Main Menu

Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 02:37:46 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Uncut Gems

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

Previous topic - Next topic
Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on February 05, 2020, 06:36:50 PM
Nice to see a good mainstream turnout and ratings for something that isn't a fucking superhero film though eh.

Abso-fucking-lutely.

Mister Six

I suspect a lot of them are people thinking it'll be a fun Sandler comedy though. Had a lot of walk-outs when I watched it and I've heard of similar happening elsewhere.

bgmnts

I don't think it lived up to the ridiculous hype but I quite enjoyed most of it.

The actress playing Sandler's mistress has the biggest, most shapely bum i've seen.

I think as someone who ended up selling things just to chase gambling losses, it really captures the spiralling out of control, the utter elation of any bet coming off as well as the despair of losing it all in one longshot. You'd be sat there going apeshit because Aston Villa won three corners in the first half.

So it hits me personally.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: bgmnts on February 07, 2020, 02:03:52 PM
I think as someone who ended up selling things just to chase gambling losses, it really captures the spiralling out of control, the utter elation of any bet coming off as well as the despair of losing it all in one longshot. You'd be sat there going apeshit because Aston Villa won three corners in the first half.

So it hits me personally.

Interesting.  Ignoring the fact you thought it was over hyped but enjoyed it, did it hitting you personally bring up anything like bad memories, guilt, the thrill of the chase etc?  I ask out of genuine curiosity.

bgmnts

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on February 07, 2020, 04:54:30 PM
Interesting.  Ignoring the fact you thought it was over hyped but enjoyed it, did it hitting you personally bring up anything like bad memories, guilt, the thrill of the chase etc?  I ask out of genuine curiosity.

Definitely the high. When Howard won that rebound bet and eventually the Celtics won the game and he was going apeshit I definitely missed that rush. Of course it happens much less than the "fucking hell i've more lost money I cant afford to lose" feeling but its sweet as a nut.

However, its hard to if Howard is a gambling addict or a general thrill seeker who loves making his life more complicated, fuck knows.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: bgmnts on February 07, 2020, 05:07:45 PM
Definitely the high. When Howard won that rebound bet and eventually the Celtics won the game and he was going apeshit I definitely missed that rush. Of course it happens much less than the "fucking hell i've more lost money I cant afford to lose" feeling but its sweet as a nut.

However, its hard to if Howard is a gambling addict or a general thrill seeker who loves making his life more complicated, fuck knows.

Well yeah - "the house always wins" is a cliched saying for a reason I guess.


I think it's safe to say that he's an addict - he refers several times to previous wins (can't remember if he mentions losses) and knows exactly what options are available to him without checking.  Not being a gambling man (sweepstakes at work [and even then I rely on others to tell me if I've won anything] and the occasional scratch card is as close as I've ever got), I wouldn't have a fucking clue what to do in a bookies.

Crabwalk

I enjoyed the film, but agree with those that say it's been overhyped. I liked the off-kilter casting, killer soundtrack and memorable minor characters, but Howie being such an unappealing protagonist sucked a lot of the tension out for me. I knew he wouldn't survive and I didn't really care. I laughed through most of the second half at his self-inflicted problems. Callous, I know, as he's an addict. But being an addict didn't account for him being such a shit to his wife, kids and girlfriend. I just thought 'fuck him. Shoot him in the face'. So a happy ending for me at least. And probably for them too in the long run.

Crabwalk

I was quite drunk when I wrote that and it's mostly bollocks. Sorry 'bout that.

Noodle Lizard

They're not lying - I think it might be the most anxiety-inducing film I've ever seen. My wife was practically hyperventilating at some points.

Spoiler alert
Seems like they didn't quite know how to end it, though. Pretty similar to Good Time in many ways.
[close]

Mister Six

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on February 11, 2020, 07:41:55 AM
They're not lying - I think it might be the most anxiety-inducing film I've ever seen. My wife was practically hyperventilating at some points.

Spoiler alert
Seems like they didn't quite know how to end it, though. Pretty similar to Good Time in many ways.
[close]

Strongly disagree with that - I think
Spoiler alert
they ended it about the only way it could end, given this character and his situation.

Also, as I said, it's kind of a happy ending - he dies in a perfect moment of ecstacy, before he can come down from the win and fuck it all up again.
[close]

sevendaughters

i wasn't really so much of a fan of the way they played up the potential political aspect of the intro scene not in New York and then played it off in a convo mid-film.

that said I saw the Safdies picking various Criterion DVDs and they talked about Alan Clarke and you can see the parallels with how he did narrative in Made in Britain or The Firm. Here's your man. Go with him. The backstory will come out naturally, or be evoked successfully.

would like to see it again at some point.

Goldentony

Spoiler alert
I hate to invoke these names but i'm sure Kevin Smith was asked to change then ending of Clerks because the main guy getting shot is a pretty typical indie film way out of a conclusion. It was a bit crap and typical but in a film full of anxious energy maybe it worked. I don't know, i'm crap at film analysis and hated Good Time
[close]

sevendaughters

Quote from: Goldentony on February 11, 2020, 04:18:56 PM
Spoiler alert
I hate to invoke these names but i'm sure Kevin Smith was asked to change then ending of Clerks because the main guy getting shot is a pretty typical indie film way out of a conclusion. It was a bit crap and typical but in a film full of anxious energy maybe it worked. I don't know, i'm crap at film analysis and hated Good Time
[close]

never thought of it like that. I've seen the original version of the film you're talking about and the ending is improved by the studio cut, mainly because the original ending comes out of nowhere really. here it is very much in-keeping with what is going on in the narrative. maybe an ending where he has some minor win but then we get a sense of the cycle of fuckings-over triumph-to-disaster never going to go away might have been more poetic/satisfying, but i don't mind what they did here.

Mister Six

Quote from: sevendaughters on February 11, 2020, 04:22:32 PMmaybe an ending where he has some minor win but then we get a sense of the cycle of fuckings-over triumph-to-disaster never going to go away might have been more poetic/satisfying

They'd have to change the entire film, though, because that exact cycle plays out repeatedly throughout the film (
Spoiler alert
although he's only able to collect on the winnings that one time, before shunting the money off to Las Vegas
[close]
). The entire film is there to establish that he is incapable of breaking this cycle without an intervention that nobody in his family or circle of associates will ever provide, because the only person who won't reject him is his enabling girlfriend.

machotrouts

I did NOT know it was possible for a film to trigger social anxiety. There are no experiences in my life I find more stressful than being in a social situation where two or more people are talking at the same time. Never has a film felt more specifically designed to make me miserable.

It was never tense, because 10 seconds into the first jewellery store scene I was internally screaming SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! and I guess it's hard to build any investment in characters when I'm doing that. I never picked up on any sort of thrilling escalation because I was experiencing maximum torment from the start. I couldn't understand why every character wasn't constantly doubled over sobbing from the racket around them at any given moment. I honestly think I had a worse time than they did.

The only person I related to was the guy who
Spoiler alert
shot Adam Sandler dead
[close]
. Same, dude

popcorn

Had a scary dream last night about this film. Saw an alternative ending where Howard sees the gem go past in a taxi and gets it back, but he is accosted by one of the thugs. The thug puts Howard's head in a vice and squeezes, and Howard says, confusingly, "Why don't you like me, Howard?"

So I suppose the film has stayed with me.

Keebleman

Howard's surname is Ratner.  In-joke or coincidence?

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Keebleman on February 19, 2020, 02:50:42 PM
Howard's surname is Ratner.  In-joke or coincidence?

Complete coincidence - someone (may have been Mark Kermode, but I can't remember now) mentioned that to the Safdies in an interview and they'd never heard of our Ratner.

Quote from: Keebleman on February 19, 2020, 02:50:42 PM
Howard's surname is Ratner.  In-joke or coincidence?

I noticed that too, but

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signet_Jewelers

"Signet Jewelers Ltd. (Ratner Group 1949–1993 then Signet Group plc to September 2008) is the world's largest retailer of diamond jewellery."

Mister Six

They were showing an extended edition of this at a cinema near me. Christ, who'd want to see a longer version of this, even if they like the film?

Icehaven

Quote from: machotrouts on February 19, 2020, 01:17:23 AM
I did NOT know it was possible for a film to trigger social anxiety. There are no experiences in my life I find more stressful than being in a social situation where two or more people are talking at the same time. Never has a film felt more specifically designed to make me miserable.

It was never tense, because 10 seconds into the first jewellery store scene I was internally screaming SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! and I guess it's hard to build any investment in characters when I'm doing that. I never picked up on any sort of thrilling escalation because I was experiencing maximum torment from the start. I couldn't understand why every character wasn't constantly doubled over sobbing from the racket around them at any given moment. I honestly think I had a worse time than they did.

The only person I related to was the guy who
Spoiler alert
shot Adam Sandler dead
[close]
. Same, dude

This exactly. I often have trouble following dialogue if there's too much background noise or music, so the constant, constant cacophony of shouting made this all but unwatchable. I sat through the whole thing only because my viewing companion wanted to but I had to zone out quite a lot because I couldn't focus on the story or the important dialogue, they were just lost in the wall of noise. I almost want to watch a bit again with the subtitles on just to see if they're the jumbled mess I imagine they must be.

Fuck,
Spoiler alert
the death
[close]
at the end of this really took me by surprise.
Spoiler alert
Incredibly bleak, but then again as mentioned earlier in this thread, there is no scenario where Howard has a "happy" ending
[close]

Great movie. Though needed more Mike Francesca.

Mister Six

Spoiler alert
It is Howie's happy ending - going out in a moment of pure ecstasy, before his compulsions and weakness can further ruin his life and the lives of those around him.
[close]

Quote from: Mister Six on March 22, 2020, 05:24:47 AM
Spoiler alert
It is Howie's happy ending - going out in a moment of pure ecstasy, before his compulsions and weakness can further ruin his life and the lives of those around him.
[close]

It occurs to me now that the entire movie is a representation of the manic highs/lows of a gambling addict.

Mister Six

Note that
Spoiler alert
Howie's corpse has a big grin on his face
[close]
.

QDRPHNC

Saw this last night, loved it. Didn't hate the ending (Mister 6 makes a good point), but wasn't crazy about it. Think it could have made its point with more subtlety.

Did anyone else notice that the last half hour or so of soundtrack is... Well, not exactly a cover, but certainly heavily heavily influenced by the main Akira theme?




popcorn

Quote from: QDRPHNC on April 11, 2020, 02:28:46 PM
Did anyone else notice that the last half hour or so of soundtrack is... Well, not exactly a cover, but certainly heavily heavily influenced by the main Akira theme?

Yes, and I think the Akira composer was a bit cheesed off iirc.

Quote from: popcorn on April 11, 2020, 02:34:47 PM
Yes, and I think the Akira composer was a bit cheesed off iirc.

Blimey, they're pretty close

Uncut Gems

Akira

popcorn

It's deliberate: https://www.cbr.com/did-uncut-gems-movie-soundtrack-rip-off-akira/

I'm sure I saw somewhere that the Akira composer had expressed some ire on Twitter but I can't find that now so perhaps I dreamt it.