Vino Bryant

#LakeShow

[Vino Bryant @PlayoffRondoLA]

The Unquestioned Leader of the Redeem Team

[OLDSKOOLBBALL @oldskoolbballx]

The Last NBA Iron Man.

The last NBA MVP to play all 82 Games.

Kobe Bryant.

[HoopsHype @hoopshype]

Among NBA stars, Kobe Bryant holds the record for most playoff series won against 50-win teams.

The strongest squad he vanquished with the Lakers? The 61-21 Sacramento Kings in 2002.

[TCL @TCLtalksNFL]

Tell me I'm wrong...

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

Four of the Best Actors Alive

[The Pettiest Laker Fan 🤫 @ThePettiestLA]

The Nike Air Huarache 2K4 was ahead of its time — lockdown fit, elite performance, and forever tied to the young Mamba era 🐍

Salute to Kobe Bryant for making them iconic, and big thanks to Foot Locker for the pair 🙏🏽

The story of the Hoopers sneaker.

[Vino Bryant @PlayoffRondoLA]

Jesus

[LakeShowYo @LakeShowYo]

If Lakers lose tonight they drop to 7th seed and will be in play-in

[NBA en español 🏀 @_NBAESP_]

¿QUIÉN GANARÍA?👇🏻

[Vino Bryant @PlayoffRondoLA]

love this pic lol

[Fastbreak Hoops @FastbreakHoops5]

Kobe Bryant's reverse dunk from 1998.

[Timeless Sports @timelesssports_]

1999.

[SportsCenter @SportsCenter]

Another 40+ point performance from Audi Crooks 🔥

She's posted 148 points over the last 4 games 👏

[Bleacher Report @BleacherReport]

Jaylen Brown is unapologetic about 'leaving his mark' on defenders 😭

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

Goosebumps. Everywhere. #MartySupreme (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟) is that film. Timothée Chalamet is that guy. Chalamet takes the high expectations swirling around this film and snaps them over his thigh like a twig. If you dare respond to this review with some ridiculous commentary about how Chalamet is thirsty for an Oscar, my friend, there’s the door. Shut up. Not now. Get out of his way. We are witnessing something important, can’t you see that? This is an original story that could not come at a more critical time for cinema. And it’s a film that left me totally, utterly, unequivocally inspired. I walked out of the theater ready to run through a brick wall. A film about the pursuit of greatness, Marty Supreme itself achieves greatness.

Timothée Chalamet plays Marty, a young table tennis player in 1952 New York. Table tennis hasn’t reached its full popularity nor has Marty reached his. Both the sport & the man’s individual trajectory are on the rise. But the problem Marty faces is that he constantly finds himself running in circles: with every step forward, he’s pulled back 2 steps back & then some. This includes Marty’s pursuit of an older but famous actress named Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), which introduces Marty to Stone’s wealthy husband, Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary). The idea here is that Stone is unhappily married to Rockwell & Marty tries to wiggle his way into Rockwell’s graces to better boost his career. But make no mistake- the Rockwell storyline is but one of a handful of subplots that are driving Marty’s story. So much happens in this movie, I’m just barely touching the surface.

Josh Safdie pulls off a number of amazing things in this film, I honestly don’t know where to start. I think if there’s one thing we know about Josh at this point, it’s that he’s absolutely mastered pacing. This film’s pacing is off the charts. The runtime is about 2.5 hours, but you don’t feel any of it. That’s because, like Martin Scorsese & Paul Thomas Anderson, Safdie knows how to move a camera. His camera movements are never unnecessary or over-the-top but the rhythm in which Safdie shoots his films is special. It’s not just the camerawork that adds to the pacing, it’s the use of sound & the use of New York City- Safdie’s ultimate playground- that puts this film in first gear & never looks back. What’s more is that this a buffet of small cultural tidbits for those of us who really love cinema: famed screenwriter David Mamet has a small cameo, Penn Jillette has a role here, and even NBA Hall of Famer George Gervin is in this film. All of this- from Safdie’s pacing to every last extra he casts in this film- contributes to the vibe & atmosphere of this movie.

Many will compare Marty Supreme to Safdie’s other films, like Uncut Gems or Good Time. Those are fair comparisons & both great films to be mentioned alongside. But Marty Supreme is better than those films. The reason-being is that this is about a man’s pursuit of greatness, an individual who won’t take no for an answer, whether he’s in the right to do so or not. I think that’s what separates this from Uncut Gems or Good Time: yes, Marty is running for his life, but he’s also running toward something. That something is greatness- being the greatest table tennis player alive. And that mission, that ultimate purpose bestowed upon Marty, brings out an audacity in this film’s protagonist that we do not see in Uncut Gems or Good Time. Marty’s refusal to downplay his own greatness is the ultimate heartbeat of this film- his brash, cocky belief that he can achieve anything, which is a story that’s as old & relatable as time. It’s also his tragic flaw & what constantly puts him in harm’s way.

But when you put so much weight on the shoulders of a protagonist’s pursuit for greatness, the actor playing that character needs to knock it out of the park. Chalamet doesn’t just knock it out of the park- he knocks it out of the god damn state. It helps when you’re acting alongside Odessa A’zion & Gwyneth Paltrow, each of whom are excellent & beautiful & breathtaking in this movie. But Chalamet steps into this role like a full-blown movie star would. This a Brando-level, De Niro-level, DiCaprio-level performance from Chalamet that unquestionably warrants another Oscar nomination for Best Actor, marking his second in a row and the 3rd of his brief career. Ultimately, the takeaway is this: for those of you reading this who are part of my generation (millenials) & younger, we should all walk out of this film with a heavy dose of optimism because our generation has Chalamet. We have our guy. There’s hope for the future. The movie star is far from dead. Marty Supreme is more proof.

Expectations be damned. Believe the hype.

[LakersMuse @LALMuse]

THE LAKERS PLAY BASKETBALL TODAY!!!

Let’s end the road trip on a good note and get to 10-4 😤

[Vino Bryant @PlayoffRondoLA]

@TheHoopCentral @wemby210 😂 draymond needs to retire and hit the podcast full time

[Hoop Central @TheHoopCentral]

This angle of Victor Wembanyama dunking on Draymond —

Wemby is really a cheat code. 🔥

(via @wemby210)

[Vino Bryant @PlayoffRondoLA]

give us back AD

[NBACentral @TheDunkCentral]

The Mavericks have discussed blowing up the roster, per @SIChrisMannix

“As for what’s next, I’m told that Mark Cuban, the Mavs’ minority owner who was exiled from basketball operations by Harrison, is back at the table. I’m also told that radical roster changes have already been discussed by Dallas’s new brain trust. Big changes could be coming to Big D.”

(Via https://t.co/224gXHHsC6)

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

Cinema is the International Man of Mystery

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

I think #TheRunningMan (🌟🌟🌟🌟) is entertaining as hell. Never once was I bored. That’s mostly due to the performances from this entire cast, which from top to bottom were all outstanding- including & especially Glen Powell, who certainly made his mentor Tom Cruise proud. In the hands of a less charismatic leading man, perhaps this film doesn’t work. But Powell carries the day. I also thought this film’s pacing is very strong- the action literally never stopped & there’s never a moment of reprieve. I left the theater after finishing The Running Man totally satisfied.

I think we’re all pretty familiar with the plot of The Running Man at this point. Based on the 1982 Stephen King novel, we meet Powell’s Ben Richards in some version of the future in which America is a totalitarian state & basically everyone is poor. The idea here is the government runs do or die shows- like The Running Man- in which prisoners essentially compete to survive in exchange for life-changing amounts of money. It’s a dark, bleak story that is supposed to emphasize government propaganda and government surveillance.

Much will be made about the timing of The Running Man relative to where we are as a society. The fact that this story was written well before 9/11, a time in which we were watched far less, and the fact that life in America feels as totalitarian as ever, might turn some people away from this film. Not only that, the screenplay is not very good here. It’s like the lines exchanged between characters need to constantly hit us over the head with the obvious: government = bad, Richards = good. These themes are overplayed at a time when I’m sure most don’t want to think about these. So why do I like this film?

Because it’s fun as hell. At the end of the day, The Running Man is an action film based on one man’s quest for survival. If you’re able to put aside some of the bigger “preachy” themes about propaganda and surveillance & just enjoy the visuals and action in front of you, you’re going to have a great time. As I mentioned in my opening, the pacing here is exceptional. We dive right into the game itself & Richards’ enrollment. I liked that there’s less time spent on Richards’ actual decision to participate and more time spent on Richards’ quest for survival.

But another part of what I really love about this version of The Running Man is Richards’ quest has chapters that are all distinct and separate from one another and give each actor in this cast a chance to shine. Mixed in with non-stop action is the fact that Powell’s Richards spends time with Jayme Lawson, Katy M. O’Brian, Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, and (my favorite) Michael Cera. It’s like we see Richards jump from one lily-pad to the next in an attempt to survive & with each jump, we get introduced to a new character played by an excellent actor.

With all of that said, none of this works without Glenn Powell. All those “chapters” I just alluded to that introduce us to the exceptional aforementioned cast work so well because Powell is the one constant. He’s the anchor of this film. I think this was a very self-aware performance from Powell- he knows what the audience needs & expects from a film like this. It’s also the angriest I’ve ever seen Powell on screen & I found his anger to feel real & authentic. When you mix in Powell’s natural comedic timing with his athletic gifts & his ability to really ratchet up the anger, you’re left with a vintage action star performance. Spending time with Powell throughout this film is an absolute delight.

The Running Man is a damn good time at the movies.

[Vino Bryant @PlayoffRondoLA]

extremely dope man i love this

[Bleacher Report @BleacherReport]

Steph says he wore the Kobe 6 "Mambacita" pregame in San Antonio to honor Gigi and Kobe Bryant 🙏🐍

"I wanted to take advantage of that moment and pay tribute."

(Via @warriors, @nbcsauthentic)