For pure cinema, nothing rivals a high-stakes, full-tilt poker game — unless it's somebody landing on Ventnor Avenue with two houses, or sending an opponent to the backgammon bar with double threes, or laying down a four with a bloodcurdling cry of "Uno!" Add poker to the long list of games that typically lose whatever makes them compelling as soon as they're arranged and restaged for film. Brain-fogging tedium interrupted by motor repetition, intense psychological scrutiny, and inner calculation of odds and possible hands — the reels are ready to fly off the projector, huh? You can throw the damn cards in spinning slow motion,... More >>>