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"Uncut Gems": Grand illusions

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An actress not long ago said it did not matter if she liked or disliked characters she played; it was only important to understand them. Pretty much the same thing might be said about moviegoers: they won't mind if a screen character is terrible as long as they can see why. The biggest problem, then, with "Uncut Gems" is that the explanation for the central character is only that he is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is; beyond that, we see that he is an ass to everyone around him, but never why he is such an ass. This, I admit, is contrarian. The movie has gotten raves from reviewers -- 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes at this writing -- with Oscar talk attached to Adam Sandler for adding this bold, bracing performance to his short list of departures from often stupid comedies. The comedies, of course, are his bread and butter; "Murder Mystery" was reportedly the most-watched original on Netflix in 2019, and many of my Film Appreciation students last ter...
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The goddess Pam Grier hosts movie lineup on Bounce

The official word: Legendary actress Pam Grier returns to Bounce to host a week-long series of classic blaxploitation films pulled straight from Brown Sugar, Bounce's popular subscription video-on-demand service. Mon. June 11 – Bucktown starring Grier and her frequent co-star Fred Williamson, who finds himself battling the racism and police corruption that ended his brother's life. Tues. June 12 – The Mack headlined by Richard Pryor and Max Julien as "Goldie" - the most notorious pimp in Oakland. Weds. June 13 – Black Belt Jones - Jim Kelly plays a martial artist who must battle the Mafia to protect a karate school. Thurs. June 14 – Super Fly directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. and starring Ron O'Neal as New York City drug kingpin "Priest." Fri. June 15 – Three the Hard Way featuring Williamson, Kelly and Jim Brown banding together to foil a racist plot. Viewers can find these movies and hundreds more on Brown Sugar along with complete seasons of top-...
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TV watching, so much TV watching

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I still cruise the television offerings, though sometimes not for long. "Blood and Treasure," the CBS summer series, wasn't even worth finishing the first episode, a clumsily forced attempt at clever action. I managed to make it through one episode of Spectrum's "L.A.'s Finest," a gender-reversed visit to the "Bad Boys" formula, but one was enough; again, everything seemed to have been borrowed elsewhere, and not very well. I've seen a little more of the new Netflix-backed season of "Designated Survivor" ; it seems to be trying to be less of a thriller and more of a political tale (including via real-people documentary footage) but it's not very good at it -- at times a blatant reworking of things "The West Wing" did better. And I can say that from current memory, since I've been binge-watching "West Wing," with six seasons done and the seventh to go. The original flaws are still there -- the unk...
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