Casinos and gambling tournaments in cinema, Poker games online

Tobey Maguire -who will be playing Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby (2012), directed by Baz Luhrmann, acting as the narrator, a graduate from Yale in this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel- competed on the first day of the World Series of Poker no-limit Texas Hold 'em at the Rio Hotel & Casinoon 28th July, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 8,500 players joined the event. The final nine players competed for the top prize of more than USD 11.5 million on the final table. Maguire survived days 1a, 2a and 3 but was eliminated in 292nd place on the fourth day, taking $39,445 in prize money.

In "Casino Royale" (2006) there are thrilling adventures and romance amidst rounds of poker culminating in an engrossing high-stakes poker game in Montenegro. In a fight scene Vesper “Money Penny” Lynd (Eva Green) assists James in helping to beat one of the villains.
The pace changes when Bond meets the Treasury's Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) ahead of a poker game against an international money launderer Le Chiffre. Eva Green is a great asset in "Casino Royale", first reluctant to get involved with Bond, and later helping him in eloquent manners. She subverts Bond girl cliches and gives us a female character bluffing her way through poker and later a love story.

Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna in "Casino" (1995).

Based on the book by Larry Shandling and Nicholas Pileggi, "Casino" was directed by Martin Scoresese, starring Robert De Niro as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a character based on Frank Rosenthal, who ran casinos in Las Vegas in the 70’s, most notably the Stardust casino (gambling, poker games, etc.)

Jodie Foster plays in "Maverick" (1994) a scheming southern belle and a skillful poker player. Bret Maverick (Mel Gibson) is attempting to enter a five-card draw tournament to prove that he is the best poker player. He needs an additional $3,000 to participate in the $25,000 event. In the town of Crystal Rivers he meets two other poker players: Foster’s Annabelle and Angel, played by Alfred Molina.
The tournament hits a high point when it’s down to three players: Maverick, Angel and The Commodore: While the odds of Gibson’s Ace of Spades draw are low (52 cards in a deck) the Commodore has four of a kind (eights) and Angel has a low straight flush. In the third act, the poker fans will be delighted since the interactions are all secondary to the poker action, which is some of the best captured on film.

Paul Newman playing poker in "The Sting" (1973)

After Henry Gondorf (Paul Newman) and John Hooker (Robert Redford) spot Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), a high-stakes gambler during a poker game, they come up with a cunning method of manipulating him into placing sure bets on fixed horse races.

"The Sting" on Top 250 #99 in Imdb List won 7 Oscars in 1974 - Best Picture, Best Director: George Roy Hill, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published: David S. Ward, Best Film Editing: William Reynolds, Best Music, Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Julia Phillips became the first female producer to win the Best Picture category.

The incorporation of gambling, casinos, poker and other games in movies goes all the way back to the 1930's with "Gambling Lady" starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Yvonne de Carlo and Dan Duryea playing the roulette in "River Lady" (1948) directed by George Sherman

Dan Duryea, the onetime advertising copywriter turned actor, became synonymous with a particularly decadent and insidious form of evil, Catch "Criss Cross" (1949) for a prototypical Duryea performance as Slim Dundee, a well-dressed gambler and syndicate boss who could teach Dennis Hopper a few tricks about sneering with nasty intent.

Duryea reserves his most chilling glares for Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster), the viral, young buck one married to Dundee's wife, Anna (Yvonne De Carlo) Sultry Anna longs to burn again in Steve's arms, but how can she manage without the money from her sugar daddy Slim?

Accessing this site you can enjoy playing poker online which offers you the most number of online poker games, with continuous tournaments starting. Through Internet you can enjoy one of the largest poker directories, featuring reviews of the best strategies and qualify for live events.
One of their sections is PokerStars Women exclusively designed for female poker players, offering a variety of schemes and exclusive tournaments.

Online free poker allows amateur players across the world to enjoy their favorite casino games withouth limitations, using the possibility of downloading software for playing poker in their PCS and catching up with international poker events.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" with never before seen footage

In this brand new trailer, Edward and Bella tie the knot and hit the road for their dream honeymoon — but when the Quileute and Volturi discover that the couple is expecting, they come after their unborn child who poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven. Source: www.accesshollywood.com

Poster of "Breaking Dawn" (2011)

Lizabeth Scott, noir icon defying patriarchy, modern films draw inspiration from film noir

Jane Greer and Lizabeth Scott in " The Company She Keeps" (1951)

"Confidential published allegations that Scott had solicited sex from lesbian call girls. She was linked to Parisian “madame” Frede, whom Marlene Dietrich had befriended; the publisher, Robert Harrison, indulged in a little “sexual Darwinism” by assigning Scott to the legion of so-called “baritone babes” who engaged in such subversive activities as wearing pants.

Lizabeth Scott did not conform. She valued her freedom and independence. She found the ways of the patriarchy to be stifling, and moved on with her life —a very personal life— just as soon as her contractual obligations had been fulfilled. Her silence regarding that life dovetails back to the duality that intrigued her from an early age —the forced dichotomy between a woman’s mind and heart, and the ongoing conflict about the ownership of a woman’s body and soul.

Too beautiful to be taken seriously, too unusual and odd to be accepted solely as eye candy, Lizabeth Scott embodies the tension that already existed in sexual politics in America in the 1940s and 50s —a tension that has still yet to be resolved.

Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott and Raymond Burr in Pitfall (1948) directed by André de Toth

“Life is a betrayal. And sometimes you betray yourself too, you know. Let’s have the guts to admit it. There isn’t anybody born here lately who didn’t play dirty sometime, somewhere in his life. So why do you hide it? Truth, honesty, that’s my key [to] filmmaking.” -André de Toth, quoted in "A Personal Journey through American Movies with Martin Scorsese" (1995)

For that reason and several more, her performance in Pitfall will continue to resonate as one of the most eloquent, realistic portrayals of “woman’s fate” in American society" -"Lizabeth Scott: Noir's Quicksilver Anti-Heroine" by Anastasia Lin (Special to the Sentinel, 2010)

"Juliette Lewis - one of the more interesting actresses out there - might have concentrated a lot on her music career over the last few years with her band Juliette and the Licks and then The New Romantiques but that doesn't stop her from taking on more film roles all the same.

Sam Rockwell holds Juliette Lewis on 5th October 2010

The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Lewis has signed on to star in contemporary film noir Blood or Water, from Scottish director Justin Molotnikov. She joins the cast which includes Stephen McCole (Stone of Destiny), Katie Dickie (Red Road), Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot) and Greta Scacchi (The Player).

Lewis had this to say:

"I am excited by Justin Molotnikov's unconventional, completely organic approach to storytelling and filmmaking... He creates one of a kind, totally engrossing stories with characters that jump off the screen." Source: twitchfilm.com

Still of Emily Hampshire as Louise in Good Neighbours (2010)

Good Neighbors is not at all the movie I expected it to be. Don't be scared off by that, though; I mean it in the best way possible. Good Neighbors instead draws its inspiration from film noir and the like, bringing Blood Simple in particular to mind, and compliments don't get much higher than that. The construction of the movie is flawless. No detail is inconsequential, and writer/director Jacob Tierney weaves it all together so brilliantly that everything you've seen and heard remains etched in your mind. He doesn't need to resort to flashes from earlier in the film to remind you what the clues were. He doesn't need to bother with monologues or heavy-handed exposition. Gifted storytellers have no use for those sorts of crutches. The whodunnit? element is basically a means to an end.

Still of Scott Speedman, Jay Baruchel and Emily Hampshire in "Good Neighbours" directed by Jacob Tierney

Good Neighbors takes that in a direction that makes perfect sense in the context of who these people are, and it's something so inspired and so fucked-up that you'll never see it coming. Even then, the movie keeps building and building on top of that, staying intelligent and respectful all the way but always steering clear of whatever it is you might be expecting. Like the best works of noir, there are no heroes. There are no villains.
Most everyone is instead a darker shade of gray in between, and wait'll you see how the film wrangles in its femme fatale. Source: www.dvdtalk.com

Still of Sam Riley and Andrea Riseborough as Pinkie Brown and Rose in Brighton Rock (2010)

"Oh those bad boys. A mousy waitress in a British resort town is drawn to a minor-league thug, and she won't heed her boss's warning that he's no good. That's the crux of "Brighton Rock" a stylish film noir remake of a 1947 film based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel. Writer-director Rowan Joffe has set it in the '60s, so there are numerous mod references.

Despite what his name might imply, Pinkie Brown is a ruthless low-life who kills a rival gang leader out of revenge. We understand that nothing good will come of this. Sam Riley ("Control") is convincing as the strange young man who is desperate to not be found out, so when the dowdy young thing could possibly finger him for the murder, he starts wooing her.

An appealing Andrea Riseborough ("Never Let Me Go") is the good Catholic girl who refuses to believe Pinkie has ulterior motives.

In a supporting role, Helen Mirren plays Ida, owner of the tea room where Rose works. She suspects what Pinkie is up to, and won't stop from exposing the psychopath. The venerable John Hurt shows up as a bookie, and they both lend class to the rather glum proceedings.

Handsomely shot, "Brighton Rock" boasts breathtaking scenic views, with moonlit nights as attractive as a stroll on Brighton's pier. When dark is called for, the moodiness and shadows are evocative, and melancholic music punctuates a string-heavy score". Source: www.bnd.com

Kristen Stewart discusses her film experiences and wrapping the Twilight series

Actress Kristen Stewart discusses her most impactful (and disturbing) film experiences, trying on wedding dresses, and wrapping the Twilight series.

Jake Gyllenhaal leaving Nishimura Restaurant with Busy Philipps in West Hollywood

Jake Gyllenhaal leaving Nishimura Restaurant With Busy Philipps In West Hollywood on 6th September 2011

Busy Philips greets Michelle Williams at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on 3rd March 2011

Busy Philipps is the godmother of Matilda Rose Ledger, daughter of actor Heath Ledger and actress Michelle Williams; actor Jake Gyllenhaal is the godfather.

Jake Gyllenhaal leaving Murakami Sushi Restaurant in Hollywood on 9th September 2011

Noir dames and tough guys video

Stills of actors and actresses in classic films: "Detour" (Tom Neal and Ann Savage), "From here to eternity" (Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr), "The postman always rings twice" (Lana Turner and John Garfield), "Out of the past" (Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas), "In a lonely place" (Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame), "Suspicion" (Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine), "Wife vs Secretary" (Jean Harlow, James Stewart), "Laura" (Gene Tierney), "High Sierra" (Bogart, Ida Lupino), "The Big Shot" (Irene Manning), "The Killers" (Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner), "Step by Step" (Lawrence Tierney, Ann Jeffreys), "The Lady from Shangai" (Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth), "The Maltese Falcon" (Bogart, Mary Astor), Lizabeth Scott ("The Strange love of Martha Ivers", "Dark City", "The Company She Keeps", "I walk alone", "Desert Fury"), "Gun Crazy" (Peggy Cummins), "The Blue Dahlia" (Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd), "Gilda" (Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford), "The Big Combo" (Cornel Wilde, Helene Stanton), "Fallen Angel" (Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell), "The Wild One" (Marlon Brando, Mary Murphy), "The Prowler" (Van Heflin, Evelyn Keyes), "Touch of evil" (Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh), "Scarlet Street" (Joan Bennett, Edward G. Robinson, Dan Duryea), "Manhandled" (Sterling Hayden, Dan Duryea, Dorothy Lamour), "Too late for tears" (Lizabeth Scott, Dan Duryea), "Johnny Stool Pigeon" (Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea), "Ball of fire" (Barbara Stanwyck, Dan Duryea), "The Burglar" (Dan Duryea, Jayne Mansfield), "Black Angel" (Dan Duryea, June Vincent), "The Woman in the Window" (Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea), "Criss Cross" (Yvonne de Carlo, Burt Lancaster, Dan Duryea), "Macao" (Robert Mitchum, Gloria Grahame), "Lady on a train" (Dan Duryea, Deanna Durbin), "Cry Danger" (Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming), "They drive by night" (Bogart, Ann Sheridan), "The Bad and the Beautiful" (Dick Powell, Gloria Grahame), "The Roaring Twenties" (James Cagney, Priscilla Lane), "Winner Take All" (James Cagney, Mariam Nixon), "Kid Glove Killer" (Van Heflin and Marsha Hunt), "Murder, My Sweet" (Dick Powell, Claire Trevor), "Raw Deal" (Dennis O'Keefe, Marsha Hunt, Claire Trevor) , "Double Indemnity" (Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray), "On Dangerous Ground" (Robert Ryan, Ida Lupino), "Moontide" (Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino), "High School Confidential" (Mamie Van Doren), "Naked Alibi" (Gloria Grahame, Sterling Hayden), "The Racket" (Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott), "My Forbidden Past" (Robert Mitchum, Ava Gardner), "Where Danger Lies" (Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue), "Decoy" (Jean Gillie), "Dead End" (Humphrey Bogart, Claire Trevor), "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" (Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart), "The Killing" (Sterling Hayden, Marie Windsor), "Human Desire" (Gloria Grahame, Glenn Ford), "The Long Haul" (Victor Mature, Diana Dors), "Lady in the Lake" (Audrey Totter), "Vertigo" (Kim Novak), stills from Hedy Lamarr, Sylvia Sidney, Julie Bishop, Jeanne Crain, Jan Sterling, Madeleine Carroll, Dolores Moran, Gail Patrick, Martha Vickers, Ann Dvorak, Betty Grable, Kaaren Verne, Virginia Grey, Barbara Payton, Ramsay Ames, etc.


A Time Capsule of 1940s Downtown Los Angeles: shiny cars, palm trees, and depression-era shop fronts.

Access Exclusive Teaser Trailer: ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1’

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in Twilight saga "Breaking Dawn" part 1 directed by Bill Condon

Access has the new teaser trailer for one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1.” Look for the brand new, full trailer on AccessHollywood.com on Tuesday, September 13 at 8 PM EST / 5 PM PST! Source: www.accesshollywood.com