One of the few unexpected pleasures of last fall's build up to awards season came in the form of a quirky, contemporary fairy tale that imagined a romance between a chronic loser and a princess looking for the right frog to kiss. Set in a Las Vegas that might have existed in the days just before themed resorts overwhelmed the city's skyline, The Cooler was distinguished by three of 2003's finest performances and a story to warm the heart of the most degenerate of gamblers.
The great character actor William H. Macy played Bernie Lootz, a man so unlucky that his mere presence at a hot table or slot machine could turn a bettor's winning streak into a disaster in a matter of seconds. As such, Lootz is a valuable asset for old-school casino owner Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin), who fears his precious Shangri-La is about to be taken over by Ivy League-trained bean counters and Steve Wynn wannabes. Worried he might lose the services of the one man who guarantees the house's edge, Kaplow conspires with a down-on-her-luck cocktail waitress, Natalie Belisario (Mario Bello), to keep Lootz on call.
It goes without saying that Natalie does her job too well, and instead of playing Bernie for a chump, ends up falling in love with him. The only person not thrilled by the couple's good fortune is Shelly, who no longer can depend on his "cooler" to pass his bad vibes onto others. In an effort to reverse Bernie's run of good luck, Shelly orders Natalie to break off the relationship or risk great physical harm.
The Cooler is the product of Wayne Kramer, a freshman writer-director from South Africa who was working without the benefit of studio money. Because of this, it's easy to forgive the film's lapses in authenticity, which few outside of Nevada's borders would notice, and rough-edged story telling. Ironically, this lack of polish enhances the film's gritty Old Vegas texture and the feeling of being slightly in the past.
What's surprising about The Cooler isn't that a first-timer was able to elicit spectacular performances from Macy, Baldwin and Bello. When aren't these actors anything less than terrific? No, it's that Macy and Bello look so much like the characters they're supposed to play: everyday employees of a Downtown joint that probably could benefit from a major face-lift. Bello is especially believable as a seen-it-all waitress whose options are drying up with every hard-earned tip. When Natalie and Bernie make love, it almost feels as if we're being asked to peek through a neighbor's window, not merely sit back and watch a pair of actors cavort on screen, following directions laid out in a screenplay.
Bumps in the night
Of all the Hollywood classics awaiting release on DVD, few have been so highly anticipated as those in Universal's library of horror flicks. It's taken quite a while, but fans will be rewarded for their patience in the form of Legacy Collections of the original Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man. In addition to pristine versions of these great titles, Universal has included restored versions of each film's sequels, trailers, commentary, documentaries, poster and photo galleries, and on Dracula, an alternate score written by Philip Glass and performed by the Kronos Quartet.
Those who prefer their monsters with British accents will be equally happy to learn of the release of Warner Bros.' six-film retrospective of mid-century gore-fests from Hammer Studios. Instead of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, these adaptations featured Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, who have their loyalists, too. Available in the boxed set or individually are Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Horror of Dracula, The Mummy and Taste the Blood of Dracula. Sadly, there are very few bonus features.
Hugh Grant love-fest
The sweet, sexy and delightfully funny romantic comedy Love Actually represents the directorial debut of Richard Curtis, whose trans-Atlantic successes have included the scripts for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary. If anyone needs to know anything more about Love Actually, it can be noted that this film includes even more tentative couplings (a dozen, at least), more appealing young Brit and Yank stars, and more cheeky dialogue than usual—129 minutes worth, not including deleted scenes. Viewers allergic to raw sentimentality are forewarned that much of the flirting and canoodling takes place around Christmas, and Curtis wasn't afraid to play the holiday for all it's worth.
They're crushing your head
Long before HBO became known as the home for cutting-edge TV comedy, the network offered refuge to a troupe of five Canadian comedians who performed, in and out of drag, as the Kids in the Hall. Produced by Lorne Michaels, the show tested many of the medium's limits on sketch comedy, including those imposed on Michael's Saturday Night Live by NBC. A&E's new four-disc box set not only collects all 20 episodes from the first season, but also adds commentaries by Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson, an interview with Michaels and material from the Kids' live show.