Win It All

It's the Season One finale of Cinema Reels where Jessica Welman, along with John Cook and James Ross, head to the race track in a Richard Dreyfuss classic, as the trio breakdown the 1989 film, Let it Ride, directed by Joe Pytka,Aside from John re-evaluating his top ten favourite films for the 100th time in the series, the three offer their initial thoughts on the film, the use of actual horse racing footage, Robbie Coletrane's performance and, as always, how closely was the experience of gambling on horse racing portrayed in the film.  Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Anaya McDonaldEditor: James RossA nosy cab driver gets a hot tip on a race horse and wins big, but he can't seem to stop gambling. Will he go broke or walk home with a pretty penny?Released: 1989Director: Joe PytkaWriters: Jay Cronley & Nancy DowdStars: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, David Johansen & Robbie ColtraneMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

The Cinema Reels trio take a different path in the latest episode as they move away from full length feature films and look towards its shorter form counterpart. Jessica Welman, along with John Cook and James Ross, breakdown The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, directed by Wes Anderson, and an adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More".With a run-time of 37 minutes, the trio offer their views of Wes Anderson's style and how it has been incorporated in the film, their stand-out, or not so, performances, as well as reflecting on how truly accurate the casino scene is represented. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Anaya McDonaldEditor: James RossChronicles a variety of stories, but the main one follows Henry Sugar, who is able to see through objects and predict the future with the help of a book he stole.Released: 2023Director: Wes AndersonWriters: Roald Dahl & Wes AndersonStars: Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch & Dev PatelMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

Cinema Reels hits the road again as Jessica Welman, alongside John Cook and James Ross, head back to Las Vegas to review Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Anaya McDonaldEditor: James RossAn oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.Released: 1998Director: Terry GilliamWriters: Hunter S. Thompson, Terry Gilliam, Tony GrisoniStars: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro & Tobey MaguireMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

Cinema Reels heads back in time to the 80's as Jessica Welman, John Cook and James Ross, review Barry Levinson's 1988 film Rain Man.Rain Man, American dramatic film, released in 1988 and starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, that was a hit with both critics and audiences and won four Academy Awards, including that for best picture, as well as two Golden Globe Awards, including that for best drama. The trio discuss Hoffman's Oscar winning performance, their views on Tom Cruise in general and the infamous counting cards scene. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Mollie ChapmanEditor: Mollie ChapmanAfter a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.Released: 1988Director: Barry LevinsonWriters: Barry Morrow and Ronald BassStars: Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman,Valeria Golino, Bonnie Lynn HuntMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

Cinema Reels goes down the 007-route with a wacky twist as Jessica Welman, John Cook and James Ross, review the 1967 film Casino Royale, which is loosely based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming.The film that had five directors attached to it, the trio review how the narrative unfolds, stand-out performances, with James particularly showing his age when it comes to performances in this movie, and looks closely at the baccarat scene. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Mollie ChapmanEditor: James RossCasino Royale sees Sir James Bond is called back out of retirement, following the death of M, to stop SMERSH. In order to trick SMERSH and Le Chiffre, Bond thinks up the ultimate plan: every agent shall be named James Bond. One of the Bonds, whose real name is Evelyn Tremble, is sent to take on Le Chiffre in a game of baccarat, but all of the Bonds get more than they can handle.Released: 1998Director: John Huston, Ken Hughes, Robert Parrish, Joe McGrath & Val GuestWriters: Wolf Mankowitz, John Law & Michael SayersStars: Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Woody Allen & Ronnie Corbett

Cinema Reels heads to the East End of London as Jessica Welman, John Cook and James Ross, review Guy Richie's directorial feature-length debut film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Initially considered gambling heavy by the three, the trio soon realise how wrong they were, give their thoughts on backing Nick Moran's character Eddy in a game of poker and their overall thoughts on the film. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Mollie ChapmanEditor: James RossWhen four friends end up losing money to a gangster in a card game, they are forced to choose a crooked path to clear the debt and save themselves.Released: 1998Director: Guy RitchieWriters: Guy RitchieStars: Jason Statham, Nick Moran, Dexter Fletcher, Jason FlemmingMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

Jessica Welman, John Cook and James Ross, head to Bedrock to review the The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, a prequel to the 1994 film, directed by Brian Levant. The three J's offer differing views on the film while also looking more closely at the Stone Age version of Las Vegas in the film and round off the episode in providing their opinions on if Viva Rock Vegas is better or worse than Marin Scorsese's Casino. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Mollie ChapmanEditor: James RossIn this live-action prequel to The Flintstones (1994), the Flintstones and the Rubbles go on a trip to Rock Vegas, where Wilma Slaghoople is pursued by playboy Chip Rockefeller.Released: 2000Director: Brian LevantWriters: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera & Deborah KaplanStars: Mark Addy, Stephen Baldwin & Kristen JohnstonMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

Following on from the first two episodes of Cinema Reels, Jessica Welman, John Cook and James Ross, return to offer their analysis of Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino. While lauded as a "must-see" film, the trio sit down to evaluate the true representation of Las Vegas, former home to our very own Jessica, accuracy surrounding the gambling and offering our fresh takes on the film. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Mollie ChapmanEditor: James RossIn early-1970s Las Vegas, low-level mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but over the years, problems with his loose-cannon enforcer Nicky Santoro, his ex-hustler wife Ginger, her con-artist ex Lester Diamond and a handful of corrupt politicians put Sam in ever-increasing danger.Released: 1995Director: Marin ScorseseWriters: Nicholas PileggiStars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe PesciMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

Welcome to the Cinema Reels podcast.Led by Jessica Welman, Editor of SBC Americas and Double Major in Film Studies, she will be joined every two weeks by her colleagues James Ross and John Cook to go through motion pictures past and present to commend or condemn their attempts at portraying betting culture and the gambling industry on the silver screen.In the debut episode of Cinema Reels, Jessica Welman, John Cook and James Ross, delve into Molly's Game, offering their stand out moment/performance of the film, how gambling is represented throughout the movie and who player 'X' may be. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Mollie ChapmanEditor: James RossThe true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Released: 2017Director: Aaron SorkinWriters: Aaron Sorkin, Molly BloomStars: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin CostnerMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.

In the latest episode of Cinema Reels, Jessica Welman, John Cook and James Ross, delve into Win It All, offering their stand out moment/performance of the film, how gambling is represented throughout the movie, looking into responsible gaming within the main character and concluding with a quiz relating to all things Win It All. Host: Jessica WelmanGuests: John Cook & James RossProducer: Mollie ChapmanEditor: James RossA small-time gambler agrees to stash a bag for an acquaintance who is heading to prison. When he discovers cash in the bag, he can't resist the urge to dip into the funds.Released: 2017Director: Joe SwanbergWriters: Jake Johnson, Joe SwanbergStars: Jake Johnson, Joe Lo Truglio, Keegan-Michael Key, Aislinn DerbezMake sure to follow Cinema Reels on LinkedIn here to keep up-to-date and follow us whichever platform you get your podcasts.