Independent poker film receives praise

"Freeze Out," an independent poker film written, directed, and produced by Los Angeles-based film maker and poker player M.J. Loheed, received widespread critical acclaim upon its release and is being called the best poker movie since 'Rounders.' According to reports, Loheed is an avid poker lover who funded the $20,000 film budget largely out of his own bankroll.

"Freeze Out" is the story of a weekly poker game and the eight best friends who partake in the Thursday night ritual. John, a member of the group who feels his friends don't respect him, decides to take matters into his own hands one evening by orchestrating a winner-take-all Freeze Out tournament, raising the stakes to more than anyone can actually afford and never realizing it might cost him his seven best friends.

Hailed as "The most authentic poker movie since 'Rounders,'" by poker writer John Vorhaus, "Freeze Out" has been voted the "Best Feature" at the 2005 Westwood International Film Festival and is the "Official Selection" of the 2006 Cinequest Viewers Voice Film Festival.

It can be viewed and downloaded at Cinequest's homepage, www.cinequest.org.