in Twister... the plucky eccentric group doing it with gumption and duct tape, and the "evil" corporate tornado chasers, complete with onminous black vans.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I love the classic stereotypes of the tornado chasers in Twister... the plucky eccentric group doing it with gumption and duct tape, and the "evil" corporate tornado chasers, complete with onminous black vans.

I especially like that the heroine's motivation is based on her father being an idiot.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Casino, but the sequence near the end when Sharon Stone is all but screaming her head off for like 10 minutes straight is hard to rewatch. The underrated scene is the guy complaining in the store where the wire is in the ceiling. The reactions of his mom (Scorsese's real mom) to his cursing are hysterical.

 

[FarFromHome]

Absolutely. Loved. Casino. The cast, the violence, the debauchery, and the storyline. The get off my lawn guys need to literally get off my lawn.

 

[massraider]

This countdown needs some Jonny Lee Miller soon

And no not that one

You're hoping for Zero Cool, I feel ya

 

[Pip's Invitation]

LEAVE TODEM ALONE!

Of course I'm just busting balls. Twister is fun, but not one I like to watch a lot. My tiebreaker for movies like that usually comes down to the actors, and I lean towards stuff like ID4 and Men in Black if I want a fun 90s movie.

Will Smith fan, I see. How did you feel about the Chris Rock incident?

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

LEAVE TODEM ALONE!

Of course I'm just busting balls. Twister is fun, but not one I like to watch a lot. My tiebreaker for movies like that usually comes down to the actors, and I lean towards stuff like ID4 and Men in Black if I want a fun 90s movie.

Will Smith fan, I see. How did you feel about the Chris Rock incident?

I know you aren't asking me but I thought it was meant to be a skit at first....

 

[rockaction]

He didn’t have Twister ahead of The Big Lebowski.

He did, didn’t he?

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I doubt twister makes this list

 

[rockaction]

I doubt twister makes this list

I probably should have just clicked the "previous page" button if l wanted to know for sure, huh? Oh, God. Ed Wood? I know that was a film in vogue back then, but it seemed like the ironic worship of bad art for irony's sake had jumped both shark and pier by that point in time. The subject felt like it was a struggling horse in the last act of a late-19th century Eurasian novel about the death of God.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Twister was horrendously dumb. Good lord.....

Yes it, but it also has Bill Paxton which makes it good.

 

[General Malaise]

Twister was horrendously dumb. Good lord.....

Yes it, but it also has Bill Paxton which makes it good.

Good actors can make bad movies.

This thing was a turd. And I like Paxton and Hunt.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

I just couldn’t get past the idea that youngish Helen Hunt was attracted to old man Jack.

I agree and would add weird and obnoxious old Jack. It just didn't work at all.

 

[El Floppo]

I love the classic stereotypes of the tornado chasers in Twister... the plucky eccentric group doing it with gumption and duct tape, and the "evil" corporate tornado chasers, complete with onminous black vans.

Black vans that drive 24" apart from each other.

 

[zamboni]

Although I think Hunt is a tremendous actor, I don't consider this her best role and was surprised she won the Oscar for this.

You seem like a Twister guy.

Twister rules.

Rule #1: what happens on the board stays on the board

 

[KarmaPolice]

Although I think Hunt is a tremendous actor, I don't consider this her best role and was surprised she won the Oscar for this.

You seem like a Twister guy.

Twister rules.

Rule #1: what happens on the board stays on the board

Go on....

 

[culdeus]

28. Ed Wood (1994)

Directed by: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker

Synopsis: A Hollywood director makes the worst films of all time.

Pull the string! Pull the string! - Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi

So I think this is Tim Burton’s best film of all time. It’s essentially a character study of some real life Hollywood misfits. Despite being a colossal failure at everything he attempts, Depp’s Ed Wood is an irrepressible optimist. But the real star of the movie is Landau, who manages to offer great humor, sadness, and melancholy. Somehow his Lugosi is both way over the top and real at the same time.

This holds up. Saw it recently.

 

[Dennis Castro]

I prefer Casino to Goodfellas.

 

[TripItUp]

27. Casino (1995)

Directed by: Martin Scorcese

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Don Rickles

Synopsis: A professional gambler introduces sports betting to the Las Vegas casinos.

A timeless classic. Just as good now as it was 30 years ago.

Trip's Official Ruling: Appropriately ranked(makes my top 20)

 

[northern exposure]

I like Dazed and Confused - it's a fun movie, but seems a bit over-ranked here. It doesn't have much substance.

Rewatched it yesterday. Amazing soundtrack, but the film itself = meh.
What was the fascination with the upcoming seniors paddling the upcoming freshman? Affleck's character just lived for it.
I remember "hazing" occurring to the Freshmen at the start of the school year, not at the end of previous school year.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I like Dazed and Confused - it's a fun movie, but seems a bit over-ranked here. It doesn't have much substance.

Rewatched it yesterday. Amazing soundtrack, but the film itself = meh.
What was the fascination with the upcoming seniors paddling the upcoming freshman? Affleck's character just lived for it.
I remember "hazing" occurring to the Freshmen at the start of the school year, not at the end of previous school year.

I love this film. I was the same age as the incoming freshmen in 1976 and I had experiences pretty close to those depicted in the movie.

I agree with you on the hazing, though - it happened once the new school year started.

 

[FarFromHome]

33. Dazed And Confused (1993)

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Starring: Jason London, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jojovich, Adam Goldberg

Synopsis: High school students in Austin Texas in 1976 face the last day of school.

All right all right all right! - Matthew McConaughey as Wooderson.

The parallels to American Graffiti, made 20 years earlier, are enormous: last day (and night) of high school. Teenage angst. Ensemble cast filled with numerous future stars. Both are great great films and have become iconic representations of the eras they were set in: respectively, the early 60s and mid 70s.

This one has numerous great scenes. It always struck me that actors like Parker Posey and McConaughey made such a huge impression with so little screen time. Adam Goldberg is also terrific.

Missed this. Dazed and Confused is just damn good television. I graduated in 93. Was a stoner. A baseball player. A great lover. This movie hit for me. Are you cool man?

 

[northern exposure]

I like Dazed and Confused - it's a fun movie, but seems a bit over-ranked here. It doesn't have much substance.

Rewatched it yesterday. Amazing soundtrack, but the film itself = meh.
What was the fascination with the upcoming seniors paddling the upcoming freshman? Affleck's character just lived for it.
I remember "hazing" occurring to the Freshmen at the start of the school year, not at the end of previous school year.

I love this film. I was the same age as the incoming freshmen in 1976 and I had experiences pretty close to those depicted in the movie.

I agree with you on the hazing, though - it happened once the new school year started.

Close experiences like the paddling? If so, what part of the country was it? That part just didn't resonate with me. It took up so much of the movie and was goofy and pointless.
I can understand loving the film if it's nostalgia for you. But, without that pull, for me it's just good, not great.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I like Dazed and Confused - it's a fun movie, but seems a bit over-ranked here. It doesn't have much substance.

Rewatched it yesterday. Amazing soundtrack, but the film itself = meh.
What was the fascination with the upcoming seniors paddling the upcoming freshman? Affleck's character just lived for it.
I remember "hazing" occurring to the Freshmen at the start of the school year, not at the end of previous school year.

I love this film. I was the same age as the incoming freshmen in 1976 and I had experiences pretty close to those depicted in the movie.

I agree with you on the hazing, though - it happened once the new school year started.

Close experiences like the paddling? If so, what part of the country was it? That part just didn't resonate with me. It took up so much of the movie and was goofy and pointless.
I can understand loving the film if it's nostalgia for you. But, without that pull, for me it's just good, not great.

I don't recall any paddling, but stuff like shoving the freshmen in their lockers, making them pick up worn jock straps after practice, etc.... I was in a more rural area (Maryland) than the film's setting, so guys in pickups driving up and down streets looking for freshmen wasn't really a thing. And I don't think the cheerleader hazing was as brutal as depicted in the movie.

I didn't mean the exact details, but the overall vibe was pretty much spot on. The big keg party definitely was. So was being underaged buying beer and riding around with friends looking for something to do. And the music locks it in.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

Was a stoner. A baseball player. A great lover

Well someone thinks highly of themselves

 

[FarFromHome]

Was a stoner. A baseball player. A great lover

Well someone thinks highly of themselves

I tried to sneak that in as a test. Think Johnny Dep as Don Juan. Ha ha

 

[Navin Johnson]

Was a stoner. A baseball player. A great lover

Well someone thinks highly of themselves

I tried to sneak that in as a test. Think Johnny Dep as Don Juan. Ha ha

Right, because all the women Don Juan to be with you.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Was a stoner. A baseball player. A great lover

Well someone thinks highly of themselves

I tried to sneak that in as a test. Think Johnny Dep as Don Juan. Ha ha

Right, because all the women Don Juan to be with you.

Grumpy Old Men going to show up still?

ETA: I mean the movie, not the FFA

 

[Ghost Rider]

I like Dazed and Confused - it's a fun movie, but seems a bit over-ranked here. It doesn't have much substance.

Rewatched it yesterday. Amazing soundtrack, but the film itself = meh.
What was the fascination with the upcoming seniors paddling the upcoming freshman? Affleck's character just lived for it.
I remember "hazing" occurring to the Freshmen at the start of the school year, not at the end of previous school year.

I love this film. I was the same age as the incoming freshmen in 1976 and I had experiences pretty close to those depicted in the movie.

I agree with you on the hazing, though - it happened once the new school year started.

Close experiences like the paddling? If so, what part of the country was it? That part just didn't resonate with me. It took up so much of the movie and was goofy and pointless.
I can understand loving the film if it's nostalgia for you. But, without that pull, for me it's just good, not great.

Agreed. Honestly, had the film not being given the name of an iconic Zeppelin song and then had several actors who went on to be big, the film is likely remembered as just a solid, fun high school flick (which ultimately is what it is), nothing more.

 

[Jayrod]

I like Dazed and Confused - it's a fun movie, but seems a bit over-ranked here. It doesn't have much substance.

Rewatched it yesterday. Amazing soundtrack, but the film itself = meh.
What was the fascination with the upcoming seniors paddling the upcoming freshman? Affleck's character just lived for it.
I remember "hazing" occurring to the Freshmen at the start of the school year, not at the end of previous school year.

I love this film. I was the same age as the incoming freshmen in 1976 and I had experiences pretty close to those depicted in the movie.

I agree with you on the hazing, though - it happened once the new school year started.

Close experiences like the paddling? If so, what part of the country was it? That part just didn't resonate with me. It took up so much of the movie and was goofy and pointless.
I can understand loving the film if it's nostalgia for you. But, without that pull, for me it's just good, not great.

Agreed. Honestly, had the film not being given the name of an iconic Zeppelin song and then had several actors who went on to be big, the film is likely remembered as just a solid, fun high school flick (which ultimately is what it is), nothing more.

I think it was better than its peers, American Graffiti and Can't Hardly Wait.