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March 29, 2024, 08:07:01 AM

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Uncut Gems

Started by Head Gardener, December 18, 2019, 07:29:21 PM

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Preferred Good Time massively but enjoyable anxiety inducing film nonetheless

Inspector Norse

Just watched the first hour. Sandler is very convincing but, like the direction, annoying and oppressively one-note, and I don't want to waste another 90 minutes of my life with him. I think the furious style and intensity were technically impressive, but it just lacked anything that made me give a shit.

robotam

But the second half is the really really good bit. That's when me and a few other people in the cinema started nervously laughing at how tense it was.

Shit Good Nose

Liked it a lot, but as some others I preferred Good Time.  For all of the reviews saying that Uncut Gems was massively intense from start to finish, I found that it had a LOT more breathing room and actually felt a little bit bloated in comparison to Good Time, which really is relentless from beginning to end.

Enjoyed the random John Amos cameo.  The guy doesn't age.

Mister Six

Quote from: robotam on February 01, 2020, 11:13:59 PM
But the second half is the really really good bit. That's when me and a few other people in the cinema started nervously laughing at how tense it was.

Yeah, I think as an experience it only works if you're trapped with the cunt, just like almost everyone else in his life.

Funny how it has
Spoiler alert
a kind of upbeat ending for Howie though - shot dead in the exact moment of ecstacy, before he can piss it all away with his gambling compulsion again. The only happy ending he could possibly have.
[close]

Inspector Norse

Quote from: robotam on February 01, 2020, 11:13:59 PM
But the second half is the really really good bit. That's when me and a few other people in the cinema started nervously laughing at how tense it was.

Yeah but I already found it annoying, the prospect of it getting more so doesn't really appeal to me.

And if I want to be hyper-critical I think there are a lot of issues with the whole set-up; the frantic pace means you maybe don't start questioning it.

Watched this last night, totally gripping. It's just a really good film without trying and failing to come over deep and analogous like The Joker. Similarly its retro style (slow zooms + moog soundtrack) doesn't feel shallow and derivative even if, some might argue, it is.

Mister Six

Quote from: Inspector Norse on February 02, 2020, 08:38:32 AM
Yeah but I already found it annoying, the prospect of it getting more so doesn't really appeal to me.

And if I want to be hyper-critical I think there are a lot of issues with the whole set-up; the frantic pace means you maybe don't start questioning it.

What are your issues? Interested to know.

bgmnts

To be honest I just cant watch Adam Sandler without knowing how much of a lazy offensive shitcunt he is. It would drag the entire performance down.

Inspector Norse

Quote from: Mister Six on February 02, 2020, 02:45:06 PM
What are your issues? Interested to know.

The character was basically too dumb to be believable.
I was mainly wondering why a seemingly successful, knowledgeable and experienced jeweller would spend 17 months laying the groundwork to get hold of an astonishing rare stone from an unknown mine in Ethiopia only to let some guy he's never met before borrow it within three minutes of it finally arriving.
Generally, it was hard to buy the notion that such an obnoxious, irritating moron could have got anywhere in life: someone with the compulsive behaviour and witless decision-making he exhibits throughout could never run a business, certainly not dealing swanky stones and watches, or indeed hold a business or personal relationship together for more than a few minutes.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: bgmnts on February 02, 2020, 02:46:27 PM
To be honest I just cant watch Adam Sandler without knowing how much of a lazy offensive shitcunt he is. It would drag the entire performance down.

Watch his Netflix special.

Lord Mandrake

Quote from: Inspector Norse on February 02, 2020, 05:15:41 PM
The character was basically too dumb to be believable.
I was mainly wondering why a seemingly successful, knowledgeable and experienced jeweller would spend 17 months laying the groundwork to get hold of an astonishing rare stone from an unknown mine in Ethiopia only to let some guy he's never met before borrow it within three minutes of it finally arriving.
Generally, it was hard to buy the notion that such an obnoxious, irritating moron could have got anywhere in life: someone with the compulsive behaviour and witless decision-making he exhibits throughout could never run a business, certainly not dealing swanky stones and watches, or indeed hold a business or personal relationship together for more than a few minutes.

He wasn't dumb, he was a fully fledged gambling addict. We meet him as this addiction is spiralling more and more out of control. He seems to have been well liked, a successful business owner and is in the process of becoming estranged from his family, so this erratic, compulsive behaviour could have been slowly growing over the years.

I totally bought him handing over the stone in such an intimidating circumstance, no factor.

Inspector Norse

#42
Quote from: Lord Mandrake on February 02, 2020, 05:38:49 PM
He wasn't dumb, he was a fully fledged gambling addict. We meet him as this addiction is spiralling more and more out of control. He seems to have been well liked, a successful business owner and is in the process of becoming estranged from his family, so this erratic, compulsive behaviour could have been slowly growing over the years.

Sure it could. But they laid it on too thick, with no hint that he had any smarts or charm or redeeming qualities. I didn't get any sense of anything that might make me or any of the other characters care about this guy.

QuoteI totally bought him handing over the stone in such an intimidating circumstance, no factor.

And I didn't, plain and simple. They made too much a deal of how much he'd invested in it. It was just a contrived set-up.

But like I said, my main issue with the film as a whole was just that I found it, and the protagonist, annoying and didn't want to spend any more time with it. I guess I'm in a clear minority on that, though.

Shit Good Nose

I also totally bought the lend of the opal - it's established that he's a massive fan of KG and he can't wait to show it to him (he's the first person he wants to show it to) and, after refusing a sale, the first thing he refuses a lend as well.  It's only after KG asks several times and Demany (at that point a very trusted cohort) also encouraging it and vouching for KG, AND KG's player ring as collateral, that Howard acquiesces, and even then he's still visibly unsure.

Add to that KG being a mega rich sports star with top security (they make VERY light work of Arno's guys), then it's not too much of a stretch to accept Howard's decision to lend him the opal.

grassbath

This was very entertaining but it was spinning its wheels at the beginning. I only felt it really got great and as 'intense' as people say in the last third or so (the auction onward). Then all the tight camera, fast editing and improvised shouting started to serve a bit more of a purpose.

Mister Six

Quote from: Lord Mandrake on February 02, 2020, 05:38:49 PM
He wasn't dumb, he was a fully fledged gambling addict. We meet him as this addiction is spiralling more and more out of control. He seems to have been well liked, a successful business owner and is in the process of becoming estranged from his family, so this erratic, compulsive behaviour could have been slowly growing over the years.

I totally bought him handing over the stone in such an intimidating circumstance, no factor.

Yep. I didn't get it at first, but his actions over the course of the film make it clear: he can take the ring to the pawn shop for cash, put a bet on his sure thing winner, buy the watch back, get the gem back and be up on not just his initial investment, but on whatever he makes at the auction too.

He is, as you say, spiralling badly. There's no reason to assume he's always been this exact guy.

Inspector Norse

Quote from: Mister Six on February 02, 2020, 07:09:21 PMHe is, as you say, spiralling badly. There's no reason to assume he's always been this exact guy.

Whereas my problem was that the film gave us no reason to assume he hadn't. Too many character flaws and stupid moves on top of one another. I guess that if I'd been more positively disposed towards the film as a whole I would be more prepared to accept that contrivance as necessary to set it up and keep it moving. It's part of most films. But it's when I'm not won over that I start picking at the holes.

Lord Mandrake

Quote from: Inspector Norse on February 02, 2020, 06:06:49 PM


But like I said, my main issue with the film as a whole was just that I found it, and the protagonist, annoying and didn't want to spend any more time with it.

I almost turned it off because it's just not enjoyable, the ugliness and building dread. It's a struggle to detach and view it critically which I suppose is testament to the filmmaking.

Bence Fekete

Quote from: Inspector Norse on February 02, 2020, 07:16:52 PM
Whereas my problem was that the film gave us no reason to assume he hadn't

- Successful jewellery business with employees
- Smart and sexy ex-wife (+ kids)
- Retained traditional Jewish connections/trust

popcorn

The only thing I found implausible was that these two babes were horny for Adam Sandler.

Inspector Norse

Quote from: Bence Fekete on February 02, 2020, 09:52:23 PM
- Successful jewellery business with employees
- Smart and sexy ex-wife (+ kids)
- Retained traditional Jewish connections/trust

Going in circles here but my issue was that I couldn't get anything in his personality to show that he could have established those relationships. Obviously other people feel differently, fair enough.

peanutbutter

Quote from: Inspector Norse on February 03, 2020, 08:08:58 AM
Going in circles here but my issue was that I couldn't get anything in his personality to show that he could have established those relationships. Obviously other people feel differently, fair enough.
They cover it a bit, don't they? He built up some rep in the 90s selling tacky shit to big hip hop stars. Probably had been so successful that he was able to develop a really bad habit and hide it for years and years. Couple that with him being fairly charming at the passover dinner and all, without the stress of having to find money to pay off debtors tons of people would've been susceptible to his charms

Inspector Norse

Ha, I didn't last that long. Prepared to accept it was better-structured than I thought.

Still annoyed me though!

lipsink

I think I was disappointed by this because so many people told me it was amazing. My Facebook and Twitter timeline was also full of people who I wouldn't expect to like it saying they liked it. So I spent most of the film probably wondering why they liked it. Whereas with Good Time I heard next to nothing about it other than it had good reviews and I loved it.

I was also all ready for the "stressful" scenes everyone spoke about but the only bits that really got me were the buzzer bits.

Armin Meiwes

Absolutely loved this, although went in knowing relatively little (and saw it at the cinema), can imagine expectation levels might have been pushed too high for some people given all the hype.

Armin Meiwes

Think they managed to do that early Tarantino thing where despite our wearing it's obvious influences on its sleeve it still felt really fresh and like nothing I've seen in a long time. Think a big part of that are the tricks they use like casting so many non actors that aren't necessarily the most accomplished but feed in to giving it a really off kilter feel (same in Good Time).

Puce Moment

If you like this you should go back and see Good Time™

Saw this and really liked it, was never bored and Sandler is excellent, but ultimately it felt like it didn't add up to much. Just a fantastic thrill ride, the sort of thing that warms up film festival audiences after a long slate of dry arthouse fare and causes a bit of overexcitement as a result. It is pretty good though

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Monsieur Verdoux on February 05, 2020, 07:47:22 AM
Saw this and really liked it, was never bored and Sandler is excellent, but ultimately it felt like it didn't add up to much. Just a fantastic thrill ride, the sort of thing that warms up film festival audiences after a long slate of dry arthouse fare and causes a bit of overexcitement as a result. It is pretty good though

Nice to see a good mainstream turnout and ratings for something that isn't a fucking superhero film though eh.

Lord Mandrake

Sandler was cancelled for a few lazy movies, it's not like he wanked off in front of women or worse. With this, Meyerowitz and his recent special, I think he's paid some dues.