Pool Movies... rate'em and/or add'em

JrockJustin

JrockJustin

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I personally do not care how cheezy of a movie it might be, I just have to watch every pool movie I can get my hands on. Let's face it, for me, The color of money is the reason why I started playing 9-ball in the first place. I am sure it is the same for a lot of people. I was in the Navy in 1991, stationed in San Diego. I had a lot of free time so I tried bowling, galaga and pool. Bowling was fun but lacked something? Galaga is/was the best video game ever but how far can I get with those skills?lol... So most my time was spent in the pool hall. Absolutely fascinating to me from the very first time I picked up a cue. I kept playing 8-ball, practicing and challenging, practicing and challenging. One day, I met this guy named Carlos. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him watching me while I was playing. Finally he walked over, introduced himself and asked if we could play together. I said sure, of course and asked him his game preference, 8-ball or 14.1. He smiled and said "How about 9-ball?" I looked at him as if he was nutz or something. What the hell is 9-ball??? He then said, have you ever watched the movie, the color of money? I of course hadn't and then he says, you gotta see this movie...it's the best...

we immediately walked out of the pool hall and over to the video place where we could rent a video and watch it right there. Oh my goodness was I in heaven! We watched that movie 6 times that night! During the first one not a word was spoken. The second and third were more of him explaining things to me and by the 6th time we shut the sound off and just acted out the entire movie ourselves. We went out for breakfast, and waited for the pool hall to open. From that day on, 9-ball has been my game... Exciting, thrilling and completely satisfying. My friends and family now know whenever I am in a bad mood, the reason why. Hey Justin, shot poorly today huh? This game has total control over me and my mood...why is that?

Had to see the Hustler after that... loved it...

Pool Hall Junkies came out. Cheezy yes, but it was a pool movie none-the-less... so, I loved it...

Pool movies out there?

1. The Hustler
2. The Baltimore Bullet
3. The Color of Money
4. Pool Hall Junkies

What am I missing?
 
JrockJustin said:
I personally do not care how cheezy of a movie it might be, I just have to watch every pool movie I can get my hands on. Let's face it, for me, The color of money is the reason why I started playing 9-ball in the first place. I am sure it is the same for a lot of people. I was in the Navy in 1991, stationed in San Diego. I had a lot of free time so I tried bowling, galaga and pool. Bowling was fun but lacked something? Galaga is/was the best video game ever but how far can I get with those skills?lol... So most my time was spent in the pool hall. Absolutely fascinating to me from the very first time I picked up a cue. I kept playing 8-ball, practicing and challenging, practicing and challenging. One day, I met this guy named Carlos. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him watching me while I was playing. Finally he walked over, introduced himself and asked if we could play together. I said sure, of course and asked him his game preference, 8-ball or 14.1. He smiled and said "How about 9-ball?" I looked at him as if he was nutz or something. What the hell is 9-ball??? He then said, have you ever watched the movie, the color of money? I of course hadn't and then he says, you gotta see this movie...it's the best...

we immediately walked out of the pool hall and over to the video place where we could rent a video and watch it right there. Oh my goodness was I in heaven! We watched that movie 6 times that night! During the first one not a word was spoken. The second and third were more of him explaining things to me and by the 6th time we shut the sound off and just acted out the entire movie ourselves. We went out for breakfast, and waited for the pool hall to open. From that day on, 9-ball has been my game... Exciting, thrilling and completely satisfying. My friends and family now know whenever I am in a bad mood, the reason why. Hey Justin, shot poorly today huh? This game has total control over me and my mood...why is that?

Had to see the Hustler after that... loved it...

Pool Hall Junkies came out. Cheezy yes, but it was a pool movie none-the-less... so, I loved it...

Pool movies out there?

1. The Hustler
2. The Baltimore Bullet
3. The Color of Money
4. Pool Hall Junkies

What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Kiss shot, with I think Whoopie Goldgerg
Another one with Johnny Cash I forget the name.
 
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The Color of Money rate as 10
The Hustler rate as 9 (the first half hour is a definate 10)
The Baltimore Bullet rate as 9 (fun movie)
PoolHall Junkies rate as 7 (starved for a pool movie by the time this one released)
Kiss Shot rate as 5 (Whoopie!)
 
The Player

You are missing, maybe by choice, a movie starring Minn. Fats called, "The Player" which was made in the early 70s. Believe me, it was the worst.
 
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The Hustler - 9 - An all time classic...a bit dark though at times. Edit out all the scenes with that woman and it would be a 10!

The Baltimore Bullet - 7 - Pretty good from what I recall, but it was a few years ago. James Coburn acted well, but his shooting wasn't very convincing

The Color of Money - 8 - So much of this movie was great, but get rid of the girl (except the hustling scenes), don't have Vincent as such a dumb slow learner prick, and change the crappy ending so that Eddie doesn't quit like such a spoiled sport loser. And throw out Eddie's woman too (urgh). Then it would be a 10+

Pool Hall Junkies - 5 - Some good pool scenes and hustling banter, but couldn't stand that 'backer pimp' stereotype. As if this guy after 15 years can't get and back his own games. Christopher Walken came across as an utter wanker. I was barracking for the other guy because of him. The final sting was a lame con that deserved a smack in the mouth. I didn't empathize with any of the characters in this movie.

Kiss Shot - 6 - A bit of corny fun, not very believable, poor technique. Not sure I could watch it again. Whoopy couldn't run 3 fookin' balls!

Stickmen - Haven't seen it yet :(
 
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Movies

The ones I have...
The first pool movie ever >>> W C Fields "The Pool Shark" 1915
The Baron and the Kid > with Johnny Cash
Stickmen > from New Zealand
Chalk
Hustler
Color of Money
Kiss Shot
Pool Hall Junkies
and
There is a REALLY BAD pool movie made in Italy where Brigitte Neilson plays a women pool hustler...I used to have a copy but I cant find it right now...
and dont forget ..there was a song by Johnny Cash "The Baron" and a good one by DAve Dudley . "The Pool Shark" which were played a lot in the old days (70's)in bars.....
as for quality and content>>> HEY! THEY'RE POOL MOVIES!!!
 
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Plot Summary for Stickmen (2001)
Jack, Thomas and Wayne are the Stickmen. They like nothing more than to have a beer in one hand, a pool cue in the other, a coin on the table and their mates around them. They play pub pool for fun and money at Dave's bar. Desperate to get out of debt, Dave gets the Stickmen entered into a high stakes pool tournament run by vicious crime boss "Daddy". He also gets them into a whole rack of trouble. Can the Stickmen beat the odds, pocket the money, win the girls and save Dave? You rack 'em, they crack 'em. And never take your eye off the ball.

See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251415/
 
Chalk (1996) - A Review
Shooting pool is not the same after this movie. Don delivers an intense gritty performance in this seedy, grit-covered drama. Goes to the core of raw... Nilsson has created a dark and very humanistic film with a ton of quality. The cinematography around the pool games is tremendous! I loved this movie.

See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115859/
 
Colin Colenso said:
Chalk (1996) - A Review
Shooting pool is not the same after this movie. Don delivers an intense gritty performance in this seedy, grit-covered drama. Goes to the core of raw... Nilsson has created a dark and very humanistic film with a ton of quality. The cinematography around the pool games is tremendous! I loved this movie.

See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115859/
Click to expand...
I have a copy of Chalk, but usually can't get into it because many of the scenes strike me as trying too hard to be gritty. The kind of coolness that some of the characters have gets annoying, like watching high school kids acting like they're too cool for the lame adult world. I hold on to my copy of Chalk for the pool scenes in Las Vegas and the match at the end.
 
The Hustler, Perfect 10 to me, and my 4th favorite movie of all time.
I can watch it over and over, It's a classic and I know many none pool players that loved as well. I guess I'm an old fart
Color of Money, 8 I have a hard time after a few times.

That's all I have seen :( I need to get some of these others I guess.


OH on a side note I love the Twilight Zone "A game of pool" with Jack Klugman as Jessie Cardiff and Jonathan Winters as "Fats Brown"

Check it out if you can.
 
SlimShafty said:
OH on a side note I love the Twilight Zone "A game of pool" with Jack Klugman as Jessie Cardiff and Jonathan Winters as "Fats Brown"

Check it out if you can.
Click to expand...

The Twilight Zone - A Game of Pool
http://www.thebilliardstour.com/movie-a-game-of-pool.html

"A Game of Pool." Jack Klugman stars as Jesse Cardiff,
a man obsessed with the game who is tired of being
compared to the late, great Fats Brown.

If only he had a chance to play Fats, he could prove he was the best!
But as Rod Serling says, "Being the best at anything carries its own special risks, in or out of the Twilight Zone." Of course, the ghost of Fats comes down to play him one game of straight pool to 300 for the title of "Best Pool Player of All Time."

The game is chock full of strategy and skill shots, and even some mistakes,
too. The writer (George Clayton Johnson) and director (Buzz Kulik) obviously love and play the game of pool, because they pepper it with great shots and pool philosophies. There's even a nice message about how you should take time out and enjoy life. There's more to life than pool. Klugman is too far into it to understand that, though. The episode was first broadcast in October of 1961, So it was no doubt riding on the success of "The Hustler" but lucky for is it is not a cheap imitation.
 
LC3 said:
I have a copy of Chalk, but usually can't get into it because many of the scenes strike me as trying too hard to be gritty. The kind of coolness that some of the characters have gets annoying, like watching high school kids acting like they're too cool for the lame adult world. I hold on to my copy of Chalk for the pool scenes in Las Vegas and the match at the end.
Click to expand...
I can't find a copy of it. I saw one copy on ebay that was bunched up with 4 other pool movies. The bidding was back & forth between myself & one other person. I gave up at $80 :rolleyes:
 
Another Two

The Pool Hustlers (1983) An Italian parody of The Hustler
An amateur billiards player tests his skills repeatedly against the national champion, but only wins when he's not playing for cash. He steals from his job to pay for his debts, but finally gets a chance to make good when he qualifies for a big tournament.

http://www.italica.rai.it/eng/principal/topics/bio/nuti.htm

The same producer made a movie Mr. Fifteen Balls (1998) which I saw a few years ago.

Hope I'm not flooding this thread ;)

btw: I wish someone would make a compilation DVD package of all pool videos.
 
Colin Colenso said:
The Twilight Zone - A Game of Pool
http://www.thebilliardstour.com/movie-a-game-of-pool.html

"A Game of Pool." Jack Klugman stars as Jesse Cardiff,
a man obsessed with the game who is tired of being
compared to the late, great Fats Brown.

If only he had a chance to play Fats, he could prove he was the best!
But as Rod Serling says, "Being the best at anything carries its own special risks, in or out of the Twilight Zone." Of course, the ghost of Fats comes down to play him one game of straight pool to 300 for the title of "Best Pool Player of All Time."

The game is chock full of strategy and skill shots, and even some mistakes,
too. The writer (George Clayton Johnson) and director (Buzz Kulik) obviously love and play the game of pool, because they pepper it with great shots and pool philosophies. There's even a nice message about how you should take time out and enjoy life. There's more to life than pool. Klugman is too far into it to understand that, though. The episode was first broadcast in October of 1961, So it was no doubt riding on the success of "The Hustler" but lucky for is it is not a cheap imitation.
Click to expand...

The original short story had a different ending, Fats Brown wins the game but they changed it on TZ.
 
I still have to get my fix of The Hustler every once in awhile. It's still an 11 on a scale of 10. I like the sequel, though I do have to sorta check my brain at the door for awhile while watching it.

Those interested in Stickmen (the New Zealand film), can check Hollywood Video, they had it the last time I checked. It's mildly entertaining.

I thought Poolhall Junkies was a pretty good movie in the same vein as TCOM, I just had to suspend credibility for a lot of it. Besides, Walken is always good.

I vaguely remember a show on cable, I say show because it might have been one of the new Twilight Zones, where there was a pool showdown for some guy's soul. Very Crossroadsesque (Ralph Macchio vs Steve Via with guitars). At the end the guy got the devil's cue or something like that. It was about 10 years ago. Anyone else remember it?
 
dont forget Pakners staring efren reyes. its in tagalog and only sells in the philippines. lucky my g/f brought it back for me when she went there.
 
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