Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Jim Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank, a loan shark with an interest...

In this stylish and complex memoir, Laymon, an English professor at the University of Mississippi and novelist (Long Division), presents bittersweet episodes of being a chubby outsider in 1980s Mississippi. He worships his long-suffering, resourceful grandmother, who loves the land her relatives farmed for generations and has resigned herself to the fact of commonplace bigotry. Laymon laces the memoir with clever, ironic observations about secrets,...

A disarmingly involving portrait of a family struggling to stay together through the Great Depression, The Cape Ann is an unforgettable story of life from a child’s-eye view.
Lark Erhardt, the six-year-old narrator of The Cape Ann, and her fiercely independent mother dream of owning their own house; they have their hearts set on the Cape Ann, chosen from a house catalog. But when Lark’s father’s gambling...

"After embezzling funds to support his gambling addiction, an unscrupulous white banker in Minnesota is blackmailed by his boss into sabotaging the creation of a competing, Native American-owned bank. As the banker befriends the people he's trying to frame, he struggles to escape from his past and do the right thing"--

The lives of nine individuals fate begin to increasingly entwine in a web of addiction and gambling, culminating at one critical moment where their lives will be lost or reclaimed. Struggling writer Kate loses her family's savings at a casino; a washed-up Vegas performer tries to help Kate regain her money; Clyde owes so much money to his dangerous bookie that he asks his NBA-destined nephew to throw a game.

Three vignettes based on short stories by Stephen King are tied together by a supernatural feline. Quitters Inc. is very persuasive at helping Dick Morrison stop smoking, with the help of his family. A gambler bets his life on a walk around a building, on the ledge around the thirtieth floor. The cat rescues a young girl from a doll-sized troll.

This jolt of pure cinematic adrenaline affirmed directors Josh and Benny Safdie as heirs to the gritty, heightened realism of Martin Scorsese and John Cassavetes. Adam Sandler delivers an almost maniacally embodied performance as Howard Ratner, a fast-talking New York jeweler in relentless pursuit of the next big score. When he comes into possession of a rare opal, it seems Howard's ship has finally come in as long as he can stay one step ahead of...

Monty Capuletti is a middle-class slob who'd rather be out boozing, gambling, and cavorting with his buddies than working at his job as a baby photographer. But suddenly, his mother-in-law dies, leaving him a huge inheritance if, within one year, he can stop drinking, smoking, and gambling ... and weigh in at a trim 175 pounds.

Based on real events that occurred in between 1980 and 1982. Dan Mahowny is a quiet, unassuming assistant manager at a bank in Toronto. He is a compulsive gambler and runs up a massive debt with his bookie. Dan's bank responsibilities include approving loans. Needing to cover his debts, Dan starts approving loans to non-existent clients and adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to other accounts. As Dan's debts begin to grow into the seven figure...

Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Jim Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank, a loan shark with an interest...