The Kings decided to stick around the Big Apple for a couple extra nights and for their troubles, they’ve got a game lined up against the New York Knickerbockers! In a virtual tie for the eighth seed with the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, this Knicks team is hungry for wins and smelling blood in the water as the Kings will look to avoid losing their ninth straight contest. Led by anthropomorphic meatgrinder Julius Randle and the spiritual antithesis of Ted Lasso, Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks are hoping to finish off this first half of the season strong.
I tried to write that as normal as possible and I felt like wretching. Kings bad, Knicks less bad! Trap game for NYC anyone? Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Thursday, February 25th, 4:30 PM PST
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
TV: NBCSCA – Mark Jones on the call.
Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
Shoes Worth Dropping: We saw the first move in what could be a long line of moves for Monte McNair in the release of Glenn Robinson III, who didn’t seem to stick quite as well as some might have hoped from the word go. He wasn’t terrible, he wasn’t great, he was kid of just… there. With this extended losing streak pushing the Kings closer and closer to a top-5 pick, most of the low impact vets like Nemanja Bjelica, Cory Joseph and Hassan Whiteside are expected to be off the team before seasons end and with guys like Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes expected to have a decent return attached to them, McNair has a million places he can go.
Don’t get it twisted. When I say “low impact vets” I mean towards the future of this franchise. Bjelica has been great for the Kings the last few years. Cory Joseph had stretches of decent play. Hassan Whiteside had big minutes once in awhile. They just also, aren’t contributing in anyway towards the future outside of sage wisdoms of times past.
Looking at the Knicks as an example of something positive here: things turned quick for them. Yes it was mostly because coach Ted L’Asshol runs his best players into the ground in the name of playing them ungodly minutes and yes, I’m pretty certain NYC is going to hate him for ruining a special player with wear and tear injuries at some point, but for now it is working well. They’re a legitimate team. Two games under five hundred in the east isn’t a championship berth or anything but they play extremely hard every night, play good defense and have a decent mix of vets and youth. If you swapped rosters with the Knicks right now, Kings fans would be going wild for this team. I mention all of this just to say that proactive rebuilding doesn’t have to take four or five years anymore. With good draft choices and a good head coach, turn around times can be very quick.
The Knicks aren’t exactly one to one comparisons here because they’re in New York and can attract talent on a level that Sacramento can’t, but zoom the lens out a little further, looking to the macro. The Kings can have it all, have it quickly, the front office just needs to get it right. These next 29 days are going to be full of rumors and almost deals that don’t get done but at the end of it, we’re going to have a much better idea of just how prepared this management team is for dragging the Kings to their destiny.
Film of the Night
How To With John Wilson (2020)
Directed by: John Wilson
(TV-MA): (Nudity/Language/Blood)
What IMDB Says: An anxious New Yorker attempts to give everyday advice while dealing with his own personal issues.
What Will Says: Okay so hear me out on this: this is technically a documentary series, but it’s only six, half hour episodes. So 3 hours isn’t really that much longer than a solid movie. This is one of the most unique and absurdly hilarious shows that I watched during quarantine and it’s both entirely fascinating and completely ridiculous. The premise is simple: a man with a camera documents everyday life in New York, showing the idiosyncrasies of the city while he narrates over the top. The result though is somehow much more than the sum of the shows parts. Each episode explores a topic, that more or less sets a guide for what part of New York John is exploring – in one episode he discusses scaffolding. Yes, just scaffolding for a full half hour and yet it’s compelling and hilarious TV. Sometime John wanders from the point: in an episode about splitting checks, John ends up at an end of the season party for youth referees and ends up catching some incredibly petty drama between the haves and have-nots and the lengths some of the have-nots will go to stick it to the heads of their organization.
Its incredibly sweet in some moments, while others leaves you gasping at what people will admit to or show strangers with a camera in their face. The simple set up and payoffs for his comedy are somehow obvious but also some of the best I’ve ever seen. John Wilson is a simple storyteller, understated and maybe just as weird as the city he’s attempting to capture but it’s rare to see someone with an understanding and love for the city they love as much as Wilson obviously does. Filmed in the months leading up to COVID-19, watching the show made me appreciate Sacramento (and all of its own quirks) on a much deeper level and made me miss a time when the world allowed us all to be out experiencing it. And yet, right as I felt I could slip into actual melancholy about it, the show was off to a convention on the Mandela Effect or in a philosophy professor’s office asking if Mankind will make a comback…. or at a WWE wrestling tailgate asking if Mankind will ever make a comeback.
Warning So You Don’t Hate Me Forever: 95% of the time this show is completely harmless. However there are some things that definitely earn it a TV-MA rating. There’s small things like some classic New York flourishes of language, blood at a subway station or the documentary catching a couple of medics wheeling a dead body down some stairs and tipping the gurney over. There is, however, one scene in the second episode that I believe did almost all the legwork to getting that rating. It’s a 10 minute scene in which John finds himself interviewing a man who is advocating for and then demonstrating a device that returns… the “turtleneck” of some men’s… “turtles”. The camera doesn’t shy away during the interview with this very odd man and well, his “turtle” stays out of its aquarium for a decent length of time. Feel free to skip that episode if you get squeamish around awkward nudity. Outside of that this is adult Sesame Street if Big Bird took a camera around the city and also happened to have some minor social disorders.
Where to Watch:
- HBO or HBOMax
Trailer
The Knicks sparked us on a win streak;
We played well for more than a week.
Then the wins disappeared
And confirmed what we feared:
We’re still short of the talent we seek!
Now do Royal Tenenbaums.
“An aging racist, desperate to reconnect with his well-off family, bounces back into their lives by lying about a terminal condition. Antics ensue, as does a healthy dose of Ramones, The Clash, and Paul Simon. Not much else happens over the course of two hours, but try to name a better movie from 2001”.
That’s all I’ve got.
Memento. Blow. Bridget Jone’s Diary. Shrek. Sexy Beast. Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Wet Hot American Summer. Zoolander. Bandits. Mulholland Drive. Donnie Darko. Amelie. Monsters, Inc. Out Cold. Fellowship of the Ring.
Not a bad year really. Some of those I’d put above Tennenbaum’s. Most in the same tier. A couple are just magical in their cheap/badness.
Mullholland Drive!
Also:
Shit. Totally missed Spirited Away. For some reason I think of that as older than 2001.
There are some movies I can remember what year they came out because I can remember where I was in the theater and recall the year. (Saw the Matrix while in Spain, so I know it was 1999.)
I remember watching both Amelie and Spirited away in theaters, but I was in two different countries….I’m having difficulty remembering how that happened.
I remember watching Spirited Away for the first time, with no expectations as a 11 (or 12) year old, and I was completely blown away. Then years later I would check out more of Miyazaki’s films and man oh man, a lot of them are so good.
I adore a few of those, loathe a couple (never been a Lynch or Nolan fan), and haven’t seen any of the family stuff, but I rewatched Sexy Beast a few weeks ago and, had I realized it was a 2001 film, probably wouldn’t have typed that last sentence in my previous reply. It’s just such an amazing, nasty little story.
I watched Lynch’s Inland Empire at a small arthouse theater in Boston (assumed the audience was all Lynch fans). It’s a long film, and feels even longer….and I can imagine if you didn’t like the film, it would be tremendously long.
I loved it, but I remember seeing an older gentleman stand up, wave off the movie with his hand gesture, and walk out, haha.
I’m hot and cold on Lynch and Nolan. Some of their stuff I love. Some I hate. They both definitely walk the line between thought-provoking and eye-rolling, over-wrought, self-indulgence. I really loved about 85% of Mulholland Drive. I try to pretend the 15% never happened.
Rat Race is a glaring omission
I figured some Rob Schneider fan would stand up for The Animal.
I did leave out Moulin Rouge despite the fact that I personally really enjoyed it. But I’m not sure that’s a common opinion.
I remember watching Moulin Rouge when it first came out and getting whiplash from the high-paced editing.
But if you watch it now, it’s just normal paced editing.
Confession time: Early in my career I wrote and creative directed a jingle/music video TV spot set to the tune of Spectacular, Spectacular. The whole campaign was inspired by a Moulin Rouge meets Carnival Sideshow aesthetic.
!
is it something that can be found online?
I have no idea. Nothing on a quick web search. If I were better about curating my portfolio, I’d be able to find it somewhere. But I can’t at the moment. It would have been sometime in the early 2000s.
My old Art Director partner is working on it. He may have found it but the format is so old he has to download an older app to transfer it. Man, this is really dating me.
Yeah, as a young whippersnapper. They had video formats? That’s practically yesterday.
I’m kinda mad that my 4k video camera is already outdated.
maybe there’s a different format available to download from Limewire
If I find it, I’ll get back to you in a week when it’s finished downloading.
Luke Walton might use this excuse about why he wasn’t watched the tape yet.
I will proudly admit that one of my favorite movies (it’s not a guilty pleasure because I don’t feel guilty even if everyone thinks I’m guilty) is Deuce Bigalow European Gigalow.
Mine is Transylvania 6-5000.
i haven’t seen that since i was a kid, but i remember liking it!
And i still hum the tune now and then.
Well now you’ve gone and made me Google “Worst Films Of 2001”, and maaaaaaaan. Who wins? The Animal, Corky Romano, Black Knight, Bubble Boy, How High?, or Dr. Doolittle 2?
For some reason, I changed majors that year and opted to pursue film. That year.
I had a rip-roaring time watching Rat Race. I don’t know if it’s just because I was watching it with someone else who was laughing their ass off…Maybe if I watched it alone I might not have liked it…?
It’s amazing what a difference that makes.
If you laughed at Rat Race, you should go back to the OG madcap comedic team-up, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
However, there are many, many, shall we say, dated elements that wouldn’t fly in the 21st century.
Good call!
I have yet to see it, but I just watched a clip now and yeah, it’s obvious that there was inspiration for Rat Race from that.
I think I’ll be rooting for Buddy Hackett!
For the uninitiated.
There is very little above Tenenbaums, very little.
That’s excellent and I thank you very much for that.
Kings. Knicks. Next.
Da 4-on-5 Bloods!
“How to Handle Randle”??
Bruh, did you not hear we got Norvel Pelle?
Take away the Knicks mojo, by beating them with CoJo.
I’d look on the bright side, but we’re missing Whiteside.
(having said that, I appreciate your contribution Kosta. But, these days the team most likely to be beaten by CoJo is the Kings.)
When in New York, make sure to grab a slice of pizza.
And give some minutes to Nemanja Bjelica!
(I can’t disagree with your assessment, PhutureKings!)
Take that, you dirty rat!
The Knicks are 4 seasons into this “rebuild” and they’re still a sub-.500 team in the weaker conference.
“The Knicks are 4 seasons into this rebuild and they’re still a sub-.500 team in the weaker conference.”
Yep, it’s always ironic when “we” point out other team’s lack of success. I’d just say there are better examples of teams who pulled off a quick turnaround.
Right, it usually involves this guy:
Recently it’s been a lot of this guy:
Man, I wish he was on the Kings. That is the exact sort of guy this team needs.
Kings. Randall. Next
Just think, Dolan is a better owner than Vivek.
No, he isn’t. Ranadive is a decent human being, and James Dolan is a trust-fund garbage person.
Your opinion, in mine Vivek has ripped off the citizens of Sacramento financially and emotionally.
me and Bill2455 don’t agree on much, but I think the evidence is pretty clear the dismissive little twerp has ripped off the citizens of Sac even if the ripoff was government sanctioned.
May I ask in what way that you have been ripped off? Is it the extra $23 you spend on parking each year in areas that used to have free parking? This has to be it, since your taxes haven’t gone up one cent to pay for the many improvements related to G1C.
But I’m not above reviewing the clear evidence of which you speak. I’ve been wrong before.
The city lied about the value of certain assets they gave the Kings in order to keep the sticker price of the subsidy artificially low to sell the deal to the citizens. That may just be the way deals get done, but it’s still a ripoff compared to what the citizens were told at the time.
Also, just in general, I think we’ve seen enough sourced articles to admit that Vivek doesn’t nurture a culture of decency within the organization.
Well, he did let VD hire an alleged rapist, so touchè.
My understanding was that Vivek & company fully ate the cost overruns, so if having a lie told to you is the same as having something stolen from you, then I just became very interested in all of that stuff in your garage.
Ok fine, they didn’t steal from the public. The city and the team just defrauded the citizens of Sacramento.
Interesting assertion.
Could you assign an approximate dollar value cost of this defrauding to the citizens of Sacramento, or describe the physical or mental damage sustained by these good people?
No. I’m not a freaking nerd.
Ranadive > Dolan > Sterling. As has been the case with the team, we rank our ownership from the bottom-up.
One note is that Dolan has managed to be an unmitigated failure of an NBA owner in an absolutely gargantuan market. For being unable to take advantage of a system that is so obviously tilted in favor of the large market teams, I see him as a far worse owner than Ranadive on the basketball side. And Dolan really has little to no defense as a human being.
I appreciate your honest opinion.
A Kings win will come just in the Knick of time
Don’t touch the lines .. Bad Luck?
Sacramento native, currently residing in New York!
Anyone been watching Painting With John? It’s twenty-five minutes of oddness and insight each week, and I feel somehow improved after I’ve watched it. Lurie is a fascinating guy.
Watched a trailer…will check it out!
Do yourself a favor and watch the most entertaining, strangest and underrated sci-fi film in history: “The History of Future Folk” on netflix.
I have recommended this movie more than 50 times and every time I’ve heard raves.
Just watched the trailer–is this a cross between Starman and Predator and Flight of the Conchords?
I love that Dee Snider is in it. 🙂
Best movie I’ve watched in lockdown has been The Nice Guys.
Best one I saw in lockdown was Portrait Of A Lady On Fire.
The Laemmle theater down the street still has the poster up on it’s outside wall….as if time has frozen. The poster is all faded now. It was put up right while the Pandemic was just beginning. They haven’t changed any of the posters since then.
Laemmle, eh? You’re in SoCal then. We lived next door to the Vista in Los Feliz for a while. Between that, the Los Feliz 3 and the Arclight we had pretty much every style of movie going experience you could ask for nearby.
Yeah,
SoCalMordor. 🙁I’ve only been to the Vista once or twice because I didn’t live too close to Los Feliz. But I enjoyed all the times I got to hang out in Los Feliz. Except for the one time I ate at the House of Pies and found a fly (no kidding) in my food. It shall forever be known as House of Flies to me.
From our place in Pasadena we can walk to the Arclight, to the Laemmle, and then there are a couple of late-run theaters as well.
We also are just a couple minutes walk from the Pasadena Playhouse, which is just amazeballs!
The Arc Light is a great theater .. Thumbs up!
I like that some (all?) Arc Lights have wine/beer. I kind of like being a little buzzed while watching movies in a theater now.
Yep, whatever they were showing on the full bar screen always held a little more sway.
the only independent theater I recognize:
“Palm”, eh? Hmmmm
I had a gf my 5th year at Poly (2003), and we watched Station Agent, A Mighty Wind, American Splendor and Capturing the Friedmans there. Love that place.
That’s a good run of films. Speaking of, is the Tower Theater still open? I think I saw all of those movies at either the Tower or the Embarcadero in SF.
I think they have concerts there still, at the very least.
(I think you, RORDOG and I are all outside of Sacramento…so someone help us out with this answer!)
Yeah I haven’t lived in Sac since ~2012. The last place I lived in Sac was on X and 18th, so I was only a few blocks from the Tower Theater. The last movie I remember watching there was Martha Marcy May Marlene. I used to grow weed in my basement, and all the lights had to be off for 12 hours at a time. I didn’t have anything else going on so I’d just get high and walk to the movies.
That’s what I like about those independent places. They basically curate the options for you, so the movies are always pretty good. The last movie I actually watched in a theater was Uncut Gems at the New Parkway in Oakland. It has a ton of old couches and pretty chill vibes.
I haven’t been to the Parkway in a LONG time. I hear/hope the couches are slightly less ratty then they used to be.
The Embarcadero was my spot. They tended to run all those borderline independent but not really independent movies that were right up my alley. The Lost in Translations and Little Miss Sunshines and Spellbounds, and Crouching Tigers and such. The kind of place where I could just show up and know there would be something I wanted to see.
If 2003 was your 5th year at Poly, then we just missed each other!
I came back for graduation in 1999, but spent my 1998 year in Italy. So if you came to graduation then you might’ve run into me.
Now I have that American Splendor tune stuck in my head.
….also, I totally didn’t recognize the Palm Theater photo you posted. (slaps head).
yeah I was a member of the Turlock High class of ’99 (go Bulldogs!), so we were like 2 ships passing in the night.
Pair it with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang next time around for an excuse to spend four hours with people that have no business solving crimes trying to solve crimes. It was my exact hangover cure two Saturdays ago.
If we’re all recommending shows, then can I ask everyone to watch Lodge 49? I loved it, and maybe if enough people watch it, then we can get season 3.
I’m not a Nielson household. Er, how do they determine those things now?
Watched a clip right now…totally looks like a RORDOG show!
I’ve got a long list now.
I’ll tell my lady friend to add one additional viewer. She works at Neilsen/Gracenote.
It is such a good show tho. It’s like a mix between Lebowski, Waiting, and a Dan Brown novel. At the same time the characters are so endearing that by the end (of season 2) you feel like you are a member of The Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx. Plus the soundtrack is so good. It’s got this total mystic surfer vibe.
I’ve always wanted to belong!
Maybe this show is for me?
Any martial arts fans? Check out “Warrior”. Set in 1870s San Francisco. It was pitched by Bruce Lee 50 years ago and now produced by his daughter.
Ooh!
So good. All the little homages to Bruce Lee are cool. Me and the lady friend would be watching an episode and I’d yell out “that’s the same wound from Enter the Dragon!”
The nunchuck fight scene Season 2 was awesome. Hopefully gets picked up by another studio for Season 3
Russian Doll is an entertaining watch. I had this deja vu some years back, where it kind of felt like I was living the same day over and over again. Russian Doll is sort of like that.
Was that when you were stuck in …..Palm Springs?
Russian Doll was silver medal to How to for an NYC recommendation!
Thanks for the film rec. looks like comedy gold.
Well, another day goes by in Kings Land only to see Walton surviving another day, yawn.
Go Kings!
I think I’m ready to make a prediction. This is based solely on the ebb and flow of a typical Kings season. The Kings will DOMINATE this afternoon.
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