New vegas/gambling movie

[rusty JEDI]

This is something i found from upf that i thought was of some interest.

http://www.unitedpokerforum.com/forum/b.asp?m=24748

Hi,

I have something of a marketing question below that relates to my job, feel free to ignore if such a question bothers you.

I work for Lions Gate Films, we are releasing a movie this fall called "The Cooler." William H. Macy stars in it as a man with such bad luck that he is hired to "cool off" the hot streaks at an old-Vegas type casino, where he is employed by casino boss Alec Baldwin. His luck starts to change when he falls in love with a cocktail waitress played by Maria Bello. The film is set in Vegas, most of it takes place in the fictional Shangri-La Casino, clearly modeled on Binion's. The film has been getting critical raves and was a big hit at Sundance this year.

My question is this- the film is a noirish black comedy as well as a love story, heavy on old-Vegas style and charm, with a reverent but also realistic view of both old and new Vegas. That being said, does this type of movie as I've described it appeal to the average poker player? For myself, being someone who is very much a gambler and a "Vegas person" as well as a poker player, it has tremendous appeal to me (even if I wasn't working on it) but what I'm wondering is if marketing the film to the large community of poker players out there (being that poker players have some key differences from the typical "Vegas weekender playing craps" crowd) would be a good idea. In other words- are you someone who is interested in all things gambling/Vegas-related, or do you see poker as a more clearly defined, separate entity that doesn't color your views/interests in other tangentially related topics?

Any thoughts will help, this movie is a good one and needs all the help it can get. If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks

Eli

[Wake up CALL]

It seems like I saw previews for this many months ago. They must have distribution problems.

[ripdog]

The plot seems ridiculous to me. I would much rather watch a movie that is based in reality, rather than some B.S. theme on a person plagued with bad luck. Don't mind me, though. My wife complains that I refuse to rate many movies as worthy of a DVD purchase. By the way, I just got a jump on my X-mas shopping. The Blues Brothers and Animal House: The Double Secret Probation Edition are available from Amazon.com for $25 and some change (free shipping). I'm going to be a [censored] hero on December 25th.

[jmctriton]

.... or one very similar to it. I rented a movie called "Intacto" the other night which has a strange resemblance to the story described in your post. Here is a link to Roger Eberts review of the movie in his newspaper column in the Chicago Sun Times
http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_...02/022103.html


By the way, the movie was ok and had a decent story but not really worth watching again.

Jason