Break out your “Dune” popcorn bucket: It’s time for the best movies of the year.

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

As much as theaters are humming right now, with “Wicked” and “Moana 2″ bringing moviegoers by the droves, it’s been a fairly bruising movie year. In between the blockbusters, though, the challenge of not just capturing the attention of audiences but of simply getting to the screen feels more perilous than ever. The year was marked by filmmakers who wagered everything from a $120 million pile ( Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” ) to their life (the dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”). Considering the paths of the “The Apprentice” (about Donald Trump’s rise in New York) or the Israeli occupation documentary “No Other Land” (which still lacks a distributor), the question of what gets released was a common and chilling refrain. That also made the movies that managed their way through — the ones that told urgent stories or dazzled with originality at a time of sequel stranglehold — all the more worth celebrating. Here are The Associated Press’ Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr’s picks for the best movies of 2024:

Jake Coyle’s top movies of 20241. “All We Imagine As Light”Was this a great year for movies? The consensus seems to be no, and that may be true. But it did produce some stone-cold masterpieces, none more so than Payal Kapadia’s sublime tale of three women in modern Mumbai. It’s a grittily real movie graced, in equally parts, by keen-eyed documentary and dreamy poetry. Beguilingly, “All We Imagine As Light” grows more profound as it cleaves further from reality. In theaters.

2. “Nickel Boys”Like Kapadia, RaMell Ross started out in documentary before bringing a singular eye to narrative film. His adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, about two Black teenagers at an abusive reform school in the Jim Crow South, is shot mostly from the two boys’ first-person perspective. The result is one of the most visually inventive American films of the decade and, just as certainly, one of the richest in empathy. Opens in theaters Dec. 13.

3. “Anora”So many of the reasons to go to the movies — to laugh at a clattering comic set piece, to witness the breakthrough of a young performer, to be devastated by something tragic — are contained within the thrillingly kitchen-sink “Anora.” It’s a concoction that only Sean Baker could conceive, let alone execute. (And, by the way, if you liked Yura Borisov’s performance alongside Mikey Madison, seek out 2021’s “Compartment No. 6.”) In theaters.

4. “I Saw the TV Glow”Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature — a dramatic leap forward for filmmaker and a transfixing trans parable — is a chilling 1990s coming of age in which a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”-like series called “The Pink Opaque” offers a possible portal out of drab suburban life and other suffocations. It feels chillingly, beautifully ripped out of Schoenbrun’s soul — and it’s got a killer soundtrack. Streaming on Max, available for digital rental.

(Searchlight/Sideshow-Janus/Neon/Apple/Warner Bros./Kino Lorber/A24//Orion-Amazon/A24/Warner Bros/Sony Pictures Classics/Magnolia via AP)

(Searchlight/Sideshow-Janus/Neon/Apple/Warner Bros./Kino Lorber/A24//Orion-Amazon/A24/Warner Bros/Sony Pictures Classics/Magnolia via AP)Read More

5. “Green Border”The fury of Agnieszka Holland’s searing migrant drama is suitably calibrated to the crisis. Along the Poland-Belarus border, a small band of migrants from Syria and Afghanistan are sent back and forth across a wooded borderland — sometimes they’re even literally tossed — in a grim game of “not in my backyard.” It’s not an easy movie to watch, nor should it be. To keep up with the times, more uncomfortable movies like this may be needed. Streaming on Kino Film Collection, available for digital rental.

6. “The Fall Guy”We also need more big, fun movies with Ryan Gosling. David Leitch’s affectionate ode to stunt performers manages to celebrate behind-the-scenes crew members while simultaneously being completely carried by two of our most winning movie stars in Gosling and Emily Blunt. The societal value of watching Gosling cry to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” should not be underestimated. Streaming on Peacock, available for digital rental.

Ryan Gosling in a scene from “The Fall Guy.” (Eric Laciste/Universal Pictures via AP)

Ryan Gosling in a scene from “The Fall Guy.” (Eric Laciste/Universal Pictures via AP)Read More

7. “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”The way the Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who was forced into exile while editing this, condenses real-life social upheaval into a family drama makes this a uniquely disquieting film. Like Kurosawa’s “Stray Dog,” Rasoulof’s movie centers around a lost handgun. The subsequent search reveals just how deeply the Iranian government’s policies have seeped into the most intimate relationships. In theaters.

8. “Ghostlight” and “Sing Sing”We had not one but two movies this year that captured the therapeutic properties of theater. Each, almost unbelievably, deftly eludes tipping into cliche thanks to abiding compassion and authenticity in the performances. Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s “Ghostlight” is about a grieving father, a construction worker (an exceptional Keith Kupferer), who reluctantly joins a local production of “Romeo and Juliet.” “Sing Sing” dramatizes a real rehabilitation prison program. Its screening at Sing Sing Correctional, where many of its performers were once incarcerated, was easily the most moving moviegoing experience of the year for me. “Ghostlight” is available for digital rental. “Sing Sing” returns to theaters Jan. 17.

9. “His Three Daughters”In Azazel Jacobs’ funny, tender and raw family drama, a flawless cast of Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne play three sisters caring for their dying father. In close quarters and with death looming, it all comes out. Streaming on Netflix.10. “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger”In between large, lengthy epics, Martin Scorsese has made some his most interesting and personal films. In this, Scorsese narrates for director David Hinton his lifetime journey with the films of Powell and Pressburger, the great filmmakers of “The Red Shoes,” “I Know Where I’m Going!” and “Black Narcissus.” As an expression of movie love — of the power of film to transfix you, to change your life, to live alongside you as you grow older — “Made in England” could hardly be more effusive. Such insightful, passionate testimonies are an increasingly necessary lifeblood in a film culture where algorithms are typically blind to the treasures of cinema’s past. Streaming on WatchTCM and available for digital rental.Also: “Grand Tour,” “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,”“No Other Land,”“Rebel Ridge,”“The Brutalist,”“Between the Temples,”“Evil Does Not Exist,” “Universal Language,” “Daughters”Lindsey Bahr’s top movies of 2024

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Saoirse Ronan, left, and Elliott Heffernan in a scene from “Blitz.” (Apple TV+ via AP)

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Saoirse Ronan, left, and Elliott Heffernan in a scene from “Blitz.” (Apple TV+ via AP)Read More

1. “Blitz” Steve McQueen tells a different kind of World War II story in “Blitz,” a powerful and clear-eyed odyssey through London during the German bombing raid. Structured around a 9-year-old boy (Elliott Heffernan) trying to make his way back to his mother (Saoirse Ronan), it is a sneakily revolutionary glimpse into and poignant elegy for worlds unexplored and stories untold. Streaming on Apple TV+.2. “All We Imagine as Light” Poetic and transportive, Kapadia’s Mumbai-set film explores the vibrations of a thrilling but brutally impersonal metropolis, the lives of three women in different stages and predicaments (forbidden love, loneliness, eviction) and delicacy of female friendships.3. “Thelma”Josh Margolin’s debut feature about a 90-something (played by the incomparable June Squibb ) on a mission to get $10,000 back from a scammer is so modest in scope and effortlessly enjoyable that it’s easy to undervalue. This independent film feels as sharp and put-together as a yesteryear studio comedy. It’s pure joy and one of those movies you could recommend to anyone. Streaming on Hulu.

Richard Roundtree, left, and June Squibb in a scene from the film “Thelma.” (Magnolia Pictures via AP)

Richard Roundtree, left, and June Squibb in a scene from the film “Thelma.” (Magnolia Pictures via AP)Read More

4. “Anora” It takes a special kind of movie to transcend the echo chamber of arthouse cinephelia and become a cultural moment, but Baker’s “Anora” did it. A classic in waiting, Baker and his star Mikey Madison, who lifts the streetwise stripper trope, take audiences on an unforgettable ride in this fairy tale that falls apart in spectacular fashion.5. “Nickel Boys”Ross transforms Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel about the abuses and generational trauma of a reform school in the Jim Crow South for the screen by employing first-person point-of-view. It’s a bold choice that pays off, transporting you into the heartbreaking reality of Elwood and Turner, two characters you won’t soon forget.6. “Dune: Part Two”

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Timothee Chalamet, left, and Zendaya in a scene from “Dune: Part Two.” (Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Timothee Chalamet, left, and Zendaya in a scene from “Dune: Part Two.” (Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)Read More

Decades of dreaming about a film does not always seem to benefit said film, but Denis Villeneuve was able to translate his passion for Frank Herbert’s opus into pure cinematic spectacle, and doom, about the rise of a leader. It’s a grand and thrilling adventure that could make sci-fi nerds out of us all. Streaming on MAX.7. “A Real Pain” Jesse Eisenberg grapples with modern and historical trauma in the disarmingly entertaining road trip film “A Real Pain,” which he wrote, directed and stars in alongside Kieran Culkin as cousins on a Holocaust tour in Poland. In theaters.8. “The Outrun”Saoirse Ronan delivered one of the year’s absolute best performances as an alcoholic who goes further and further into seclusion in the Orkney Islands in an attempt to start life anew. Films about addiction are hardly novel, and yet Nora Fingscheidt captures the wild highs, lows and in-betweens of the human condition with unapologetic honesty. Available for digital rental.

This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Saoirse Ronan in a scene from “The Outrun.” (Sony Pictures Classics via AP)

This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Saoirse Ronan in a scene from “The Outrun.” (Sony Pictures Classics via AP)Read More

9. “Evil Does Not Exist”Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s follow-up to “Drive My Car” takes us to a small mountain village in Japan, where residents are hesitant to welcome a big city company with plans to set up a glamping site. It’s a slow-burn kind of experience, with community debates about mountain streams and septic tanks that might not sound terribly exciting and yet it’s one of the year’s most haunting and effective. Streaming on Criterion Channel, available for digital rental. 10. “Good One”It was a great year for first-time directors, including India Donaldson whose quietly brilliant character study of a teenage girl on a camping trip with her dad and his friend resonates even a year later. Streaming on Apple TV+Also: “The Taste of Things”; “Green Border”; “Challengers”; ”Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ”; “La Cocina”; “Will & Harper”; ”Conclave”; “Maria”; “Young Woman and the Sea”; “Tuesday”; “Lee”.

‘F***ing nightmare’ Daniel Craig slams his James Bond film ‘We should never have started’

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

It’s been almost 20 years since Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond in Casino Royale.The outgoing star made five 007 films, which were released over 15 years, some of which were better received than others.Casino Royale and Skyfall are considered two of the greatest Bond movies, but the film between them ended up being something of a mess of an epilogue to the former.Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, Craig called 2008’s Quantum of Solace the “difficult second album”.Shot during the Hollywood writers’ strike of the time, the star found himself writing scenes… for himself.Craig shared: “F***ing nightmare. Paul Haggis did a pass on the script, then he went off and joined a picket line, and we didn’t have writers, so we didn’t have a script. We probably should never have gone and started production, but we did. I ended up writing a lot of that film — I probably shouldn’t really say, and I do not want a credit, it’s fine — but we were in that state because that’s what we’re allowed to do.”Craig added: “I was allowed to work. Under WGA rules we were allowed to work with a director and write scenes. But there’s some amazing stunt sequences in that, and I’m still bearing the pins to prove it, so in that sense there’s a lot of great stuff in it, but it just didn’t quite work. The storytelling wasn’t there. And that’s the abject lesson: going to start a movie without a script, it’s just – not a good idea.”

The 15 Best Gambling Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Static Media

Movies about gambling follow a simple mantra: A character or characters go up against the odds, eschewing safe bets for a risky, life-changing move. The stakes are high, but the rewards are plentiful. Our protagonists encounter numerous obstacles during their journey and often incur severe losses. They almost always experience a moment of self-reflection and are faced with the ultimate choice: go all in or fold. Rinse and repeat.

Hundreds of movies about gambling exist to tell this same story time and again, with slight variations on the formula. Audiences turn up in droves to watch these powerful morality tales play out on the silver screen. And why not? The gambling genre presents the hero’s journey in its purest form. It’s the quintessential underdog tale, except rather than score the final shot in the big game, characters risk life and limb for a chance to beat the house, upend the establishment, as it were.
But which film is the best?
Whether you’re new to the sub-genre or merely looking for an old-fashioned hustling flick set within the world of Las Vegas, underground poker, or at the race track, we’ve got you covered with a list of the 15 best gambling movies of all time, ranked from good to great. Read ’em and weep!

Lucky You

Warner Bros. Pictures

The most no-frills entry on this list, “Lucky You,” uses the World Series of Poker as a backdrop for a story about fathers and sons, with a love story featuring Drew Barrymore tossed in for good measure. And it works — mostly.

Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) is a professional poker player forced to confront his past after his estranged poker-playing father, L.C. (Robert Duvall), appears, looking to amend their relationship. Also on the table is Billie (Barrymore), a plucky singer on the rise who gets entangled in Huck’s gambling exploits. It all comes down to a showdown between father and son on the world’s largest stage, the World Series of Poker. And while the emotional finale may feel like familiar Hollywood hokum, somehow, director Curtis Hanson, working from a screenplay by Eric Roth, brings it all together for a satisfying, even warmhearted, conclusion. 
Moreover, the film is a fine starting point for anyone yearning to learn more about poker. Numerous scenes are devoted to people explaining the basics of the game, ensuring that attentive viewers will walk away with a better understanding of the sport.  

Let It Ride

Paramount Pictures

Likely the lowest-rated film on this list with a meager 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, “Let It Ride” is nonetheless a bouncy, silly film starring Richard Dreyfuss as a former gambling junkie who gets lured back to the race track, where he enjoys a streak of incredible luck. Directed by Joe Pytka, “Let It Ride” managed just $4.9 million when it rolled into theaters in August 1989 amidst stiff competition and has largely flown under the radar.

That’s too bad, because Dreyfuss has an absolute blast playing Jay Trotter, a manic bundle of nervous energy hidden beneath a relatively calm demeanor. He perfectly captures the indescribable highs and lows every gambler feels during those brief but pivotal moments when they bet the farm for a chance at immortality. The picture has fun poking at familiar tropes, culminating in a hilarious sequence in which various characters make lofty promises to the gods in exchange for a win. “Let It Ride” caters to a very niche audience that understands and empathizes with the madness on display. Don’t listen to critics, this one’s a winner.    

The Cooler

Contentfilm

In Las Vegas, you’re either a winner or a loser. William “Bernie” Lootz (William H. Macy) is the latter, at least at the outset of Wayne Kramer’s “The Cooler,” but through the power of love, his cold streak turns into a jackpot.

William “Bernie” Lootz is a professional “cooler” who gets paid to rub his bad luck onto other people, specifically those playing in a casino run by Sheldon “Shelly” Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). Situations change when Bernie falls for a cocktail waitress named Natalie (Maria Bello), a relationship that quickly snaps him out of his funk and brings good fortune. The chips begin to pile up when Bernie’s estranged son Mikey (Shawn Hatosy) appears and tries to cheat Shelly’s casino, requiring Bernie to shake his lousy luck once and for all and win back the money or wind up sitting at the loser’s table for life.
“The Cooler” is a damned fine film with sharp performances, particularly by Baldwin, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his part. It isn’t flashy and ends on a shockingly positive note, but even Vegas can deal a lucky winner every now and then.

Molly’s Game

STXfilms

Another delectable treat from famed writer (and director) Aaron Sorkin, “Molly’s Game,” follows Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) as she navigates the treacherous world of high-stakes underground poker. A former professional skier who crashed and burned during a qualifying round that would have sent her to the Olympics, Molly takes a job as an office manager for a real estate developer and soon begins managing his lucrative poker matches between A-list celebrities, politicians, and other high-ranking officials. Eventually, she sets out on her own and creates a hotspot that draws the biggest names, and lands her buckets of fortune.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. The Russian mafia begins participating in Molly’s games, drawing interest from the FBI; she becomes addicted to drugs and is later connected to a well-publicized Ponzi scheme — in other words, its your typical boom and bust tale.
Except, “Molly’s Game” rises above similar offerings thanks to Sorkin’s sharp script and Chastain’s performance, which our own Chris Evangelista described as “dynamite” in his review. Additionally, everything we’re watching actually transpired in real life, right down to Molly’s complicated relationship with her overbearing father (Kevin Costner). No, really, go read Molly’s wild, true story, then try to look at Tobey Maguire the same way again.

Bugsy

Tri-Star Pictures

A list of gambling movie greats must include Barry Levinson’s “Bugsy,” the true story about the man who literally created Sin City. Starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, the 1991 Oscar-winning drama chronicles prominent gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel’s attempts to turn an empty desert locale into a budding gambling enterprise, i.e. Las Vegas, an endeavor that ultimately costs him his life.

Levinson and writer James Toback take plenty of historical liberties recounting Bugsy’s life, morphing him from a cold blooded killer to a tragic character undone by ambition. Even so, the film does a bang-up job recreating the era and depicting the machinations behind the formation of the Flamingo Hotel that served as the cornerstone for present-day Las Vegas. Levinson also takes a look at the ties between early Hollywood and the mob, and Bugsy’s chaotic relationship with Virginia Hill. It’s undoubtedly a more romanticized version of the gangster’s life and a sensational piece of Hollywood-ized entertainment, but the filmmakers capture the gist of the real tale.
Beatty is great as Bugsy, portraying him as a man with dreams, undone by poor decisions and a wicked temper, while Bening brings a novel complexity to Virginia Hill. “Bugsy” may not always pass the history test, but it succinctly captures the life of a man who dreamed big and fell hard. 

The Color of Money

Touchstone Pictures

Martin Scorsese’s lavish sequel to the 1961 Oscar-winning classic “The Hustler” finds a much older “Fast Eddie” Felson (Paul Newman) grappling with his legacy and taking Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise), a young, hotshot pool player, under his wing. Initially successful in hustling other pool players for money, Eddie and Vincent’s relationship sours when the latter’s ego gets in the way, prompting Eddie to challenge his young apprentice to a no-holds-bar match.  

“The Color of Money” provides an exceptional showcase for Newman and Cruise’s acting abilities, and the duo is sensational in their respective roles, with the latter bringing the same swag and vigor displayed in early efforts like “Top Gun” and “Rain Man.” It’s crazy that it took a last-second intervention from Disney to get the guaranteed hit produced. Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus shoot the hell out of the picture and seem to find creative new ways to capture the ferocity of billiards. “Color of Money” looks fantastic, and while it may not move with the same ferocity as Scorsese’s notable works, it fulfills as a story about redemption, loyalty, betrayal, and friendship.
Does “Color of Money” top the moral complexity of “The Hustler”? That’s debatable. Still, Scorsese finds exciting ways to challenge Eddie, pushing the icon to the brink until he decides, once and for all, “I’m back!”

Maverick

Warner Bros. Pictures

Breezy fun, Richard Donner’s “Maverick” might as well be a sequel (or prequel) to “Lethal Weapon,” what with its screwball humor, exhilarating set pieces, and hilarious back-and-forth dialogue between the leads. Rather than Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Joe Pesci, however, “Maverick” gives us Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner (who starred on the television series on which the film is based), and, as one character notes, “It’s a whole lotta fun.”

Bret Maverick (Gibson) is en route to a high-stakes poker contest that costs $25,000 to enter. He’s $3,000 short and must travel the old West collecting debts from friends and enemies. During his trip, he meets up with the lovely Annabelle Bransford (Foster) and straight-shooting Marshal Zane Cooper (Garner), forming an improbable trio that must band together to contend with Native Americans, malcontent Russians, drunken thieves, and a tough-as-nails cowboy named Angel (Alfred Molina) trying to prevent our hero from making the game.
“Maverick” is probably too long by about 20 minutes and often at odds with itself. Donner can’t decide if he’s making an epic Western or a silly comedy. Still, this adventure is worth taking if you love stars like Gibson and Foster.

Ocean’s Eleven

Warner Bros. Pictures

Slickly designed, Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Eleven” understands the assignment. Rather than bore audiences with another plot about criminals going after a final score, this remake of 1960’s “Ocean’s Eleven” contently devotes more time to the back-and-forth banter between its star-studded cast than on the heist itself. Like “Maverick,” this is a movie about good-looking people doing cool things. Like flies on the wall of an A-plus Hollywood party, we need only kick back and watch George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt do their thing.

The plot, for what it’s worth, concerns a recently released convict named Danny Ocean (Clooney), who devises a plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos — the Bellagio, the Mirage, and the MGM Grand. Doing so requires cons upon cons, forcing Danny to assemble a crackerjack team of crooks. Enter Ocean’s Eleven, comprised of all-stars Pitt, Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle, Qin Shaobo, and Carl Reiner, all of whom do their part to bring down the house.
Soderbergh takes a low key approach to the material, preferring to let his stars carry the heavy load. Sure, moments of intensity pop up now and again, particularly during the third-act heist, and a few twists and turns stir our interest. Really, though, like its sequels, “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen,” “Ocean’s Eleven” is all about the talent. To that end, it’s an enormously entertaining ride. Now, can the gang please return for “Ocean’s Fourteen”?

California Split

Columbia Pictures

Leave it to Robert Altman to produce an all-timer in the gambling movie genre. Many consider “California Split” a novel entry on this list, and they’re not wrong. Working from a script by Joseph Walsh, Altman crafts a naturalistic character picture about two gambling buddies, Bill Denny (George Segal) and Charlie Waters (Elliot Gould), and their tumultuous run for fame and fortune.

Bill works an average job at a magazine but quickly succumbs to the electric lifestyle presented by the likes of poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette. The more he wins, the deeper he goes, resulting in a rags-to-riches-to-rags tale that questions the psychological impact of gambling.
At turns funny and dramatic, “California Split” failed to connect with audiences in 1974, despite lavish praise from critics like Kevin Kelly of the Boston Globe, who wrote: “‘California Split’ is a work of art and Robert Altman’s best movie.” That reaction may be a tad hyperbolic. Still, this gambling dramedy contains every one of the legendary director’s trademarks — overlapping dialogue, an ambling narrative, and a raw look and feel that really makes you believe you’re watching a couple of guys fighting to stay alive in a dangerous world.

It’s so good, /Film’s Ben Pearson recommended it on his Quarantine Stream.

Hard Eight

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Before making waves with 1997’s “Boogie Nights,” Paul Thomas Anderson directed “Hard Eight,” a moody character piece about an aged gambler named Sydney Brown (Philip Baker Hall) who takes a homeless man named John Finnegan (John C. Reilly) under his wing and teaches him the ins and outs of Las Vegas. Emerging as a fatherly figure for John, Sydney tries to connect his protege with Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a young cocktail waitress and prostitute, and winds up ruffling the feathers of a security worker named Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson).

Quiet, reflective, and jam-packed with slick performances, this stylish feature doesn’t go for big theatrics. Instead, Anderson keeps his eye on his collection of mismatched characters. We watch them speak in hushed tones in dimly lit hotel rooms and casinos, and take lofty chances on the casino floor in search of a higher purpose. At times, “Hard Eight” feels more like a day in the life of Sydney Brown. You won’t walk away with a deeper understanding of life, but you may identify with these unique individuals on a personal level. At the very least, you’ll learn how to finagle a casino for a free room.

Casino

Universal Studios

Less a movie about gambling than a movie about the people operating the gambling scene, Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” nonetheless does a remarkable job showing the rise and fall of the Las Vegas mob as seen through the eyes of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro). As with any crime drama directed by the maestro, “Casino” pulls no punches, showing the abhorrent activities – drugs, sex, murder — of these lifelong criminals and their free fall from the top of the world into utter darkness. Remarkably, through it all, we admire, even pity, Ace and root for him to succeed against his adversaries, including violent friend-turned-foe Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci).

And why not? The man shoots straight and dreams of turning Vegas into a massive empire. He successfully conjures a plethora of cash for his Chicago bosses, and transforms his casino into a literal paradise. Unfortunately, his problematic relationship with Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a con artist and showgirl, proves too chaotic to overcome, as does the presence of the volatile Nicky. Together, the trio destroy the vast empire they fought so hard to create, one brick at a time. 
“Casino” is a stylish exploration of power, betrayal and moral decay. It’s a tough to watch, but it encapsulates the spirit of Vegas, where success is futile and the house always wins.  

Rounders (1998)

Mirimax

In the early days of his budding career, just a year after “Good Will Hunting” shot him to superstardom, Matt Damon starred in “Rounders,” a low-budget drama from John Dahl about underground poker, and crafted one of his most memorable roles. While straying closer to fantasy, this impressive 1998 picture dives deep into the world of poker, following a former grifter named Mike McDermott (Damon) as he struggles to cast aside his dark past in favor of a more routine lifestyle with his girlfriend Jo (Gretchen Mol).

Everything changes when Mike’s longtime pal, Lester “Worm” Murphy (Edward Norton), recently released from prison, suddenly appears in dire need of assistance. It seems Worm has accrued massive debt, forcing Mike to come out of retirement to help his friend. As tensions mount, Mike’s loyalties are tested, and his relationship with Jo is pushed to the brink. Everything builds toward a sensational showdown with an Oreo-chomping Russian mobster named Teddy “KGB” (John Malkovich). Will Mike win the money required to keep him and Worm alive? Will he ever find happiness outside the poker scene?
“Rounders” is more Hollywood fable than many films on this list, but it’s undeniably entertaining, well-acted, and directed. Heck, it almost got a sequel. It makes you want to hop in the car, drive to Vegas, and put it all on the line. “Pay that man his money!”

The Sting (1973)

Universal Studios

A delightful comedy-drama from George Roy Hill, “The Sting” features superstars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as grifters who team up to hustle Robert Shaw’s violent Irish-American crime boss. Utilizing a hefty dose of ragtime, notably Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” this 1973 crowd pleaser grossed a then massive $159 million at the box office and won seven Oscars, including best picture, best director, best film editing, and best original screenplay.

Set in 1936 during the height of the Great Depression, “The Sting” sees small-time grifter Johnny Hooker (Redford) accidentally steal money from notorious gangster Doyle Lonnegan (Shaw), a costly mistake that leaves his best friend dead. Looking to avenge his partner, Hooker befriends Henry Gondorff (Newman, who, believe it or not, almost didn’t star in the film), and together they plan “the big con” aimed at taking down Lonnegan for good.
Much like Hill, Newman, and Redford’s previous collaboration, the equally famous “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting” bounces back and forth between light-hearted comedy and gritty drama, leaving audiences laughing while occasionally gripping the edge of their seats. It’s a fabulous piece of old-fashioned entertainment featuring numerous classic scenes, notably a card game aboard a train between Lonnegan and a pretending-to-be-drunk Gondorff — an exceptional moment between two Hollywood legends.  

Uncut Gems (2019)

A24

Adam Sandler delivers an ace performance in Benny and Josh Safdie’s “Uncut Gems,” a gripping character study about a man addicted to high-stakes sports betting. Filmed in a manner guaranteed to increase heart rates, this splendid A24 production shows the highs and lows of the gambling industry, where a person will do anything to taste success.

Divorced and deep in debt, Howard Ratner (Sandler) can never seem to find happiness beyond his degenerate gambling lifestyle. He places outrageous parlays on specific sports stars — in this case, Kevin Garnett, who enjoys a prominent role in the film — and takes bold risks with other people’s money despite recurring physical punishment. A bit of luck allows Howard to acquire a 600-carat black opal from Ethiopia that he believes is worth over $1 million. However, when an auction dealer prices the opal under $200K, Howard, rather than pay off his debts, goes all in on another parlay that could rain fortune or pave a path to self-destruction.
Few films capture the same raw intensity as this masterful gem. Sandler’s performance is a sight to see. Look for a secret cameo from Tilda Swinton.

The Gambler (1974)

Paramount Pictures

If you were going to watch a single film about gambling, 1974’s “The Gambler” checks all the necessary boxes. Here, we have English professor Axel Freed (a magnificent James Caan), who moonlights as a gambling addict, much to the chagrin of those around him, including his mother (Jacqueline Brookes) and girlfriend (Lauren Hutton). Despite his privileged upbringing, Axel only experiences true exhilaration through risky bets that seldom pay off. This reckless behavior destroys his relationships with friends and colleagues, eventually forcing him to make a final, high-stakes gamble that leaves his life hanging in the balance.

Wonderfully acted and directed, “The Gambler” is a profound and realistic tale of self-destruction. Uniquely, the film presents Axel as a successful man with a good job and a relatively good life, a safety net he’s willing to throw away for a little “juice.” Every film on this list leans on similar tropes, but “The Gambler” does it best, crafting a powerful, even harrowing tale that expertly conveys the pitfalls of living life on the edge.
Just be sure to avoid the pitiful 2014 remake. 

CAT Labs, a startup fighting tech-enabled crime, raises $5.4 million seed round

Technology

In some sense, Lili Infante shares the same worldview as a John Wick or James Bond movie—there are good guys, there are bad guys, and there’s a chase.

Infante grew up in Soviet Russia, where she and her family were deeply impacted by the unreliability and corruption of law enforcement as the Iron Curtain fell. Still a kid, she turned to American and British detective shows, like The X-Files and Murder She Wrote, to make sense of the world.

“You couldn’t rely on law enforcement back there,” said Infante. “I grew up watching a lot of cop shows. After the collapse [of the Soviet Union], we got a lot more content, right? When I was a kid in Russia, I learned that I should be afraid of law enforcement, that they’re like the mob—that they have a lot of power and will hurt you. Watching those Western shows, though, I realized that’s the opposite of what it’s supposed to be.”

Infante ultimately became the law enforcement officer she watched on TV, immigrating to the U.S. and becoming a U.S. Department of Justice DEA Special Agent. She served for about a decade, and in that time became disillusioned with the government’s ability to match the speed of technological change. 

“One of the main things that really alarmed me is the pace at which cryptocurrency and other technology was adopted by all these different criminal networks, including adversarial nation states, terrorists, and drug cartels,” Infante told Fortune. “I just realized that we, the good guys, cannot keep up with the bad guys anymore.”

So, Infante struck out on her own, founding startup Cat Labs. And Cat Labs’ value proposition has the allure of what makes spy movie tools appealing; like James Bond’s wristwatch cameras, Cat Labs is building something complicated to do something fundamentally simple—fight tech-enabled crime. The company’s flagship digital asset-focused tool has a clear goal: to help defense and intelligence agencies find and recover crypto. 

Cat Labs launched last year, and now investors (both existing and new) have doubled down. Cat Labs recently raised a $5.4 million seed round, Fortune can exclusively report. New York-based M13 led the round, and existing investors participated, including Castle Island Ventures, CMT Digital, and Hash3. This seed round brings the company’s total capital raised to $9.7 million. Cat Labs currently has 14 employees; that team has, over their collective careers, contributed to the takedown of more than 300 criminal entities, the company says.

The market opportunity for what Cat Labs does is law enforcement, yes, but that’s the starting point, said M13 managing partner Karl Alomar.

“The key was that we felt very confident that Lili could take this business, that should build that credibility,” Alomar told Fortune. “We believed she could get [this business] into law enforcement and into govtech as a whole, which would build a pretty good baseline of income and revenue for the company. Then, from there, there’d be plenty of opportunities to expand that offering beyond just the initial solution.”

Cat Labs is coming into the market at a time when cybercrime has been booming in conjunction with new technologies, first with crypto and now AI. Though the company’s core product is geared towards helping governmental agencies with their crypto investigations, Cat Labs says the process can be scaled to fight cybercrime much more broadly. 

“It goes back to hackers, scammers, fraudsters using emerging technologies to scale exponentially and globally and at a pace that we’ve never seen before,” said Infante. “AI is really scary in this context. It really allows criminals to take some of the manual things they were doing to effectuate their crimes, like phishing campaigns or spam messages, and just make them so much smarter. They can make them look like they come from real people, and at scale.”

We’re talking about a world with more convincing phishing attacks and deepfakes, and more rapidly created synthetic identities. That said, Infante points out that scammers have often been some of the most effective users of new technology.

“Bitcoin was first adopted by drug dealers on the Dark Web,” said Infante. “The Tor browser was first mass-adopted by bad actors. It’s the same thing here. When this empowering technology comes out, the bad guys are the first ones to use it. They don’t have rules and policies to follow…That’s what we need to start thinking about and tackling, and we’re not even close.”

But Infante’s idea is that we can get closer. A lot closer. Because like those detective shows she grew up with and the spy movies we’ve all seen, there’s always another case. There’s always another chase. 

Elon update…Elon Musk’s valuations are looking up, and in some cases are sky-high. Bloomberg reported that Musk’s SpaceX is talking about pursuing a tender offer that would value the company at $350 billion. Meanwhile, Fidelity reportedly bumped up the value of both Musk’s xAI and (perhaps more surprisingly) of X, formerly Twitter. 

See you tomorrow,

Allie GarfinkleTwitter: @agarfinksEmail: [email protected] a deal for the Term Sheet newsletter here.

Nina Ajemian curated the deals section of today’s newsletter. Subscribe here.VENTURE DEALS- Soda Health, a Bentonville, Ark.-based health equity platform developer, raised $50 million in Series B funding. General Catalyst led the round and was joined by Bruce Broussard and existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Define Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners USA, and SVB Capital.- Eagle Electronics, a Solon, Ohio-based semiconductor and cellular module manufacturer, raised $14 million in funding. The O.H.I.O. Fund led the round and was joined by Asymmetric Capital Partners.- First Resonance, a Los Angeles-based digital manufacturing solutions provider, raised $12.3 million in funding. Third Prime led the round and was joined by Craft Ventures, Blue Bear Capital, and E12.- Pathway, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based live AI systems developer, raised $10 million in seed funding. TQ Ventures led the round and was joined by Kadmos, Inovo, Market One Capital, Id4, existing investor Lukasz Kaiser, angel investors, and others.- MakersHub, an Austin-based accounts payable platform, raised $7 million in seed funding. QED Investors and TTV Capital led the round and were joined by TRB Advisors, existing investor Dash Fund, and angel investors.- GAIB, a Singapore-based financial infrastructure developer for AI computing, raised $5 million in pre-seed funding. Hack VC, Faction, and Hashed led the round and were joined by Spartan, CMCC, L2IV, angel investors, and others.- GROWL, an Austin-based at-home fitness platform, raised $4.8 million in seed funding. Skip Capital led the round and was joined by Kima Ventures, Teampact Ventures, Ciryl Gane, and others.- Tixel, a Melbourne-based entertainment ticket resale platform, raised $4.5 million in Series B funding. Touch Ventures led the round and was joined by Lalotte Ventures and others.- Nurture Boss, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based AI-powered multifamily housing leasing solutions provider, raised $4 million in Series A funding. AZ-VC led the round and was joined by In Revenue Capital and existing investor PHX Ventures.- Briefcase, a London-based AI-powered accounting automation platform, raised $3 million in seed funding. Earlybird led the round and was joined by Entrepreneur First, Tiny, and angel investors.- Stackfix, a London-based AI-powered software comparison platform, raised $3 million in seed funding. Chalfen Ventures led the round and was joined by Seedcamp, helloworld, and angel investors.PRIVATE EQUITY- Aechelon Technology, backed by Sagewind Capital, acquired the radar simulation division of Compro Computer Services, a Dallas-based software solutions provider for the aerospace and simulation industries. Financial terms were not disclosed.- Align Capital Partners acquired MKB Company, a Belleville, Pa.-based erosion control, pollution prevention, and stormwater management products manufacturer. Financial terms were not disclosed.- CCMP Growth Advisors acquired Combined Caterers, a Charlotte-based event management and catering services provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.- SmartBear, backed by Vista Equity Partners and Francisco Partners, acquired QMetry, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based software quality testing platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.- SolomonEdwards, a portfolio company of Renovus Capital Partners, acquired Steele Consulting, an Atlanta-based tax consulting firm. Financial terms were not disclosed.- Sunland Asphalt, a portfolio company of Huron Capital, acquired Metro Pavers, a Henderson, Colo.-based asphalt maintenance and paving company. Financial terms were not disclosed.- The Colt Group, backed by Capstreet, acquired Plant Services, Inc., a Worden, Mont.-based repairs and services provider for heavy process facilities. Financial terms were not disclosed.EXITS- VSE acquired Kellstrom Aerospace, a Davie, Fla.-based aerospace aftermarket business, from AE Industrial Partners for $200 million.- Advanced Capital Group acquired Pequeño Caesarmex, a Monterrey, Mexico-based Little Caesars Pizza franchisee, from Alta Growth Capital. Financial terms were not disclosed.PEOPLE- ICV Partners, a Miami-based private equity firm, promoted Lloyd Metz and Zeena Rao to managing partners.