Ahigh
Ahigh
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November 26th, 2012 at 12:38:43 AM permalink


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5m6FrFsi8Y

I really enjoyed this movie. Probably the most accurate slice of craps culture presented in a film.

This movie was the first movie produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. He got good reviews on this movie, and went on to do the more popular Boogie Nights later.

But I think a lot of people missed this one. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. Very entertaining movie with some good actors in it.

The entire movie is currently viewable on You Tube until it gets disabled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TefH2gu9-o
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LonesomeGambler
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November 26th, 2012 at 11:30:42 AM permalink
Fantastic. The avatar that I use on other forums is of Sydney from that very scene.



Hard Eight is also an exceptionally strong debut for a young filmmaker like PT Anderson. I'm not a huge fan of the direction he's gone in since There Will Be Blood, but he is truly one of the great living American filmmakers.

Edit: just a minor nitpick, but the film was actually not "produced" by PTA, although you probably meant that in a general sense. It was written and directed by him, as was Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, and more recently, The Master. There Will Be Blood was written and directed by him as well, but it was based on an existing work: a play called "Oil," by Upton Sinclair.
Canyonero
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November 26th, 2012 at 1:38:18 PM permalink
Thanks for the tip, I really had missed that one. Just watched it, great movie!
Ahigh
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November 26th, 2012 at 2:14:26 PM permalink
Yeah, I am hopefully getting a framed movie poster for this movie for my house for Christmas. I really hope another and better movie is made in the future that does as good or better job at capturing the sort of social antics that can be found at the craps table. But this one really sets itself apart in capturing these elements pretty well.
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TIMSPEED
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November 26th, 2012 at 3:24:15 PM permalink
I can GURANTEE WITH CERTAINTY...that the beginning of Hard Eight was filmed at JANugget in Reno...
For starters, when they walk in, I recognize that Giant Golden Swan (it's still there in the hotel lobby)
Then when they go to "The Bar" at 12:22, that's the "Cabaret" (no bar, just a dance floor and a stage; they're sitting down on the dance floor)
I'm watching it closer now (watched it on my phone earlier) to see if the actual CASINO action is in the casino at JANugget...but I'm thinking it IS, because of the obnoxious RED signage...

EDIT: LOL, when he gets the TOKENS, I see the RATE card..it CLEARLY says "NUGGET", LOL! Yes it IS all filmed at JANugget!
LOL, I wonder why no one has ever mentioned that it was filmed there!
WTF, bunch of dopes I guess!
But as for the Hotel...I can't say that's the nugget rooms...MAAAYBE before they remodeled the East Tower...
Gambling calls to me...like this ~> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nap37mNSmQ
LonesomeGambler
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November 26th, 2012 at 9:01:20 PM permalink
Very cool, I didn't know that. Good eye!
Mosca
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November 27th, 2012 at 9:21:47 AM permalink
Thanks for the heads up!

I've been trying to get this one onto Netflix or Amazon Prime, no luck; I streamed the first half last night and I'll finish it tonight.
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teddys
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December 1st, 2012 at 9:00:53 AM permalink
Yes, it is one of my favorites, and was filmed at the Nugget in Reno.

Keep a watch out for a cameo by a pre-stardom Philip Seymour Hoffman as a shot-taking craps player. Scene-stealer. (Okay, I see that's in the video linked above.)

I think my favorite scene is the rate card trick John Reilly plays to score the free room. I can relate to that one :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=LgEApN9ap0A&NR=1
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
odiousgambit
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December 2nd, 2012 at 3:51:46 AM permalink
At imdb.com the title seems to be simply "hard eight"
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!”   She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
FleaStiff
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December 2nd, 2012 at 5:14:48 AM permalink
Quote: odiousgambit

At imdb.com the title seems to be simply "hard eight"

Hard Eight, Keno, .... cheap "con jobs" on the floor man at the slot machines for a lousy free room. Big time gamblers? What big time gambler makes hardway bets? Or plays Keno? And come to think of it, what hooker doesn't get her money up front? Also what sort of broad would go for that no-good loser?
100xOdds
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December 2nd, 2012 at 6:48:51 AM permalink
Quote: Ahigh



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5m6FrFsi8Y

I really enjoyed this movie. Probably the most accurate slice of craps culture presented in a film.

This movie was the first movie produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. He got good reviews on this movie, and went on to do the more popular Boogie Nights later.

But I think a lot of people missed this one. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. Very entertaining movie with some good actors in it.

The entire movie is currently viewable on You Tube until it gets disabled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TefH2gu9-o



thx.. downloading it from youtube. the 480p version is only 280megs in size?
Craps is paradise (Pair of dice). Lets hear it for the SpeedCount Mathletes :)
Ahigh
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December 2nd, 2012 at 9:38:18 AM permalink
I'm not sure, but I think Sydney bets the hard eight big like that for the attention it earns him not for the opportunity to win. At one point in the movie, he tells someone that it's a stupid bet.

Sydney isn't a big time craps gambler from my perspective. He's a former hit-man with a dark history and a desire to have a life where he cares for other people that care for him back.

The movie isn't about gambling. It's about the characters and the relationships between the characters. All relationships that are ultimately orchestrated by Sydney out of his desire to have a more normal life than what would be expected for a former hit-man.

I think the point of the movie is that money easily changes hands from one hand to another hand and the rules for how the money changes hands is not obvious at all.

Sydney get's his money from the finger snapper bet from a finger snapper. He just needs an extra level of indirection for the bet to pay off.
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Mosca
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December 2nd, 2012 at 9:55:38 AM permalink
It's an allegory. Sidney's big bet on hard eight is like him investing himself in John and Clementine: a bad bet on a long shot that probably won't pay off, but might.
A falling knife has no handle.
AceCrAAckers
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December 2nd, 2012 at 10:47:30 AM permalink
Here is another movie set in a gambling town. I like looking at old buildings and seeing the changes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCkj3xOzPd8&NR=1&feature=endscreen
Edward Snowden is not the criminal, the government is for violating the constitution!
odiousgambit
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December 2nd, 2012 at 11:10:09 AM permalink
Quote: AceCrAAckers

Here is another movie set in a gambling town. I like looking at old buildings and seeing the changes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCkj3xOzPd8&NR=1&feature=endscreen



What opera is the opening music from?
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!”   She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
paisiello
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December 2nd, 2012 at 1:00:57 PM permalink
Quote: odiousgambit

What opera is the opening music from?


Bellini's Norma
odiousgambit
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December 2nd, 2012 at 5:12:33 PM permalink
Quote: paisiello

Bellini's Norma



thanks, sounds worth better familiarity
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!”   She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
Ahigh
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December 4th, 2012 at 7:41:13 AM permalink
Just finished the Atlantic City movie. The setting was a little bit depressing, really. But interesting flick.

I am still surprised that there are not more movies about Las Vegas. The Hangover did great, but there hasn't been a really big Las Vegas movie in a while now.
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TIMSPEED
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December 4th, 2012 at 8:57:23 AM permalink
Since this topic is still near the topic, I thought I'd mention...
I asked everyone I could, this weekend, at JANugget, if they knew about Hard Eight...only ONE guy (who's kind of an oddball anyway) VAGUELY remembered it...
and quite a few have worked there since the early 80's...apparently even when a movie comes to film, they have their head buried in the sand.
Gambling calls to me...like this ~> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nap37mNSmQ
Ahigh
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December 4th, 2012 at 9:13:14 AM permalink
Quote: TIMSPEED

Since this topic is still near the topic, I thought I'd mention...
I asked everyone I could, this weekend, at JANugget, if they knew about Hard Eight...only ONE guy (who's kind of an oddball anyway) VAGUELY remembered it...
and quite a few have worked there since the early 80's...apparently even when a movie comes to film, they have their head buried in the sand.



I only learned about this movie searching on You Tube for "Hard 8."

Not many people know about the film.
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odiousgambit
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December 4th, 2012 at 10:39:18 AM permalink
If you've seen the movie, what about this scene?

Quite a bit of movie time is about the time prior when some matches caught on fire spontaneously, burning John and making him hard-set about never using matches for anything, ever.

btw I was next to somebody this happened to once. He had them in his back pocket and was sitting down. He didnt get burned too bad. The rest of us laughed like hell.

In the movie, I'm thinking that scene is going to prove key to the movie. But it didnt seem to have anything to do with anything. What did anyone make of it?

USE SPOILER COVER in any reply
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!”   She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
TIMSPEED
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December 4th, 2012 at 10:57:06 AM permalink
Quote: Ahigh

I only learned about this movie searching on You Tube for "Hard 8."

Not many people know about the film.


But still...SOMEONE should have known JANugget had a movie filmed there...
They all guessed Pink Cadillac..cuz it had all of 30 seconds filmed inside the casino...
Gambling calls to me...like this ~> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nap37mNSmQ
Ahigh
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December 4th, 2012 at 11:49:56 AM permalink
In the director's audio, the director talks about this scene as the scene intended to grab the audience into the movie to get them interested.

Start listening at 9:30 on this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu_zVN5lW_4

And the director explains how this is used as a "ripoff" of Melvin and Howard.
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LonesomeGambler
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December 4th, 2012 at 5:13:05 PM permalink
Quote: odiousgambit

At imdb.com the title seems to be simply "hard eight"

The title of the screen play and working title of the film was simply, "Sydney," but the studio made a big stink out of it and insisted on the title "Hard Eight," which PT Anderson hated. I personally like it better, but that's just me. I'm guessing your post is in response to the title of the thread, which is the line that Philip Baker Hall (Sydney) says in the scene at the craps table with Philip Seymour Hoffman—it's not actually the title of the movie.
LonesomeGambler
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December 4th, 2012 at 5:17:08 PM permalink
Quote: odiousgambit

If you've seen the movie, what about this scene?

Quite a bit of movie time is about the time prior when some matches caught on fire spontaneously, burning John and making him hard-set about never using matches for anything, ever.

btw I was next to somebody this happened to once. He had them in his back pocket and was sitting down. He didnt get burned too bad. The rest of us laughed like hell.

In the movie, I'm thinking that scene is going to prove key to the movie. But it didnt seem to have anything to do with anything. What did anyone make of it?

USE SPOILER COVER in any reply


Personally, I think it's more of a PT Anderson quirk than anything really meaningful in the movie. There are moments like that in all of his films, where he's very clearly just indulging a humorous and/or odd moment that popped into his head and made its way into the screenplay. It's also pretty obvious how funny he thinks John C. Reilly is, and this is a good opportunity to slip some of that physical comedy in there. For more of this, see the "John C. Reilly Files" on the Boogie Nights DVD.
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