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April 12th 2006
Hollywood puts its chips on poker
It was only a matter of time before the next wave of poker movies arrived; it has been nearly ten years since "Rounders" hit the silver screen, and despite the surge in popularity poker has enjoyed in the years since, no film of note has registered on the poker landscape since.
Well that is about to change. Hollywood has woken up, and poker films are in production like never before.
Poker, of course, is the perfect subject for a movie. It is a game that pits man against man in a battle of mental aptitude and psychological deviance that ensures the most bizarre and interesting characters are often its finest proponents. It is also a game that, despite what Matt Damon says in "Rounders", features a heavy slice of luck, and the swings of fortune that luck dictates are of great appeal to Hollywood producers. And then there is the money. Lots of it, more in fact than in any other sport. And who can resist the idea of millions of dollars won and lost in a card game? In short, what on earth took Hollywood so long?
Whatever the reason for its sluggishness, tinsel town is now working at a rate of knots to make up for lost time. First to appear on our screens is likely to be “Lucky You”, starring Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore alongside a host of real life pro players.
With the Oscar winning director Curtis Hanson (of "LA Confidential") at the helm of a screenplay written by another Oscar winner in Eric Roth ("Forrest Gump", "The Insider") it looks like "Lucky You" could be a rare event - a good poker film.
The film tracks the story of a pro player (Bana) and his encounter with a struggling singer (Barrymore) while he has a run in with his estranged father (Robert Duvall) - all set in the world of high stakes poker in Vegas.
Certainly it looks as though Hanson and co have done their research. Well over 24 pro players will feature in the film as Hanson strives to create truly authentic poker scenes. Among the many recognisable players who will be playing themselves are Doyle Brunson, Jack Binion, Johnny Chan, Chris Ferguson, Antonio Esfandiari, Phill Hellmuth, Ted Forrest, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman, Dan Harrington, Erick Lindgren, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Matusow, Erik Seidel and Cyndy Violette. Phew....and that’s not even half of them.
M.J. Loheed's "Freezout" has already received rapturous reviews and won "Best Feature Film" during the 2005 Westwood International Film festival in LA. "Freezeout" is an independent film, and centres on the less glamorous world of poker homegames, drawing attention to the interesting and unique relationships that revolve around this setting.
And the latest poker film in production is set to be a Hollywood blockbuster. "Deal" stars Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds, and follows the classic script of the Paul Newman film "The Colour of Money" - and old/ex gambler who stumbles across a young raw hotshot and takes him under his wing. The big news with "Deal" is that is will focus heavily on the WPT, with many scenes taking place on the familiar WPT set. Like "Lucky You," "Deal" will also feature a number of prominent poker stars, with Phil "The Unabomber" Laak and Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari already committed to acting parts.
"Deal" is currently still filming and is not scheduled to hit the silver screen until well into 2007.
Until then, get the popcorn ready for “Lucky You” which is in post production as I write.
Submitted: 12/04/2006 11:28:57
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