Adam Sandler gives the performance of a lifetime in the astonishing thriller Uncut Gems

Despite his many comedic contributions to cinema, Adam Sandler occasionally likes to remind us that he’s secretly a terrific dramatic actor. His explosive manchild in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2002 romance Punch-Drunk Love. His semi-autobiographical dying comedian in 2009’s Funny People. His loveable Dad in 2017’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), in which he outshone Ben Stiller and Dustin Hoffman. No matter how good he’s been in the past, there’s no denying that his performance as an indebted New York jeweller in The Safdie Brother’s thriller Uncut Gems is simply unbelievable. It’s like watching a version of Sandler beamed from an alternate universe in which he left SNL and decided to become Al Pacino. This isn’t just a great Sandler performance. This is one of the best performances of the decade.

Links to the Ford On Film Awards 2019

Hello everyone,

The Ford On Film Awards 2019 have come to an end. If you’d like to read any articles you missed or find any article in one convenient location, here they all are:

Best Film – Knives Out

Best Supporting Actress – Julianne Nicholson, Monos

Best Supporting Actor – Al Pacino, The Irishman

Best Actress – Lupita Nyong’o, Us

Best Actor – Adam Driver, Marriage Story

Best Director – Alejandro Landes, Monos

Best Scene – Visiting the Spahn Ranch, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood

Best TV Show – Fleabag

Best TV Episode – ‘ronny/lily’, Barry

Best Album – Ohtis, Curve of Earth

Best Single – Billie Eilish, ‘Bad Guy’

Thanks for joining me, and I hope you’ll return at the end of 2020 for a sum up of what’s likely to be another incredible year for film, television and music. I’ll see you in a few weeks for one of the most ambitious undertakings Ford On Film has ever done…

By Harry J. Ford

 

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The Ford On Film Awards 2019: Best Single

Hello, and welcome to the final day of the Ford On Film Awards 2019! As ever, it’s been a long journey to get here: 11 awards and over 6000 words. It’s been great fun, and I can’t think of a better way to cap off proceedings than with the award for Best Single. Last year, IDLES took home the top prize for the unifying punk anthem ‘Danny Nedelko’. This year, we’ve got more blistering punk, aggressive rap, and catchy pop hits. What’s my pick for Best Single of 2019? Let’s find out:

10.

PUP – ‘Free at Last’

The Ford On Film Awards 2019: Best Album

So rarely do I get to talk about music here at Ford On Film, so I always love it when I get to give out the award for Best Album of the Year. 2019’s prize was won by the magnificent Neko Case for her stunning Hell-On. This year, I’ve consumed more music than ever before, and there have been some amazing records released. One stood out above all the rest, but all of these albums are worth listening to. Here’s the list:

10.

Ezra Furman – Twelve Nudes

Indie rocker Ezra Furman has been quietly cranking out great album after great album this past decade. Twelve Nudes was perhaps his best release yet, an agitated socially conscious punk rock record tackling big issues like gender identity, antisemitism and depression in short, sharp blasts.

The Ford On Film Awards 2019: Best TV Episode

We’re getting closer towards the end of the Ford On Film Awards 2019, but today, we have the award for Best TV Episode to hand out. 2018’s Best TV Episode was Inside No. 9’s sublime Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room, one of the best dramas ever broadcast by the BBC as far as I’m concerned. This year is incredibly competitive, but one episode stood out above all the rest. Let’s find out what took the number one slot…

10.

The Good Place – ‘The Answer’

The Good Place’s fourth season slipped a little in quality, yet it’s impossible to deny that the closing moments of this episode, in which Chidi discovers a note he left for himself before having his mind wiped, was an absolute tearjerker of the highest order.

The Ford On Film Awards 2019: Best TV Show

With the film awards over and done with, it’s time to look at the best the small screen had to offer last year. First up, it’s the award for Best TV Show! Last year, I gave it to everyone’s favourite soul-destroying animated sitcom, Bojack Horseman. Once again, it’s been a blinder for television, and that’s without me seeing many of the most popular series, including Succession and Pose. Thankfully, I saw enough terrific shows to have no problem coming up with a top ten list. From broad comedies to brutal dramas to creative animations, many future classics aired in the last year. Here are my picks for the Best TV Shows of 2019:

10.

The Virtues

So raw you could barely watch, Shane Meadows’ harrowing autobiographical drama The Virtues was an unflinching depiction of a man haunted by childhood sexual abuse. Written as a meditation on Meadows’ own childhood trauma, The Virtues was difficult viewing, but it was worth it to see Stephen Graham’s staggering performance.

The Ford On Film Awards 2019: Best Scene

It’s time for the final film award of the Ford On Film Awards 2019. Tomorrow, we’re turning to Television but before that, we have a great final award to give out: Best Scene of 2019! Last year, no scene played on my mind more than the gruesome accident at the heart of Ari Aster’s Hereditary. This year, we’ve got everything from disturbing violence to emotional breakdowns to the best fight scene of the year. As always, it’s competitive, but one scene stood out above all the rest. Here’s the list…

10.

Doll Freakout – Booksmart

Who would have expected an otherwise straightforward mainstream teen comedy like Booksmart would go off-kilter for a few minutes to showcase a scene as bizarre and out there as this? One thing’s for certain: You’ll never look at a barbie doll the same way again.