CORPUS CHRISTI Kah; and Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
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Second Sunday Cinema presents— Adam Richard Sandler was born September 9, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York, to Judith (Levine), a teacher at a nursery Directed by school, and Stanley Alan Sandler, an electrical engineer. He is BENNY AND JOSH SAFDIE of Russian Jewish descent. At 17, he took his first step towards becoming a stand-up comedian when he spontaneously took Written by Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie the stage at a Boston comedy club. He found he was a natural and Benny Safdie comic. He nurtured his talent while at New York University (graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1991) by CAST performing regularly in clubs and at universities. During his Adam Sandler Howard Ratner freshman year, he snagged a recurring role as the Huxtable Julia Fox Julia family's friend Smitty on The Cosby Show (1984). While work- LaKeith Stanfield Demany ing at a comedy club in L.A., he was "discovered" by Dennis Kevin Garnett Kevin Garnett Miller, who recommended him to Saturday Night Live (1975) Idina Menzel Dinah producer Lorne Michaels and told him that Sandler had a big Eric Bogosian Arno talent. This led to his being cast in the show in 1990, which he Mike Francesa Anthony also wrote for in addition to performing. After Saturday Night Judd Hirsch Gooey Live, Sandler went on to the movies, starring in such hit come- dies as Airheads (1994), Happy Gilmore (1996), Billy Madi- son (1995) and Big Daddy (1999). He has also starred in Mr. NEXT MONTH — APRIL 12 Deeds (2002) alongside Winona Ryder; Eight Crazy Nights (2002), an animated movie about the Jewish festival of Chanu- CORPUS CHRISTI kah; and Punch-Drunk Love (2002). He also writes and produc- Anchored by a “dynamically physical, wild-eyed perfor- es many of his own films and has composed songs for several mance” (The Hollywood Reporter) from newcomer Bar- of them, including The Wedding Singer (1998). Sandler has had tosz Bielenia, CORPUS CHRISTI is an incisive, darkly several of his songs placed on the "Billboard" charts, including humorous, and “engrossing exploration of faith, second the classic "The Chanukah Song". chances and the possibility of atonement” (Screen). March 2020 Runtime: 2 hours 15 min Language: English/Hebrew Rated R pervasive strong language, violence, some sexual content and brief drug use *Films subject to change depending on availability. Second Sunday Cinema is a non-profit organization secondsundaycinema.org All Second Sunday Cinema showings will be at noon at the Fox Theater (27 S. Cascade Avenue, Montrose) TRIVIA AND TIDBITS The film was inspired by the Safdie Brothers' father's time working as a sales- man/runner for a man also named Howard in the Manhattan Diamond District. The Safdie Brothers and their father are also Jewish and avid basketball fans. The first draft of the script was written in 2009. The Safdie Brothers always want- ed a Jewish actor to portray Howard, so they gave the screenplay to Adam Josh Safdie on uncut gems: Here’s my take Sandler, who initially declined. They then considered Harvey Keitel and Sacha on it … Am I non-judgmental? Yes, that means my Baron Cohen for the role before the brothers decided the part should indeed be gems are uncut. Am I on edge? Yes, my gems are played by a younger actor. When the movie got financed after the success uncut. Do I have depth underneath the surface? of Good Time in 2017, the role went to Jonah Hill. When Hill wasn't available any- Yes, my gems are uncut. If my gems are cut, I’m more due to his directing debut Mid90s, the Safdies approached Adam Sandler like naked, ready to be seen. I’m potentially dan- again in 2018. Sandler finally took the role after watching and being impressed gerous. Uncut is very dangerous, but cut is extra with Good Time. dangerous, because it can have a sharp point. My The story is set in 2012. value is hidden if my gems are uncut, so I have a deeper, bigger value. I might be a little flawed, The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Telluride Film Festival. but I’m worth it. That’s gems uncut. The house used for the exterior of Howard Ratner's home is the same house used as Freddie Mercury's home in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Is Howard an uncut gem? Howard Ratner's jewelry store was a set built entirely for the movie. Bennie: The idea is that he’s rough on the out- side, but if you scratched below the surface, you Tilda Swinton makes a cameo in the film as the voice of the auction manager on see the beauty, and you see these things that you the phone. didn’t quite know were there at first glance. You After the film's premiere in Cannes and the following critical success, the broth- need to understand him to really love and know ers found themselves getting calls from Hollywood executives with offers includ- who he is. ing a big-budget superhero movie, which they declined. Josh: To me, Howard being an uncut gem is like Adam Sandler wore false teeth and a fake dark mole on his right cheek for the a corollary to the movie being a radical humanist role. film, which is kind of in a weird way, all of our movies. Our entire life we’ve grown up with very Howard tells his son that his neighbor acted in Good Times and Coming To Ameri- flawed people around us, and we’ve had to see ca. When they knock on the door of the neighbor, it is answered by John Amos, past those flaws, or excuse them, to get at some- who was indeed the father on Good Times and the father of Eddie Murphy's love thing that makes them relatable, or human, or interest in Coming to America. worthy of value. In the jewelry trade, uncut gems Yussi is played by a real-life jeweler, Maksud Agadjani, who was embroiled in a are major gambles. You have to be a genius with social media spat with rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine in 2018 over a $25,000 bracelet he your eye to find one [that is actually valuable]. said he lent the performer and was never paid for. The situation was covered by several hip hop media news outlets. On why the brothers chose opals for the The opening and closing sequence, floating through the opal, was inspired by the movie… work of photomicrographers Danny J. Sánchez and Eduard Gübelin. Josh (who hates diamonds): Very early on, when The character Arno is an Armenian-American who married into Howard's Jewish we were deciding on which stone should be in the family. He is named after Arno Babadzhanyan, the great Armenian-Soviet com- film, it happened to have been right when Ethio- poser. pia started to publicize their black opals. It was a big moment in the geological world. The Australi- Initial drafts of the script included a version of the character Nick Nikas. This char- ans, who are known for their black opals, were acter would go on to be portrayed by Benny Safdie in the film Good Time (2017). actually really pissed about it. They’re like, “Uh- oh, we can’t corner the market anymore,” so they Adam Sandler's first live action role in a theatrical film since Pixels (2015). All of started an anti-Ethiopia PR campaign. And, sadly, his other live action film roles went straight to Netflix. the Ethiopian opals didn’t have longevity to them. This is socialite Julia Fox's first film role. She was approached by the Safdie broth- They started to craze and crack, they were less ers based on her high profile New York City social life. It was her idea for her valuable, which was unfortunate. White opals are character to have Howard's name tattooed on her ass. very unlucky, but the black opals are very lucky. And they’re brilliant. You can see the color in Adam Sandler's wife convinced him to take on the role after reading the screen- them. And they don’t have the superstition play and watching Good Time (2017) . against them that white opals have. Cinematographer Darius Khondji shot this on 35mm film. – Excerpts from an interview in Vulture by One of indie production company A24's biggest grossing films. Hunter Harris on December 13, 2019. .