I decided to back into the vault of Documentary films that I have talked about since starting this blog, more so in preparation for yet another year of True False Fest, which I can’t wait to attend again next month. Holy Rollers was actually a documentary I saw at our local KC film festival and surprisingly one of my favorite movies that showed during that fest, next to Take Shelter and Like Crazy. Holy Rollers combines two of my favorite things, moral code bending Christians with loose interpretations of the Bible and how they justify what they are doing and morally bankrupt gambling. Sweet!
As you all well know, I am a fan of heist movies. You should know if you have been following my blog since the humblest of beginnings, but if not that’s cool, I can fill you in on the details. There is something so sly and cool about heist movies. I love watching the inner workings of a crime caper unfold and see the gears start to turn as the act is being committed. From the assembling of the crew, the explanation of the act and then watching everything fall into place. Ocean’s Eleven (the most recent one) had all the hallmarks of what makes a good heist film for me. While capturing all the parts of the act, they managed to interject a stylistic rhythm to the whole proceeding that made the film have this unique vibe that leads you to believe that Clooney and Pitt really do steal from people on the weekends.
I remember a time when I had nightly poker games at random friends houses with the television tuned to the non-stop coverage of everything poker. Sure our games and wagers were meager and not as exciting as the games on television, but damned if it wasn’t cool in some weird high school way where we felt like champs when we took the pot. I know I might catch flack for this, but I found the sideshow circus on the television far more interesting than the game taking place in poorly lit basement on the bargain sale felt poker table top that you can get at any Walmart. I mean, yeah you are spending some times with friends and playing poker, but come on, your tells are obvious and I drew a straight on the flop, you can’t WIN.
The poker on television was a spectacle to behold with the cavalcade of personalities that are fit some weird noir-ish archetype. You got the naive, lucky beginner player, then the willy veteran, the poker legend of old, the mysterious foreign national and even the wild card player of the table. Also there would occassionally be the femme fatale who was there in a low cut top dress as her weapon of choice, which was always a nice change of pace. So a movie comes along that tries to capture the wackiness of the poker world and does so with a free spirit and a ridiculous ensemble cast of actors and actresses to play in a poker tournament. It’s a good change of pace from the usual back alley and high stakes poker films we usually see and a entry into the mockumentary genre.
