Pool Cue News and Review

So I’m on my favorite billiards board and it seems that some guy thought it would be a good idea to tell people about a torrent for Turn the River (the Famke Janssen flick).  For those not familiar, you can get a tool like BitTorrent, find torrent files of pirated flicks and TV shows and download them pretty easily.

Everyone pisses and moans about the industry being in the crapper and everyone says that they want to do whatever they can to support the industry.  Here’s a good guy who made a pretty good flick and what happens?  Someone decides that he is not only going to rip it from a sleazy torrent site but he’s going to tell his pals about it and encourage them to do the same.

The guy thought better of it after some people on the board told him that it was kind of a dick move, but it brings up an interesting point.  If you want to support those who try to promote the game, don’t be a cheapass, wait a few weeks and shell out 20 bucks to get it on DVD.  If 20 bucks is too much, just spend a few bucks to rent it or put it on your Netflix list.

Turn the River officially opens today in NYC and the reviews are starting to roll in.  The New York Times overall gave the flick a pretty good review, although they didn’t seem to care much for the third act.  Stephen Holden had the following to say about it: “Until it transforms into an improbable thriller, “Turn the River” is a finely observed portrait of a desperate working-class woman who refuses to play by ordinary rules. It programmatically plays down the suspense during the ultimate contest, which pits Kailey against Duncan (John Juback), a canny, seasoned pool hustler adept at mind games.”

Over in the world of Rotten Tomatoes, the flick is currently sitting at an 89% overall rating with 8 positive reviews and 1 negative.  The good reviews are from some pretty heavy hitters as well (Variety, Newsday, Village Voice, New Yorker).  Because its a limited release indie, it probably won’t be in a theater near you anytime soon, but word has it that the DVD will be out in July.

A couple of additional quotes and review links:

Chris Eigeman makes an impressive debut as writer/director of Turn the River, ably abetted by an intense, edgy star turn from Famke Janssen as a pool hustler who wants to grab her abused son away from his weak, alcoholic father and get the hell out of town fast.
-FilmCritic.com (4/5 stars)

Writer-director by Chris Eigeman, one of America’s finest comic actors (best showcased in Whit Stillman’s films), seems aware of the risk that his film runs of drifting into the untenable, and so he painstakingly anchors it with double knots of character development, weaving in a network of supporting parts and a real sense of how people support or subvert one another in their screwed-up relationships.
-Village Voice

…What is impressive about these early scenes is the faith and courtesy that they extend to the audience. They don’t present the information in slabs but release it drop by drop, and expect us to work out the truth for ourselves. In short, “Turn the River” plays it cool—not bad, when you realize that Chris Eigeman, normally an actor, is making his début here as a writer and director, and when you weigh the mass of sadness that sits upon his film.
-The New Yorker

If you’re a pool junkie, I’ve got a special treat. Well, by “I” I really mean ESPN Classic but hey, I’m the one who’s telling you about it, so that counts for something, right? So here’s the deal: It seems that ESPN Classic is finally living up to its name and will be running some classic matches from the 70s and 80s. You won’t see names like Allison Fisher or Jeanatte Lee there. What you will see is the likes of Minnesota Fats, Irving Crane, Willie Mosconi and Cowboy Jimmy Moore.

For the hardcore billiards fans, this is the equivalent to seeing Nickalus and Palmer in the final pairing Sunday at a Major, Johnny Mac screaming at a line judge in a match against Jimmy Connors or Sargent Slaughter punking out The Iron Sheik. If you’re a casual fan, check it out anyway. Here’s a partial list of what’s on tap. Keep in mind that all the times are EST.

04/28/08 10:00A 11:00A LUTHER LASSITER VS. U.J. PUCKETT
04/29/08 10:00A 11:00A LEGENDS OF THE FALL- HALL OF FAME TRICK SHOTS
04/30/08 10:00A 11:00A COWBOY JIMMY MOORE VS. LUTHER LASSITER
05/01/08 10:00A 11:00A LUTHER LASSITER VS. IRVING CRANE
05/02/08 10:00A 11:00A WILLIE MOSCONI VS. BABE CRANEFIELD
05/05/08 10:00A 11:00A WILLIE MOSCONI VS. COWBOY JIMMY MOORE
05/06/08 10:00A 11:00A WILLIE MOSCONI VS. COWBOY JIMMY MOORE
05/07/08 10:00A 11:00A COWBOY JIMMY MOORE VS. LUTHER LASSITER
05/08/08 10:00A 11:00A BABE CRANFIELD VS. U.J. PUCKETT
05/09/08 10:00A 11:00A JOE BALSIS VS. IRVING CRANE
05/10/08 11:00A 11:30A LUTHER LASSITER VS. CICERO MURPHY
05/10/08 11:30A 12:00P MINNESOTA FATS VS. LUTHER
05/11/08 11:00A 12:00P WILLIE MOSCONI VS. IRVING CRANE
05/12/08 10:00A 11:00A WILLIE MOSCONI VS. U.J. PUCKETT
05/13/08 10:00A 11:00A MINNESOTA FATS VS. IRVING CRANE

So Turn The River had its New York premier the other day in what I consider to be a very cool setting: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC. If you’ve never been, you should go. Even if you’re not a big art nut, MOMA is still a mindblowing experience.

The premier didn’t look to be Aquaman spectacular, but it wasn’t supposed to be. Thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, sometimes we forget that movies are in fact a work of art… some are just a little more artistic than others. As for the premier itself, I’ve been told that good times were had by all. I was browsing through some of the PR pics and what did I see but Famke, Lorelai Gilmore and Lisa Loeb all in the same room. Damn Digger Stiles… you got game!

The flick is finishing up its run of film festivals over the next couple weeks, so it will be screening in Indy at the Indianapolis International Film Festival April 25th and for all you Southies, it will be screening at the Boston Independent Film Festival on April 25th and 26th. Left Coasters, the flick rolls into your town at the Landmark Theater on May 6th and then officially opens on May 9th in NYC and May 16th in LA.

The cast has some serious acting chops and for you die hard pool fanatics, Tony Robles will be heating up those barbox tables. Don’t expect to see it at your local AMC, but hopefully it will get a few hundred screens on a limited release. For those who didn’t catch it the first time, you can watch the trailer below.

…Does that mean it actually exists? That is the burning question with the vaporware otherwise known as “9-Ball”. Not that anyone actually cares about this anymore, but according to a recent press release from Main Street Productions, this trainwreck is actually scheduled to start shooting principal photography at Universal Studios in June. In a move to further doom this flick to laughable, the production company has cast three more pro pool players to join “stars” Jennifer Barretta and Jennifer Layne Park. I totally can’t wait to see Feral Girl #2 from The Hoax in a leading role.

So here’s the latest for those keeping score: Number of actual actors in this movie - 1 (sort of). The movie appears to also have an exec producer on board although Ralph Clemente has never produced a movie you’ve ever heard of.

Seriously, does anyone actually care about this movie? I’m posting about it because I’m an ass, not because I have any actual interest in seeing this movie. I really don’t get the whole Jennifer Barretta thing to begin with, but I guess I’m in the minority on that one, at least in the pool biz. So, for all you looking forward to this flick, here are some rough cut shots of what to expect from this gem (assuming it ever gets finished).