Apr 15, 2008
NOT WAITING to see: 21
(Movie poster image from Wikipedia)
Why? Because I'm tired of hearing about the famed MIT Blackjack Team. I've known for quite some time that there's a book out (Bringing Down the House), which I've never read and never plan on reading, and I've seen the documentary on TV. Obviously this wasn't enough, so the Hollywood big-wigs decided to make a big screen movie out of the whole affair. Yawn. Sorry, I folded on that deal a long time ago. I don't even like cards (unless it's strip poker with two hot chicks, you know, to improve the odds).
Even after dealing in two quality actors like Spacey and Fishburne, and a cutie like Kate Bosworth, 21 still seems like a bust and I don't plan on watching it (especially after scanning through the reviews below).
Sources:
21 - Official Site (Sony Pictures)
MIT Blackjack Team (Wikipedia)
Bringing Down the House (book) (Wikipedia)
Review roundup:
'21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.' -- Rotten Tomatoes
'Odds are you're going to like this lively spin on the true story of six MIT mathletes who broke the Vegas bank in the 1990s. Loosely adapted from Ben Mezrich's best-selling Bringing Down the House, the movie stretches facts like taffy but never shirks its responsibility to entertain.' -- Rolling Stone
'21 is built around some standard-issue plot mechanics, but it's still a clever and novel card-sharp thriller.' -- Entertainment Weekly
'Greed is good and comes without a hint of conscience in “21,” a feature-length bore about some smarty-pants who take Vegas for a ride. Loosely based on the nonfiction book “Bringing Down the House” by Ben Mezrich, and adapted for the screen by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb, this bankrupt enterprise asks you to care about a whiny M.I.T. moppet, Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess, serviceable), who because he can’t afford Harvard Medical School (boo hoo), starts counting cards to rake in some serious cash.' -- The New York Times
'So how exciting would it be if, say, somebody devised a system that used simple math to give a blackjack player the edge over the dealer? "Inspired by" the real-life story of the M.I.T. students who took Las Vegas casinos for millions, "21" has been reshaped to fit a simple movie template -- and it's nearly as much fun as watching an insurance professional compute actuarial tables.' -- rogerebert.com
(Movie poster image from Wikipedia)
Why? Because I'm tired of hearing about the famed MIT Blackjack Team. I've known for quite some time that there's a book out (Bringing Down the House), which I've never read and never plan on reading, and I've seen the documentary on TV. Obviously this wasn't enough, so the Hollywood big-wigs decided to make a big screen movie out of the whole affair. Yawn. Sorry, I folded on that deal a long time ago. I don't even like cards (unless it's strip poker with two hot chicks, you know, to improve the odds).
Even after dealing in two quality actors like Spacey and Fishburne, and a cutie like Kate Bosworth, 21 still seems like a bust and I don't plan on watching it (especially after scanning through the reviews below).
Sources:
21 - Official Site (Sony Pictures)
MIT Blackjack Team (Wikipedia)
Bringing Down the House (book) (Wikipedia)
Review roundup:
'21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.' -- Rotten Tomatoes
'Odds are you're going to like this lively spin on the true story of six MIT mathletes who broke the Vegas bank in the 1990s. Loosely adapted from Ben Mezrich's best-selling Bringing Down the House, the movie stretches facts like taffy but never shirks its responsibility to entertain.' -- Rolling Stone
'21 is built around some standard-issue plot mechanics, but it's still a clever and novel card-sharp thriller.' -- Entertainment Weekly
'Greed is good and comes without a hint of conscience in “21,” a feature-length bore about some smarty-pants who take Vegas for a ride. Loosely based on the nonfiction book “Bringing Down the House” by Ben Mezrich, and adapted for the screen by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb, this bankrupt enterprise asks you to care about a whiny M.I.T. moppet, Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess, serviceable), who because he can’t afford Harvard Medical School (boo hoo), starts counting cards to rake in some serious cash.' -- The New York Times
'So how exciting would it be if, say, somebody devised a system that used simple math to give a blackjack player the edge over the dealer? "Inspired by" the real-life story of the M.I.T. students who took Las Vegas casinos for millions, "21" has been reshaped to fit a simple movie template -- and it's nearly as much fun as watching an insurance professional compute actuarial tables.' -- rogerebert.com
Labels: 21, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, NOT WAITING to see
