Thesis Thursday

Looking for a route into a canyon that seems inaccessible, can turn into a good day no matter what.

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Adam Sandler is excellent as a New York gem dealer in trouble for gambling debts in this high octane drama from Josh and Bennie Safdie.

I became a fan of the Safdie brothers, Josh and Benny, after I saw their previous film from a couple years ago, Good Time, which I reviewed on this show. Good Time covered a day or two in the life of a manic, risk-taking criminal played by Robert Pattinson. That was a propulsion rocket of a film in which each crazy predicament seemed to outdo the last one. The Safdie brothers write and direct their pictures together with screenwriting and editing help from their friend Ronald Bronstein. Their new film is called Uncut Gems, and its style and energy are similar to Good Time, but more so. Much more so.

Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a gem dealer in the famed Diamond District of Manhattan. Howard is always on the move, always trying to make the next deal, while at the same time always trying to get out of whatever scrape he’s gotten himself into. He’s a gambling addict, making bets on basketball games with a recklessness that is pretty close to being deranged. Married with three kids, his wife his fed up with his antics and wants a divorce. He lives in a separate apartment with his much younger lover (and employee) Julia, played by Julia Fox.

The plot gets rolling when Howard buys an uncut Ethiopian black opal, a stone which contains brilliant differently colored gleaming gems on its surface. Boston Celtics basketball star Kevin Garnett—playing himself, and quite well, I might add—visits Howard’s shop and wants the opal, but Howard has committed it to a big auction dealer. Garnett pleads with him and then Howard unwisely lets him borrow the stone for a few days, holding his championship ring as collateral, which he then goes and pawns for money to bet on the next Celtics game. Meanwhile he owes a lot of money to a guy named Arno, played by a weary-looking Eric Bogosian, who has hired a couple of thugs to get the money back from Howard through threats and violence. Later in the film, at a Passover celebration at Howard’s family home, we are surprised to see Arno in attendance. Apparently he’s an in-law. Now, the plot description doesn’t do justice to this film’s relentless rhythm, as Sandler’s character scrambles through one tense scene after another in pursuit of the big score, almost always talking on his cell phone, while trying to avoid his enemies.

I’ve heard that some folks who don’t read film reviews—and I realize many people don’t—have gone to this movie expecting a typical Adam Sandler film, and ended up walking out. This is not a comedy. Now, once in awhile Sandler has tried doing something different than usual, such as, for example, Punch-Drunk Love or even Spanglish, and this one is played absolutely straight, although there’s a grim sense of humor at times if you pay attention. In any case, it’s excellent work by Sandler.

Howard is a maniacally driven individual, liable to lash out or do self-destructive things when he wants what he wants now, and Sandler’s intense, crouching presence really draws you in. The film is practically designed to raise your blood pressure, with not very much down time in between scenes of yelling and arguing, overlapping dialogue, intermittent fear, violence and bullying, all the while accompanied by Daniel Lopatin’s pulsating musical score.

The Safdies are very interested in urban Jewish life, and especially in restless and ambitious Jewish people, driven by neurosis and dissatisfaction, and they really capture that feeling in this film. Howard, and the film, seems always poised just on the edge of disaster, and the audience feels that something terrible could happen at any moment. This suspense reaches it

Nikki Tulley is a member of the Navajo Nation. She is a second year Ph.D. student in the Department of…

The 31st Annual Undergraduate Biology Research Program Conference will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 10:00am to 3:00pm…

Nikki Tulley is a member of the Navajo Nation. She is a second year Ph.D. student in the Department of Environmental Science with a concentration in Hydroscience at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on ensuring that people living in Indigenous communities have access to clean drinking water to sustain their way of life in an ever-changing environment through sustainable practices, and water policies and management. She is an Alfred P. Sloan 2018-2019 Scholar, American Indian Graduate Center Fellow, and an American Indian Science and Engineering Society Sequoyah Fellow. Nikki received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Master of Science in Water Resources from the University of New Mexico. She holds a deep passion for mentoring students living in underserved underrepresented American Indian and rural communities through STEM education. Nikki continuously works to support the enhancement of STEM understanding amongst American Indian communities and students.

The 31st Annual Undergraduate Biology Research Program Conference will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 10:00am to 3:00pm in the Environment and Natural Resources 2 Building (1064 E. Lowell Street) on the University of Arizona main campus.

Join us for a keynote talk by Oscar Serrano, MD from 10:00am – 11:00am. From 11:00am – 2:00pm, explore students’ research posters, the Symbiosis art exhibit, science outreach activities for the whole family, and enjoy refreshments. Awards and closing remarks will be given from 2:00pm – 3:00pm.

The Annual UBRP Conference is free and open to all interested!