Uncut Gems

UncutGemsstartedoffat60milesperhournandneverletit'sfootoffthegas!

For a short time in my life I made a weekly bet or two [ahem] during football season. Even though my wagers were small-ish, the fact money was involved changed how I experienced the game.

Each week I cared less about the on-field athleticism and more about how the spread was moving. I bet big on the single game Thursday night so I knew going into multi-game-day Sunday if I could go big or should stay small. A win by my favorite team became less important than if I beat the spread. 

So I stopped. Cold turkey. 

I felt those old feelings while watching Uncut Gems. The desperation -- not to win, but to continue the thrill -- was evident from the first scene you see a conscious Howard Ratner (the first time you see him he's not conscious). It was suffocating, and the feeling drained me emotionally.

My  hand to God: when the movie ended Mrs. Film Geek said: "Can we watch something happy now so I don't have to go to bed feeling this way?" 

Sandler's got legit drama-movie game. And Julia Fox -- in her debut role, even -- is excellent. Uncut Gems isn't for everyone due to emotional intensity. But simply as a story, this flick is excellent. 

The Gentlemen

"Whatcha wanna watch on Prime tonight,?" she asked.

"You choose." I didn't care. I've been cooped up due to the coronavirus for so long that I welcomed any entertainment short of watching a White House COVID-19 briefing.

She sorted through the Amazon options, paused to read the summary for a couple of horror flicks, then landed in the drama section.

"How about The Gentlemen?"

In my head I screamed: "Nooooooooooo!" But out loud I said "Sure, fine with me."

Damn it. Guy Ritchie again.

I tend to shy away from Ritchie flicks for several reasons: they tend to be stylized in a way that just looks too obvious to me, sorta like an understated Wes Anderson film. Ritchie film plots are often a little too fast moving for me. He's a terrific teller of stories, but he requires the audience to be in lock-step with his pace and I always feel a full step behind. Then there's the fact that I can never understand his dialogue.

Ever! I mean, have you tried watching Snatch without closed captioning?

There's still a lot of all that in The Gentlemen. But there's a lot I enjoyed, too. Most of what I enjoyed comes from the effort of Hugh Grant. It's through the eyes of Fletcher, his character, that we experience most of this story. And while I wouldn't hang out socially with Fletcher, he's a fun guy to observe from afar.

Matthew McConaeghey is good as the protagonist, and Charlie Hunnam is excellent as Raymond. The plot is complicated, but it's told in a way that unfolds for the audience and is easy to understand.

I left the closed captioning on, though. Just in case.

TFG's 5 Flicks To Reduce Stress During COVID-19 Isolation

Social distancing to avoid the Novel Coronavirus?

Keeping a 6-feet-plus distance from others while out can be hard, so I've been been staying mostly inside during the pandemic. I'm really good at being an introvert, so I don't miss being around people too much. But, I get bored easily, and my to-do list is complete.

1. Stock the fridge - check
2. Spring cleaning the house - check (somewhat. . .  mostly. . .  better than it was)
3. Organize my comic collection by title - check
4. Mow the lawn - check
5. Re-organize my comic collection by character - check

All the important stuff is done! Now what?

Movies, baby.

Here are TFG's picks for the 5 Flicks To Reduce Stress During COVID-19 Isolation:

1988's The Naked Gun is comedy-dense, so you're gonna find new funny every time you watch it. Leslie Nielsen's  Frank Drebin is one of the best comedy characters of all time.

Period.

Watch this one with your kids (and don't be a downer and tell them the OJ story).

X  

Sorry, not recommended. Not sure how that got there.

Skip this.

Move on.

Sure, you think Will Ferrell is hit or miss. And he has been. But 2008's Stepbrothers is comedy gold, Ferrell's best. And John C. Reilly is even better in this film than Ferrell.

Get lost in the hijinks.

We can't do the time warp and go back to months-ago Wuhan, China to stop this pandemic.

Do the next best thing and re-watch 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Throw rice and toast, and dance with your kids. But, take extra time to explain to them the character of Eddie, and that  Meatloaf was once a legit rock star.

I betcha a lot of things going on in Riley's mind are currently going on in yours.

You know them all -- Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. You've cycled through them each time you've seen an empty shelf where the toilet paper used to be at Wal-Mart.

Re-watch 2015's Inside Out for  tips on how to recognize and control those emotions! And laugh while you watch.

Tom Hanks announced a few weeks ago he and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19.

What better way to honor Hanks, and also distract yourself from all the stress, than to re-watch 1988's Big?

You've seen him eat the tiny corn 50 times, I know. You'll still laugh at the 51st.