Adam Sandler laughs off Oscar snub as he wins indie acting prize

LOS ANGELES - Chinese-American director Lulu Wang's movie "The Farewell" won the top prize at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, while Adam Sandler was named best actor and made fun of his exclusion from Sunday's Oscars.

Sandler was named best actor for playing a jeweler addicted to gambling in "Uncut Gems," and brothers Josh and Benny Safdie were chosen best directors for the film.

"A few weeks back when I was quote, unquote, snubbed by the academy, it reminded me when I briefly attended high school and was overlooked for the coveted yearbook superlative category best looking," Sandler said.

Calling the Oscar nominees "feather-haired douchebags," Sandler quipped; "Their handsome good looks will fade in time, while our independent personalities will shine on forever."

The Spirit Awards honor independent films made for under $20 million. Many of the nominees were women and actors or directors of color, while just one of the actors nominated for an Oscar is non-white.

"The Farewell," featuring an all-Asian cast and filmed in both Mandarin and English, was named best feature film.

Wang, whose film was also overlooked at the Oscars, referred to the all-male Oscar director race and the debate over the difficulties women face in getting recognized in show business.

"You don't have to encourage women. There are lots of women making films and who want to make films," Wang said. "What women need is the jobs. Just give them the freakin' jobs. Give them the money."

Chinese star Zhao Shuzhen, 85, won the best supporting actress trophy for her role in "The Farewell" as a grandmother whose family chooses to conceal from her that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Wang said Zhao was unable to make it to Saturday's ceremony in the California beach city of Santa Monica because of the coronavirus travel restrictions in China.

Rene Zellweger, who has dominated Hollywood's awards season for her portrayal of singer Judy Garland, was named best actress for "Judy." She is seen as the favorite to take home the Oscar on Sunday.

"I know this is a reflection of the resounding affection for Judy Garland and her legacy," Zellweger said.

South Korean social satire "Parasite," which is expected to do well at the Academy Awards on Sunday, was voted best international film. (Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Sandra Maler)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Netflix review: Adam Sandler is serious and screwed in 'Uncut Gems'

Howie Ratner perilously juggled his gems dealing business with his addiction to high-stakes gambling, for which he has incurred a huge debts for various creditors. It reached a point when he would take out a loan to place a bet usually on the outcome of NBA basketball games, and used his winnings to pay off another debt in a vicious circle.

One day, he was able to get his hand on a piece of rock from Ethiopia which contained a huge lode of opal, which he had committed for a gems auction. When basketball superstar Kevin Garnett desperately wanted to own the opal for its perceived energy, Ratner thought this was his way out of his most major debts from ruthless loan sharks. 

I first heard about "Uncut Gems" when its lead actor Adam Sandler won the best actor award from the National Board of Review early last month. That was really big surprising news for me. Not only because Sandler is not exactly noted for his dramatic acting chops, but even his comedy acting had taken quite a bad rap in recent years. Now here, he actually won best actor in a year dominated by Joaquin Phoenix's "Joker" and that is truly incredible. (I felt bad that Sandler was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for this performance as this would probably be his closest brush with it.) 

Sandler's Howie was not a likable guy. He was loud and sleazy in speech and fashion. He split his time with his legal wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) and his employee girlfriend Julia (Julia Fox). He was street-smart to a fault, always trying to sweet talk his way out of the tight fixes he found himself caught in because of his risky activities. 

As the film went along, things do get out of hand, and that reflected on Sandler's increasingly panicked vocal inflections and erratic behavior. Sandler still had some of his known joker in Howie, but the stress here was definitely real and palpable. 

Aside from the inherent suspense of Howie's dangerously chaotic obsessions, director/co-writer brothers Josh and Benny Safdie also gave this project a lot of esoteric touches. The opening shot was that of an extreme closeup of the patterns within a gemstone which segued to an endoscopic view of a colon, which went around vice versa at the end. 

Another innovative feature was its most unusual musical soundtrack, which used psychedelic tunes seemingly totally unconnected to the action onscreen. It was distractingly bizarre at first, but later that music becomes a mesmerizing aspect. 

Noisy, shouty and profane, this is not for everybody. However, I was betting this could have been an Oscar nominee for best picture, but too bad it did not make the final list. 

This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."

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FIRST LOOK: Game characters attack Earth in 'Pixels'

MANILA -- Take your first look at the banners for director Chris Columbus' upcoming adventure feature "Pixels" which boasts familiar arcade game characters like Pac-man, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Galaga, Frogger, Q*bert and Space Invaders.

In “Pixels,” intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, so they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults.

President Will Cooper (Kevin James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet.

 

 “Pixels” opens in the Philippines in May 2015.

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Adam Sandler signs four-film deal with Netflix

Netflix Inc said on Thursday that comedian and actor Adam Sandler has signed a deal to star in and produce four films that will be shown exclusively on the video-streaming service.

The deal moves Netflix, which produces the Emmy-winning political thriller "House of Cards" and the comedy-drama "Orange Is the New Black," further into original programming.

"His appeal spans across viewers of all ages - everybody had a favorite movie, everyone has a favorite line - not just in the US but all over the world," Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, said in a statement.

The four feature films from Sandler's company, Happy Madison Productions, will be shown in the nearly 50 countries where Netflix is available.

Brooklyn-born Sandler, 48, started his career as a stand-up comedian before joining the NBC comedy sketch show "Saturday Night Live."His films include "Big Daddy," "The Wedding Singer," "Grown Ups" and this year's "Men, Women & Children," which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney)

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Review: Team Sandler-Barrymore does it again in 'Blended'

Adam Sandler has been in a lot of film disasters of late like "Jack and Jill" and "Grown-Ups 2." He desperately needs a good one to recover lost ground. Reuniting with Drew Barrymore, his co-star in two of his biggest and most beloved hits of his career, "The Wedding Singer" and "50 First Dates," is a great idea.

Sandler plays Jim, a widow with three girls. Barrymore plays Lauren, a divorcée with two boys. After a disastrous blind date in Hooters, by some contrived plot manipulation, Jim and Lauren and all their kids were forced by circumstances to spend time together on a luxurious South African resort vacation!

Of course, as most rom-coms go, after bonding over the ostrich rides, the jungle safari, the jeep paragliding and couples massage, these two mortal enemies get to know each other and their kids more and more. Will they eventually fall in love and live happily ever after? What do you think?

Adam Sandler seems to be the same guy in all of his films, only he is much older now. He still has that signature lazy smart-ass vibe his loyal fans love. This is benign stuff for him, not as memorable as his breakthrough parts in "Billy Madison" or "Happy Gilmore."

I confess I am a sucker for the charms of Drew Barrymore in most of her films. Here, she maintains her classy beauty and genuine kind-hearted image even as she goes for the laughs. She is the perfect foil to Sandler's crassness. My favorite Drew moment in this film is that scene where she sings a lullaby for the kids.

The five kids, who have distinct problems of their own, mostly borne out growing up with a single parent, mostly do well without being too annoying. Standing out among the kids is Bella Thorne, who plays Jim's eldest daughter Hilary, who often gets mistaken for a boy because of her pageboy haircut and basketball skills.

The supporting actors share in the glow of the Sandler-Barrymore charisma, as stereotypically corny as their characters were. Jessica Lowe delightfully plays a kooky blonde bombshell who is the second wife of a much older man. Zak Henry manages to be funny as an Edward Cullen clone. It was fun to see Shaquille O'Neal again as Jim's co-worker at the sports store. Muscle-bound Terry Crews steals scenes as the sleazy lead singer of a Greek chorus of sorts at the African resort.

Overall, this film gets by mainly by the comedic chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore. The jokes may not really be so original or smashing. Somehow though, we still smile and chuckle because they are the ones delivering those jokes together. Though "Blended" does not exactly match their first two films together, but this is definitely a major step-up from Sandler's last two lame outputs, mostly thanks to Barrymore. 7/10.

This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."

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