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Austin American-Statesman Tuesday, December 31, 2019 D1 AUSTIN360 LIFE This Sept. 9 photo shows Adam Sandler, center, star of the film “Uncut Gems,” posing for a portrait with co-directors Benny Safdie, left, and his brother Josh Safdie at the St. Regis Hotel during the Toronto International Film Festival. [CONTRIBUTED BY CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP] Starring Sandler The Safdie brothers had only one person in mind to lead ‘Uncut Gems’ — and they were willing to wait By Sonia Rao thriller, inspired by stories The Washington Post the Safdies’s father told them about his time work- here’s a chance Adam ing on the West 47th Street Sandler could land block, has been roughly a Tan Oscar nomina- decade in the making. There tion for “Uncut Gems” next were the usual delays — month — perhaps a surpris- script rewrites and what- ing development to those not — but also the brothers’ who can recall the come- tireless pursuit of Sandler. dian’s numerous nods from “He can ground these the Razzies, which parody insane situations in reality to traditional award shows by the point where you care and honoring cinema’s great- you’re rooting for this char- est failures each year. acter with all your heart,” While some point to Benny recently said by Sandler’s dramatic turns in phone. “That was something “Punch-Drunk Love” and we knew was important for “The Meyerowitz Stories” as Howard. He’s going to test proof of his acting abilities, Idina Menzel in a scene from “Uncut Gems.” [CONTRIBUTED BY A24 VIA AP] you, but you always need to sibling filmmakers Josh and love him and root for him.” Benny Safdie credit his com- It took years to secure edy records and some sil- him for their latest project. tries to repay his gambling As is to be expected, Sandler for a role that the lier roles — including “Billy “Uncut Gems,” released debts by auctioning off a Howard’s convoluted Safdies, along with fre- Madison,” “Happy Gilmore” on Christmas Day, stars long-sought-after rock scheme doesn’t quite go quent collaborator Ronald and even the Razzie- Sandler as Howard Ratner, from Ethiopia containing as planned — and the same Bronstein, seem to have nominated “Big Daddy” — a jeweler in Manhattan’s rare black opals. (Read the could be said of “Uncut as the reason they wanted Diamond District who review at austin360.com.) Gems” itself. The buzzy See SANDLER, D6 THINK TEXAS We turn the clock back 20,000 years at the Gault Site in Central Texas Texas history, delivered to your inbox Sign up for Think, Texas, deliv- ered every Tuesday at statesman. com/newsletters. Each free Michael Barnes newsletter contains two dozen Texas History stories and links. Follow Michael Barnes on FLORENCE — We his- Twitter: @outandabout tory buffs geek out when Miss a column? Check out the we visit important sites Think, Texas archive at states- COMING from history or prehis- man.com/think-texas. WEDNESDAY tory for the first time. Have a question? Email Michael Recently, I drove breath- and the Think, Texas team at think- EMBRACE lessly to Florence on the bor- [email protected]. der of Bell and Williamson THE CHAOS counties to visit the Gault D. Clark Wernecke, executive director of the Gault School, shows a Site, a vast archaeological far from the Lampasas River How to minimize decorated stone tool that was found at the Gault archaeological site. treasure trove that dates with all the basic needs of dinner party It might represent the oldest dated art in the Americas. back some 20,000 years. hosting stress [JAY JANNER / AMERICAN-STATESMAN] It’s a beautiful spot not See TEXAS, D6 D6 Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Austin American-Statesman Dangerfield, (Howard) of an individual artist,” SANDLER gets no respect. All describing something he wants to do is get immediately apparent in From Page D1 to that seat at the the Safdies’ film. (In this table. He’s a dreamer context, they operate and wants something together as that artist.) written with the actor larger than himself.” Each of their projects in mind. His team While Sandler grounds favors an empathetic, passed on the script “Uncut Gems,” his if not always sympa- upon first receiving it performance is just one thetic, view of its flawed in 2011. It wasn’t until of many out-of-the-box characters. This was Sandler witnessed the elements — the Safdies, true of “Good Time,” giddy chaos of “Good for instance, rewrote as well as of “Heaven Time,” the Safdies’s parts of the script each Knows What,” their raw 2017 film starring Robert time they cast a role. 2014 film about a heroin Pattinson as a bank Howard’s wife, Dinah addict that led Pattinson robber that premiered (Idina Menzel), and to approach them at the Cannes Film their children rose in about collaborating. Festival, that Sandler prominence at Sandler’s Such characters give asked, per Benny, “Look, request. The brothers “Uncut Gems” its title, who are these guys asked Julia Fox, a new- Adam Sandler stars in “Uncut Gems.” [CONTRIBUTED BY A24 VIA AP] according to Benny. and why do they want comer who steals scenes They’re “rough and to meet with me?” as Howard’s mistress, ugly on the outside” The answer surprised how she would react to Of that beep, Benny rest his voice as much camera movements and but can be fascinating him — Howard, as Benny certain situations. The said: “To me, that’s the as possible ahead of the way he explores life once you look below recalled Sandler saying, film takes place in 2012 one sound that makes the recording DVD com- is so — it’s evergreen.” the surface. As with the “is not a good guy.” The in part because casting entire space feel real. ... mentary, piped up Much has been made opal, which Garnett’s Safdies have continually former Celtics player When the front door is anyway to praise “one of of Scorsese’s recent character regards as a described him as lovable, Kevin Garnett as a ver- open, everybody needs the masters and mon- comments that Marvel magical token of good if not likable. He’s the sion of himself meant to know. That little noise sters of the art form.” films aren’t cinema. luck but that Howard lying, cheating, philan- it would make sense can do so much. It’s all in “When he got on (“It’s absurd that was values only for its mon- dering protagonist of a to feature games from the details. When you add board, it was a shot of even a controversy,” etary worth, you have film that Variety com- the Eastern Conference them together, it creates adrenaline,” Josh said. Josh said.) But the New to put in the work to pared to a “protracted semifinals that year. a full sense of the world.” “It raised the profile. York Times op-ed see that beauty. The heart attack,” and yet This all served a That world can be When he puts his name Scorsese penned in reac- Safdies mine for what you can’t help hoping sense of realism, which overwhelming to the on something and brings tion to the hullabaloo lies beneath Howard’s his ploys work out in extends to the frenetic senses, but then so can it up, he’s basically say- wound up a thought- loathsome behavior. the end. Sandler’s mag- soundscape, as well. In New York City. The ing, ‘You should see this ful piece that, per Josh, “Howard may be doing netic screen presence is Howard’s store, which Safdies depict their film.’ That’s unbeliev- explored how movies bad things, but he’s not undeniable, but it’s his was built on a sound hometown with a gritty able. Him putting his are “documents that a bad person,” Benny ability to make the care- stage, you can hear five honesty perhaps akin to belief behind something really allow us to ques- said. “It wouldn’t work ful distinction between conversations at once, that of Martin Scorsese, means a lot. I guess, tion human behavior with anybody else. We lovable and likable that layered atop Midtown an executive producer on yeah, the fact is that we and really look at it in looked at other actors, could cast him into the street sounds, Daniel “Uncut Gems.” At the can’t help but be inspired a microcosmic way.” but it never fully made tight race for best actor. Lopatin’s score and mention of Scorsese’s by him. The characters Scorsese states in the sense. It was really only “He could see it,” a high-pitched beep name, Josh, who was he puts on screen, the op-ed that an essential when Sandler hopped Benny said of Sandler. each time the show- sick at the time of the emotional complex- component of cinema on board that we really “It’s like Rodney room’s door opens. phone call and trying to ity of those people, the is “the unifying vision could take it home.” 2002, and just before technology that follows TEXAS the UT lease ended, it,” Wernecke says. “We archaeologists found also have some parts of From Page D1 the stone floor of what that lithic record, like the might be the oldest projectile points, that excavated building look nothing like later humanity — food, water, in North America. cultures in Texas. While material for shelter — 7. In 2007, after this is to be expected of nearby. Additionally, Collins bought the an older technology, we chert, the flinty mate- property and donated do not yet have enough rial used for projectile it to the Archaeological data from other sites to points, glints from every Conservancy, the Gault look at a larger (pre-Clo- ledge and hummock.