Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
November 11th, 2006
This tale of a man who goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death, and the whore who loves him, is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Stars Nicolas Cage as Ben and Elisabeth Shue as Sera.
Here’s Cage drinking vodka in the shower. His role is pretty much all about alcohol. It’s hard to say why it works, but it does for me. Even harder to understand is why Shue, in her role as smart prostitute Sera, falls in love with him. Maybe it’s a bunch of hooey but it works for me in a way that similar movies like Barfly, with Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway, do not.
Lots of people have reviewed it better than I could do. Philip Martin of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette says, “Cauterizing… it burns like bourbon splashed on an exposed heart.” I couldn’t say it better. Please visit Rotten Tomatoes. And then rent the movie.
Oh by the way,
I got a new projector for my little home theatre. I got a good deal because of it being a Japanese import. Here’s my Japanese remote. Wish me luck!
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