In this installment, we continue our analysis of Martin Scorsese's movie Casino by analyzing the scenes showcaseing Andy's Warning to Ace and the view of Fremont St from the restaurant at Plaza.
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Saturday, January 4, 2020
PCP - 360 POV: Casino E-8
In this installment, we continue our analysis of Martin Scorsese's movie Casino by analyzing the scenes showcaseing Andy's Warning to Ace and the view of Fremont St from the restaurant at Plaza.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
360 Vegas POV: Casino E-6
In this installment, we continue our analysis of Martin Scorsese's movie Casino by analyzing Ace & Gingers wedding, when Nicky gets put in the black book, the location listed as "Back Home" and when Ace catches Ginger with her former boyfriend/pimp.
Friday, June 29, 2018
360 Vegas POV: Casino E-2
In this installment of 360 Vegas POV, we continue our analysis of Martin Scorsese's movie Casino by breaking down two scenes that will help to establish the geographic layout for the movie's version of the city of Las Vegas. While we do that, we'll compare the films version of Vegas to the one that actually existed at the time as well as today.
Friday, May 25, 2018
360 Vegas POV: Casino E-1
Casino is the story of Sam "Ace" Rothstein and the events that occurred while he ran the Tangiers hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The movie is based on the real life of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and what happened while he was running the Stardust.
What's fun about this movie are the choices Scorsese makes, how often his story accurately mirrors the real events that inspired it and where they deviate from one another. Not only the differences in the narrative but in the movie version of the city of Las Vegas. Both are set in the 1970s through the early 80s. However since the movie was filmed in 1994, without the use of modern CGI, differences between how the landscape looked during the time the story is set in and what it looked like during filming were unavoidable. Despite that challenge, Scorsese made the conscious effort to represent the city as it existed during that time when he could, changing it when it benefited the story.
In that spirit, lets play a game. We want to see how close the movie storyline matches what really happened. While doing that, we'll compare the landscape in Scorsese's version of Vegas to the real one.
We'll start by assuming both are exactly the same and analyze the movie to either confirm this or establish that they're different. As we encounter moments that conflict with the chronological events, we'll acknowledge them, then remove them from the equation so we can move on connecting the moments in time that still match up. We'll continue doing this until we're finally shown something that breaks the last connection we have, to the continuity of the real events.
Regarding the landscape, we will allow it to help us progress in the timeline but not to establish a break in it. Conflicts will simply be documented differences between the movie landscape and the real one. That being said, one rule we will make is you can't make things up. The Tangiers will be the only fictional landmark. The rest of the landscape can only be reconfigured, either in location or in its evolution. The moment something can't simply be reconfigured to explain what you are seeing, the game is over. That includes making changes to the infrastructure. IE, things like roads and landmarks exist exactly as they are, or were, in the Las Vegas until something is shown to force us to relocate them. So if we are driving along the strip and after the Flamingo we see the Golden Nugget, then that's where the Golden Nugget exists in films version of Las Vegas. It doesn't become a problem until we see the Golden Nugget shown again but located in a different geographical location
Also, understand that an argument can be made to challenge any of this. This is just a chance to over analyze a movie and talk about Vegas while doing it.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
E-161: Vital Adventures
This week former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian became just the 8th person to post humus have the lights on the strip and Fremont St dimmed for, in his case for a total of 3 minutes
o The other 7 are President Kennedy, Elvis, Sammy Davis Jr. Dean Martin, George Burns, Frank Sinatra and President Reagan. (8newsnow.com)
Vegas Mate Review of the Week
Diana Clarke’s Feb 14th Review of Caesars Palace – 2/5 chips
Twitpic of the week
Photography once again shows why it’s the superior form of art. While I enjoy paintings and sculptures, neither can do what a photograph can. Case and point, in the wake of the news that Riviera will not be with us much longer, @bluestorm2000 shared a picture he took of the strip in 1996. The photo was specifically taken in the middle of the street, in between Riviera and slots of fun, looking south. What is absolutely fascinating is by the end of 2015, 23 years since this picture was taken, nothing found in this picture will exist. Literally none of it. While I didn’t Visit Vegas for the first time until 12 years after this picture was taken, it has the amazing ability to take me right there. It somehow simultaneously looks familiar and foreign. Watching iconic properties slowly disappear from the strip gives me an even greater appreciation for Fremont St and how, no matter how much things change, is the only place in Vegas that holds onto its past tightly. While it will be sad to see Riviera go, Vegas continues to be the worlds most popular vacation destination because properties that can’t draw people to her have to go in favor of attractions that will. It’s hard to imagine north strip ever becoming relevant again however if you are looking for optimism, look no further than south strip. What was once considered to be a remote location devoid of options, just like north is regarded today, Tropicana & Las Vegas Blvd is now the business intersection in the United States.
News
Coming Attractions
Oak Ridge Boys - 4/24