Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
:: The Cooler ::
by Forrest Grump
Vegas movies tend to have a lot in
common. They all tend to focus on the seedy underside of things, making you
realize that behind all the glitz and glamour, dark things are going on.
Throw into this sleaze, a story about a man with very bad luck, Luck so bad in
fact that casinos pay him to walk around, transferring his luck to others.
The Cooler starts with William H. Macy as the luckless buffoon, and Alec
Baldwin as the casino's old school manager. I am told this movie is a dramatic
comedy with undercurrents of mafia movies. I don't know that this movie really
has a genre, but I can say that I have not really seen anything like it.
This is a fresh and new take on an old formula, and it works. Macy really looks
the part as a loser who accepts his fate. He knows nothing good will happen to
him, and he decides to utilize his gift to make a buck. The problem is that he
meets someone, and begins to fall in love. In short, his luck changes. So what
does a person do? That is where the real story starts.
There are no good guys or bad guys in this movie. At times we as an audience
hate every major character, but we also find a way to sympathize with them,
regardless of what wrong they've done. This is where the story really delivers.
Redemption and forgiveness can be found in many places.
This is not to say that this movie is not depressing, in fact, like all good
Vegas movies (Leaving Las Vegas and Casino for instance) we are
shocked and frightened by some of the things we see. Human cruelty is not absent
from this movie, and some of the depictions of it can be rather graphic.
Alec Baldwin can act. Despite the fact that he tries very hard in 90% of the
movies he is in to prove otherwise, he can deliver. This is the best he has been
since "Coffee is for Closers" Glengarry Glenn Rose. It would not surprise me at
all to see him win a Supporting Actor Oscar for what he brought to his
character.
The director also serves to bring Las Vegas to life, in so much that the town is
almost a character in the movie. Everything looks dirty, the depressing
atmosphere of a casino is certainly prevalent. The whole film looks dirty, like
there is a half an inch of dust on everything.
Another strong theme the film deals with is letting go of what is around you.
Most of the characters in the movie find themselves clinging to
long gone ideals and ways of life. We feel for them all. Everyone is summarily
loved and hated. We hope that they find their redemption, but there is also the
stinging feeling that at any moment the unluckiest man on Earth's slight bit of
happiness will fall down around him.
The casting of this movie was brilliant. Every character seems like they are
playing targeted roles. In short, I think everyone involved in this movie did an
incredible job, making it the best film I've seen yet this year.
The only complaint I can really muster is that This movie at times can try to be
too much. Is it a comedy? I laughed alot, but I also cringed at the cheater
beatings, and overdosing. If it is a love story, then why de we hate the lovers
for most of the film. Although, I cannot say that the meshing of all these
styles doesn't work, and make the movie very good, I can say that It left a
slightly bad taste in my mouth. Much like a tequila shot, this movie is well
worth that slight aftertaste.
A well deserved A.
