Entertainment
Adam Sandler's Most Gripping Performance Is A High-Anxiety Thriller On Hulu
By TeeJay Small
| Published
If you grew up watching Adam Sandler movies, you probably know the comedic actor as an obnoxious goofball with a penchant for singing and a heart of gold. Sandler typically plays a man-child in films which send him to exotic locales along with his coterie of SNL alumnus buddies. Some have even speculated that his films are just thinly-veiled excuses to take vacations, financed by movie studios. Occasionally, though, Sandler will venture way outside his comfort zone and pull off an Oscar-worthy performance that leaves the casual viewer reeling. The best example of this rare trend is 2019’s Uncut Gems, which is currently streaming on Hulu.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Uncut Gems is an absolutely insane movie. If you’re familiar with the discourse surrounding the film, you may have heard someone refer to it as a two-hour-long panic attack set to a low-end synth score. This is a pretty apt description, as everything from the crowded shot composition, the pushing zooms, and the overlapping dialogue creates a sense of complete and total overstimulation.
Watching the movie at home is nerve-racking enough, but catching it in the theater was a magical experience. I’m not usually an anxious person, but even I wound up walking out of the theater with weak knees and sweaty palms like Eminem in 8 Mile. Having said that, Uncut Gems is an impeccable movie with a tight screenplay, strong characters, and a critical look at greed, materialism, and even colonialism, if you look deep enough. Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett also appears in a pretty major role, so the movie gets some serious bonus points in my book.
Uncut Gems was written and directed by legendary filmmaking duo Josh and Benny Safdie. The film follows Adam Sandler‘s NYC jeweler and degenerate gambler Howard Ratner as he handles one of the biggest sales of his career. While attempting to coerce Celtics NBA champion Kevin Garnett into buying a multi-million-dollar African opal, Ratner finds himself running from loan sharks, pawning goods that don’t belong to him, and taking major gambling risks to stay afloat.
As the narrative continues building to its thrilling climax, Sandler offers a tour de force performance that will make you rethink everything you’ve ever said about Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore. As it turns out, this goofy comedian can actually act on the level of Christian Bale, when he puts his mind to it. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, especially if you’ve seen Sandler give his all in other dramatic outings like Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, or The Meyerowitz Stories.
I’m one of the cool, calm, collected individuals who managed to enjoy this movie upon release, but I think it holds up even better today, as gambling apps and sports betting have insidiously worked their way into many facets of daily life. Uncut Gems serves as a great reminder that gambling can have deadly consequences, even for those who think they have a perfect system. If you’ve got a few hours and maybe a bar of Xanax lying around, be sure to stream Uncut Gems on Hulu today. Just be sure to hit the couch with a weighted blanket or whatever else people turn to when their anxiety disorders start acting up.
Entertainment
Score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
SAVE 64%: Between May 6 and May 17, you can score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
Get up to 64% off plus a free solar panel with purchase
I live in an apartment, so I don’t exactly have a “whole home” to back up. But if there’s one thing I hate, it’s losing power. There goes the AC, the internet, the food in the fridge — it’s a total nightmare. If you actually own a house and have been putting off buying a backup power system because it’s pricey, I have some good news.
The DJI Power 1000 Mini portable power station just launched — U.S. availability is pending
Right now, EcoFlow is running a Mother’s Day Sale through May 17 with discounts as high as 64%. They’re also throwing in free hardware to sweeten the deal: All single orders between $600 and $3,000 come with a free 45W solar panel, and orders over $3,000 come with two free 160W solar panels. If you’re looking for something more portable, their RAPID Power Banks are also up to 53% off right now.
Just keep an eye on the countdown clock — it’s for the Flash Sale items that have even better, limited-time price cuts. If you miss the flash window, the standard Mother’s Day and Home Improvement deals (including a $700 installation discount for larger systems) are still valid through mid-May.
Mashable Deals
Here are a few of the best deals I’ve spotted so far:
Entertainment
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
Comedian John Early makes his feature directorial debut with Maddie’s Secret, an offbeat homage to melodrama that he wrote and headlines as its eponymous heroine.
As an aspiring food influencer, Maddie Ralph (Early) is passionate about her cuisine. And at first glance, she’s got a picture-perfect life: a loving husband (Eric Rahill), a devoted best friend (Kate Berlant), and a job at a culinary content studio called Gourmaybe. But as the title suggests, there’s a side to Maddie she can’t stomach sharing with her loved ones. And this secret could kill her.
Out of the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, I cheered Maddie’s Secret, writing in my review for Mashable, “The film is silly and strange, but even amid campy bits, sincere. So, you’ll laugh at its parody elements, but may well be genuinely moved by Early’s commitment to this strange and splendid film.”
I also said “John Early is a better ingénue than Sydney Sweeney,” comparing Maddie’s Secret to another earnest (but less entertaining) TIFF offering, Christy. And I stand by it.
Maddie’s Secret opens in theaters in New York on June 19, and in Los Angeles on June 26.
Entertainment
Pride is almost here! Check out the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.
We know Pride is all year round, but there is something special about the month of June. We’re not there quite yet, but if you want a main squeeze for all the parades and parties, you gotta start looking now. How about on a dating app?
As a lesbian, you probably know all about them. Lesbian Americans (along with bisexual and gay Americans) are far more likely to have ever used dating apps than straight Americans: 51 percent to 28 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.
There are a few reasons why LGBTQ people might turn to online dating more quickly than straight folks. For one, you might live in an area without a thriving LGBTQ community, and in-person dating may be hard. If you don’t know other lesbians to begin with, how can you meet more IRL to date? (Sometimes, lesbian spaces can also be co-opted by The Straights.) Unfortunately, in-person dating may also be less safe, depending on where you live.
Hookup apps for everyone
AdultFriendFinder
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readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder
—
top pick for finding hookups
Hinge
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popular choice for regular meetups
Thankfully, we live in a time where we can find people like us with a few swipes. Lesbians are welcome on major dating apps, and there are also niche ones specifically for lesbians and other queer women and people. But which one to choose?
How to find the best dating apps for lesbians
Niche lesbian dating apps aren’t your only option for finding love.
Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable
In Mashable’s recommendations below, you’ll find both general dating apps and apps specifically for queer people. As the former appeals to the general population, you’ll find more users in these spaces. The caveat, however, is that when you swipe on other women, you might find those coupled with men who are looking for another woman to have a threesome with (aka unicorn hunters). No judgment here, but that’s probably not what you’re looking for. Then again, people of all types are on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. You never know who you may come across.
Then there are apps specifically for the community, like HER and Lex. If you yearn for a smaller dating scene, head for these apps. While there’s no “Grindr for lesbians” — we go into why in the FAQ section — these apps are more so like stepping into your neighborhood lesbian bar than an app like Bumble.
You can also try multiple dating apps, as each one below has a free version. You can filter by the gender you identify with and are looking for, and sometimes, as with OkCupid, there are many options to choose from.
Diving into the dating pool isn’t easy, but the water’s fine. Check out our guide below for the full rundown of our recommendations and dating app reviews.
Score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
