Uncut Gems

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⭐ 8.5/10

What a ride!  This one felt completely fresh and unique, with a pace that kept me completely locked in.  Sandler is great as this complete degenerate who is constantly lying, getting caught in lies, and then telling more lies. I thought the score was excellent, not sure if its the same person who did The Curse but its one of the same directors and the unsettling music choice works just as well here.

At some point I was a bit confused what was driving this guy, and felt disconnected to the movie because of it.  How has he gotten so far being like this? How did he meet his wife and why is she still with him?  How does a piece of garbage like this have such a young attractive mistress? Thankfully he tells you straight up who he is in a dialect I understand - by comparing himself to Kevin Garnett while speaking to KG himself!  Kevin was actually really good in this, and when they have a heart to heart it all fell into place for me. I always hated him, and can't really relate to the energy he gives off, but it was a perfect parallel character for this.  I can't really explain it, but I felt like I got it.

I also love LaKeith Stanfield so it was great to see him here. And you know what, having a bunch of basketball doesn't hurt either!  Clearly the people involved are into the sport because it all felt natural.  That's probably the power of this movie actually, it puts you in this world that is completely foreign but feels like it probably exists.

Not sure why I waited so long to watch this, but I'm glad it didn't fall off the radar.  I think this is a really special movie made by some guys with bright futures. I will reiterate that it felt fresh and I can't think of a great comparison for it.  Certainly a bit of Goodfellas in it, but I think it will be a movie I use as a reference for other movies going forward, and that's pretty special!

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