Getting a suggestion from a family friend in 1999 that we go and see what is playing at the local Odeon, this led to us going to the venue every week for several years, with the title that started this run off. Being The Waterboy.
Keeping an eye on what Adam Sandler has been up to since then, this has become the top title from him that I've been most interesting in watching. Seeing it get picked for Dan Murrell's Movie Club, led to me cutting open the gem.
View on the film:
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Howard as he locks his eyes on the prize, the screenplay by editors/ co-writers (with Ronald Bronstein) / co-directors the Safdie brothers brilliantly reflect the cut-throat,high stakes jewelry world that Howard gambles with his wallet and his life in, where the coarsely chopped dialogue emphasizes how close the gem is to causing everything to boil over.
Tangling him in the crime underworld and jet-set celebrities, the writers skillfully take the shine of the gem, and use it to set-off each side fighting to one-up each other, until an explosive twist on what initially appears to be a Sports Drama final, leaves all the dreams and riches as shattered glass.
Threatening to make a terrible movie after failing to get an Oscar nomination for this film, Adam Sandler gives a powerhouse performance as Howard, thanks to The Sandman digging into Howard's belief that he is always just one step away from hitting the jackpot, leading to high anxiety, when all the gems he is handling, begin to fall out of his hand.
Taking a pay cut in order to shoot on 35MM , and book-ending the title with wonderfully inventive shots exploring the inner workings of Howard, the Safdie's closely work with Amour (2012-also reviewed) cinematographer Darius Khondji to keep up with Howard via razor-sharp, jagged panning shots, frantic tracking shots, and crystallized close-ups landing on the uncut gems.
Keeping an eye on what Adam Sandler has been up to since then, this has become the top title from him that I've been most interesting in watching. Seeing it get picked for Dan Murrell's Movie Club, led to me cutting open the gem.
View on the film:
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Howard as he locks his eyes on the prize, the screenplay by editors/ co-writers (with Ronald Bronstein) / co-directors the Safdie brothers brilliantly reflect the cut-throat,high stakes jewelry world that Howard gambles with his wallet and his life in, where the coarsely chopped dialogue emphasizes how close the gem is to causing everything to boil over.
Tangling him in the crime underworld and jet-set celebrities, the writers skillfully take the shine of the gem, and use it to set-off each side fighting to one-up each other, until an explosive twist on what initially appears to be a Sports Drama final, leaves all the dreams and riches as shattered glass.
Threatening to make a terrible movie after failing to get an Oscar nomination for this film, Adam Sandler gives a powerhouse performance as Howard, thanks to The Sandman digging into Howard's belief that he is always just one step away from hitting the jackpot, leading to high anxiety, when all the gems he is handling, begin to fall out of his hand.
Taking a pay cut in order to shoot on 35MM , and book-ending the title with wonderfully inventive shots exploring the inner workings of Howard, the Safdie's closely work with Amour (2012-also reviewed) cinematographer Darius Khondji to keep up with Howard via razor-sharp, jagged panning shots, frantic tracking shots, and crystallized close-ups landing on the uncut gems.