Movie Review: Poolhall Junkies
By Purple
‘PoolHall Junkies’ is a porno movie for billiard fiends. A collection of juicy trick money shots strung together with loose plot threads and bad acting. There are well shot action scenes with balls rolling into holes, and a few memorable lines worth repeating but in the end it hardly qualifies as a movie at all.
It’s a DVD that video clerks across the country can throw into the player for the umpteenth zillionth time when the manager goes on break, to quote the dialog and annoy the customers in the store. You know, just like Quentin Tarantino used to do. And perhaps this is why ‘PoolHall Junkies’ never quite made it into movie theaters and went straight to DVD.
‘Poolhall Junkies’ theatrical trailers began baiting people last winter with names like “Christopher Walken, Chazz Palminteri, Rod Steiger, Rick Schroder, Tara Eastwood and more” in a movie about pool hustlers. With a cool premise and an all star lineup like that what could possibly go wrong?
Well, when a bunch of top rate actors agree to star in a movie by a new writer/director/actor who has cast himself as the main character it's a risk. And when that risk doesn't pay off, the agents of the name brand talent starring in it decide that its best to slip the fiasco out under the radar and hope it doesn't impact their clients careers too greatly. Such is the fate of ‘Poolhall Junkies’...
The movie slips in and out of different story threads so much that at times it’s hard to believe you are watching the same movie. Only writer, director and star Gregory ‘Mars’ Martins desire to be in virtually every frame provides the thread of continuity. And it’s really too bad. You want to like this movie. There are parts worth watching like Michael Rosenbaum as Danny, the kid brother in trouble plot character and otherwise known as the young Lex Luthor on TV’s current ‘Smallville’ series on the WB.
Who knows, maybe over time I can come to appreciate ‘PoolHall Junkies’ for what it is, and fast forward through to the good parts and enjoy them.
For Movie Magazine this is Purple.
It’s a DVD that video clerks across the country can throw into the player for the umpteenth zillionth time when the manager goes on break, to quote the dialog and annoy the customers in the store. You know, just like Quentin Tarantino used to do. And perhaps this is why ‘PoolHall Junkies’ never quite made it into movie theaters and went straight to DVD.
‘Poolhall Junkies’ theatrical trailers began baiting people last winter with names like “Christopher Walken, Chazz Palminteri, Rod Steiger, Rick Schroder, Tara Eastwood and more” in a movie about pool hustlers. With a cool premise and an all star lineup like that what could possibly go wrong?
Well, when a bunch of top rate actors agree to star in a movie by a new writer/director/actor who has cast himself as the main character it's a risk. And when that risk doesn't pay off, the agents of the name brand talent starring in it decide that its best to slip the fiasco out under the radar and hope it doesn't impact their clients careers too greatly. Such is the fate of ‘Poolhall Junkies’...
The movie slips in and out of different story threads so much that at times it’s hard to believe you are watching the same movie. Only writer, director and star Gregory ‘Mars’ Martins desire to be in virtually every frame provides the thread of continuity. And it’s really too bad. You want to like this movie. There are parts worth watching like Michael Rosenbaum as Danny, the kid brother in trouble plot character and otherwise known as the young Lex Luthor on TV’s current ‘Smallville’ series on the WB.
Who knows, maybe over time I can come to appreciate ‘PoolHall Junkies’ for what it is, and fast forward through to the good parts and enjoy them.
For Movie Magazine this is Purple.
© 2005 - Purple - Air Date: 9/24/03
More Information:
Poolhall Junkies
USA - 2002
