February 14, 1992 -- ``Bugsy,'' a film starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening is leading the Oscar nominations list has finally come to Laramie for a showing.

After seeing it, I'm not sure why it got so many nominations, but a couple of the nominations make sense, Warren Beatty for best actor and Ben Kingsley for supporting actor. Beatty gives a riveting performance of a psychotic visionary, Bugsy Siegel, who wants it all, power, fame, family and extramarital affairs. His fits of temper are spectacular without going over the top and becoming a caricature. The photography, script and musical score are also quite good.

Kingsley plays a sort of gentleman mobster, Meyer Lansky. Also appearing are Elliot Gould, who gives a subdued performance as a dense hit man, and Joe Mantegna.

Bugsy Siegel is a fascinating character in the film. In one scene he is beating a man to death and he stops to fix his hair. Perhaps Beatty does such a good job in the role because he is as vain as Carly Simon said he is.

The question that comes to mind is why is so much money and talent thrown into a project about a soulless mobster? There are plenty of more worthy subjects for movies. And why so many nominations? It wasn't one of the best films of the year and the art direction (another nomination) was no better than a standard made-for-TV movie and that's exactly what it looks like. Maybe the answer to these questions has something to do with the very real connections the mob still has in Hollywood. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.