Adam Sandler plays Howard, a man with a once thriving business as a jeweler whose gambling addiction has brought his life to a stressful ruin. When he acquires a gem worth millions, that he plans to auction off, life spirals even farther out of control as his debtors close in.
The Safdie Brothers have crafted a film that is unrelenting in its desperation. It feels almost like a constant build up that never gives any release during its run time. It never paints Howard as anything but a tragic fool, a slave to his greed and gambling addictions.
Sandler gives what is easily his strongest and most intense performance of all time. Did you forget that Sandler can act? The Safdie Brothers did not and Sandler’s performance is one of the best performances of last year. The man was cheated by the Oscars.
Uncut Gems is not an easy watch, but it is rewarding and is a film worth checking out.
Destiny is working in a strip club trying to make money. She is taken under the wing of the superstar of the club, Ramona, they start to hatch a plan to increase their incomes by conning their wall street clients. They build up a side business where the women set up private parties where they use drugs, alcohol and the promise of sex to get access to their client’s credit cards and bank accounts, spending exorbitant of the client’s money…and using humiliation to keep the men silent.
So, the Hunt was meant to be released last year, but after a mass shooting and leaks about plot specific information led to people declaring this movie should not be released, including a condemnation from the impeached President of the United States. And so the movie was pulled. Although there seemed to be talk at the time of this film just being put on a shelf somewhere…well, it was released to theaters with a modest amount of commercials and it hit a week before movie theaters closed across the nation. Universal took the proactive move to make three of their recent films (the Hunt, Emma and the Invisible Man) available for streaming rentals. Disney has followed suit with Onward. I recommend Onward and the Invisible Man as very worth watching. I have no opinion on Emma yet as I have not gotten to watching it yet.
It is Ian Lightfoot’s 16th birthday. Shy and reserved, he really has no friends and has always felt like his life was missing something very specific. His dad. When his mother was pregnant, Ian’s father died. Sixteen years later the family has rebuilt itself with his big brother Barley and mother and his centaur stepfather.
Richard Stanley has returned after nearly a 20 year absence from theatrical filmmaking. And I must say, it is a welcome return.
A young man goes to a small town in Germany in a search for his father. His search for the truth leads to the discovery of a meteorite that landed years before and corrupted the land.
This adaption of the Color of Space picks up at the time the meteorite crashes. Going back to a small farm setting the focus is on the struggling Crane family. The local realtor is working on a secretive deal to get people to sell their land to him cheap, but Nathan is holding out.
Lovecraft is a writer that, in spite of his personal failings (you know…racism), inspires creative people. His stories are creepy cosmic and occult based horror. Die, Monster, Die! adapts the memorable the Color Out of Space.
When five Indigenous men in Sydney are accused of murder, a lawyer (with no experience in murder defenses) is called on to provide their defense. But instead, he finds he may have always been a part of something larger.
Tripping Through Gateways 