By Landen Kennedy

From Left to Right: Benny Safdie, Adam Sandler, Josh Safdie

Some spoilers for Uncut Gems below

The film follows Howard Ratner (Sandler), a Jewish jeweler and salesman in the Diamond District. He sees clients from several corners of the celebrity world, including NBA star Kevin Garnett (played by Garnett himself). Howard has received an extremely rare, uncut, black opal from Africa, and he allows Garnett to borrow it for good luck in that night’s basketball game. Howard trades the opal for Garnett’s Championship ring, which he temporarily pawns off for some quick cash. Howard plans to sell the opal for millions at an auction, but when Garnett is late on his deal of returning the opal, Howard finds himself in trouble. Howard owes a lot of money to some dangerous people, and they are tired of him being late to his payments.
On top of Howard’s financial struggles are his adulterous relationship with one of his coworkers, which leads to his marriage falling apart. He also has an addiction to gambling, which leads him to bet any money he receives, which he could use to pay off some debt, in an attempt to get even more. These problems keep piling up on Howard’s shoulders and shortly after the film begins, they start to wobble as Howard is unable to balance all of his problems, debts, and secrets.
If Good Time was a film that put viewers on the edge of their seats, Uncut Gems makes them fall out of their chairs and onto the floors. This film is an emotional experience, where you feel sympathy, anger, and anxiety all at once. One way the Safdies’ film creates this anxious atmosphere is their chaotic dialogue. There are few moments without dialogue in this film, and when there is dialogue, there is a lot of it. Characters constantly talk at the same time, yelling over each other and creating loud, jarring, and chaotic sequences.
The film is set in 2012 and features events and performances by celebrities from that year. I already mentioned that Kevin Garnett has a large role. Garnett has never acted before, but his performance is actually not that bad, and he is able to deliver lines and emotions without them feeling wooden or abnormal. The 2012 NBA season is an important aspect of the film, as Garnett needs Howard’s opal for good luck to win games, and Howard regularly bets money on Garnett and the Celtics. The film also features popular musical artist The Weeknd as himself. 
Sandler’s performance is the star of the show. Howard is an energetic people-person. He is always after potential clients and always trying to get people to do things for him. He is just as loud as everyone else in his world, but we also get to see more depth in a few sequences. At one point in the film we see the weight of all of the constant chaos in Howard’s life force him to his breaking point. He begins sobbing in his office and Sandler really gives it his all. The sequence is emotional and raw, but also not without a few jokes. His girlfriend reveals that she has gotten a tattoo of his name on her body, which only makes Howard more sad as, “Now you can’t even be buried with me.” This is a reference to Howard’s Jewish ethnicity and the traditions of his culture. It plays out hilariously, but we also see his pain. Sandler really brings his A-Game.​

Kevin Garnett (Left) views the black opal with Demany (Lakeith Stanfield, Center) and Howard (Right)

By Sammi Shuma

Coming out of the theater for this film, I couldn’t really remember what I just saw. Was I not paying attention or did the film’s message not grab my attention? I find that it’s the latter. There is some message The Hunt wants movie goers to engage in, but the film’s execution prohibits the intake of that message. This stems from a few things, mainly the characters and writing. These two elements make up the main chunk of any film, they are the foundation to creating a message. A film’s special effects and imagery can be impressive (as this film tends to be), however without proper writing and characters, movie goers leave the theater with a faded memory of the film.

Please be advised that the remainder of this review will contain spoilers.
The Hunt is a film about rich people (i.e. hunters) hunting less wealthy people (i.e. hunted) for sport. A text chat of the hunters talking about Manor House, the facility where The Hunt takes place, is the inciting incident for the film’s events. The first and second act contain the deaths of many characters, while giving hints to the hunter’s motivation. It comes a question of what is real and who is trustworthy. The film enters the 3rd acts as Crystal (the last hunted played by Betty Giplin) and Athena (the last hunter played by Hillary Swank), choose to fight to the death. The hunter’s motivation is revealed during their struggle. As it turns out, the public started theorizing about Manor House when the text chat was leaked to the public. The public had reason to believe that Manor House is a real place. Thus, Athena and her friends devised a plan to capture these “theorists,” and kill them at Manor House. In other words, the hunters joked about Manor House being real in the chat, therefore making it a reality because the public talked about it. As Athena explains it, they (her and her friends) made Manor House a killing ground (where before it was simply Athena’s vacation house) because the public (i.e. people posting about it online) wanted it.

This reasoning, boiling down to “you wanted it, so I gave it to you,” makes no sense. Who in their right mind would think that people want a killing ground to be real? Just because people theorized and talked about it doesn’t mean they wanted it to be true. People theorize about horrible things all the time, but it only means they think it’s real, not that they want it to be real. The text chat was enough evidence for people to suspect the worst. Even if the theorists wanted Manor House (as the killing ground) to be real, what is motivating Athena to make their desire a reality? For a character to be compelling, they must be motivated by something that is relatable in some way. The audience doesn’t have to agree with how the character is driven if the audience can understand how that character reached their motivation.

Athena doesn’t get anything out of hunting down these people. She isn’t doing this to get a reward, or money, she doesn’t get satisfaction from it either. Athena didn’t even earn the right to be vengeful (if that’s what the film is going for) because she didn’t struggle throughout the film. Why spend all these resources to hunt people who impact you in almost no way what so ever? This could be excused by Athena’s possible insanity, but all her friends were motivated by this reasoning too. Character motivation is crucial when filmmakers want us to care and relate to their characters. We don’t have to like a character or agree with a character’s motivation, we will care about what is happening in the movie if it makes sense. Throughout The Hunt, the audience has no idea why they are on a killing spree. Hints are given throughout, leading us down a path of mystery and intrigue. It gave viewers a reason to keep watching, as a means to understanding the “villains” of this movie. All hope of this film being interesting was lost when Athena explained her motivation.

The Hunt’s story and characters have no time to be interesting. A large majority of the film’s characters die before the end of the first act. Meaning the audience never had a chance to care about half of the film’s characters. We had one scene of the hunters (not including Athena) talking before they were killed by Crystal. Again, nearly another half of the film’s characters are dead before we can care about them. Leaving Athena, Crystal, Gary, and Don. Athena is motivated by something that doesn’t make sense. Crystal is mistrustful, so she never discloses any of her personality on screen. Although she has the most screen time, her main character trait (i.e. not trusting others) prohibits the audience from understanding her. Gary and Don (men who accompany Crystal throughout the film) are caricatures of middle-aged American men and die before they can grow out of that stereotype. The film has too many dispensable characters, meaning a lot of screen time is wasted on things the audience doesn't care about. When a film focuses on characters they not relatable, the message is lost as well. If there was meant to be a message about American politics and a comment of how people treat each other, it was lost because the characters didn’t enforce that message in a meaningful way.

In closing, this film is easily forgettable. It promised so much mystery, but its buildup fell flat. With no redeeming qualities in the film’s characters, I gave up. The visuals and special effects are impressive, they make the action and destruction in this film feel real. However, those are mere additions to the film and do not save the story. If you are looking for an action movie to watch on a Friday night, you're welcome to view this movie. All l I can say now is that you will leave the theater learning nothing and remembering The Hunt as if it were a distant memory.

By Ravi Ahuja

Autumn de Wilde’s directorial debut is not getting a lot of mainstream attention, and that’s a shame. I never expect too much out of a first-time director, but I was intrigued when I saw the trailer for Emma, which seemed to promise Downton Abbey social politics with a Wes Anderson color palette. While the film does suffer from some slight clarity and pacing issues in the beginning, it does deliver on that promise with some truly carefully composed cinematography. ​

By Daniel Sison

By Bill Friedell

Another component of Watchmen that is taken from the comic book is the roles and characteristics that the primary characters inhabit. The characters who inhabit the show have direct thematic ties to the characters of the original comic, those being Rorschach, Ozymandias, the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, and Silk Spectre. Captain Jud Crawford inhabits the role of the Comedian served in the original comic and. His death acts as a catalyst for the story. Another character that fits into the role of the Comedian is Laurie Blake. In the original comic, she was the child of the original Silk Spectre and Comedian. She took up the mantle of her mother, but gave it up by the end of the original comics. In the TV show, she’s an FBI agent and is more callised than she was in the comic, resembling her father. Even her last name is a direct reference to her father, as Comedian’s real name is Edward Blake. Lindelof speaks about this on episode 1 of The Official Watchmen Podcast (2019). Both Looking Glass and Angela resemble Rorschach in that they are both heroes defined by trauma early in life. Angela also resembles the Silk Spectre in the way she is dealing with her legacy, as she is the granddaughter of the first vigilante in the world of Watchmen named Hooded Justice (Louis Gossett Jr). Lady Treiu (Hong Chau) fits into the role of Ozymandias, a hyper intelligent woman who is not only biologically related to Ozymandias, but also owns his company and is revealed to be the mastermind of the show, manipulating everyone, including the 7th Kavalry, towards her own ends. And even though these characters fit into these archetypes from the comic, these new characters are ultimately more than these archetypes. She also believes she is doing the right thing by enacting her plan, but in order to do what she wishes. ​

Alternate history is another aspect of the Watchmen comic book series that he picks up and runs with. The biggest alternate history element that the TV show expands on involves Dr. Manhattan (Yahya Abdul Mateen II). As the only superpowered superhero in the world, he won the Vietnam War for the United States, making Vietnam a state. The show, like its comic book predecessor, explores the ramifications of superheroes in the real world. While the comic focuses on the Cold War and the potential of nuclear disaster, the show focuses on race and trauma, as stated in the third episode of The Official Watchmen Podcast (2019). Angela was raised in Vietnam, was born from two African Americans. In the first episode, she is seen wearing a Vietnamese outfit for a class presentation and in the pilot episode. Lindelof, on episode 1 of the Official Watchmen Podcast ​(2019), he compares Vietnam to Hawaii and how it is inspired by the colonial tendencies in America's past. We also see how politics have evolved since the original Watchmen, revealing that while superheroes are still illegal, cops are now allowed to wear masks to protect their identities due to a mass attack on the police in their own homes. 

By Daniel Sison

By Mason Leaver

For more from Cinemablography on Arrival, click here

By Bill Friedell

The action is an easy selling point for seeing this film. The camerawork feels like it's taking a page from John Wick (Chad Stahelski, 2014), staying away from quick cuts and allowing for longer takes that show the choreography. It also makes good use of slow motion, not overusing it but rather highlighting moments of movement that don’t halt the momentum of the action scene.Two action scenes that stand out in particular are at the Gotham Police Station and the climactic fight at Amusement Mile. The Amusement Mile fight stands out as it makes excellent use of the funhouse location of the fight, incorporates all the Birds of Prey, and has a sequence that appears to be shot in one take. All these elements come together in a really exciting way.
​
The film seems to be interested in the idea of women breaking free from toxically masculine systems. Each Bird of Prey is under the thumb of someone who takes advantage of them or has hurt them. Sionis is the most overt toxic structure, as he is seen belittling women and trivialising other cultures by the way he talks about their masks. He is also shown to be severely insecure, as he lashes out whenever he is threatened. 

Birds of Prey’s primary joy is the idiosyncrasies and stylistic flourishes both structurally and presentationally. With a combination of strong action directing and a character driven story structure, Birds of Prey creates a fun ensemble film that sets itself apart from other superhero films. While its sense of style and personality may be abrasive to some, I found it to be an fun, stylish, and creative addition to the superhero genre. ​

by Landen Kennedy

When I first heard about Ernest Cline’s 2011 science fiction novel, Ready Player One, I was intrigued. A virtual reality simulation that has become a second world for humans around the globe, called the OASIS, becomes the epicenter of the world's largest Easter Egg Hunt. After the creator of the OASIS dies, he reveals that he has hidden three keys somewhere inside. Whoever finds the keys will gain control of the OASIS and endless fortune. Essentially, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory meets The Matrix with pop culture references galore. When I heard that Steven Spielberg was adapting the novel into a film, I read the book in record time (which for me isn’t that fast) and eagerly awaited the film's release.

Spielberg’s take on Cline’s novel makes some pretty significant changes. For instance, the puzzles and challenges the characters have to solve to find the three keys are almost completely different. Despite this major change, I still found the film to be great, and possibly better than the novel. One thing that both the novel and the film share is the core meaning behind the story.

The year is 2045 and Earth is a wreck. Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) is a young man living in Columbus, Ohio, now a city of garbage. Wade’s home is in what is called “The Stacks,” which are quite literally, trailers stacked on top of each other creating several story tall, makeshift trailer parks. But life is not bad for Wade, or anyone on this dystopian Earth, because James Halliday’s (Mark Rylance) OASIS is an escape. A utopia where anyone can be who they want to be. Using virtual reality goggles, sensory body suits, and omni-directional treadmills, users can create virtual avatars and enter into the OASIS, seeing and feeling everything as if they were truly there. As we see in this scene from the film, people are heavily invested in their virtual lives.

​Caution: some mild language towards the end of the clip.

In Ready Player One, Spielberg crafts a wonder filled blockbuster with the right amount of action, heart, and meaning. He uses the fascinating world of the OASIS and The Stacks to draw parallels between this fictionalized, future version of Columbus and our real world today. The film points out our growing dependence on technology and builds a narrative that challenges whether or not life is better lived in a virtual utopia, or in an imperfect, but real world. On top of that powerful discussion, the abundance of nostalgic characters, iconography, and references, raises another question about the state of pop culture. Are we growing too nostalgic, praising the culture of past decades, when we could be creating new and original icons? Ready Player One simultaneously delivers a ton of nostalgia, while also investing us in new characters and worlds.



Works Cited:
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/


​

by Landen Kennedy

The film features an impressive cast, consisting the before mentioned Saoirse Ronan and Eliza Scanlen, as well as Emma Watson and Florence Pugh as the other two sisters, Meg and Amy March respectively. Laura Dern plays the March sisters’ mother, Marmee, and Meryl Streep plays their rich Aunt March. Timothée Chalamet plays the March sisters’ neighbor and friend “Laurie” Lawrence, and Bob Odenkirk makes an appearance as Father March. The casting in the film is very impressive, and the portrayal of the March Sisters, especially Jo and Amy are highly entertaining and well done. 

What makes the film constantly entertaining is a constant energy between the characters. There is never a dull moment in the March household, as the sisters are always joking, teasing, talking over each other, and laughing together. While one or two characters will be talking about something important, around them the rest of the family is also talking and often interrupting or talking over the others. This makes the scenes come alive and feel like a real house full of people. It also allows for many humorous lines or reactions to add a bit of fun to what could easily become a dialogue heavy and uninteresting scene. Since a lot of the film takes place in the house and between groups of people talking, the humor and energy is necessary to keep the film light and fun. Despite this, the film is not afraid to become quiet and contemplative, or even deeply sad when it needs to be.​