Film Previews

“Uncut Gems”

R | 135 minutes
Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Stars: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett

Fast-talking jewelry dealer Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) is a man who spends his days frantically trying to make money while being followed by the men he owes money to — an exhausting lifestyle he can’t seem to escape. Always on the lookout for the next big score, Howard makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. He must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win. But the more we get to know Howard, the less it seems like he wants to, forever inserting himself in increasingly precarious situations. Howard is the best, and worst, kind of antihero, caught in a trap of his own making, a way out always frustratingly in sight.

“Knives Out”

R | 130 minutes
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas

“Knives Out” sharpens old murder-mystery tropes with a keenly assembled suspense outing that makes brilliant use of writer-director Rian Johnson’s stellar ensemble. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff (an all-star ensemble cast including Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, and Jaeden Martell), Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death. “Knives Out” is a witty and stylish whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end.

“Richard Jewell”

NR | 129 minutes
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm

Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on true events, “Richard Jewell” is a story of what happens when what is reported as fact obscures the truth. “There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 minutes.” The world is first introduced to Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) as the security guard who reported finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta bombing — his report making him a hero whose swift actions saved countless lives. But within days, the law enforcement wannabe becomes the FBI’s No. 1 suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart. Reaching out to independent, anti-establishment attorney Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell), Jewell staunchly professes his innocence. But Bryant finds he is out of his depth as he fights the combined powers of the FBI, GBI and APD to clear his client’s name, while keeping Richard from trusting the very people trying to destroy him. ♦