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Page 4
April 2002
Poolhall Junkies
The First Public Screening by: Herb Wilmot, Westar International
Photo Courtesy of Francine Massey
Highly entertaining , a fun movie , a good time , a lot of action . That s the consensus buzz about the up-coming pool movie Poolhall Junkies. On February 13th at the Darryl F. Zanuck Theater on the 20th Century Fox lot in Los Angeles, an invitation only crowd of about five hundred people arrived to see the first public screening of this much-anticipated film, many of whom were Hollywood and billiard industry professionals. Jim Chapman, President of Westar International, whose company (l to r) Mike Massey, Mars Callahan, Jim Chapman, Chris Corso, Robert LeBlanc is handling the promotion of the film throughout the billiard industry, was on hand making notes and taking photos both at the theater and afterwards at the party at The Atlantic. Associates or friends represented the four sponsors of the movie Olhausen Billiards, Westar International, Southwest Cues, and Washington State Championship Sardo Tight Rack. A high level of energy ran through the packed auditorium as Mars April 5-7, 2002 Callahan director, writer, actor took the stage prior to the curtain rising. Contact: System Amusement This is a dream come true for a lot of people 114 E Baldwin Spokane, WA 99207 in this movie , said Mars. He then reeled off a (509) 326-1551 list of names, of whom many would recognize in the movie and billiard world actors, agents, producers, executives, sponsors, promoters, etc. who have helped him along the way. But most importantly, his personal accolades about the support his friends and family have given him throughout the years, emotionally moved he and the audience the most. The movie is LUNCH DINNER FULL BAR dedicated to his late godfather, a writer, Phillip POOL DARTS PULL TABS Robert Dixon. In his closing comments, Mars pointed to a central figure in his life, my best THURSDAY 8 BALL TOURNAMENT - 7:30 PM friend in the world, who, I would not be alive 12801 NE 175th - Woodinville, WA today if he didn t grab me at nineteen years old (425) 488-0140 in a poolroom and teach me how to write my writing partner, my best friend Chris Corso. A standing ovation then erupted from the crowd. Then, the movie. Afterwards, the excitement. The comments covered nearly every aspect of a viewer s experience. It s fun to watch, said Robert Le Blanc, pool Technical Advisor for the film. Every guy that sees this movie will think, Thursday 5pm Tuesday 5pm Damn, I wish I was doing that in a poolroom . Dave Thomson of Medium Pool (an advertising POOL - BIG SCREEN TV agency in LA that works with billiard products FOOD - KEGS - DARTS and billiard players) commented thus: 1055 Sunset Blvd NE Renton, WA It made me laugh; it was funny and (425) 255-9213 entertaining . Mike Massey, World Champion pool trick-shot artist who played the role of St. Louie Louie in the film, added, There was some really good acting and the movie was fastPOOL POKER paced. I think everyone will like it. Donny KENO DARTS Olhausen of Olhausen Billiards who drove up from San Diego with his brother, Butch Olhausen, Mike Clark and an entourage Lunches: 11am - 9pm Happy Hour: 5pm - 7pm of others said, I liked it. I d like to see it again. So goes the mood and the attitude. Many Qualify Here for the MCMOA thought that this movie would appeal to a wide State 8-Ball Championships audience beyond the pool spectrum. Phil
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Messina, a veteran writer and director of many theatrical and TV movies said, It s a mixed bag. Some people will like the movie just for its entertainment value. Thomson more specifically said, This movie has a very broad appeal. Also, it will definitely do well in the cult scene because you ve got two or three name actors in there. Christopher Walken is the chief cult factor. He s the biggest draw, I would think. Of the acting in general, everyone interviewed expressed praise. From the young actors in the film, all the way up to Chazz Palminteri and Rod Steiger, the comments ranged from favorable to amazing. Aside from Christopher Walken, who seemed to be everyone s favorite, drawing adjectives such as terrific and awesome and superb , it was Mars Callahan who garnered the most kudos. It s amazing what he did at such a young age writing, directing, acting, said Le Blanc. Jay Helfert, a well respected and long-time promoter of pool in the West, chimed in, I d like to see Mars and writer Chris Corso get some recognition because they did a good job . And Messina, Mars is an entertaining actor with a lot of potential. And Donny Olhausen, He did a fine job. Many people thought that the movie would be good for the pool industry if enough people saw it. It will certainly generate interest and increase sales, said Donny Olhausen. All the movie can possibly do is excite interest for pool, expanded Le Blanc. And without a single exception, everyone loved the ending. A play upon words and a hasty decision provided the thrill. Thomson, who first saw the script in 1992 said, It was funny watching the evolution of the script and see how it changed. I thought the ending was a nice little twist. But perhaps the most objective opinions came from a non-pool player who was totally unbiased, who has never even seen a pool movie and who regularly walks out of movies she doesn t like. Laurie Britton, a friend of Donny Olhausen, put it all together. I didn t expect to like it, so I was quite pleased that it was as good as it was. I stayed glued to it. It had a good story line. The acting was good. Mars was actually quite a good actor and I had never heard of him. And I was a bit surprised that it got me enthralled about pool in general. It made me actually want to learn how to play pool. I would like to see it again. Doesn t that say it all? The next big question remains the same: When will the film appear before the general public and where? The answer leans towards late summer of this year. Get ready! Watch for upcoming articles following the progress of Poolhall Junkies by Westar International, a billiard wholesale company based in Las Vegas and Seattle. 800 995-8605
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