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Page 4 November 16, 2017
difference on it, I think our top guys have
been on this year and it’s really helped.”
There’s no doubting that Quick, Kopitar
and Brown (who is also closing in on his
goal total from last year) playing at their
peak levels is good for everyone involved.
When the Kings can get contributions
from every player on the roster, though,
they immediately become a threat to every
opponent in the league.
The hockey year is still young for the
Los Angeles Kings and there is plenty of
time left for the team to go through the
many ups and downs that come with a
long and trying NHL regular season. After
winning just one playoff game over the
course of the last three seasons, though,
one would think that this year’s team most
definitely has something to prove. A new
front office, a fresh face behind the bench
and a different style of play have already
worked wonders for Los Angeles in the
early going. Now, if Quick, Kopitar and
the rest of the Kings can simply sustain
their elite style of play, it wouldn’t be
an exaggeration to say they can compete
with any team in the league to once again
recapture this year’s Stanley Cup. •
— Aserrao6@yahoo.com
Kings Look to Recapture Throne
By Adam Serrao
A disappointing 2016-17 season seems
to be a thing of the past for this year’s
Los Angeles Kings. It’s quite amazing the
effect a fresh face can make on a team that
has championship talent. New head coach
John Stevens has a roster that is essentially
full of the same players as last season.
That same roster of players, though, is
playing at a much higher level than they
were at this same time one year ago. The
Kings newly improved, up-tempo style of
play has Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and
the rest of Los Angeles skating alongside
the best teams in the league to open up
the new NHL season. As a team that is
looking quite dominant in this year’s Pacific
Division, Stevens and the Kings may have
found what it takes to recapture some of
the magic from their recent Stanley Cupwinning
teams.
Led by a resurgent captain in Kopitar and
a goalie who looks to have found himself
once again in Jonathan Quick, the Los
Angeles Kings have become a threat to
just about every opponent that they face,
specifically in the Pacific Division. While
Quick is standing on his head, Kopitar is
quickly approaching his season total in
goals from last year (12) less than two
months into the beginning of play. Even
still, around the league you’ll find many
NHL “truthers” who are hesitant to put their
belief behind this new-look Los Angeles
team. Early success both at home and on
the road, however, should tell all who watch
the Kings that they are indeed for real.
One of the main reasons for the
Kings’ early success is the play of the
aforementioned Quick. The goalie is in
the top-five in the league in wins, goals
against average, save percentage and actual
saves, turning the Kings into one of the
top defensive teams in the league. Then
there’s Kopitar. The captain of the team
as of last weekend led in every major
statistical category on offense, including
goals, assists and points. If both Quick and
Kopitar continue to lead in both defensive
and offensive statistical categories, it will
be relatively easy for the Kings to secure
a top spot in the playoff picture once the
regular season heads into its stretch run.
A loss last week against the NHL’s best
team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, provided
a slight setback for the Kings who had
been on a roll in winning nine of their
previous 12 games. “I do think they’re
[Tampa Bay] the best team in the league,”
Stevens said after his team’s loss, adding
perspective. “They’re a different animal
and we have some work to do.” Even still,
it has become clear that Los Angeles has
shed its low-scoring style play in favor of
a much more up-tempo, high-flying style
under Stevens that should keep the Kings
formidable going forward.
It isn’t just the big names getting the
job done for the Kings. While the team
remains a veteran group, it has gotten nice
contributions from the younger players
on the roster to begin the season. Adrian
Kempe is one player who has been at the
forefront of the production that the team
has received from those younger players.
Kempe has already come through with a
few key assists that have not only led to
points for the youngster, but have also added
to wins for Los Angeles. Rookie Michael
Amadio has also made a name for himself
in the early going, while contributions
from Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson--
who are both only 25 years of age--have
added to an aggressive Kings attack that
is well-balanced in age and in skill level.
“I think the fact we’re getting
production outside of just top guys has
been helpful,” Stevens said of his team.
“We’ve had different parts in our lineup
that’s contributed. If I had to put a big
Highlights from AFI Film Festival
(L-R) The Shape of Water, Mr. Roosevelt, Sweet Country, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me
1960s Cold War America and the beast is an
amphibian-man wanted for use as a weapon
by both U.S. and Russian intelligence. This
is essentially Guillermo Del Toro’s latest
film, The Shape of Water. You have the
outline, however. The special ingredient to
this magical film is that it’s an unapologetic
fantasy romance, lush and loving in a way
that Del Toro hasn’t done before. Sally
Hawkins stars as the mute janitor Elisa who
falls in love with “the asset,” the otherworldly
Amphibian Man (Doug Jones). She plots to
help him escape past the head of security,
agent Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon),
so that the two kindred souls can be together
in love. With its gorgeous cinematography
and wholly imaginative story, The Shape of
Water will certainly be a film to see when it
hits theaters this December.
Nelson - Sweet Country
In this Australian western from director
Warwick Thornton, white frontiersmen and
the indigenous Aboriginal people of the
Outback grapple with the tensions felt between
both cultures. Familiar faces (including Sam
Neill, Jurassic Park) are cast against a mostly
unknown ensemble of Australian actors to
tell a gripping story of the aftermath of a
murder. Shot on film in the gorgeous and
sometimes bleak Aussie landscape, Sweet
Country employs a unique story structure
(being made from an international perspective)
that arrives as a fresh take on America’s most
archetypal film genre. In the film’s preceding
Q&A, Thornton revealed that the script was
written by his longtime sound editor David
Tranter--an Aboriginal man himself--who
adapted the story from his grandfather (and on
whom the character of 11-year-old Philomac
was based).
Jasper - Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta
Be Me
There’s a line in Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve
Gotta Be Me that hails Davis as “showbiz.”
The true definition of an entertainer. If Sam
Pollard’s documentary proves nothing else,
it’s that. Playing it fairly straight in telling
Davis’ story, this is a reverent documentary,
but honest. Pollard presents a complicated man
and a pioneering American figure who can be
found both singing on the stage and marching
in the streets. A figure as multidimensional as
Davis is deserving of a film as comprehensive
as I’ve Gotta Be Me and, much like his own
impeccable rhythm, not a beat is missed. •
Film
By Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
The 2017 AFI Film Festival kicked off
last week, taking over the Egyptian and TCL
Chinese theaters in the heart of Hollywood.
Spanning seven days, the festival has become
infamous for showcasing heartfelt indie
films, groundbreaking foreign features, and
highly anticipated future Academy Award
contenders. Despite the late lineup change
(the Kevin Spacey-starring flick All the Money
in the World was pulled from its slot as the
closing night film due to the actor’s sexual
misconduct allegations), AFI Fest provided
another electrifying run as a mecca for film
fans to explore the wonderful world of cinema.
Below, the Cinemacy team shares their personal
highlights from this year’s festival.
Morgan - Mr. Roosevelt
First-time writer/director Noël Wells brought
her crowd-pleaser, Mr. Roosevelt, to the big
screen after a successful premiere during
this year’s SXSW Film Festival. The indie
centers around Emily (Wells), a struggling
comedian who is forced to return home to
Austin, Texas and face her ex-boyfriend and his
new girlfriend after a death unites them. Cue
the awkward boundary issues, uncomfortable
situations and feelings of hopelessness that
one would experience while having to stay in
close quarters with an ex. Proving that laughter
really is the best medicine, Wells brings the
perfect amount of heart and humor to this
hipster comedy, which should be celebrated
for its originality and killer soundtrack. And
not to be missed is our red carpet video
interview with the cast of Mr. Roosevelt,
coming soon to Cinemacy.
Ryan - The Shape of Water
Imagine Beauty and the Beast set in
“Think of all the beauty still left aound you and be happy.”
– anne frank