UNCUT GEMS, a crime thriller from Josh and Benny Safdie, has been receiving rave reviews, particularly directed at the performance of Adam Sandler. Yea, I know, that shocked me as well. The film follows Howard Ratner (Sandler), a jeweler and gambling addict in New York City's Diamond District, who gets in over his head with loan sharks and must retrieve an expensive gem he purchased in order to pay off his debts. If you're hungry for a little more from Adam Sandler and the Safdie Bros, then you may get a kick out of GOLDMAN V SILVERMAN, a new short film directed by the brothers which stars Adam Sandler and Benny Safdie as two street performers who work the tourist scene of Times Square. Goldman gets no respect and Silverman is the first one to make sure of that. Check it out above!
Our own Chris Bumbray caught UNCUT GEMS at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, saying that it was a "wild ride that grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let go until the end credits, jacked up by so much frantic energy you’d swear you’re watching the cinematic version of cocaine." Bumbray naturally had plenty of praise for Adam Sandler's performance in his review, saying, "Sandler nails it by going all-in on making his Howard Ratner utterly repulsive in some ways, but oddly charismatic in others. We can’t help but root for him even as he flushes himself further and further down the drain, by dodging loan sharks and doubling down on self-destructive bets any time he gets the least bit ahead. It’s the most effective film made about gambling since probably the original 1974 version of THE GAMBLER, and Sandler’s jittery energy is so expertly conveyed you honestly could never imagine anyone else playing the role." Although UNCUT GEMS has found itself the recipiant of numerous awards, the film found itself shut out of the 92nd Academy Awards.
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