The Cooler

The Cooler is a 2003 movie directed and co written by Wayne Kramer. The movie was very well received by critics though it did not make a great run at the movie houses.

The movie centers around The Shangri-La Casino and it's Boss Shelly Koplov played by Alec Baldwin. Baldwin is terrific in this role putting every bit of narcissistic nastiness in his soul into the role. William H Macy plays Bernie Lootz a man employed by Shelley as a " Cooler ", that is a person who joins the table of a gambler on a hot streak. Bernie is a born loser with bad luck, a black cloud on good fortune.

Macy too is fantastic in his role. As we join Bernie he is in his last week of employment. A cocktail waitress played by Mario Bello begins to talk to him and soon they are having a meal together, laughing together and sleeping together. Bernie's loneliness is palpable and his feelings of disbelief at a woman being near him again show through.

Shelley has a lot on his plate. His bosses, the underworld figures who own the casino are being given advice by a fresh MBA played by Ron Livingstone. Shelley is completely against the family friendly idea of Vegas.

As Bernie's love life improves his talents as a cooler desert him. This brings no happiness to Shelly or his bosses and how Shelly deals with the changes in Bernie's life are a turning point in the movie.

The movie has graphic language, a little more sex than movies I usually watch, but the talent in the cast and the crispness and ability to shock in the script make up for it.

This movie is an undiscovered gem. It is a fantastic movie. For those wondering how Alec Baldwin keeps landing on his feet this movie might well be the answer. He can, in the right role, be a terrific actor. The cast also includes Paul Sorvino as a drug addicted old school lounge singer that Shelly wants to keep but who the bosses as part of their modernization of the casino want to replace.

This is a fantastic movie.

Fargo

Fargo is a 1996 movie from the Coen brothers. Considered a dark comedy it is one of the more influential movies of the nineties. Featuring a very strong cast including Best Actess Winner Frances McDermond, Steve Buscemi and William H Macy the movie as well as being well reviewed has been a cult classic with a very devoted fan base.

The story centers around Jerry Lundegaard as a Minneapolis car salesman, actually executive sales manager as he likes to say at a dealership owned by his father in law. Jerry is deeply in debt and as the movie begins he has hired two hit men to kidnap his wife. He does not wish her harm, he merely hopes to get his very wealthy father in law to pay a ransom. To be further ahead in the game he has told his hired hands that he will pay them 40,000, while advising his father in law that the ransom that has been asked for is one million dollars.

Of course nothing goes as planned. William H Macy is wonderful in his role as the hapless salesman mixing his deceptiveness with " Minnesota Nice."

The hit men kidnap Mrs. Lundegaard but on the road are pulled over for a license plate issue. In the end they shoot the police officer. Carl, played by Steve Buscemi is dragging the body off the road when a car with two teenagers goes by. His accomplice Gaaer chases them down and when they in fleeing goes off the road shoots them both.

The crime scene is investigated by Brainerd Chief of Police Marge Gunderson. In the role that won McDermond the Oscar Marge is seven months pregnant and a very good detective. Quickly ascertaining the timeline she then backtracks and is quickly on the trail.

Harve Presnell plays Wade, Jerry's father in law and is strong in the role. Buscemi, does he ever come to a good end in his movies has a memorable moment with a wood chipper and in the end Marge lectures Gaear about why would anyone make the choice he has made when after all.....it is a bueatiful day.

A very interesting movie. Not a classic but for any of us who have experienced the North Dakota, Minnesota personality a welcome reminder of this personality climate.