Everything you need to know about and how it relates to you and the world around you. Includes info on the actors, director, with news, reviews, and photos. This presentation by David Bruce visualhollywood.com
SHORT SYNOPSIS Movies Contain the Essence of Being Human In the world of high-stakes poker, Huck Cheever is a blaster a player who goes all out, all the time. But in his personal relationships, Huck plays it tight, expertly avoiding emotional commitments and long-term expectations. When Huck sets out to win the main event of the 2003 World Series of Poker and the affections of Billie Offer, a young singer from Bakersfield there is one significant obstacle in his path: his anger toward his father, L.C. Cheever, the poker legend who abandoned Huck's mother years ago. As these two rivals progress toward a final showdown at the poker table, Huck learns that to win in the games of life and poker, he must try to play cards the way he has been living his life and live his life the way he has been playing cards.
KEY ACTORS The Cinematic Arts Have the Power to Transform Jennifer Harman as Shannon Kincaid John Hennigan as Ralph Kaczynski Doyle Brunson as Himself
KEY TALENT Our Artists Are Our Liberators David Oppenheim, Jason Lester and John Hennigan teach producer Carol Fenelon the finer points of Chinese poker between takes
ARTIST HIGHLIGHT DREW BARRYMORE (Billie Offer) has been a favorite of film audiences for more than two decades. Behind the camera, she is also enjoying success as a producer under her own Flower Films banner, most notably with the two hit Charlie s Angels actioners. In addition to producing the films, Barrymore joined Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu to star in both Charlie s Angels and Charlie s Angels: Full Throttle, which, together, grossed more than half a billion dollars worldwide. Actors are Liberators Unaware
ARTIST HIGHLIGHT ERIC BANA (Huck Cheever) starred in Steven Spielberg s controversial and critically acclaimed drama Munich. Bana earned widespread praise for his multi-layered portrayal of Avner, the Israeli agent chosen to lead an elite squad that has been ordered to track down and kill the men responsible for the terrorist attack that ended with the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Actors help us: laugh, be happy, cry, get angry, and even think.
ARTIST HIGHLIGHT Filmmakers are Revolutionaries, Not Just Entertainers CURTIS HANSON (Director, Writer, Producer) previously directed, co-wrote and produced the crime drama L.A. Confidential, which was one of the most honored films of 1997. The film received nine Academy Award nominations, including three for Hanson in the categories of Best Director, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, the last of which he won.
TRIVIA AND NEWS Movie Making is the Convergence of Many Talents and Art Forms Lucky You is the first Hollywood film to be set against the drama of the recent worldwide poker phenomenon, and the filmmakers went to great lengths to accurately represent the world of high-stakes cash games and tournament play in Las Vegas, circa 2003. For assistance, they turned first to poker legend Doyle Texas Dolly Brunson. In addition to serving as the film s poker consultant, Brunson was in a position to have a special insight into the central characters of Lucky You.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS Stories are Transforming Billie Offer (Drew Barrymore) is a young singer from Bakersfield with more heart than talent.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS All Kids are Born Artistic What is Natural is Essential Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) is a poker player whose emotions at the table often undermine his exceptional skill, especially when he is heads up with his father, poker legend L.C. Cheever (Robert Duvall).
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS Stories Embody the Essence of Being Human The one aptitude Billie and Huck seem to share is a knack for reading people the difference is what they do with that gift. While Huck s instincts enable him to take advantage of his opponents at the poker table and expertly avoid both emotional connections and long-term commitments in his personal life, Billie uses her intuition to see the emotional truth of those around her and sympathize with their pain.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS Cinematic Story Telling is a Profoundly Humanizing endeavor. When these two meet, the real game begins.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS Film making is a Community Event. If Huck is going to win Billie s heart, he must learn to play cards the way he has been living life and live his life the way he has been playing cards.
CRITICAL OPINION Free Artistic Expression is a Mark of a Free Society Lucky You really is that easy to read. You know all the tells well in advance, and the filmmakers never ante up with much more than a superficial emotional connection to the characters. --David Germain, Associated Press Lucky You wagers that the strategies and insider vocabulary of high-stakes poker are sexy enough to engross even a card-novice moviegoer. Don't bet on it --Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
FILM REVIEW LUCKY YOU Art is the Language of Liberation Be genuine! So what does the key line in the film mean? Learn to play cards the way he has been living life and live his life the way he has been playing cards. Producer Carol Fenelon remarks, I think Curtis believes the ability to distinguish truth from artifice is an important element of any relationship. In many ways, the world of professional poker in Las Vegas provided the perfect opportunity to explore that idea. Hmm, so the idea is to know the difference between truth (transparency) from artifice (poker face). That is hard to do when it comes to reading others. However to discover the difference within our own self is a worthwhile pursuit. Bottom line: Be genuine!
FINDING TRUTH IN LUCKY YOU Society is only as free as its arts. Art is the voice of human freedom. Truth vs. Artifice I always like to reveal the fact that the emperor has no clothes. And children are best at that. They teach us how to see the world in that sense. They are without artifice; they see it for what it is. I am drawn to that ruthless honesty. --Mira Nair
LIFE CONNECTIONS Art is a Liberating Force Game vs. Relationship GAME: There is also no collaborative spirit; it s an individual sport. Poker players must be completely self-centered; they can t have sympathy and win. They can t worry about whether their opponent can afford a loss. RELATIONSHIP: By contrast, warm human relationships are based on caring, empathy, honesty and often putting the other person first. Because of this dichotomy, it seemed poker could be both a metaphor and a mirror for the different relationships in a story.
WHY MOVIES ARE SO IMPORTANT To Restrict Creativity is to Restrict the very Nature of the Creator "The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions" --Albert Camus (Existentialist thinker). In Movies and the Meaning of Life author Kimberly Blessing points out that movies can help us reflect on five of life s most important questions: 1) What is reality and how can I know it? 2) How can I find my true identity? 3) What the significance of my interactions with others? 4) What s the point of my life? 5) How ought I to live my life? The idea behind Visual Hollywood is that Movies can and must play an essential role helping us explore the meaning of our existence and our life together. No other quest is more necessary or important. Movies are powerful. Movies bring personal meaning, and can contribute to a peaceful world. Cinematic story telling can be a transforming event. Visual Hollywood takes an existential approach to life. We celebrate with human freedom. We use movies and the arts as a means of understanding the human condition and our collective relation to the world around us. Our basic quest is: 1. To know what it means to be human in the world. 2. The pursuit of human freedom.
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