Film takes shot at Las Vegas

Today is Day 3 of CineVegas, Las Vegas' annual film fest, and here's the scoop so far: better movies than last year, but fewer celebrities pitching their films.

On Wednesday night, Steve Buscemi didn't show up at Planet Hollywood for the world premiere of his starring-role film, "Saint John of Las Vegas." Neither did his co-star Peter Dinklage nor co-producers Spike Lee and Stanley Tucci.

On Thursday, "Spider-Man" actor James Franco bailed on a Palms red carpet for a short film he directed.

The star snubs, with no public explanation, are insulting because CineVegas officials work all year to showcase the movies in a city primed to be a film fest hub.

And CineVegas pressures actors who do show up to perform. Wednesday night, the onus was on "Saint John" co-star Sarah Silverman to be the brightest and funniest star there.

She delivered.

During a Q&A with the "Saint John" audience, someone asked whether her character's big hair was "stunt hair."

"Are you talking about my arms?" Silverman joked.

She said that on set, Buscemi was funny and silly and, she joked, "I'm trying not to say, 'retarded.' "

"Saint John of Las Vegas" is a dramedy buddy movie where an insurance agent and a lottery junkie drive from Albuquerque, N.M., to Vegas to investigate a stripper who was rear-ended.

It's a pretty film (nice composition) with creative twists. But Las Vegas takes it on the chin. First-time director Hue Rhodes was inspired by Dante's "Inferno," with its city in hell flames and naked people revolting against God. When he explained that to the audience, someone yelled, "Vegas!"

Buscemi's character is drawn not to a fancy hotel but to an unglamorous casino named Ocean's 11 -- represented by an exterior shot of Las Vegas' actual Ocean's 11 Grill. In the movie, the interior of Ocean's 11 is sketchy, although that interior wasn't filmed here but in New Mexico.

Rhodes told me the Ocean's 11 Grill wasn't meant to suggest Vegas is more downcast than in the "Ocean's Eleven" movies. His location manager simply found the Ocean's 11 sign, and it served as serendipitous symbolism.

"A film lives and dies by its lucky breaks, and that was one," Rhodes said.

Check out critic Carol Cling's look at CineVegas in today's Neon section.

QUOTING PAULY SHORE

"It's the president's daughter, dude. I guess that's why." -- Pauly Shore on why Chelsea Clinton didn't like it when he joked about her sex life. He chats with me in the back of today's Neon section. He does stand-up Saturday at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

What do you think? Tell me at delfman@reviewjournal.com.