Uncut Gems (Safdie Brothers, December 13, 2019) Movie • Page 19

I watched it twice and kind of want to take my dad to see it for my third time lol. Not sure if he will like it or hate it.

 

This holds really well the second time. I think the mental anguish of the stressful situations was definitely tampered but the physical sensation it creates was still inescapable.

 

I didn’t remember the particular game luckily but knowing who they were playing I did recall the Celtics making the finals that year in the back of my head but it didn’t change my enjoyment. My love of the team superseded that thought.

 

Finally saw this last night and can't stop thinking about it. Probably my favorite film released in 2019. The Safdies' casting is so fucking good. Lotta talk about Julia Fox (rightfully so, she's amazing) and Sandler (same) but Keith Williams Richards stole the show for me. One of the scariest "muscle guy" performance I've ever seen on the screen. Reminded me a bit of Daniel Kaaluya's performance in "Widows" in terms of sheer terror.

 

yeah he was really good especially considering it's his first acting role ever. Here's a kinda amusing interview with him

A Chat With Keith Williams Richards, The Terrifying Mob Heavy From ’Un

 

@angrycandy did you finish watching this? Final thoughts?

 

I did. idk...I'm somewhat conflicted on it. whilst I would say that it's undoubtedly a good film, I'm not sure I liked the direction it ultimately went in. guess I just felt there was a lot more they could've done with it than what they did. I'm eventually gonna do another viewing of it tho and see how I feel about it then. I didn't hate it, didn't love it, basically

 

Watched Good Time last night after all the praise. I loved Uncut Gems, but I was somewhat disappointed with this.

To be fair, it’s not fair to compare since I saw UG first in the theater.
I also have heard so much praise for Pattinson (and seen The Lighthouse) that I wasn’t surprised by a good performance from him like I think a lot of people were.

IMDb for Good Time was also misleading: A bank robber stops at nothing to free his brother from prison, launching himself into a nightlong odyssey through New York's dark and dangerous criminal underworld - the movie fits that but I was expecting something different from the underworld I guess.

I think I’m going to watch it again to see how I really feel about it now that I know what to expect

 

Good Time is an ugly movie, but intentionally so, I think. Revealingly ugly. It (and other Safdie movies) might be hard for some to like even if they acknowledge the craft. It took me awhile to figure out how I felt about it. Uncut Gems felt a bit more palatable to me. None of which says anything about the quality of either film, just their tones, settings, and philosophies

 

I don’t mind ugly movies. I was just expecting to be sweating and anxious like Uncut Gems.

What were your thoughts on the end with the brother? Were You happy he was getting help or were you bummed about where he ended up? I really did like that part of the movie and how it depended on if you thought Connie really wanted the best for him.

 

That’s what I loved about the ending. It was a characters ending, rather than a plot ending. It highlighted the fact that Connie’s entire quest, while on the surface altruistic on the outside, was for naught as his distrust and paranoia of the “system” which has failed him and his family, bred a blinded worldview that thinks more traditional mental assistance and help is weak and unproductive. His narcism also allowed him to believe that he was helping his brother, when the reality was that he was trying to use his brother to benefit himself by trying to make his brother “normal”. It’s a nuanced character that I absolutely adore because he’s a “bad” person that believes he’s doing “good”.

 

I don't think happy is the right word, but I think the ending fits. The structure that existed at the beginning continues to exist. Connie is a lot like Howard in that he's a self-preservationist, and he uses everything around him to further his own agenda. He may truly care about his brother, like Howard may care about his family, but not enough to not continuously put them in harms way as he works towards advancing his self-serving goals.

 

Watched Irishman the day after Uncut Gems. Also an incredible film

 

I too was gobsmacked by the tip prop bet. On both games. I couldn’t even fathom that world and side of gambling. It was an honest and sobering portrayal of the rabbit hole that is gambling.

 

I just watched Good Time and while I definitely enjoyed it and thought Pattinson was fucking great, did not like it nearly as much as this

 

I think seeing Good Time in a theater and knowing nothing about it or the Safdie's prior really helped me enjoy it more.

Had I seen Uncut Gems first, I would have had certain expectations that I think would have hindered the way I digested Good Time.

Not to say Good Time isn't great in it's own right. I like Gems a little more, but I think they're pretty close to each other in terms of quality.

 

I've watched Good Time 10+ times, and as much as I love Uncut Gems, I don't see myself rewatching it often.

Good Time is probably my top movie of the past 5 years

 

I only saw it the once in theaters. I need to watch it again now, after having seen Gems.

 

Yeah I absolutely love both but still have to give the edge to Good Time

 

Good Time was a good time.

This was a great time.

 

A gem of a time!

 

I saw this last night followed by a Q&A with the Safdie brothers...

Holy hell I have never been more stressed during a movie. The closest in terms of stress level was Dunkirk but I saw that at home and it wasn't nearly as relentless as this felt. I absolutely enjoyed this as an experience but it's going to be a while, possibly not ever, that I see it again. I hated everyone except for Idina Menzel's character but the ending still left me with my hand over my mouth for that entire scene. I totally see the best actor hype for Sandler and I personally would nominate it for editing (even if just for the final scene with the basketball game) as well.

A couple of facts from the Q&A:
- They filmed on live New York streets so any scene done in the city is actually a mix of extras/actors and regular people walking around.
- The script was 160 pages (!!!) and worked on over 10 years.
- Sandler was always their choice for Howard but it wasn't until after Good Time that he was convinced.
- One draft had Kobe Bryant as the basketball player
- Another draft featured Howard's funeral with everyone showing up. I'm glad that they didn't go that direction, I think ending on his death was just right.

 

So glad Kobe wasn’t in this.