Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1208901
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 FEBRUARY 2020 21 FILM ENVIRONMENT from his wife Dinah (voice-of- Elsa Idina Menzel), sharing an apartment – and a workspace – with the volatile young sex- pot Julia (Julia Fox). He's also got gangsters knocking at his door every other day demand- ing that their debts be repaid – debts that get suckered into bets almost as soon as the ti- niest drip of cash sneaks into Howard's pockets. So yes, Howard is a man in- finitely 'beset', largely by his own hand, but we also get a sense that at some point, the universe's powers-that-be de- cided that this man needs to be put into a blender, and that the blender will never be un- plugged. Working off a script by fre- quent collaborator Ronald Bronstein, the Safdies plunge us deep and hard into the anxi- ety-riven universe of Howard's existence. Much like the pro- pulsive motion of their Robert Pattinson-starring crime vehi- cle Good Time, this is a film with no firm divisions and cer- tainly no intervals: Howard can never catch a break, and when he does, he uses the opportu- nity to plunge himself into a fresh hole; seemingly out of a desire to exploit an opportuni- ty, but it's actually all about the gaping hole of oblivion that his gambling addiction pushes him into. But the Safdies waste exact- ly zero time in moralising on Howard's condition, instead respecting us enough to be taken along for the ride, whose consistent streak of black hu- mour is redolent of the best of early Scorcese, and whose elec- tric charge will tickle the worst glands of your lizard brain into pure illicit ecstasy. UNCUT GEMS SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH EMPTY BAUBLE F FOR FAKE ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ It's one of the most common and widespread plants in our countryside, carpeting at this time of year entire fallow fields, roadsides and undergrowth with its heart-shaped leaves and yel- low trumpet-like flowers. Yet for all its ubiquity the cape sorrel is an alien. Despite its Maltese name "l-Ingliża" it comes not from Britain but from over 7000km away in the Cape region of South Africa, which explains the 'cape' in the name. How it turned up here is not certain but it appeared early in the 19th century around the time the British took over the country – which may explain its Maltese name. We know today that it's never a good idea to introduce alien species especially into small islands like ours. Despite the pretty visual effect, the sprawl of cape sorrel over so much of our countryside no doubt elbowed out many na- tive plants. On the plus side, honey-bees seem to love the flower to bits! Text and Photo: Victor Falzon 698. CAPE SORREL Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 596 Find out more and register: www.foemalta.org/event/beeaware2020 The verdict Kinetic and deliberate- ly anxiety-inducing, Uncut Gems is a true diamond in the rough in the best pos- sible ways, allowing Adam Sandler to channel his pen- chant for irreverent farce into something that has true story content, scummy and utterly amoral as it may be. A gripping, uproarious trip that will hurt as much as it pleases, but you'll actually be glad for the bruises by the end of it. Uncut Gems is currently streaming on Netflix ★ ★ ★ ★ UNCUT GEMS (16+) BeeAware is a 7-session course which intends to give people the opportu- nity to appreciate the role of bees and pollinators and their contribution to biodiversity, agriculture and food production. This course is designed to give a better understanding of the role of bees as keystone creatures for the envi- ronment. It will focus both on the role of wild bees and also honey bees, and how bee- keeping can be done in a sustainable way. The seven-session course will start on the 19th of February and will take place at the Friends of the Earth Office in Floriana, whilst the practical sessions will take place at other locations around Malta. Registration is required. BeeAware course