UNCUT GEMS (2019)

Directed By: Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie 
Written By: Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein 
Cinematography: Darius Khondji 
Editor: Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie 


Cast: Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Eric Bogosian, Idina Menzel, Julia Fox, The Weeknd, Kevin Garnett, Noa Fisher, Keith Williams Richards, John Amos, Judd Hirsch 


From acclaimed filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie comes an electrifying crime thriller about Howard Ratner, a charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score. When he makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime, Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Make a film about me??? No Means No, H-O!

For anyone like myself, who is absolutely fascinated by the NYC artworld scene from the mid 80’s to the nineties, ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’ is a nice treat. You get an inside peek in the life of a fairly reclusive artist, from the perspective of her ex-boyfriend, Paul H-O. I must say the doc does jump around a bit. At first, it’s about Paul Ho and the start of Gallery Beat, a NYC public access show that profiled artists and galleries within the scene. You could appreciate the DYI aesthetic and guerilla-style approach to this show. This contrasted nicely with the amount of money that was being thrown at artists, making rockstars out of people like Jean Michel Basquiat and Julian Schnabel.