Gamblers of the old school
JD mentioned his upcoming trip and the closing of Binion's casino, and I can't help but think of The Cooler, which I saw yesterday.

The film was well-acted, with solid performances from William H. Macy (no surprise), Maria Bello (who's pretty in a naturally haggard way) and Alec Baldwin (who deserves his numerous nominations). Think of Baldwin's character as a less slick but more ruthless version of his Glengarry Glen Ross character, if he were fleshed out for a whole film. Macy is great at playing a sad sack, so he's perfect for the role. And you can't help but root for him when he gets together with Bello's character and his luck changes for both better and for worse.

While the whole bit about lady luck is fun, but often silly, I did appreciate the old vs. new Las Vegas subplot throughout the movie. Baldwin tries so hard to preserve the "old Vegas," whether it be Macy's cooler character, his tough-guy attitude toward some of the customers and Paul Sorvino's aging Sinatra-style singer. That creates a great rivalry with a polished "Epcot Center Vegas" consultant played by Ron Livingston (who found a better job after leaving Initech, it would seem), who's got his prospectus for changing Baldwin's relic -- from changing the wallpaper to hiring Joey Fatone to replace Sorvino.