Poolhall Junkies

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: A street-wise talented pool player missed his opportunity to play in the big time as his mentor decided that he's better off husting money from the downtrodden. So, the movie fast-forwarded to 15 years later when he's no better off despite that he's got a well-to-do paralegal beautiful girlfriend, a poolhall owner who treated him like his own son in the shape of the late Rod Steiger, a loving brother with a bunch of friends who aspired to be like him. By chance, he discovered that all these years, his mentor betrayed him by witholding the truth from him. The relationships soured & they went separate ways. As fate had it, his brother got tangled up with his ex-mentor & he had to play pool for the one last time to save his brother & his honour. The movie happily chugged along & Christopher Walken played the mysterious chap who backed the talented player & helped him to believe in his own self. The message that this movie tried to say is simply: life is what you made it to be. If you keep thinking that you are a loser, you are bound to end up with losers like yourself whilst if you believe that you are a winner, you can escape from the vicious cycle & be someone truly great. Definitely a feel good movie with no pretension. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: They should rename this movie Junk Pool Playing
Review: As a pool player, I was hoping, against common sense, that whomever the movie company hired as a technical advisor would help present the art of billards in a manner that may attract new players. I was wrong. The parts of the movie that entailed playing the game was overpowered by silly trick shots and absolutely embarassing technique. They should have at least given the actors a few of the basics. Also, why in heck did they pick that cue for Rick Schroder (who played a pro)to use. They must have gotten some promotional funds to use that silly looking thing.
Gregory 'Mars' Martin, plays the main character, John with a stiff and almost uncomfortble demeanor most of the time. Like he was still in rehearsals trying to find the right persona to use to play the part.
Christopher Walken was a natural for the role he played and shined in every scene that he played, as did Michael Rosenbaum, who played Johns younger brother. Other talented actors played their parts well, including Chazz Palmentari, who played Johns former mentor, the easy to hate, and somewhat stupid, small time hustler.
The movie went along at a decent pace and had a predictable feel good, abiet unbelievable ending. If you don't play pool, and want some light entertainment, you could do worst.
If you do play pool, you've got to be a really bad player to enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: Does not run the table
Review: First off, I have to give the director credit for getting Walken (who is always fun to watch) and Palminteri to do this movie. Ricky Shroeder was a good addition as well.

Now for the less positive news.

This looks like a student film done by a rich kid. The movie was obviously shot over a long period of time and on a small budget, and sort of stitched together. Characters come out of nowhere and they never really get fleshed out. The plot jumps around, and every cliché in the book was trotted out.

Worst of all, the director cast himself in the lead, and he's not a very convincing actor. The actress who plays his girlfriend isn't ready for primetime, either. With better leads, a better editor, and a more cohesive plot, maybe. But as it stands, the movie is a mess.

So, bad movie. But a heck of a try.

Rating:
Summary: Cue Up
Review: First, dismiss all of the comparisons to Rounders because once you see Poolhall Junkies more than once, the similarities become staggeringly sparse. Second, keep in mind that not only was the film most likely done on a small budget but that the script was written 10 years ago. Finally, throw out any misconceptions that would lend you to think that this movie would be amaturish in any way because quite frankly, Poolhall Junkies is one of the best small budget films in quite some time.

The title basically gives away the general idea of the film so instead, I would like to focus on the aspects that stand out the most. As far as the acting goes, each cast member does their job very well. Despite not being "Oscar-worthy" performances, some great acting is turned out by all. Chazz Palmentieri is a given; he is superb at playing shady characters that almost display a modern take on characters played by James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. Christopher Walken is one of the world's finest natural actors ever and his slyness and ability to convey total range without blinking an eye is as prevalent here as in any movie he has ever made.

Some of the surprises come in the form of the lesser known cast members. Mars Callahan, who also co-wrote the film, is Johnny Doyle, through and through. He's a class A hustler with the heart of a true billiards champion. The actor (who's name escapes me at the moment) who plays Johnny's younger brother is also a perfect fit for his role. He not only resembles Mars Callahan but he has the attitiude and shiftiness that only a pool hustler's younger sibling could have. Finally, and possibly my biggest surprise, was the addition of Rick Shroder of Silver Spoons fame. As a dramatic actor and specifically as an intimidating pool hustler, he is as good as the movie as a whole and an overall complete surprise.

Slick is a good word to describe the filmmaking of Poolhall Junkies. I've seen some complaints accusing the director of using the same shots in various spots and while that is undetermined, the trick shots and various camera speeds adds to the overall coolness of Poolhall Junkies.

Aside from Rounders, few films have made me want to quit my day job and become a hustler but Poolhall Junkies has me sizing up pool cues in the sporting goods section. With the combination of the good camera work, quality acting, intriguiing subject matter and the absolutely gorgeous Alison Eastwood (whom I forgot to mention earlier), Poolhall Junkies is an easy choice when making your next DVD purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Most of the others missed it.
Review: First, Mars seems to have written this movie for Walken - no wonder he seems to steal the show (well, no, he really does - it's WALKEN!). Second, Mars actually acts like Walken... he wrote dialogue that could have been written for Walken and he gives it like Walken.

Finally, for the wannabe pool buffs, get over yourselves. You didn't even mention any of the famous players in the film - did you not even recognize them? Their acting wasn't very impressive but I enjoyed seeing them just the same. The one with the biggest part is Mike Massey (sp?) - a trick shot shooter (and gambler as I understand).

There are problems with the film, of course. The biggest being scenes that just don't seem to fit - like one where Johnny asks what to do for a shot, having left himself rough on the 8 ball. It doesn't work because of the dialogue, but also because I would expect someone that good to know what to do - how to play safe. For that matter, someone good enough to go on the tour (or road) should be able to cut the thing in (I could, and I suck)! Well, most honest pool players would say the scene still works simply because of the hustle that follows... very clever.

If you're some kind of "pool purest" and you've never put your cash on the lamp, you probably won't like the movie. If you're a fan of future cult films and poolhalls, at least rent it. Then watch it a couple of times - there are some great lines.

Rating:
Summary: Rack 'em and Smack 'em
Review: Gregory Mars Martin (Callahan), aka Mars Callahan, has given us a chunk of his heart, and great waves of youthful enthusiasm. Callahan, an accomplished pool player, and his hustler buddy Chris Corso, wrote this screenplay. It was shopped around for over ten years, and now it has emerged as a sterling Indie; something to aspire to. It was filmed in Salt Lake City, but little was made of that. It could have been any large city.

His directorial style is sideswipe close to that of Edward Burns; urban, hip, gritty, and intelligent. Hopefully Callahan has some other ideas, and he will follow up with new projects.
Callahan obviously loves movies, and he has given himself the lead part; Johnny Doyle. As it turns out, he is a gifted actor. Roger Ebert called him," McQueen cool.". Another critic, a cretin, called him," Vince Vaughn lite.". Ebert wrote further,
" This is a young man's film, humming with the joy of making it.".

One can't help but to notice when Callahan makes his first appearance on the screen that he does have a tall lanky hip young Christopher Walken persona. Brilliantly for the film, Walken himself was cast in the movie. In an early scene, when he and Walken share the frame, Walken said," I noticed you right away; the hair. Are we related ? " The movie is laden with other movie-lover's moments; tongue-in-cheek and over the top.

If a person likes to shoot pool, this film will be smoky eye candy. The cons, the chatter, the grifts, and the trick shots; all slip by smoothly. You can hear the echo in the pool room, and smell the chalk, the felt on the tables, and the cigar smoke. You hear those ceramic balls crash together in a macho symphony of staccato clanks; and what a lovely sound it is. Callahan in voice over in the preface, speaks of Johnny Doyle,
" The cue was part of his arm, and the balls had eyes. And he really believed that he couldn't miss.".

With Callahan in the lead, speaking his own written dialogue, one senses more immediacy, more reality in the pool hall scenes. As a director, he scored well, landing four heavy hitters in the casting; Walken as uncle Mike the millionaire, Chazz Palminteri as Joe the hustler, Rod Steiger as Nick the owner of the pool hall, and Rick Schroder as Brad the shark. Alison Eastwood was fine, as well, as Johnny's ladyfriend, Tara. This modest little film has all the grit, the validity, and the sting of THE HUSTLER, and in some subtle ways it scores higher than the Scorsese opus THE COLOR OF MONEY.

The plot, far from original ( a young man becomes a pool hustler, but learns to hate the con and yearns for the validation of turning professional), never the less is engaging in Callahan's capable hands. We can not help but care about Johnny Doyle. We want him to get his girlfriend back, and get revenge on the vicious hustler that ruined his life, working him like a pool whore, and then nearly breaking his left wrist in reprisal; and we want him to beat the daylights out of the stoic stud pro-ringer pool shark; and we want him to renew the faith that the pool hall owner has always had in him; and we want him to get his younger brother out of jail (Michael Rosenbaum), who got himself deep into a jam while trying to emulate Johnny.

Christopher Walken simply in a few brief scenes dominates the screen. He is more relaxed, more dynamic, and more focused in this role than he has been in years. He delivered one classic soliloquy that started with," Do you ever watch the Nature Channel ?". This speech will be a highlight for film buffs to review for the next millennium. He is one of a handful of actors, like Harvey Keitel, Tim Robbins, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, and Gary Oldman, that supports the notion that film truly is Art, and that Independent Films are the breath of life. For movie actors it used to be that only appearing on stage, doing live theatre in front of an audience, could produce that kick, that adrenilin rush. But now, it seems, that same high can be achieved when a star works cheap and takes chances in the celluloid world of the Indies.

Roger Ebert also wrote that this film was," enjoyably overwrought, and exuberantly stylish."; praise from Caesar. It certainly is worth a look. For me it ranks high in the short lexicon of billiard epics.

Rating:
Summary: Wanna be pool buffs????? Are you on crack dude.
Review: Hey, K. L. Proctor "klpcompudude"

First of all, the guy Mars Callahan is an actual player you moron! He wasn't just some guy off the streets that didn't know how to hold a stick! Maybe you should do research before you open your uneducated mouth about a subject, so you wont look stupid. For example:
You said, "Mike Massey wasn't on the movie" ?????? Man I don't know if I should laugh or cry to just how stupid you sound. He asked Mars Callahan's character if he was on the roster to play in a tournament then introduced Mars to his friends in a loby/bar in another part of the facility.
The hits just keep on coming, K.L ..The reason the Silver Spoons kid let the guy put all his balls in the pocket was so he could have a clear shot on all his object balls run the table and make it look like he doesn't have the upper hand, which in fact he did.. It was a con you idiot!!
Just because you saw acouple of black and whites, Know acouple names like Minisota Fats, and Jackie Gleason, doesn't make you an expert nor sound smart.
I'm 25 years old and been playing since I was 12. I've been to bars and played people who hustled me by pulling off shots you could only pay to see. I myself had hustled people as well. And by your post it sounds like you dont know what you're talking about regarding this movie, the game, and the people who play it!
And can you think outside the box and wonder to yourself, maybe he wanted to make an up dated version of those classic pool movies? Anyways people like you give me a head ach.

Rating:
Summary: Wannabe Pool Buffs?
Review: How about a wannabe film critic.

First of all, Mike Massey, who has been ranked #l several times over his career and who, in a profession that is predicated on gambling, is ironically a devoted christian, was NOT in the film.

Secondly, a story with definite potential proved a flop due to, yes, lack of focus,but also trite assertions (It's ALL about the money), and poor directing/acting by a Ben Affleck wannabe (who was most appropriately paired with a mobile home salesman who looked like he got a face lift to look like Tony Curtis). Christopher Walken was the lone saving grace of this movie because he is Christopher Walken, not because of any merit by the so-deemed crafters of the film. Alas, Rod Steiger's potential impact was scuttled due to inept scripting and direction, which can nearly be said for the muted Ricky Schroeder as well.

Indeed, the screenplay shamelessly [copied] numerous other works, the game scenes were all flash which at best contradicts the reality (pool hustling is about hiding your skill, not advertising it so all the big-money patsies will steer well clear of you), and hustlers very rarely get hustled by other hustlers, especially from such a sophmoric trick like giving away several balls in an eightball match.

Two stars is a generous rating for this flic which is well outclassed by The Color of Money, which plays a distant second to the classic The Hustler (featuring Willie Mosconi whom many still regard as the best player of all time, Jake LaMotta of belated boxing fame, and not to mention Jackie Gleason who was an expert pool player himself- the camera never blinks when he takes a shot). If you enjoy gambling stories in general, check out The Cincinnati Kid starring Steve McQueen, Karl Malden and Edward G. Robinson, a nearly forgotten gem that is to Rounders what The Hustler is to The Color of Money.

And beware of literate phonies who need attention.

Rating:
Summary: Poor effort
Review: I am a pool junkie myself, and this film, while somewhat entertaining just by the fact it deals with pool, falls well short of the mark. The story itself is very underdeveloped, and leaves alot of loose ends. There are a few clever exchanges of bravado and quips, but any pool player with a few years of experience will tell you that this stuff just doesn't happen. No one loses a few hundred, or few thousand bucks on a drinking or pool game that hinges on symantics like "your" shot or "my" shot, and pays up with a "hey ya got me" grin.

The pool is bad. The main character says he can tell Walken has been playing pool from a crease in his pants and some blue chalk marks. First I'd be leary of a guy looking at my pants, second they return to a table with red felt. Who uses blue chalk on red felt? These "pro" level hustlers end up going three to five rails on almost every shot, playing for upwards of $80,000 in a 9 ball race to 5. While the shots are impressive, I ask you this ... What decent poolplayer has to shoot every shot as a bank or three rail shot? If you can't leave yorself even one straight in shot in 5 games, should you really be playing for thousands a game?

The story is ridiculous. The shots are dazzling, but so ridiculously over complicated for a a poolhall money game. Walken is wasted here. The story is weak. If you can look past the lack of plot development, and the technical deficiencies and just want to watch anything about pool, it is OK. There are a few quotes you will find yourself trying to remember for the poolhall, and an 8 ball shot that you will have to try yourself, but have probably tried already before seeing the movie.

This movie is strictly for the non critcal "Poolhall Junkie".

Rating:
Summary: Better Off Not Even Rented (B.O.N.E.R.)
Review: I am not going to waste much time on this review. This is what you need to know:
This movie rips-off the dialog, pool shot set-ups, and cinematography ideas of the two definative billiards movies: The Hustler and The Color of Money. The acting is plastic at best. The dialog is so predictable that it will bore you to tears or so preposterous that you will laugh until you cry. This is not a good movie and you will be wasting your money if you buy it. Even if you rent it, you will wonder if you can get your money back. Stick to the original classics and you can't go wrong.