Turn the River (2007) released 2008

This good little movie about a woman pool hustler named Kailey (say KY-lee) has been nominated for an Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for Best Feature Under $500,000 (this year). They used their money wisely. There was only original music, so they didn't have to pay for rights. They shot inside and out in New York (with permits) but kept the camera close, and there were no camera cars (used only for transporting cameras and equipment). Star Famke Janssen did her own driving -- including in Manhattan! Actor Chris Eigeman (from TV's Malcolm in the Middle; TV's It's Like, You Know, which was apparently enjoyed only by me; and Whit Stillman's Metropolitan (1990), Barcelona (1994), and Last Days of Disco (1998); among others) made his directorial debut with this script which he wrote specifically for Janssen, after they met co-starring on the independent movie The Treatment (2006). He has a cameo, blink and you'll miss it, as Mike Simms, one of the pool players in the beginning. I don't usually listen to the director's commentary (though I tend to like it when I do) and learned a few things, such as Janssen's name is pronounced FOM-ka (she's Dutch), and she really does pick all the bits out of her soup when she eats. She was brilliant as a highly conflicted character in the FX series Nip/Tuck a season or two ago, and I also liked her in Woody Allen's Celebrity (1998), Love & Sex (2000), and this year's The Wackness. Actors who played her opponents, John Juback and professional pool player Tony Robles, were the technical advisors. They must've been good, because there were no doubles used -- she did ALL of her own shots in the pool scenes, which were filmed in the first 6 days. Do watch the DVD extra called "Final Shot;" it's short. Rip Torn, whose resume as actor has 179 entries on imdb (some of my favorites: One Trick Pony (1980) with Paul Simon, HBO's Larry Sanders Show, Wonder Boys (2000), and both Men in Black (2000 and 2002) movies) went against type as kindly pool hall owner Mr. Quinnette. Matt Ross, who plays Alby in HBO's Big Love, was Kailey's ex-husband, playing it a lot like petulant and suspicious Alby, and young Jaymie Dornan (Bettie's little brother in The Notorious Bettie Page in 2005) was great as their son Gulley; he was 13 when they shot this one. Terry Kinney (whom I know best for TV's thirtysomething, because I didn't watch HBO's Oz, although he was in lots of other things) had a small but pivotal role. And, for certain of my readers, Richard Burst-Lazarus was a production assistant on this movie.

The River is what they call the last card revealed in a poker game; the one with the most fate, according to the director.