To say Martin Scorsese is a living legend with a jaw-dropping body of work is an understatement. And while well-known for his gangster pictures, Casino (1995) sometimes gets overshadowed by the rest of his films. But not for this episode. With an impressively strong cast and striking visuals, Scorsese weaves this three-hour long epic true story into one of the best crime dramas of the 90’s.
▶️ (07:24) A casino executive (Robert De Niro) and his mobster longtime friend (Joe Pesci) end up pitted against each other involving a gaming empire and a hustler (Sharon Stone) who is playing them both. Casino is a grand saga about greed, power and who’s about to gain or lose control. Among hashing out the themes of the film, discussions will also focus on the violent imagery mixed with quick-witted humor in the film, use of narration, the impeccable cast and where Casino fits into Scorsese’s career, as well as the noticeably inspired soundtrack.
▶️ (36:31) Picks of the Week: Because we love the dude, De Niro dominates our Picks this time out. Riding the crime drama genre, Lindsay goes for the semi-true depiction of legendary mobster Al Capone vs. federal agent Eliot Ness and his crew of crimefighters in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987). Justin hones in on De Niro’s scarier side in Tony Scott’s The Fan (1996), wherein a man’s baseball obsession and fanatical love for his favorite player goes too far.
▶️ (51:00) Filmmaker Justin Hayward drops by to discuss Robert Richardson’s cinematography in Casino, and how his lighting contribution to the film made for an entirely fresh and different looking Scorsese film.
▶️ (58:56) This Casino-inspired MurrayMoment makes multiple connections to Billy and the film. But is it always possible to figure out the gritty details behind minor stories? All tangental roads lead to one movie-stealing cameo mostly every Murray-loving person fondly remembers: Zombieland (2009).
▶️ (1:07:54) Quick final thoughts on the costuming of Casino and how it plays a major role in the film.
▶️ If you haven’t seen our main feature or need to revisit, Casino is a wild ride into a world of excess and corruption. It’s a fun watch, but be glad you weren’t involved in the true story behind the film. Thanks for listening!
Episode 116 : Showgirls
Episode 115 : Donnie Darko
Episode 114 : Party Girl
Episode 113 : The Before Trilogy
Episode 112 : The Exorcist
Episode 111 : After Hours
Episode 110 : Evil Dead 2
Episode 109 : Teen Wolf
Episode 108 : American Psycho
Episode 107 : Se7en
Episode 106 : National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
Episode 105 : School Of Rock
Episode 104 : Menace II Society
Episode 103 : The Fugitive
Episode 102 : The Obsession From Hell (90’s Special)
Episode 101 : Groundhog Day
Episode 100 : Die Hard
Episode 99 : A Few Good Men
Episode 98 : Poltergeist (1982)
Episode 97 : The Ring
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