STUEY

THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER AT 5PM UGC SHAFTESBURY AVE SCREEN 1

Country USA Running Time 110 mins Format 35mm Dir/S'play A W Vidmer Prods AW Vidmer, FA Miller DoP Lawrence Boothby Cast Michael Imperioli, Renee Faia, Michael Nouri, Joe LaDue, Steven R Schirripa Print Source AWV Productions E awvprod@bellsouth.net

Biopics at their best work like this: follow a tortured genius from young prodigy to giant of their craft, then watch as their own gifts demolish them (oh, and tack on a saccharin recovery, if it's Hollywood). For Amadeus it was music, for John Nash it was his Beautiful Mind - but for Stuey Ungar it was gambling. Born on New York's Lower East Side in 1953, Stu became the greatest poker champion of all time, regularly scooping pots worth millions and winning the Poker World Series a record three times. He died flat broke in a dingy motel room in 1998.

It started with gin rummy; at age ten he swept the boards in his first adult tournament. In his first big tournament as a pro at age fifteen, he didn't lose a single hand, and took the $10,000 prize. Then he lost it on a horse. A gambling boywonder addicted to stupid bets: ready-made biopic. Any poker movie lives or dies on its tension. This one gets so tense you expect the celluloid to snap: at one point he bets his opponent he can name exactly which cards he has left in his hand. Please don't grip the edge of your seat, you will damage it. OS

Tony Vidmer is an accomplished copywriter, graphic designer, producer, and director. He began his career at Johnson & Higgins in New York. He left to form A.W. Vidmer & Co., which was acquired by Towers Perrin. In 1998 he left to focus on film and video projects. Stuey is his first feature.