New pool movie

[ShootingArts]

Tech consultant

Looking forward to the movie. Heck, anything about pool is cool, as far as I'm concerned. It's called a "family drama" on Google. The actors are great, and we got to give JoeyA a high five for lending his expertise to the movie, so that it's more realistic.

Look, I love TCOM for obvious reasons, but some of that movie was a little corny. When it came out in '86, my friends from the pool room and I went to the big theater to watch it together. We are laughing our heads off at some of the lines because they were so goofy, but we loved the movie, nonetheless.

JAM,

Pretty obvious some of the movies and TV shows didn't figure they needed a pool tech consultant, most of what they say and do is awful! That was one of the things I liked about the Baron and the Kid, they got a lot right. Then there was Johnny's explanation of the zone and the way a player would shoot then at the end of the shot swing his cue butt out a foot or more. What the heck was that about? Johnny did it, his chief opponent did it, I don't remember who all but every time they did it was like fingernails on a chalkboard!

I suspect when we can see this full movie it will be pretty watchable. Some real actors, a real script, almost certainly the usual story line, but the skills of the actors and director make it watchable or not, along with the input they accepted from Joey. I don't know how much they accepted of course.

That would seem to be a made to order gig for Keith if there were more pool movies. I think he would make a great tech consultant! Not sure if he would be great or dangerous if they put him in a booth live. It would be fun for sure! Several of the guys tried to get me in the booth in the early days of streaming. Nope! Not happening! People wanted to see me on the streams too. I was on one from The Big Easy. See that pair of blue jeans from the knees down and leather shoes in the background for most of the match? That's me.

Hope things are great your way!

Hu

 

[JoeyA]

Hmm. The plot doesn’t seem very new. Is it any good?
And, when was it filmed? Good luck to all involved!

It was filmed two years ago.
JoeyA

 

[JoeyA]

Snooker Theory,
It is being released as an ON DEMAND movie.
JoeyA

Seems like a really bad time to release a movie unless it's done online... All my local movie theaters are closed down. Was going to watch/buy movie online right now but don't see it listed anywhere on the normal channels like Amazon.

 

[JoeyA]

Hahaha! Good one pt109.

I had been training the young star Julian Feder on various aspects of pool for a month, once or twice a week. As most of you know, you don't pick up pool excellence in a short period of time but Julian was a quick learner and dedicated student of the game.

Film time is expensive, so in this particular case, the film company, was following the story very closely to what the writer had written. Julian had to make the 9 ball on the break and as most of you already know, that doesn't happen very often even with the most elite players.

So they gave Julian TWO tries to make the 9 ball on the break. Now I wouldn't take those odds with my money even if I could adjust the rack.

Julian had been working hard on his 9 ball break and it showed. He was hitting the 1 ball on the break very firm and fairly square. So on the first break, I rack the balls and make a slight adjustment to the rack to enhance the opportunity of the 9 ball going on the break. Julia rears back with that young man's power, speed and enthusiasm and hits the one ball really well, the 9 ball immediately jumps out of the rack and heads for the corner pocket and another object ball hits the 9 ball knocking it off course. Pfffft. That sucked.

Now Julian has only one more try to make the 9 ball on the break or they will have to create "movie magic" in order to follow the script.

I am beside myself, almost silently cursing the object balls from impeding the path of the 9 ball. As I go up to the table, I realize that we have this one more try to make the 9 ball on the break and like I normally rack 9 ball, I made sure to get the rack as tight as was humanly possible, checking to make sure that there were no visible spaces between any of the object balls. Satisfied, I go back to my chair which is at the bottom of the table and a guy who is an "extra" in the movie and who doesn't play pool hardly at all, says, "Did you fix it so he is going to make the 9 ball on the break?" I almost had a stroke: I jumped out of my chair before they could call "Action" and ran up to the table, heart racing, me beating myself up for forgetting to make the adjustment and forced them to take an extra minute before filming Julian's second and last try to make the 9 ball on the break.

I go back to my chair and I tell the "extra" that if Julian makes the 9 ball on the break, I owe him a drink of his choice. Everything has been restarted and the crowd has been quieted down, Julian knows better than anyone else that this is his last chance to make the 9 on the break. Me, I'm sitting in my chair with an Earl Strickland look on my face I'm sure that is trying to control something that I have no control over. My heart is racing as most who know me, I try my best at everything I do. I'm not always successful but I give it my best effort. Well, Julian gets down on the break and prepares himself for a good break and I am now willing Julian (in my mind) to do everything that I taught him to do and he rears back and cracks the rack like a champion. The 9 ball immediately flies out of the rack headed for the lower left corner pocket with great speed. That was when it was as if time had stood still. I'm bearing down with my eyes on the 9 ball and simultaneously "willing" the object balls to avoid the 9 ball as it heads toward the pocket. The balls are all moving very slowly as I focus on the 9 ball as it gets closer and closer to the pocket, object balls, flying everywhere around the 9. The 9 ball gets to the pocket at a fast rate of speed but I saw it as a tortuous one or two seconds that had been expanded to a longer time span than I ever dreamed possible. The 9 ball falls into the pocket and me and the crowd go crazy. (I sure hope they don't edit that scene.) I was so happy for Julian, doing something that is not easy to do if you have several chances in a row to do it. I know he was excited and very happy to accomplish this feat but I wonder if he knows just how epic that break was.

JoeyA

Joey....tell the story about the 9-ball on the break...it was a good one

 

[JoeyA]

Thanks Slide13! With all of the youtube users during this Corona Virus thing it appears that YouTube decided to put the video up at a much lower resolution that I would have liked. I know the On Demand movie will be at a MUCH higher resolution and can't wait to see it.

JoeyA

Had pretty low expectations clicking on that link but was pleasantly surprised. Looks good to me and I’ll definitely watch it. Looking forward to the release.

 

[JoeyA]

I have to agree with you K2Kraze. If you aren't eager to see this movie, then you're just a NEGATIVE NELLIE who lives only to hate.

JoeyA

If one watches this movie trailer and yet has no desire to see the movie, let alone the day it comes available, I’d wager you’re not a fan of either the game or great actors.

Any takers?

 

[JoeyA]

SJM,
That's what some pool players don't get. This is a story about redemption. This isn't a story about pool excellence and neither was "The Color of Money" or even "The Hustler". We all know that there was more movie magic in those movies than you can shake a stick at. Pool just happens to be the vehicle that transports the story.

I'm hoping that some of us who have walked the walk will think about our own personal journeys and reflect on what we could do to make the pool world a better one for all concerned. If we make our changes for the better, one player at at time, perhaps the rest of the world will take notice and consider investing their non-pool money into the sport we love so much.

JoeyA

Looks pretty awful to me, but it's a pool movie, so that's a good thing. Hope it's successful.

From what I've seen, for a pool movie to succeed, the plot must avoid anything to do with the primary player's family and friends. Noone really cares about any of that. A boyfriend/girlfriend, on the other hand can be useful in offering perspective and on how an outsder can be drawn in to the pool action scene, at times to their detriment.

For me, in both "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money," the fascination came from the idea of a skillful player caught up in the wilderness of the seedy pool gambling scene and how they navigate the harsh realities of a world in which their own morals and values are tested to the max time and time again.

In my view, those who make pool movies these days have lost their way, thinking that we want soap opera or action-film type drama.

 

[JoeyA]

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is quite a funny guy and also a very serious actor with great skills. I look forward to seeing his acting skills on the screen.

Jeffrey was practicing a nice trick shot and after being told by the guy who suggested this particular trick shot to me, to lower his cue and hit the cue ball with a more level cue, executed the shot the first time he made that adjustment. That shot doesn't belong in the movie as part of the story but I hope it makes it way into the end of the movie as an after thought. The crowd loved it and when Jeffrey jumped up and hugged me and shouted, "This is the best damn movie I've ever done!" ( He probably says that on the set after each movie he does. Lol)

Joeya

The positive is that they got Jeffrey Dean Morgan who is known for his role as Negan on The Walking Dead.

It also has some aspects of pool involved.

That's about it.

 

[JoeyA]

Thanks justadub. It was a fun gig and a number of our local players were in this movie, so I look forward to seeing them as well. It was hard work and a lot of fun. I would do this type of work again if asked but next time I will have to demand a speaking role. ;-)

Joeya

And fortunately for the people putting the movie together, the OP of the thread, JoeyA, is the pool consultant on the movie....I also saw Joey in one of the stills from a pool room scene.

Congrats, Joey. Looking forward to seeing it.

 

[JoeyA]

Chris,

Gamblers and even tournament promoters and directors make up all kinds of rules for every pool game including 9 ball.

Call pocket for the 9 ball was part of the story as it was written and the two players agreed to that rule. Maybe you will just have to see the whole movie to criticize that rule.

JoeyA

I hope they’ve used a qualified pool consultant for this movie. By the one clip in the trailer I saw in which an opponent claims the kid failed to call the 9-ball on the final shot, that just shows a lack of detail that any pool player would immediately pick up on - They are not playing 8-ball, they are playing 9-ball in a bar room, so what are the chances they’d be playing by rules requiring them to call the pocket on the 9-ball? - highly unlikely in my opinion.

 

[JoeyA]

EXACTLY Gun_Slinger.

JoeyA

Its possible that they were playing 'call the 9 ball' or a called shot game. I Hustled bar pool in the 70's and every bar seemed to have its own rules. It was funny because the more rules they made, the bigger advantage the better player had !
I'll watch it till the end.
Good luck Joey A

 

[JoeyA]

I guess I will watch it too. ;-)

JoeyA

Good to hear from ya Joey A!! Movie looks good to me. I will watch it

 

[JoeyA]

Hu,

We had one self-proclaimed pool expert that had been invited to participate in the movie. This person was very vocal about how he would do this and that. That went on for a couple of days and finally the film company put him and his suitcases out on the curb. I heard various reasons for why he was barred from the set. He said they barred him from taking photos of the actors. No need to mention his name as it's not mentioned here to hurt him or anyone else. So thanks for those who know for remaining silent. Just making a point that stories are written by writers and movie companies try to follow the story as closely as possible.

Movie film companies, writers and directors have their own perspective about what they want to film. For the most part, I think they got the protocol of the game down just fine. However I didn't participate in the editing so we all will see how it turns out in a month or so.

I'm personally happy that they decided to put pool back in the public's eye and the redemption story line is something I hope everyone who plays pool will sit back and reflect on. Perhaps, we can each change for the better, one pool player at a time.

JoeyA

JAM,

Pretty obvious some of the movies and TV shows didn't figure they needed a pool tech consultant, most of what they say and do is awful! That was one of the things I liked about the Baron and the Kid, they got a lot right. Then there was Johnny's explanation of the zone and the way a player would shoot then at the end of the shot swing his cue butt out a foot or more. What the heck was that about? Johnny did it, his chief opponent did it, I don't remember who all but every time they did it was like fingernails on a chalkboard!

I suspect when we can see this full movie it will be pretty watchable. Some real actors, a real script, almost certainly the usual story line, but the skills of the actors and director make it watchable or not, along with the input they accepted from Joey. I don't know how much they accepted of course.

That would seem to be a made to order gig for Keith if there were more pool movies. I think he would make a great tech consultant! Not sure if he would be great or dangerous if they put him in a booth live. It would be fun for sure! Several of the guys tried to get me in the booth in the early days of streaming. Nope! Not happening! People wanted to see me on the streams too. I was on one from The Big Easy. See that pair of blue jeans from the knees down and leather shoes in the background for most of the match? That's me.

Hope things are great your way!

Hu

 

[pt109]

I guess I will watch it too. ;-)

JoeyA

Thanx for the 9-ball on the break story, Joey.
I had just scanned it on FB and then had some chores to do...
...and I wanted AZ to see it....well written...

That story really makes me want to see the movie.

 

[ShootingArts]

"Self Proclaimed Pool Expert"

Joey,

"Self Proclaimed Pool Expert" around the New Orleans area. That narrows it down to about half a thousand people! I don't think you came too close to ratting him out. I do have to admit being a mean minded individual I can think of a couple I hope it was!

Even most of the folks that are sexual intellectuals when it comes to pool are pretty decent people though so it is pretty easy to ignore their faults.

Currently scheduled to be your way about the end of June. I'll let you know when it gets closer if the virus and the gubment doesn't decide for me!

Hu

Hu,

We had one self-proclaimed pool expert that had been invited to participate in the movie. This person was very vocal about how he would do this and that. That went on for a couple of days and finally the film company put him and his suitcases out on the curb. I heard various reasons for why he was barred from the set. He said they barred him from taking photos of the actors. No need to mention his name as it's not mentioned here to hurt him or anyone else. So thanks for those who know for remaining silent. Just making a point that stories are written by writers and movie companies try to follow the story as closely as possible.

Movie film companies, writers and directors have their own perspective about what they want to film. For the most part, I think they got the protocol of the game down just fine. However I didn't participate in the editing so we all will see how it turns out in a month or so.

I'm personally happy that they decided to put pool back in the public's eye and the redemption story line is something I hope everyone who plays pool will sit back and reflect on. Perhaps, we can each change for the better, one pool player at a time.

JoeyA

 

[Dead Money]

Hahaha! Good one pt109.

I had been training the young star Julian Feder on various aspects of pool for a month, once or twice a week. As most of you know, you don't pick up pool excellence in a short period of time but Julian was a quick learner and dedicated student of the game.

Film time is expensive, so in this particular case, the film company, was following the story very closely to what the writer had written. Julian had to make the 9 ball on the break and as most of you already know, that doesn't happen very often even with the most elite players.

So they gave Julian TWO tries to make the 9 ball on the break. Now I wouldn't take those odds with my money even if I could adjust the rack.

Julian had been working hard on his 9 ball break and it showed. He was hitting the 1 ball on the break very firm and fairly square. So on the first break, I rack the balls and make a slight adjustment to the rack to enhance the opportunity of the 9 ball going on the break. Julia rears back with that young man's power, speed and enthusiasm and hits the one ball really well, the 9 ball immediately jumps out of the rack and heads for the corner pocket and another object ball hits the 9 ball knocking it off course. Pfffft. That sucked.

Now Julian has only one more try to make the 9 ball on the break or they will have to create "movie magic" in order to follow the script.

I am beside myself, almost silently cursing the object balls from impeding the path of the 9 ball. As I go up to the table, I realize that we have this one more try to make the 9 ball on the break and like I normally rack 9 ball, I made sure to get the rack as tight as was humanly possible, checking to make sure that there were no visible spaces between any of the object balls. Satisfied, I go back to my chair which is at the bottom of the table and a guy who is an "extra" in the movie and who doesn't play pool hardly at all, says, "Did you fix it so he is going to make the 9 ball on the break?" I almost had a stroke: I jumped out of my chair before they could call "Action" and ran up to the table, heart racing, me beating myself up for forgetting to make the adjustment and forced them to take an extra minute before filming Julian's second and last try to make the 9 ball on the break.

I go back to my chair and I tell the "extra" that if Julian makes the 9 ball on the break, I owe him a drink of his choice. Everything has been restarted and the crowd has been quieted down, Julian knows better than anyone else that this is his last chance to make the 9 on the break. Me, I'm sitting in my chair with an Earl Strickland look on my face I'm sure that is trying to control something that I have no control over. My heart is racing as most who know me, I try my best at everything I do. I'm not always successful but I give it my best effort. Well, Julian gets down on the break and prepares himself for a good break and I am now willing Julian (in my mind) to do everything that I taught him to do and he rears back and cracks the rack like a champion. The 9 ball immediately flies out of the rack headed for the lower left corner pocket with great speed. That was when it was as if time had stood still. I'm bearing down with my eyes on the 9 ball and simultaneously "willing" the object balls to avoid the 9 ball as it heads toward the pocket. The balls are all moving very slowly as I focus on the 9 ball as it gets closer and closer to the pocket, object balls, flying everywhere around the 9. The 9 ball gets to the pocket at a fast rate of speed but I saw it as a tortuous one or two seconds that had been expanded to a longer time span than I ever dreamed possible. The 9 ball falls into the pocket and me and the crowd go crazy. (I sure hope they don't edit that scene.) I was so happy for Julian, doing something that is not easy to do if you have several chances in a row to do it. I know he was excited and very happy to accomplish this feat but I wonder if he knows just how epic that break was.

JoeyA

Great story, thanks for sharing it!

 

[Dead Money]

Chris,

Gamblers and even tournament promoters and directors make up all kinds of rules for every pool game including 9 ball.

Call pocket for the 9 ball was part of the story as it was written and the two players agreed to that rule. Maybe you will just have to see the whole movie to criticize that rule.

JoeyA

This is very true!

I have gambled on many variations: last pocket 9 ball, must bank the 9 ball, called shot on the 9 ball.

Looking forward to this movie:smile:

 

[EDRJR]

Call 9 ball

International Challenge of Champions rule:

Unlike other 9-ball tournaments, a player must call the 9-ball before pocketing it. Failing to call the shot or the 9-ball going in another pocket other than the one called will result the 9-ball being respotted and the player loses his turn at the table. Also, a player can't win a rack by pocketing the 9-ball in the break.

From Wiki page- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Challenge_of_Champions

 

[JoeyA]

These are some of the places that this movie will be available.

The movie will be on iTunes, Vudu, Amazon, FandangoNow, Hoopla, Kanopy, Comcast, Charter/Spectrum, Cox, Altice, Medicom and others that don't have listed yet.

 

[JoeyA]

Great Find! 9 Ball is played by more different rules than practically any other pool game I know of.

JoeyA

International Challenge of Champions rule:

Unlike other 9-ball tournaments, a player must call the 9-ball before pocketing it. Failing to call the shot or the 9-ball going in another pocket other than the one called will result the 9-ball being respotted and the player loses his turn at the table. Also, a player can't win a rack by pocketing the 9-ball in the break.

From Wiki page- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Challenge_of_Champions