WTDX Poker Run
12-09-2011 | 04:49 AM
#111
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 8
Loaded Pistols - 1948
Years ago, when I was a struggling catcher mired deep in the minor leagues, the rumor around the clubhouse was that owner Gene Autry had lost his California Angels in a poker game. He had more luck when he starred in this campy 1948 western. The lights go off in the middle of a monster pot and someone is shot dead. It's up to Mr. Autry to save the innocent hothead accused of the crime.
They don't make 'em like this anymore. Loaded Pistols is filmed in glorious black and white. It's got everything from pissed off sheriffs to irate lynch mobs. Heck, there's even a healthy dose of Autry's famous honey-sweet singing voice. And with gobs of fist-smacking action and hot-lead death for countless bad guys, it just might be the perfect way to pay back the girlfriend for that Failure to Launch business.
Best quote: (Gene Autry singing) "The sharpies were taking him for fair / He said, 'I'm wise this here game ain't square / I mean them loaded dice just ain't gonna do / Cause I've got something else that's loaded too.'"
Loaded Pistols - 1948
Years ago, when I was a struggling catcher mired deep in the minor leagues, the rumor around the clubhouse was that owner Gene Autry had lost his California Angels in a poker game. He had more luck when he starred in this campy 1948 western. The lights go off in the middle of a monster pot and someone is shot dead. It's up to Mr. Autry to save the innocent hothead accused of the crime.
They don't make 'em like this anymore. Loaded Pistols is filmed in glorious black and white. It's got everything from pissed off sheriffs to irate lynch mobs. Heck, there's even a healthy dose of Autry's famous honey-sweet singing voice. And with gobs of fist-smacking action and hot-lead death for countless bad guys, it just might be the perfect way to pay back the girlfriend for that Failure to Launch business.
Best quote: (Gene Autry singing) "The sharpies were taking him for fair / He said, 'I'm wise this here game ain't square / I mean them loaded dice just ain't gonna do / Cause I've got something else that's loaded too.'"
12-09-2011 | 04:50 AM
#112
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 7
Sunset Trail - 1939
I often wonder how a sniveling Phil Hellmuth or a lippy little Antonio Esfandiari would have fared against the gruff, gunslingin' boys from the Old West. William Boyd's poorly named but hard-as-nails "Hopalong Cassidy" probably would have made Hellmuth eat his iPod. But in Sunset Trail, he takes a step back from the agro-male role and bluffs his way into a Silver City poker game by posing as a twitchy hypochondriac from "back East," all so he can win back some money from a corrupt casino owner.
While he might sound like a fluffy lil' cartoon bunny wabbit, "Hopalong" can square off with the best of them, with either fists, pistols or a couple of hole cards. He appeared in over a hundred movies and left hundreds and hundreds of dead bad guys in his wake. The justice-leveling shootout at the climax of Sunset Trail makes a nice, fat addition to that body count. And isn't that what cowboy movies are all about?
Best quote: "There's no braver man than a scared one when he's cornered."
Sunset Trail - 1939
I often wonder how a sniveling Phil Hellmuth or a lippy little Antonio Esfandiari would have fared against the gruff, gunslingin' boys from the Old West. William Boyd's poorly named but hard-as-nails "Hopalong Cassidy" probably would have made Hellmuth eat his iPod. But in Sunset Trail, he takes a step back from the agro-male role and bluffs his way into a Silver City poker game by posing as a twitchy hypochondriac from "back East," all so he can win back some money from a corrupt casino owner.
While he might sound like a fluffy lil' cartoon bunny wabbit, "Hopalong" can square off with the best of them, with either fists, pistols or a couple of hole cards. He appeared in over a hundred movies and left hundreds and hundreds of dead bad guys in his wake. The justice-leveling shootout at the climax of Sunset Trail makes a nice, fat addition to that body count. And isn't that what cowboy movies are all about?
Best quote: "There's no braver man than a scared one when he's cornered."
12-09-2011 | 10:45 AM
#113
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 6
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels - 1998
A quartet of wannabe hoods find themselves in way over their heads after losing 500,000 quid to a local crime lord/pornographer in a crooked card game. That's a lot of dime bags, or stolen laptops, or whatever it is that low-level thugs sell to get by. But when they overhear their neighbors planning their own heist, the lads are all in.
Granted, poker plays a very small part in this flick, but it's still an ultra-violent, frantically-paced gem that was unlike anything ever seen when it was released. It has all the hallmarks of a great guy movie: cool villains, a double-digit body count and a killer soundtrack. We're simple creatures, aren't we?
Best quote: "They're armed."
"Armed? Armed with what?"
"Er, bad breath, colorful language, feather duster... what do you think they're gonna be armed with? Guns, you tit!"
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels - 1998
A quartet of wannabe hoods find themselves in way over their heads after losing 500,000 quid to a local crime lord/pornographer in a crooked card game. That's a lot of dime bags, or stolen laptops, or whatever it is that low-level thugs sell to get by. But when they overhear their neighbors planning their own heist, the lads are all in.
Granted, poker plays a very small part in this flick, but it's still an ultra-violent, frantically-paced gem that was unlike anything ever seen when it was released. It has all the hallmarks of a great guy movie: cool villains, a double-digit body count and a killer soundtrack. We're simple creatures, aren't we?
Best quote: "They're armed."
"Armed? Armed with what?"
"Er, bad breath, colorful language, feather duster... what do you think they're gonna be armed with? Guns, you tit!"
12-09-2011 | 10:46 AM
#114
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 5
Kaleidoscope - 1966
Back in the day, Warren Beatty was quite the ladies' man. Then, when he was your dad's age, he bagged Madonna. So let's just say he's got something that you and I don't. Way before his pre-Material Girl days, Beatty starred in this neat 1966 thriller. He plays Barney Lincoln, a lying, scheming, completely lovable scoundrel who bypasses all the classic cheating methods and cuts right to the chase -- as in, breaking into the factory that makes the cards and marking the printing plates with a code so only he can read them. Throw in a beautiful dame and a sprinkling of Scotland Yard intrigue, and it's high-stakes fun.
You can't help but like Beatty's slimy, manipulative character. This guy lies, cheats, womanizes, then wins in the end. Just like George Clooney. The film has got a beaming, classic Technicolor sheen and oodles of "Swingin' '60s" appeal. Kaleidoscope oozes kitschy charm -- almost enough to support it as it collapses into a ridiculously cliched ending.
Best quote: "We'll have some tea, Mr. Lincoln. Would you like scones or sticky buns?"
"Sticky buns, of course."
Kaleidoscope - 1966
Back in the day, Warren Beatty was quite the ladies' man. Then, when he was your dad's age, he bagged Madonna. So let's just say he's got something that you and I don't. Way before his pre-Material Girl days, Beatty starred in this neat 1966 thriller. He plays Barney Lincoln, a lying, scheming, completely lovable scoundrel who bypasses all the classic cheating methods and cuts right to the chase -- as in, breaking into the factory that makes the cards and marking the printing plates with a code so only he can read them. Throw in a beautiful dame and a sprinkling of Scotland Yard intrigue, and it's high-stakes fun.
You can't help but like Beatty's slimy, manipulative character. This guy lies, cheats, womanizes, then wins in the end. Just like George Clooney. The film has got a beaming, classic Technicolor sheen and oodles of "Swingin' '60s" appeal. Kaleidoscope oozes kitschy charm -- almost enough to support it as it collapses into a ridiculously cliched ending.
Best quote: "We'll have some tea, Mr. Lincoln. Would you like scones or sticky buns?"
"Sticky buns, of course."
12-09-2011 | 10:47 AM
#115
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 4
Rounders - 1998
Many point to this John Dahl-directed flick as the catalyst of the poker popularity explosion at the turn of the millennium. Matt Damon plays a law school student who swears off poker and turns his life around, only to get dragged back in when his slimy buddy Worm (Ed Norton) slithers back into his life. The result? He ends up deeply in debt to a Russian crime boss, played with reckless abandon by John Malkovich.
Rounders showcased the ugly underbelly of the game, with crisp dialogue and a top-shelf performance by Ed Norton. And it really wasn't all that good. The story is riddled with holes, including a recently-dumped Matt Damon throwing a horny and drunk Famke Janssen out of his apartment and an allegedly top-tier player with a tell more obvious then my buddy Danny (who gets so nervous when he bluffs that he actually cries a bit). Still, as far as modern-day poker movies go, Rounders is one of the best. The poker play itself is unrivaled and Johnny Chan's cameo is absolutely priceless.
Best quote: "Listen, if you can't spot the sucker at the table in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker."
Rounders - 1998
Many point to this John Dahl-directed flick as the catalyst of the poker popularity explosion at the turn of the millennium. Matt Damon plays a law school student who swears off poker and turns his life around, only to get dragged back in when his slimy buddy Worm (Ed Norton) slithers back into his life. The result? He ends up deeply in debt to a Russian crime boss, played with reckless abandon by John Malkovich.
Rounders showcased the ugly underbelly of the game, with crisp dialogue and a top-shelf performance by Ed Norton. And it really wasn't all that good. The story is riddled with holes, including a recently-dumped Matt Damon throwing a horny and drunk Famke Janssen out of his apartment and an allegedly top-tier player with a tell more obvious then my buddy Danny (who gets so nervous when he bluffs that he actually cries a bit). Still, as far as modern-day poker movies go, Rounders is one of the best. The poker play itself is unrivaled and Johnny Chan's cameo is absolutely priceless.
Best quote: "Listen, if you can't spot the sucker at the table in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker."
12-10-2011 | 04:44 AM
#116
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 3
Maverick - 1994
I have a lot of guilty pleasures. You know, things that I know aren't that great, but just can't help liking. Count Chocula, MTV's Cribs, Blink 182... the list goes on. Add to that Maverick, Richard Donner's formulaic remake of the 1957 television series of the same name. It stars Mel Gibson (before he got all preachy and weird), Jodie Foster and the always-cool James "Rockford" Garner. And on top of that cast, you get cowboys, Indians, bar fights, and a great climax aboard an old-fashioned paddlewheeler.
No deep symbolism or art-house imagery here; it's pure popcorn-chomping cinematic fluff. Sure, Foster's accent might vary wildly, and Mel Gibson's aw-shucks antics start to grate after a while, but it's still undeniably fun to watch.
Best quote: "From the moment I slapped eyes on this hombre, I smelled trouble. And refried beans."
Maverick - 1994
I have a lot of guilty pleasures. You know, things that I know aren't that great, but just can't help liking. Count Chocula, MTV's Cribs, Blink 182... the list goes on. Add to that Maverick, Richard Donner's formulaic remake of the 1957 television series of the same name. It stars Mel Gibson (before he got all preachy and weird), Jodie Foster and the always-cool James "Rockford" Garner. And on top of that cast, you get cowboys, Indians, bar fights, and a great climax aboard an old-fashioned paddlewheeler.
No deep symbolism or art-house imagery here; it's pure popcorn-chomping cinematic fluff. Sure, Foster's accent might vary wildly, and Mel Gibson's aw-shucks antics start to grate after a while, but it's still undeniably fun to watch.
Best quote: "From the moment I slapped eyes on this hombre, I smelled trouble. And refried beans."
12-10-2011 | 04:46 AM
#117
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 2
California Split - 1974
Somehow, this fantastic and wholly realistic Robert Altman film has flown under the radar for years. It stars George Segal and Elliot Gould as booze-soaked, hard-luck gamblers in California. They form an unlikely bond based mostly on getting drunk and losing money (either in the casino or at the hands of muggers in the parking lot). It's only a matter of time before bad luck and deep debts catch up to the pair, and they mortgage their future on one last dance with Lady Luck.
The film gives a gritty, unflattering look at the other side of the American dream, one without the private jets and four-story fountains in the lobby. Instead, Altman's vision makes you feel like you just woke up on the bathroom floor of a third-rate casino in Reno. Somehow, he makes this a good thing.
Best quote: "What do you have to say? This man just called you a cheater."
"What do I have to say? I say the man doesn't know how to play poker. The man is bad. He's a complete asshole. We all know that, right? The man goes broke, he can't handle it. The man is on tilt. You wanna hear any more?"
California Split - 1974
Somehow, this fantastic and wholly realistic Robert Altman film has flown under the radar for years. It stars George Segal and Elliot Gould as booze-soaked, hard-luck gamblers in California. They form an unlikely bond based mostly on getting drunk and losing money (either in the casino or at the hands of muggers in the parking lot). It's only a matter of time before bad luck and deep debts catch up to the pair, and they mortgage their future on one last dance with Lady Luck.
The film gives a gritty, unflattering look at the other side of the American dream, one without the private jets and four-story fountains in the lobby. Instead, Altman's vision makes you feel like you just woke up on the bathroom floor of a third-rate casino in Reno. Somehow, he makes this a good thing.
Best quote: "What do you have to say? This man just called you a cheater."
"What do I have to say? I say the man doesn't know how to play poker. The man is bad. He's a complete asshole. We all know that, right? The man goes broke, he can't handle it. The man is on tilt. You wanna hear any more?"
12-10-2011 | 04:47 AM
#118
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,606
Likes: 8
From: Northern VA
Number 1
The Cincinnati Kid - 1965
Steve McQueen could have beat up my dad, your dad and six ninjas while tied up in a wheelchair. So it makes sense that he would make one mean mother of a poker player. And his Eric Stoner is just that. Stoner is the main character in Norman Jewison's 1965 hard-boiled classic, The Cincinnati Kid, who comes to New Orleans in the '30s to prove himself at the poker table and in the sack. He challenges the reigning king of town to a high-stakes game while juggling the advances of two southern belles. Tough gig.
This is one of those rare flicks that will please hardcore poker aficionados and cinephiles at the same time. It's dark, stylish, filled with intense action and loads of suspense, and the suffocating humidity and sketchy back alleys of the Big Easy make for a fantastic backdrop.
Best quote: "How the hell did you know I didn't have the King or the Ace?"
"I recollect a young man putting the same question to Eddie the Dude. 'Son,' Eddie told him, 'all you paid was the looking price. Lessons are extra.'"
The Cincinnati Kid - 1965
Steve McQueen could have beat up my dad, your dad and six ninjas while tied up in a wheelchair. So it makes sense that he would make one mean mother of a poker player. And his Eric Stoner is just that. Stoner is the main character in Norman Jewison's 1965 hard-boiled classic, The Cincinnati Kid, who comes to New Orleans in the '30s to prove himself at the poker table and in the sack. He challenges the reigning king of town to a high-stakes game while juggling the advances of two southern belles. Tough gig.
This is one of those rare flicks that will please hardcore poker aficionados and cinephiles at the same time. It's dark, stylish, filled with intense action and loads of suspense, and the suffocating humidity and sketchy back alleys of the Big Easy make for a fantastic backdrop.
Best quote: "How the hell did you know I didn't have the King or the Ace?"
"I recollect a young man putting the same question to Eddie the Dude. 'Son,' Eddie told him, 'all you paid was the looking price. Lessons are extra.'"