The Poster Memorabilia blog

The Slickest Gangster Movie Ever Made

Thirty years on, Ace and his director hold court at the Beacon — and one poster gets its final two signatures.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

You have no taste if you don't think that Casino is one of the best movies ever made. I could respect that you're not a fan of the gangster genre, or of violence in general. But what I can't believe is that you consider yourself a cinephile but don't think this movie is good. I just can't!

Casino is one of those movies where everything about it went right. The cast was right, their performances were right, the story was right, the script was right, and of course, the directing was right. You'd be surprised at how rare that actually is, and I love movies myself. I'm a huge fan of many of them, but only a handful are as good as this one.

“Casino is one of those movies where everything about it went right.”

That's why meeting the people who made it will always be the highlight of my life. I actually got to meet a lot of the cast over the years, including Joe Pesci (during one of his famously rare public appearances), Sharon Stone, Kevin Pollak, and Dick Smothers. I even got them to sign my movie poster.

The best one was the night I met both Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro during the movie's 30th anniversary screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. Unfortunately, the other cast members weren't there, so it was a good thing I had already gotten their autographs by then.

The event was everything I wanted in a tribute to one of the best movies ever made. The men of the hour walked the red carpet, which was where I got them to sign my poster. Then they sat down for their conversation, and afterward, they screened the movie. It was insane that I got to watch it in the same room as Scorsese and De Niro. That alone made the night worth it.

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But I gotta say, that conversation was my main highlight. I mentioned previously that everything about Casino was right, from the cast and their performances to Scorsese's excellent direction. I got so inspired hearing them talk about how they made it, and how it impacted both their careers.

I especially loved Scorsese’s insights on Las Vegas as a whole, how it changed from the era they captured in the movie to how the infamous city is now. I've always loved how the director really was, in one way or another, a part of the worlds he created on screen. Or, at the very least, how he truly knew everything by heart.

He also shared inspiring messages with young and future filmmakers, encouraging them to find their voice and put real craft above shortcuts. I know he's gotten a lot of flak for his comments on superhero movies, but I still liked how he remained hopeful for the future of cinema.

You know, despite never dreaming of working in movies, I consider myself a true cinephile. So as a lover of films, his messages resonated with me, as I'm sure they did with actual emerging filmmakers, too. I'd even go so far as to say that listening to him talk about Casino and the movie industry was better than getting his autograph.

Well, maybe just slightly.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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