Ty Watches "The Napa Boys"

This past Tuesday I watched "The Napa Boys". That was when it was available to stream, and since it didn't come to any theaters in Saint Louis, this was my only option to watch.

I heard about the movie while listening to "Doughboys". Mike Mitchell is one of the hosts of the podcast, they had a bunch of people from the movie as guests on for about a month and everyone involved with "Doughboys" talked about the movie so much, it piqued my interest. And, even though I usually don't watch trailers, I made sure to check out the main trailer for this movie. That made me want to watch it even more. So I sat down and made sure I had nothing that would interrupt my viewing.

Right off the bat, I enjoyed this movie very much. That being said, this movie is not for everyone. It takes a special kind of movie goer to enjoy a movie like this. "The Napa Boys" starts off as if it is a sequel to many "Napa Boy" movies before. They made it similar to all the extra "American Pie" movies that came after the first three main movies. It was similar to the National Lampoon movies that seem to get made every year. That had me on board right away.

We get introduced to characters that we are already supposed to know, and that made me even more interested in what I was seeing. Nick Corirossi and Armen Weitzman play the two main guys, Jack Jr and Miles Jr. They also co-wrote the movie and Corirossi directed. What made them so awesome to watch was the anti chemistry they had on purpose. This was the whole point of their friendship and I enjoyed the cringiness of their dynamic. Some scenes between them would go on far too long, longer than maybe they needed, but that made it even funnier to me. There's a scene where the two of them go back to a few of the waitresses' houses and everything that ensues is over the top and hilarious. The ladies who own the place are played by Vanessa Lee Chester and Chloe Cherry. They're great and up to any and all of the jokes they perform. Vanessa Lee Chester was especially hilarious with her humongous trajectory in the movie. There's also a whole storyline between Corirossi and Cherry that is wildly hilarious.

Throughout the movie we meet a bunch of the other Napa Boys. Jamar Malachi Neighbors plays Stifler's Brother, another very inside baseball joke that got me everytime they said his name. He was hilarious and game for anything. Mike Mitchell plays Mitch Mitchellson, a great name. He owns a winery that is in the big competition in the movie. He stomps his own grapes and people drink the wine immediately. It is funny as hell. Chris Aquilino plays his husband, and he is hilarious. Beth Dover plays Stifler's Brother's girlfriend, and her death was unexpected and hilarious. The way Stifler's brother mourns her was one of the funnier moments of the movie. Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith show up as Jay and Silent Bob. Ray Wise and Mike Hanford play local cops. David Wain is the host of the wine competition. Ryan Perez plays the town mayor. It is clear that Corirossi and Weitzman wanted to make a movie and make it with their friends. And it works in the weirdest way.

This movie is awkward and cringey, but in a good way. If you allow yourself to wade into the waters of this anomaly of a movie, you will be rewarded. Sure, I like the people involved and the people who made it, but I think this movie could find a solid audience. I'm sure it is destined for cult status, but that's totally fine. This movie is funny. It is 90 minutes long. It doesn't wear out its welcome. The actors are clearly very good improvisors and they get to do that for the entire movie. I definitely recommend this movie, but you have to go in knowing that it is unlike any other comedy out there right now. But you will be rewarded with a ton of laughs and a memorable viewing experience. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Drama"

I was being told, and read some recent reviews about the movie "The Drama" that I had to go and see it. RD told me about it. My mom told me about a group of her friends who saw it. The reviews intrigued me. All of that was more than enough to go watch the movie.

I went to a matinee yesterday, and me and the two couples in the theaters sat back and watched an interesting, unique and different movie. My review will be spoiler free by the way, so have no fear reading ahead. I do recommend you go into this movie as blind as possible. That is, by far, the best way to go watch this movie. And before I really get into it, after much thought, I think this is a very, very good movie. I spent the majority of my afternoon thinking about the movie. I texted RD afterwards telling him I didn’t fully know how I felt about it yet. But I came to the conclusion last night that if it was still in my mind it must have been effective. It was and I enjoyed my watch.

For people who may not know, "The Drama" stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a soon to be wed couple. The movie takes place the week before the wedding. It starts out like any other romantic comedy about a young couple in love. We have the meet cute, the first dates, the lead up to everything and it is very sweet. I especially liked the dance scene. The two of them were preparing for the wedding day, they were working on their first dance with their instructor and it was very sweet. Zendaya and Pattinson clearly liked working with one another. They had tremendous chemistry.

Everything is going all well and good until they are at a tasting a few days before their nuptials. Then a conversation between Pattinson, Zendaya, Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie happens. Haim plays the maid of honor and Athie plays the best man. The conversation seems to be pretty mundane but then some stuff is revealed and the movie follows the aftermath of the news. This is where the movie goes from solid to very, very good. This is where the main actors shine. Robert Pattinson does a remarkable job here. He gets to use his regular accent. He gets to play this intellect who has this massive news dropped on him and you can tell it is just eating him up. He doesn't know how he should react and Pattinson does a good job of reflecting the nerves and agony that this is causing him. Pattinson has proven his worth as an actor, and this performance is just another notch in his belt. Ever since "Twilight" he seems to take on good challenges for him and he has done a solid job of transforming into his characters.

But this is Zendaya's movie all the way. She is the star. She is the main person we are following and she absolutely nails it. I went from feeling bad for her to being mad at her to taking her side. All of this occurred in my head for the 100 minute runtime. That is the sign of an actor doing awesome work. I had only seen Zendaya in the "Spider-Man" movies or "Dune", both of which she is very good in. But she also has a clear person she is playing and she does that very well. In this movie she gets to play something totally different and wholly unique to her. She gets to dive deep into some dark stuff and she nails it. I was super impressed by her work here. She proves she is an actor worth watching. She may be one of the better actors out there now and this role shows that tenfold. I would not be shocked if she was mentioned in awards talk at the end of the year. Zendaya does some masterful work here.

"The Drama" walks a tightrope of how to deal with massive, unsettling news being dumped on a group of people. It deals with the gossip and the aftermath very well. I appreciate that there are some writers, directors and actors that are willing to try something different. I recommend this movie and I recommend going in knowing as little as possible. That's the best way to watch. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Thing" on the Big Screen

Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to have a buddy who invited me to see "The Thing" in the theater. Let’s discuss.

My friend had been watching a bunch of John Carpenter lately, and he told me he had never seen "The Thing" in the theaters. We are both too young to have gone to a theater, but I did ask him if he had seen the movie prior. He was quick to let me know that he had. I watched it for the first time relatively recently. I want to say that my wife and I watched it last Halloween. We each pick random movies every weekend we are home to watch, it was my turn to pick, I heard a bunch of people saying how great the movie was, so I finally decided it was time for us to watch.

"The Thing" is an incredible movie. It was way ahead of its time. The practical effects were amazing. I don't think any movie has gotten to the level with practical effects that "The Thing" was able to achieve. The acting and writing were superb. I found myself not trusting anyone in the movie as it went on. And tons of movie makers have tried to recreate this feeling since, to varying degrees. Kurt Russell and Keith David are so, so good. They are, for all intents and purposes, the main characters, with Russell getting a bit more screen time. But it all comes down to those two in the end and they own every scene that they're in for the entirety of the movie. The movie takes place in Antarctica, and the way Carpenter directed, you feel cold while watching. There's snow everywhere. The wind is whipping around the base camp. The actors' clothes are snow covered every time they reenter the camp. It just makes you frigid while watching. I got all of this when I watched this movie in my home.

Seeing it on the big screen though, that was a whole other level. I went into this viewing very excited. I know the ins and outs of the movie, I have made my own feelings well known with the people in my life, what I think about the ending and I went into this viewing looking for stuff that I may have missed. I tried to have as keen an eye as I could. And I think it kind of worked. I noticed the dog way sooner than I did the first time. The crowd would ooh and aah at certain points, and those scenes made more sense to this time. I watched each and every crew member with a closer eye. I wanted to see if I could pinpoint when they were turned by the alien. I wanted to find all this stuff out.

But it was the crowd and my buddy who made this viewing so much cooler for me. I love that local theaters are showing older, restored movies on the big screen. Seeing "The Thing" at the Hi Pointe, a local indie movie theater, is the best way to watch a movie like this. Seeing it with people my age or older, people who have loved this movie since it first came out, people who have a true affinity for it, that ruled. I like how the people who were a little older than me, you could see the pure enjoyment on their faces while watching. Nostalgia is very big right now, and doing something like this is a big money making endeavor. And it lets people see the movie the way they saw it as a kid. That is what is truly important in this scenario. The theater was also about half full, which for a 9:30pm show on a Saturday night, that's a good sign to me. I also truly enjoyed having a conversation with my buddy about our feelings after the movie. I truly liked his insight.

I'm here to say that on April 6th of 2026, I believe that Keith David had turned into a thing, and he and Kurt Russell were going to die on that base camp. I used to believe that they were both human, but after seeing that David's character had no breath coming out, and that he drank what may be gasoline in that wine bottle, I do think he turned into a thing. He also disappeared with no warning when he was supposed to be looking out. That is the first sign that the thing got him.

I cannot recommend going to see this movie in a theater if you get the chance. It will change your outlook and you will view it in a whole new light. Also, if you haven't seen "The Thing" ever, rectify that right now and watch it. "The Thing" rules and seeing it on a big screen makes it even better. I had a blast. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Project Hail Mary"

I have just returned home after seeing "Project Hail Mary" and I have thoughts. This is going to be a spoiler free review, so you have no worries reading ahead. I will not give away anything.

First and foremost, I loved every single second of this movie. I was moved, I laughed, I got nervous, I was rooting for random stuff to happen and my attention never wavered, not even once. I was totally blown away by this and I could have watched another two and a half hours and been as happy as I could be.

Ryan Gosling does some amazing work in this movie. He is such a consistent actor and I have come to enjoy pretty much every project he chooses to do. He is making some solid picks and he seems to get better with each choice. I loved his work in "Barbie", and in "Project Hail Mary", he plays a totally different role. He has been doing that in every movie. He is such a pro and he seems to sink himself into each individual role he accepts. He brings these people to life and he is an absolute joy to watch. And for most of this movie he is acting alone. There may be a partner on the screen for him to play off of, but make no mistake, for about 70 percent of this movie he is acting alone. And he nails it. His performance as Dr Grace was one of the better performances I've seen in quite some time. This is right up there with Michael B Jordan in "Sinners" and Leonardo Dicaprio in "OBAA". He is doing some tremendous work and I hope that when the Oscars are announced for next year, the voters don't pass over the awesome work he does in this movie.

Sandra Huller is the other main actor in this movie, and for the minimal amount of scenes she is in, she is great as well. I found her demanding, but I understood why. I liked that she sang in this movie. She even makes a few jokes. She does a very solid job as a supporting actor and it makes me want to watch more of her work.

But the biggest takeaway I got from this movie was the direction from Lord and Miller. These dudes know how to direct and make a compelling and beautiful movie. This movie takes place mostly in space, but that didn't stop them from making it colorful and lush. I loved the look of the planets in this movie. They made up one and it was one of the coolest and unique things I've ever seen on film. The spaceship looked legit and real and big. This was a vast ship full of what I imagine most spaceships have on board. I also really appreciated the way the story was told. I have not read the book, so forgive me if this is how it was written, but I loved the whole back and forth way of storytelling. I liked that we go back and forth from space to the real world. They tell us about everything that led to why they are in space and why there's a spaceship. But they didn't do it in two separate parts. They would do some stuff in space, then have a scene back in the real world and it all worked and flowed so well. It was a very cool way to tell the story. We would get time in space, and then they would flashback and show us why these certain things had just happened, or what got them to this point in the movie. This movie works on every level. I was all in for the entire run time. I want more movies like this. It is clear to me that Lord and Miller understood the subject material and they made a damn good movie based on a story they both love. I like that and want more of that.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. When movies like this are made it makes me optimistic about the future. We have people like Ryan Coogler and Lord and Miller who are young and making really cool, really interesting stuff. That is great and I want more and more of it. And Rocky is one of the best characters to ever appear in a movie. Go see this movie in a theater with others. That's the best way and you will love every minute. This movie rules and I'm going to talk about it a bunch more for the rest of the year. What a great, great time in the theater. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches the Trailer for "Dune: Part Three"

The trailer for "Dune 3" was released yesterday. I watched it because I am so very stoked for this movie to come out.

I have seen every iteration of "Dune" to this point, and Denis Villeneuve has been the best to bring this story to life. The first "Dune" movie that was made was dull and boring and lifeless. Most people don't like it. I know RD has an affinity for it, but he is few and far between. I watched the show that was on HBO Max. It was fine, but slow as well. But the first two Villeneuve movies have been awesome. I watched the first one on HBO Max because it was still pandemic in this country. It was everything I wanted the other movies to be. I loved it. I would have loved it more had I seen it on a big screen, but the times made that impossible for me. I did see the second movie in the theaters, with my dad, and we both walked away thrilled. It was such a good movie. Everything in it worked so well, they furthered the story properly and I was all in. So, when this trailer was released there was no way I wasn't going to watch. I have been amped for the third installment, the final one from Villeneuve, since I left the theater after seeing the second one. And the trailer only deepened my desire to see the third movie.

The trailer has everything I want in the final movie. Chalamet and Zendaya are back and they are about to have a kid. I cannot wait to see what kind of warrior they have. Anya Taylor Joy is back and, spoiler alert for the last movie, she looks as badass as she did while being not even born yet in the last movie. She looks to have a much bigger and much more important role in this movie, and I am stoked to see what she has in store for us. Rebecca Ferguson is back and she still has all the writing on her face. She looks to still be pushing the whole Paul as the savior thing, but she also looks a little more subdued, maybe tired, in this new movie. I get it, as a parent, how exhausting it would be to be pushing a narrative like that for your child's whole life. Florence Pugh is back and she is back for revenge. She needs to fight for her father's honor after Paul cut him down to size in the last movie. We are also getting Josh Brolin and Jason Mamoa back. Brolin is right by Paul's side, helping him fight the war. As for Mamoa, he was helping Paul learn to fight in the first movie, gone in the second, and now seems to be maybe, possibly, fighting for the opposition. That would be a dope ass heel turn from him, and I would love to see how that all would play out. Javier Bardem is here, and I'm hoping he does some more of the comedy stuff he did in the second movie. He did have his dramatic moments, as one would expect, in the last movie. He was also funny and had jokes and it brought a little much needed break from all the war and drama from the first two movies. I'm sure Stellan Skarsgard will be back and evil and gross. And we have Robert Pattison, with bleached eyebrows and hair, and he looks as villainous as he ever has. He is such a great actor, takes on cool roles and adding him to this cast was perfect. He looks so creepy and menacing and I am so amped to see what he brings to this epic movie. I loved Austin Butler showing up in the last movie, and I feel like Pattison will do even better in this one.

I cannot wait for this movie to come out. I know it isn't coming until December, but I can wait. And until then I have this trailer and the first two Villeneuve "Dune" movies to tide me over until then. I'm so happy they got someone who could do this book justice on the big screen, and the conclusion is going to be awesome. I am so pumped now. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"

I finally watched "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You". I have wanted to see this movie ever since Rose Bryne started to get all the accolades and nominations. That is literally the only way I heard about the movie to be honest with you. I had no idea that this was even a thing until the recognition started.

I went into this movie not knowing much about it either. I knew about Bryne's performance, that ASAP Rocky was in the movie and that it was intense. All of those things were true.

The movie focuses on Bryne's character, who is a working mother who may or may not be going through a nervous breakdown. She has a daughter that has a feeding tube in her stomach, her husband is away on business and her apartment gets flooded in one of the first scenes. The movie just takes off from there. All of the talk, the recognition, the accolades, it's all well deserved. Rose Bryne is incredible in this movie. I have only seen a bit of her work prior to this, and all of those movies have been comedies. She is great in those roles as well. This movie is not a comedy. It is very  far from a comedy. But Bryne is more than up to task. Her portrayal of this mom covers every emotion. I'm a parent to two kids, and some days are harder than others. This movie puts Bryne's character in all of the most messed up situations one could imagine and she has to deal with all of this while raising her daughter alone. Her husband is away on business, and we mostly only hear his voice in the movie. All the while, Bryne has to deal with the flooded apartment, living with her daughter in a hotel, a horrific ordeal with a hamster, her daughter's illness, a support group she hates, her patients at her practice, her own therapist, the younger adults that work at the hotel and an angrier than normal parking lot attendant. She handles each and every situation with a different emotion and it is masterful work from her. All throughout I felt her pain. I also felt her annoyance. I love and adore my kids more than anything, but they can be annoying from time to time. The daughter in this is sick and constantly complaining and scared. That can get to a parent. That can be a struggle. I felt for her when she just wanted some alone time. Sometimes being alone, as a parent, is the best feeling in the world. It's quiet and no one is asking you for anything or telling you a story. It's glorious. I understood her just wanting to get away near the end of the movie. Everything came to a head and she just wanted out. Bryne portrayed that excellently. She is more than deserving of the awards she has already won, and the Oscar nomination makes way more sense to me now.

I do want to point out the solid work from Conan O'Brien and ASAP Rocky. Conan O'Brien plays the Bryne's therapist, and he is doing zero comedy in this movie. He is greatly cast as the level headed therapist opposite Bryne. He has his stuff figured out and all he is trying to do is help Bryne. She doesn't see it that way, but that is what he's doing. I was stunned by O'Brien's work here. ASAP Rocky was a revelation. He is nice and tries to help Bryne. He wants to show her how to properly relax. He tries to get her to just have a good time with him. And when he gets hurt, the anger is palpable and believable. He gets screwed over by Bryne in this movie, and ASAP Rocky does a solid job acting this character out properly, He definitely has a budding future as an actor.

When I finished the movie I sat back and thought about it. The movie is okay with a tremendous performance. The movie is also really difficult and really intense. They deal with some heavy stuff here. That was to be expected as the movie played out, but it is hard to sit through more than once. I won't be revisiting the movie, but I'm glad I watched. Performances like Bryne's don't come around too often, and a chance to watch an actor knock it out of the park is worth the watch when it comes around. That is exactly what Bryne does here. I would say watch this movie only once just so you can bear witness to one of the better performances of last year. Rose Bryne is amazing and worth the watch. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Reality Check"

When my wife and I were first dating I used to spend a lot of time at her place. I still lived with my folks and she had her own spot. It was much better for privacy and intimacy. Being at her apartment meant that we watched what she watched most of the time, and she was watching a lot of "America's Next Top Model".

She loved that show. I was not much of a fan. I even went so far as to write an email to MTV stating that they needed to find something else to air, maybe even music videos. And I'm not saying that I had any hand in this, but about a week later, "ANTM" was suddenly off MTV's airwaves. I then kind of forgot about the show. My wife would go back occasionally and watch, but I just wasn't involved. I found the show offensive, boring and kind of stupid. It is your typical reality tv show. Tyra Banks kind of drove me nuts as well. My wife liked it as a mindless watch. She would tune in and do stuff or just have it on for noise. So, when she came to me the other day and asked if I wanted to watch the Netflix docuseries, I scoffed and rolled my eyes. But I wanted to hang out with her, so we started to watch it.

I was absolutely mesmerized by what I saw. This series is called "Reality Check" and it is a three episode miniseries that takes this reality show to task. I was talking to my wife about why I liked it so much the other day. She mentioned my previous distaste for the show and wanted to know why I was so interested in this Netflix series. I told her that I liked it because it was showing all the deviousness and taking down these people who made others so miserable year after year that this show was on air. I love how salacious the series is. I love seeing people who were involved with the show just take it down peg by peg. I like seeing other people talking about how horrible Tyra Banks was to work with and be around. Hearing former contestants talk about their awful experience was eye opening. It is everything I want in a docuseries that is hell bent on taking down this toxic show. Tyra Banks comes off very bad as well. She uses cliche speech in her interviews. She won't talk about anything that may put her in a poor light. She won't speak on past indiscretions. She comes off as a puppet to the tv corporation. Mister and Miss J, on the other hand, are more than willing to talk about their time on the show. They come off as the heroes in my opinion. Mister J has so much to say on working with Tyra Banks and he lays it all on the line. He had a horrific time on the show, especially when he and Tyra Banks stopped speaking but still had to work together. I hate that he was all but blacklisted in the industry due to Tyra Banks being so addicted to fame. Miss J seemed to be the heart and soul of this show. He was the funniest one on the show it looked like as well. And he was just kicked to the curb. He was let go and not thought about again. My wife told me he had recently had a stroke, and Tyra Banks wouldn't even come to visit him in the hospital. That's a bummer. I appreciate that Netflix allowed the former contestants to tell their side of the story with nothing seemingly held back. These poor contestants were pushed to their limits without giving consent to the people making the show. There is everything from hypothermia to sexual assault to making them act like other cultures to starving these poor people. And then they didn't even help the winner of each season because Tyra Banks and crew were too focused on maintaining their own fame. I also like that they gave the photographer, Nigel Baker, a chance to speak as well. Baker and Mister and Miss J were fully abused by Tyra Banks and UPN and that sickens me.

So take it from me, a person who never watched and pretty much despised the idea of a reality show like "ANTM", this docuseries, "Reality Check" is more than worth checking out. It gives us all the seedy behind the scenes details that I crave when watching a show like this. I highly recommend checking it out. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "GOAT"

My kids had school off yesterday and my son has been asking to go see the new animated movie "GOAT". He was asking my folks to take him, but they didn't have the time. With my daughter being homebound since she is sick, my son and I were stir crazy, so I decided that was the perfect time to take him.

I did not know a lot about the movie, but one of my older brother's did tell me that he thought my son would enjoy it. He was correct. This review will be as spoiler free as possible, but a few spoilers may slip here and there. Forewarning. "GOAT" takes place in an alternate world where animals play a version of professional basketball called Roar Ball. Roar ball has, for the most part, bigger animals that play. We have pumas, rhinos, ostriches, grizzly bears and horses, among others. The sport is tough for smaller animals to play because it is, especially for a kids movie, pretty violent. The courts are also susceptible to the elements, since most games are held outdoors.

Early on we meet the main character, Will, and his mom. Will is a goat and he dreams of playing for his local town's team, the Thorns. He also wants to play with his favorite player of all time, Jett. He goes to a game with his mom and vows to become a pro one day. We fast forward 10 years and Will still has hoop dreams, but he is still small. His mom has also, unfortunately, passed away. Will works as a delivery guy for a diner, but he always finds time to play Roar Ball, mostly by himself. Meanwhile the Thorns and Jett are having a tough season and Jett looks to be getting passed by as the best to ever play. There is a new player in town, a horse named Mane Attraction. Mane Attraction is brash and bold and a top notch hooper. He is on the internet talking trash all the time and he knows how good he is. One day he goes to the Vineyard, this is where they play pickup ball, and he is taking on anyone willing to play him. Will gets his shot and breaks his ankles. Mane Attraction eventually wins the game, but Will's friends upload the video of his breaking ankles. This video goes so viral that the owner of the Thorns signs him. Jett doesn't care for this, but they need a sixth player, and Will is chosen for the job.

From here on out the movie follows the typical sports stereotypes. Will doesn't play at all and he cannot get through to his teammates. Jett is a ball hog and a loner. Eventually they come together as a team and start winning. Then the team gets sold before the semifinals. Will overhears a conversation between the owner and Jett and Jett reverts to her old ways. They all apologize and get back together and eventually win it all. And one of the players on the team is able to buy it from the owner and they don't have to move. They set up a sequel in the closing credits and, after 100 minutes, we were out of the theater.

This is your typical kids sports movie. It hits all the cliches. You can tell what is going to happen beat by beat. That being said, I found myself enjoying what I was watching, but not for the reasons I used to like sports movies. Will is all well and good to watch, and I liked the basketball adjacent game they played, but I enjoyed the hell out of the coach in the movie. Patton Oswalt voiced the coach, and when he was given full control of the team, I was all in. His message was all about teamwork and how teams, not individuals, win rings. He championed defense, teamwork and togetherness as ways to win. I have been saying this since I started coaching my son six years ago. I loved that this was the ringing message throughout the movie. And the only way they end up winning it all is by playing as a team. I loved that.

Outside the coach, my favorite part, this was a solid cast doing nice voicework. Caleb McLaughlin voiced Will and he was great. He was full of energy and optimism and I was there for it. Some other people lending voices were Gabrielle Union, Steph Curry, Aaron Pierre, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Nick Kroll and Jennifer Hudson, among others. Everyone is doing solid work and seems to be having a good time doing it. The movie had a great message and the cast put that on blast. The animation was cool, the movie was short, the action was fun and I was never bored watching it.

I recommend any parents with young kids who play basketball go to see this movie. It is neat and cool and tells a positive and nice story. My son and I enjoyed it, and I think young basketball players will like it too. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Opus"

Last week I watched the movie "Opus". Let’s discuss.

Once I saw that Ayo Edebiri was going to be in a horror/comedy from A24 I was all in. I enjoy her work on "The Bear". She is the heart and soul of that show for me. I didn't finish "I Love LA", but I did see her small role as a European pop icon and I thought she played it perfectly over the top. I like her voice work on "Big Mouth", and now i'm stoked that she is getting more and more work.

As I found out more about "Opus", I got even more on board. John Malkovich was cast as a superstar pop icon. He was going to be playing one of the best singer/songwriters in the world. He also seemed to have a creepy aura about him, and you could see that from the trailers. From what I read, "Opus" was about Malkovich's popstar inviting people from the world of pop culture to hear his new record and then some flagrant stuff was going to go down. The two people I knew cast, and the premise were more than enough for me to want to watch.

Then some reviews came out and "Opus" kind of got panned. That bummed me out. That was when I decided to wait for it to come to streaming. It took me a bit, but I finally saw it and I have some thoughts. I do want to say, this review will have spoilers in it. Just a heads up.

So, this movie was not great. I want to start with that. It goes kind of nuts and off the rails in the final act. The stuff leading up to the climax was good and scary and thrilling, but you could tell what was going to happen from the jump. The rest of the cast was really great though. Besides Malkovich and Edebiri, we have Murray Bartlett, Juliette Lewis, Tony Hale and Amber Midthunder, among others. Whoever cast this movie did a wonderful job, and I don't necessarily blame the actors for the movie kind of unraveling the whole way through. Malkovich is good and creepy. I also appreciate that he actually sang the songs in the movie. Edebiri is great as the young and hungry journalist. She is a great actor and she did such a wonderful job in a co-starring role. Bartlett is funny, Lewis brings a solid veteran to the cast and Midthunder is downright terrifying. Tony Hale is barely in it, but he brings it for his two scenes in the whole thing.

For people who may not know, "Opus" is about a former pop star making a new album and inviting some people to his compound to be the first to listen. The compound is creepy. The people working and living there are clearly up to no good. The place is too pristine and too well manicured and taken care of. The invited guests, besides Edebiri, don't seem to see what is going on, and when they do, it is far too late. Look, while the movie is not great, it did keep my attention. Sure, it was easy to figure out what was going to happen beat by beat, but that did not take away from my viewing experience. Malkovich really brought it and he is scary to begin with. I didn't like the way they had him reveal his plan so quickly and abruptly, but again that is not his fault. And even in the end, when Edebiri finally gets to interview him, I could not take my eyes off his performance. Malkovitch is a good and dependable actor and you know he is going to bring it when he is cast in a movie. My biggest nitpick with the movie is the turn after the puppet show. This is when the whole plan is revealed and this is when they go way, way too gory. The kills were merciless and brutal. I felt like they took it a bit too far for my taste. The getaway was easy to spot. The wrap up from Malkovich in prison talking about how the survivors of his cult were still out there was way too easy to see coming. But I was still locked in the whole time. I think the better idea would have been to just keep the movie within the compound and slowly reveal the plan. That was the best part of the movie. When they let tension sit there and made the viewer think about what might happen, that was when the movie worked. They didn't let us sit in that long enough in my opinion.

I say one more time, the movie was watchable. So while not very good, I do think it is worth a viewing. Just go in knowing that the end product isn't great, but you will see some solid performances. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Smashing Machine"

A few months back I saw a trailer for the movie "The Smashing Machine". It piqued my interest at the time, but I never got around to seeing it in the theaters. It is now streaming on HBO Max and I had some time last weekend to watch it.

I recently wrote about my affinity for sports movies and "The Smashing Machine" is most definitely a sports movie. The sport is not one I watch or know much about, MMA fighting, but I've watched plenty of sports movies that feature sports I'm not a fan of.  I was most intrigued by what I saw Dwayne Johnson doing in the trailer. Johnson usually only plays roles in action movies where he can be the hero. That's all well and good and he seems to excel at such roles. He has done some different stuff, like "Southland Tales" for example. But he is usually the nondescript hero. This role in "The Smashing Machine" seemed much different. This is a more dramatic take. He had to go to darker places I felt. He had to do some real "acting" if you will. And I felt like he was up to the task here.

My quick initial review of the movie was okay. It was a bit melodramatic and overlong. I usually love Emily Blunt in her movies, but here it felt like she was directed to be an emotional over the top mess. She did that just fine but it was a cliched take on a girlfriend who felt scorned and not relied upon. There is an entire scene where she threatens to kill herself and I just didn't buy it. It felt very after school special. And as the Safdie's like to do, Benny Safdie had some real people and very green actors perform roles in the movie. It was fine, but it did not come close to the work that his brother Josh Safdie got from the same people in "Marty Supreme". you could tell the non actors in "The Smashing Machine" were not actors. I do want to point out the guy that played Johnson's buddy, Ryan Bader, did a fine job. This is his world, I read he is a former MMA fighter, and all he had to do was play a version of himself with a different name. The fighting sequences were cool and solidly acted and directed. But I just kind of got a hollow feeling after watching it because it was too sad and sappy for my taste when it comes to sports movies.

But, Dwayne Johnson was pretty great. He was the lone standout of this movie. He brought his A game. This was a role that had me realizing that he can be a solid actor when called upon to do something new and different. He was the titular Smashing Machine, Mark Kerr. I had no idea who he was prior to this movie, but I learned a lot about him from Johnson's portrayal. I guess Kerr was a pioneer of the sport and a pretty big reason why it has become as popular as it is today. Johnson also transformed his body for this role. He has always been a big dude, he was a college football player turned professional wrestler. But he had to build up his muscles even more for this movie. I read that Kerr was a pretty devout weight lifter and took his lifting very seriously. There is a part when Johnson turns his back to the camera and he had so many muscles on his back. I had no idea that one could have that many muscles and have them on one's back. Dwayne Johnson got absolutely ripped for this and he more than looked the part. Back to his acting for a moment. As I said, this movie was melodramatic, and in a melodramatic sports movie, the main character always seems to have a drug problem. Kerr was no different. He was addicted to opioids, namely pain relief drugs. But the way Johnson portrayed his addiction, he did it very well. You could see he was an addict, but he was able to hide it for a bit. And when he couldn't hide it, it reared its ugly head and Johnson did this very well. I especially liked the scene where he was in Japan at a fighting tournament and the strongest pain reliever he could get was Advil. Johson portrayed Kerr's addiction perfectly here. You could tell he was angry, but he didn't go over the top. But you could see him seething deep down which only furthered his addiction. And when he needs to get clean, him trying to stay sober with an enabling girlfriend was also very well acted by Johnson. The fight scenes were done very well by Johnson. It had to help that he was a professional wrestler and he has been doing stage fighting most of his adult life. I also enjoyed his arc throughout the movie and the ending was done very well.

Dwayne Johnson is the reason to watch this movie if you are thinking about checking it out. His performance is dynamic and it was the reason I was able to get through the more melodramatic stuff. So if you're on the fence, watch it for Johnson. His performance is worth the two hour runtime. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "M3GAN 2.0"

In my quest to see a bunch of movies I wanted to see last year, I finally saw "Megan 2.0".

I loved the first "Megan". I thought it was a great idea for a movie and they executed it pretty well. I liked how eerie it was. I appreciated how, with a limited budget, they were able to do suspense and horror and even a little comedy. The concept of the movie was solid too, especially in this day and age. I am a little fearful of AI and the firm grip it has on some people already. I think there are good uses for AI, but most people use it for not so good things. That's the scary part to me. "Megan" does a good job telling that story. The main kid's parents die in a horrific car accident and she is sent to live with her aunt, who's a big wig in the world of computers. She has created a robot companion and she decides to see if it works by pairing it with her niece. Things go awry, as they do in movies like these, and the companion is overprotective of the child. The robot companion, Megan, decides that anyone who does so much as raise their voice at her is deemed a threat and the robot needs to take them out. This is where the first "Megan" movie really achieves its goal. It is violent and sinister and they even manage to sneak a few jokes in here and there. I thought about the movie a lot after seeing it. I really enjoyed my viewing experience. So when a sequel was announced,  I was pumped. It felt like the first movie was the little engine that could type movies, and it more than earned its sequel. I'm not always a fan of sequels, but when a movie surprises me as much as this one did, I'm all here for a sequel. And when it was announced that they would have most of the same people back, that made me even more excited. I never had the chance to see it in theaters. It felt like it kind of came and went pretty quickly, which should have been a sign to me. But it is streaming on Peacock, which we subscribe to at my home, and I had some free time to watch.

Right off the bat I got a bad feeling. First off, the sequel is rated PG13. I know the first one is also PG13, but the sequel felt much more like an actual PG13 movie. It felt subdued and like a bunch of stuff got cut, stuff that may have been deemed too violent. The kills in this one just didn't bring the same oomph. I felt like they showed much more in the first movie than they did here. "Megan 2.0" seemed to cut away from every kill right before it happened. I'm not a violent person by any means, but movies are where we all escape. I love the "John Wick" franchise. I'm all in on the "Alien" movies. I loved "Weapons" and "Sinners" from last year. Those are violent movies that show you pretty much everything. "Megan 2.0" showed almost nothing. I also felt like they tried to make the Megan doll too quippy in the sequel. It felt like they wanted to make the robot like Deadpool, but without looking directly into the camera when making a joke. Megan seemed to have a one liner for every single thing that was said. I don't care for that unless I know that is what is coming, like the "Deadpool" movies. I also wasn't crazy about the new robot they introduced in this movie. This robot could have been so much more badass, but they subdued this one as much as they did with Megan. And when they have their big fight in the end, that whole scene felt kind of hollow and unfinished. And as much as I don't want to rag on children actors, the kid in this one was too preachy and too much of a teenager. I'm raising a teenager who has big feelings and lets us know about them. I don't want to watch that when I turn on a movie. I thought the kid did an okay job, she was just very moody and very much a teenager, which was frustrating to watch. I do want to point out Allison Williams, who returns as the aunt. She was all in and did her best to make this a solid movie. My favorite part was when she and Megan were paired via Williams' brain and she had to fight some bad guys. That part reminded me of the first movie.

All in all this sequel did not deliver for me. It didn't have the same juice as the first one and they tried to do too much here. This is the problem when a bunch of money is thrown at a movie that should feel more like a low budget project. I'd say just watch the original and skip this sequel. You'll thank me in the long run. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Him"

I finally saw "HIM" yesterday. I wanted to see this movie when it was in the theaters, but the timing never worked out. I saw that it was a Monkeypaw produced movie, which is Jordan Peele's company, and that was almost all I needed to check this movie out. The sheer fact that it was about football was just an added incentive for me. I also saw that Tyriq Withers was co-starring in the movie, and his one episode of "Atlanta" was one of the better episodes I've ever seen. It is really good and I highly recommend checking that one out.

Withers is very, very good in this movie. He commands the screen. Seeing him work, opposite Marlon Wayans, was an absolute delight. He played this highly touted draft pick that suffers a horrendous injury and has to come back from all of that. He also has to go workout with the greatest player to ever play the game. When Withers gets to the remote desert to work out with Wayans, this is where the movie gets nuts.

Wayans plays the aforementioned GOAT. I have always liked Wayans, but I have only ever seen him do comedic work. He is not doing comedy in "HIM". Not by a long shot. He plays a deranged lunatic who is obsessed with being the best there ever will be. He does not want to be usurped by Withers. He wants to continue to play the game. He will literally do whatever it takes to stay on top. He is nuts and is willing to do some horrific things to stay on top. Withers and Wayans are so good and so watchable in their roles. They were, by far, the best thing about this movie.

As for the movie, it had loads and loads of potential. But it felt like they didn't know how to really end the movie, and it truly goes off the rails in the last act. The whole idea of an up and coming draft prospect trying to take over for the greatest of all time is an interesting concept. This happens all the time in professional sports. And since these guys are pros, they may not want their job taken by a younger, more intriguing person. Withers plays that intriguing prospect very well. Everyone likes him and wants what is best for him. He loves his family. He constantly says that family is the most important thing. He is the true vision of a future GOAT. Wayans is on his way out. He has done it all. He has eight titles. He has multiple MVP awards. He is considered the best ever. But he is also old and he is on the verge of retirement. This dynamic is great between the two of them, and when the movie explores that, it works. The whole idea of Wayans inviting Withers out to his house in the desert to work out with him and see if he can take over the franchise is solid. I like that they break it down into six different days. Each day is a different, specific work out for a future pro. Like most horror movies, it starts out fine. But after the first day Withers' world gets turned inside out. First he has to strip down to nothing for a physical. Then he starts to see odd things while staying at the place. He is pushed to his limits. He starts to go kind of nuts. He sees the lengths and craziness Wayans is willing to go to to play this game at the highest level. He starts to get freaked out by what he is seeing, but he is also intent on being the best. He gets advice from people there to leave. He doesn't. He gets pushed and pulled every which way. He starts to see some horrific things, but finds it easier to move on the longer he stays. This all works. I was fascinated by watching how each day escalated. I loved seeing Wayans get deeper and deeper into the darkness of his character. It cannot be stated enough how good Wayans was in this role. But as we get closer to the end, this movie unravels and my interest starts to wane. After the party where Withers is selected to be the next franchise QB, the movie goes too big and gets too kooky. The violence and gore is all of the sudden the centerpiece of the movie. What made the first half of the movie so good was the mood and the vibe. It was dark and seedy, but I had no clue what was going to happen next. After the party it became a typical gross out horror/gore movie. It was gore porn in the very last scene. That kind of turned me off from what I had seen before. I get that they were trying to tell a specific story, but they went too far with the gore in my opinion.

I would say check “Him” out for Withers and especially Wayans' performances. But just know going in that it takes a deep dive in the final act and that was frustrating for me. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "The Gutter"

I was looking through the streaming services for a movie to watch earlier today. On Wednesday mornings I usually go for a decently long run and then have the afternoon to myself. I usually take that time to watch a movie. I always try to find something I haven't seen yet and that was just the case today. While looking through Hulu I found the movie "The Gutter".

I remember vaguely hearing about “The Gutter” through Paul Scheer and his podcast "How Did This Get Made". The movie came out over a year ago, but I remember Scheer talking about it when I was listening to episodes around that time. He is not the main guy, he has one very funny scene in the movie, but he was promoting it a ton and when I saw it today his talk jogged my memories. I also saw that the runtime was just over 90 minutes and I was in.

As the movie unfolded I found myself laughing and really enjoying my time. For people who may not know, "The Gutter" focuses on Walt, played by Shameik Moore. He moves from job to job and lives his life kind of aimlessly. He eventually finds a job at a bowling alley, working in the bar. The whole interview scene, this is right at the top of the movie, was great. We get a montage of sorts of Walt's former jobs and this stuff cracked me up. The owner of the bowling alley, played by Jackee, plays off Walt pretty perfectly. She is funny, makes more jokes than Moore and she was a delight to see on screen again. D'Arcy Carden is a former pro bowler who now gets drunk at the bar everyday. She basically lives there. I have enjoyed Carden's work since I saw her on "The Good Place". In "The Gutter" she plays a totally different character, but she is still hilarious and great. She is the one who finds out that Walt is actually a great bowler, and they go on an adventure together trying to save the bowling alley where they hang out and work. This is the conflict in the movie, and this is the main story line. Watching Moore as Walt being this great bowler was awesome. I have found that I enjoy movies that take place in and around bowling alleys. I adore "The Big Lebowski". "Kingpin" is a riot. I love the episode of "Documentary Now" that focuses on bowling. I guess I find that bowling makes for funny content. "The Gutter" is now firmly in that camp.

As Carden and Moore go on this road trip, we meet a ton of people. Susan Sarandon plays the "villain" of the movie. She is Linda Curson, a former professional bowler and beloved by her fans. She is upset that Walt is about to take over and break all her records. She does some things that aren't on the level to slow Walt down, but when that doesn't work, she decides to come back and challenge Walt. She doesn't do the back handed stuff on her own, she gets help from Angelo played by Paul Reiser. Resier is the host of a bowling show and he is, quite possibly, the funniest person in this movie. He knew the task at hand and he was up to the challenge. He had the most jokes and I feel like they all landed. During this we meet some of Walt's cousins, played by Langston Kerman and Jay Ellis. They were both great. Rell Battle plays Brotha Candy and he was awesome. He is always monologuing and going on about what he believes in. He is also kind of the savior of the bowling alley in the end, minor spoiler alert. Kim Fields plays Walt's mom and she was dynamite.

Look, is "The Gutter" the best movie ever made, no. But did I laugh and enjoy my watching experience, absolutely. I said aloud to no one that I loved how goofy the movie was. It never took itself seriously. The movie makers were in on the joke. This was kind of like a spoof in certain ways. I also found this movie to be hilarious. I thought Moore and Carden had great chemistry, and I liked that the movie made them just friends. Their partnership was never meant to be romantic. And then I found out that Yassir Lester was the writer and director, and it all made sense.

"The Gutter" is a good time and a very funny movie. Go find this movie and check it out. I highly recommend it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "The Toxic Avenger" (2023)

A while back I watched the original "Toxic Avenger". I had seen a few Troma movies prior to that one, but that was the main Troma movie I wanted to see. I had heard so many interesting things about it and the time had come to finally sit down and watch. And it was fine. It was pretty much what I expected. It was gory, silly, kind of stupid and upsetting at parts, purposely.

After seeing the original I happened to come across a new interpretation of "The Toxic Avenger". I saw that they had a solid cast and I kind of figured I would watch it at some point. Well that day was yesterday. I had some free time in the afternoon, I usually watch movies while folding laundry, so I decided to watch the remake, or reimagination.

What stood out right away to me was that this new version was going to be just as silly and slapstick as the original. The movie starts out with a voiceover by Peter Dinklage, he is the main character, but all the while he is doing voiceover, he is making jokes throughout. I was in from that moment on. I like Peter Dinklage. He was my favorite part of "Game of Thrones". I love his minor role in the MCU. His work in "Elf" is wonderful. He is as reliable as they come in Hollywood. And he is funny as hell. He gets to do a ton of jokes in this movie and I'm here for it. He also plays this put upon scaredy cat before he transforms and he nails that as well. And when he turns into Toxie, although the hero is played by someone else and voiced by Dinklage, his voice work is so perfect for this type of movie. I loved seeing him in a starring role in something goofy and gory. Dinklage has earned the right to star in more movies, and I hope he gets that chance soon.

Joining Dinklage is a pretty solid cast of actors. Jacob Tremblay plays his step son. He is an anxious riddled ball of nerves, and when he finally gets his voice, Tremblay does some good work. I had only seen him in "Good Boys" prior, which is an underrated movie, but seeing him in something like this was a nice change of pace. Taylour Paige plays a former worker of the corrupt company in the movie who is out to show the world how evil the company truly is. She is a very good actor, and I've never seen her do comedy before this. She is the "straight man" in this role, but when she needs to make a joke or a funny face or do anything comedic, she is up to task. Elijah Wood plays the injured brother of the CEO of the corrupt company. He is bald on top,  but has long stringy hair in the back. He uses a cane, talks with a raspy voice and needs an inhaler. He is head of security, but all I could glean security was in this movie was killing people who speak out against the company. Don't worry, minor spoiler, Wood does save someone near the end, but he still has a not so happy ending. And Kevin Bacon plays the CEO of the evil corporation, and he is so good as the villain. He is vile and mean. But he's also being controlled by a mob boss and he gets to play a scared person whenever that guy is around. Bacon has become so good at playing a villian, even in a silly movie like this, and he nails it here. The big fight between him and Dinklage at the end is pretty epic.

Besides the acting, the action and gore in this one is very over the top on purpose. Heads get ripped off, limbs get pulled around, multiple shots are fired to and about faces. It is an endless orgy of gore, but that is the whole idea of Troma movies. They purposely go over the top, and there's nothing left to the imagination. One of the bad guys gets half his head ripped off. Another bad guy gets his arm ripped off by accident. Dinklage uses a mop covered in acid to fight off the bad guys. They do a throwback to the classic fast food restaurant scene in this movie and it gets way more amped up and violent here.

This new version of “The Toxic Avenger” is, overall, a better movie because people make better movies now. That's just a fact. But I think I prefer the original a little more. I like the whole low fi idea of the original movie. But this one is still very funny and a good time. You need to know what you're getting yourself into when you watch a Troma movie, and if you can deal with the gore and goofiness, I'd recommend both the original and this reimagination of "The Toxic Avenger". They're a good time for what they are. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Last weekend my wife and I watched "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery". Let’s discuss.

I enjoyed the first two movies in the series. I think the first movie is incredible and I don't get the hate that the second movie got after it was released. I thought the second movie was very funny in fact. I have always enjoyed the murder mystery genre, and when the powers that be make it a little funny, that is right in my wheelhouse. My son saw a few minutes of this most recent one and he asked my wife and I if it was like "Clue". I feel like that was a very apt comparison. I thought he hit it on the nose. And "Clue" is a classic. I feel like the "Knives Out" series has brought the essence of "Clue" into the 21st century. These are funny and fun murder mystery movies. I know that they have said that Agatha Christie stories are the inspiration, and while that may be true, these are much funnier than any Agatha Christie novel. That is what appeals to me.

And this new one starts with comedy at the very top. We see this newish priest, played by Josh O'Connor, and he is pleading with the board to keep him on hand. Apparently he has punched a church goer in the face for something they have said that rubbed him the wrong way. We never learn what this person said, but this new priest is passionately pleading his case. Josh O'Connor is so great in this role. I don't know much about him, but in this movie he was so good. He portrayed this new priest as what I imagine someone in his generation would be like. He was passionate and opinionated, but he also knew his purpose in life and was going to fulfil that no matter what. I thought he was funny and compassionate and I was there for it. Jeffrey Wright, in a small role, plays O'Connor's mentor of sorts and he was perfect. He has such a commanding and powerful voice and you buy every word out of his mouth. When O'Connor gets put into his new church, this is where the movie truly starts to roll. He is placed in a small church in small town New York, and the characters that this church has are second to none, Josh Brolin is the main guy and he is a piece of work. He plays a version of this new wannabe alpha male who just happens to have an audience. He is mean and spiteful. He goes after what he wants with blinders on. Brolin, who seems to be in every good movie lately, does a fine job playing this butthead of a character. He goes for it and lands the jump. The community is made up of some wonderful actors. Kerry Washington has a "kid", played by Daryl McCormack, and he is a piece of work. He's entitled and a prick. He is a prototypical new age republican. This actor is great. Washington is phenomenal as the put upon lady in her family. They push her aside and make her do all the dirty work and she does it until she cannot take it anymore. And when she exposes information, that is a powerful performance, Cailee Spaeny is very good as the former cellist who has turned to the church to try and help her get over a serious injury. She is the joker who got sukered into thinking money and faith could help her heal. Jeremy Renner is very good in a very different role for him. He is a drunk whose wife left him. He will do anything to get her back, but he goes about it the wrong way. He is a pushover and a follower. Andrew Scott is a sci-fi writer who, much like Renner, will fall in line with the group. He has some of the best comedy readings in the movie and his fate at the end was hilarious and fitting. Thomas Haden Church plays a hard working guy who just wants what is best for his partner. Church continues to prove he is a capable actor. His partner is played by Glenn Close and she has the best performance by anyone in this movie, and it is not even close. She is wonderful as the keeper of the church and her arc is such a joy to watch in this role. Mila Kunis plays a cop and she is so understated and does a wonderful job using cop jargon and going about her business. And then we have Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc. This is such a fun role for him and he seems to be having a grand old time playing this detective. He chews scenery in the best way possible and I really love seeing Blanc on screen.

This third installment is fun, funny and a well done movie. I thoroughly enjoyed all two and a half hours, and it flew by. I cannot recommend this movie enough, especially if you have seen both, or even one of the previous movies. I believe you will find it as enjoyable as the others.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Marty Supreme"

I took my dad and son to see "Marty Supreme" yesterday and I have a review for you all today. I have wanted to see this movie for some time now, and it just happened to be released here in Saint Louis on Xmas day. We waited through the weekend, but saw it pretty soon after Xmas.

I was predestined to like this movie. I have become a pretty big fan of Timothee Chalamet in the past few years, ever since I saw him in "Wonka", and I like what the Safdie brothers do as far as directing. And I fully understand that this was a solo directing job from Josh Safdie, which I am all in for at this point. Josh Safdie has always felt like more of a director than his brother Benny. I feel like Benny Safdie has always wanted to be an actor, which he is very accomplished and pretty good at by this point. But Josh seems like he prefers to be behind the camera, and that is great. He brought his usual greatness to this movie as well. What I like about a Safdie directed movie is how anxiety riddled, in a good way, you feel while watching one of their movies. That was the case with "Uncut Gems", and Josh Safdie does the same thing in "Marty Supreme". The scenes shift very quickly into one another, there's always some kind of action going on, there's bad guys and good guys to root for, there's always someone talking and trying to get out of a situation and the romantic scenes always feel a little more raw and real in a Safdie movie. All that was in "Marty Supreme" and it all worked really well for me. Josh Safdie is very good at the kind of movies he makes and I want him to continue with this style of making the viewer anxious. There's no one better at making those kinds of movies at the moment.

While the direction is always incredibly important, you need actors who are up to the task, and they knocked it out of the park with the casting here. I'll get to Chamalet last because he was a revelation, which I didn't think was possible at this point in his career. What I appreciate most about a Safdie movie is they give unknowns a chance. Luke Manley, as Dion, is a first time actor and he was amazing as Marty's best buddy. I rooted for him even though others seemed mad at him from time to time. Ralph Colucci was only in a few scenes at the beginning of the movie, but the back and forth between him and Chalamet was incredible. Odessa A'Zion is becoming a star at the moment, but her work here was amazing. She was so in love with Marty, warts and all, and she tried to prove her worth to him time and again. Tyler, the Creator made his acting debut in this movie and he did a wonderful job. He was the guy Marty would hustle with and that felt like a perfect role for him. He should get many more acting jobs from this. George Gervin, former NBA star, was acting for the first time and his presence was gigantic in his minor role. Then Safdie put some former stars in bit parts and they were equally excellent. Fran Drescher played Marty's mom and she was the epitome of a mom trying to control her son. Her work opposite Chalamet was needed in this movie. Sandra Bernhart played a nurse, or something, and she was as wild here as she is in her minor role on "Severance". Penn Jillette has a very small role as a farm owner, but man is he scary and memorable. And we also have Gwyneth Paltrow playing a former aging movie star. She proved what made her such a draw in the 90's and early 2000's here. She was phenomenal in this role. I loved every second she was on screen in this mcvie.

But the cream of the crop was Chalamet. This was an incredible performance from him. He was, at the same time mind you, slimy and charming. He was always hustling and always talking his way out of some problem he inevitably created. There were times where I hated him, then in an instant I was rooting for him. The way he treated A'Zion's character throughout was mean and disgusting, yet I wanted them to be together. Paltrow's character treated him like the child he was, but there were times where I felt like they deserve one another. Chalamet has more than proven his worth in the past few years with the two "Dune" movies and "A Complete Unknown". I also loved him in "Wonka" as I mentioned before. But this performance proved that he is on another level from other actors his age. He embodied this role and he took his acting to a whole other stratosphere. He doesn't have to be the hero or the good looking dude in every movie. Marty is a hustler who is smamry and slimy, and Chalamet absolutely nailed it here. I think he has a definite Oscar nomination coming from this role and that will be two years in a row that he gets a best actor nomination. He is going to be the definitive actor of this generation and that makes me smile.

I highly recommend seeing "Marty Supreme". It is a fascinating performance from Chalamet and the movie will make you care about ping pong. This movie was great. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Chair Company" Season 1

I watched the season finale of "The Chair Company" yesterday and I want to say a few things about the first season of this show. This review will be spoiler free. I am not going to divulge any big news because I feel like what Zach Kanin and Tim Robinson achieved with this should be watched by anyone who is a fan of their work.

I was predestined to like this new show of thiers, and it wildly exceeded my expectations. After the finale I sat back and tried to figure out what it was that had me so interested. And I have come up with a few ideas. First off, for the most part, they cast people that look like real people. This is a show filled with people that I feel like I could see walking down my street. This is not a knock on their looks. I appreciate when shows have real looking actors on. Not everyone on tv has to be this ideal look of beauty and skinny. They don't need to have pounds of makeup on covering any minor thing that may not look great on film. The people who populate this show look like me and my family and friends. They got people who know how to act, then put them on a major tv program, and I don't know why but I appreciated that. Tim Robinson is a normal looking guy, as is Zach Kanin. So is Jim Downey and almost everyone else on the show. They did cast Lou Diamond Phillips and Lake Bell, who are both very attractive, but that didn't take anything away from the rest of the cast. Even the actors playing Robinson and Bell's kids were great choices. I like that they did that because that's what they did on "I Think you Should Leave" and "Friendship".

I also liked how compact and quick this season went. It was eight episodes, all about 30 minutes long. That is how it should be done. I don't mind 45 minute to hour long shows, but they can be tedious from time to time, especially when an entire episode is basically foreplay to some big idea later in the season. With each episode going 30 minutes they needed to get it all out there in each episode. They leave no stones unturned. We get answers and I am fully on board with that. I want more shows to adopt the 30 minute runtime and have a season be 10 episodes or less. It is way less of a commitment and leaves room for other content to stream.

I liked how dark and angry this show is. Tim Robinson isn't afraid to do comedy like that and that is why I like his work so much. My mother in law was asking if this is a show she should watch and I immediately told her no because of how dark it is. She doesn't like that stuff, and while I do, I know that she would be put off by it. I am all for it. I want it to be dark and dreary. I loved when something uncomfortable would happen during this first season. The whole scene at the bar with the local actor and the bowl of soup was cringe comedy gold. And that was just the tip of the iceberg with the first season.

But, the thing I loved most and what kept me coming back was how involved I became with the plot. I wanted to know why the chair broke. I was invested in the whole investigation between Robinson and the people who helped along the way. I wanted to know more and more about Tecca and Red Ball Marketing. These are things I shouldn't care about, and shouldn't work on a tv show, but they made it work and made it tense and anxiety riddled. The run-ins with the bad guys were great. The "friendship" between Mike and Ron was so bleak yet I couldn't turn away. The sheer fact that they made me care that Mike wasn't invited to a teenager's birthday party should speak volumes as to how well done this show is. But, the whole idea of watching a middle aged midwestern dad go down this crazy rabbit hole because he fell when he went to sit down on a Tecca chair just shouldn't have worked. Yet it worked like gangbusters and I cannot wait to see what they do in the next season and beyond.

If you enjoy dark comedy and specifically the works of Zach Kanin and Tim Robinson, "The Chair Company" is a must watch. It shows growth but also gives you all the stuff you have liked from their previous work. This show is awesome. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Sisu: Road to Revenge"

I have just returned home after seeing "Sisu: Road to Revenge". Let’s discuss.

This is the sequel to the very underrated "Sisu" that came out in 2022. "Sisu" was about a Finnish man who was protecting his gold from the Nazis. The movie was incredibly action packed and a blast to watch. I still think of some of the action sequences in that movie to this day. There's a scene involving a massive plane crash, and to see the main guy walk away from that, it was pretty amazing. And that's the entirety of that movie. It's massive action sequences, and it is a bunch of villains chasing one hero. The original truly blew me away, my dad came over to my house to watch it On Demand with me and we both rave about it to this day. So, we both had to see this sequel. The theater only had about six people in it this morning, including my dad and I, but it was perfect. I knew the other audience members were fans of the first movie just like my dad and I. This new one also got very good early reviews, so my expectations were pretty high going in.

And "Sisu: Road to Revenge" absolutely delivered. This movie has about five to ten minutes of story to tell and the rest is pure action. I feel like this movie puts a franchise like "Fast and Furious" to shame. While those movies are fun and funny, this movie is all about adrenaline and action. I'm not big into that type of stuff either, unless I'm watching a movie. I love the "John Wick" franchise, and this whole world of "Sisu" is akin to that, it just takes place during and after a war in the former Soviet Union and  Finland. After we see the main guy tear his old house down it is pretty much non stop action pieces. I really like that these movies are told in chapters. It lets me know what to look forward to. And in this one the main guy has a big truck, so he has to be on the road, thus his "Road to Revenge".

When I say what I'm about to say, remember that this is a compliment. "Sisu: Road to Revenge" makes the first "Sisu" movie look understated. I mentioned before that he survived a horrendous plane crash in the first movie. Well, that is almost child's play in this one. They go for it and then some with the action in the movie. The main character has to fight motorcycle bad guys with bullet proof helmets on. There's a whole train sequence that is wild. He has planes coming after him. It is nuts. And the whole while we have one guy that is setting all this up, and they establish very early on how evil this villain is. But that's the thing, everyone besides our hero, for the most part that is, are villains. The train is full of villains. It is almost like everyone is out to get him, but he is so damn crafty and superhero-like. The things he survives this time around are wild. From electric fire whips to multiple punches in the face and a myriad of bullets flying his way, our hero finds a way and I was there for every second of this movie. I told my dad after the movie was over that I liked it so much for the action, but also that I could just turn my brain off and watch such a kick ass movie. The makers of this movie aren't trying to win any major awards or trying to tell some kind of heart wrenching story. They just want to make a straight up action movie and boy do they achieve that and then some.

I loved this sequel. I was primed and ready for it and it still found ways to surprise me. I cannot recommend it enough. And if you do see it, make sure to watch the original first just to understand what is all going on in this world they have created. "Sisu: Road to Revenge" rules. It is a total blast. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Running Man"

My son and I had a night out, my daughter had a sleepover, so she, her friend and my wife hung out, and we went to see "The Running Man". Let’s discuss.

I have always liked the original movie. I have plans to read the book at some point. What I love most about the original movie is how campy and hilarious it is to me. The idea of the movie, the US has slipped into a post apocalyptic state, reality tv shows are all the rage and the most popular one is "The Running Man". This is where the top athletes in the world go and compete. The contestants are usually hard up for money, have some kind of wild athletic prowess and want to go on this show because they think they can win. The whole show has the entire world hunting them as well. It is a no win scenario for the contestants. Sounds bleak, but the original movie made it funny.

This newer, updated version is still funny, but with Edgar Wright directing, it has some heart and humility as well. Glen Powell plays the lead role in this version, and he is pretty perfect for this role. He's down on his luck working man, but he was let go from his job for trying to help his other coworkers. We also see that his baby is sick and can't get the proper medicine. Instantly we are all rooting for him. There's two other contestants, and they play their roles, but this movie is all about showcasing Glen Powell, and his journey through this show. Josh Brolin plays the evil producer of the show, Coleman Domingo is the host and Lee Pace plays one of the main hunters on the show. Where this movie differs from the original, people can pick to be on this show. It is all voluntary. I loved watching the montage scene of the contestants showcasing their skills. It was cool to see the difference in each person. The movie is somewhat of a real world to me. Powell is picked to be on "The Running Man" because he is clearly the best athlete there, and Brolin fully believes that he can win the game, or so he says. When the game starts, the movie gets intense, but still manages to stay fun and funny. Seeing Powell play an adult and deadly version of hide and seek was fun as hell. He tries to do the whole disguise thing, but that eventually wears off. I will say, seeing Powell trying disguises is hilarious to me. He is still incredibly buff and handsome, no matter how many fake mustaches or pairs of sunglasses he wears. As the game goes on the movie gets way more intense. Powell is constantly on the move. His videos that he is forced to make are being doctored. He gets help from random people along the way, and they have to suffer through all his nonsense. Michael Cera shows up at one point and he is my favorite part of the whole thing. He is funny, he makes it feel like an Edgar Wright movie and he plays a very memorable role. I have always been a fan of his, so having my son kind of geek out at his appearance, that made me very happy. When we get to the conclusion, this is where we see Lee Pace. Pace is brutal and extremely violent. He is very good in this role and I liked his performance quite a bit.

All in all the vibe of this movie was perfect. It was reminiscent of the original, but updated. Edgar Wright was kind of perfect to direct. He knows how to make a solid action comedy. And when he gets his people involved, it makes the movie so much better. I would recommend this movie to anyone who liked the original and wants to see an updated version. I liked it, my son really liked it and it has made me want to revisit the original and read the book again. That is the mark of a solid movie going experience for me. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Frankenstein"

After three sit downs, I finished Guillermo Del Toro's "Frankenstein" yesterday. Let’s discuss.

Right off the bat, I loved it. It was melodramatic in all the right ways. The movie looked beautiful. I wish I had seen it on the big screen, but my television at home was just fine. I thought the acting was stellar, the writing top notch and, for a two and a half hour long movie, I was never bored. This was a movie where I wasn't even enticed to look at my phone, and that is saying something.

I was pretty hyped to see the movie after a few trailers and RD telling me he saw it and seemed to enjoy it. I am also all in on anything involving Oscar Isaac. He is a great actor and seems like an even better person. He was perfect as Victor Frankenstein. He can pull off the egomaniacal like no one else. I found myself feeling for him at times during this movie, then at the next moment I would loathe him. That was his job in this role. Every version of Victor is different, but the one Isaac chose was perfect for my viewing experience. Mia Goth pulled double duty and she was equally great. She played Victor's mom in the first half, then switched to Victor's brother's fiance. She shined in both roles. As the mom she had very little to do, but you could see the very close, very odd relationship she had with Victor as a child. Her death wrecked him, and both Goth and the actor playing young Victor nailed it. Then, as his brother's fiance, she was great playing coy and toying with Victor to an extent. Goth has this look about her that is so compelling. She reminds me of an actress from a forgotten era. She is so good at playing these over the top roles, but bringing the character down to Earth. She was exceptional here. Christoph Waltz was a made up character in this version, but as he always seems to do, he was wonderful. He was goofy at times. He was flirty in a way with Victor. He made me feel for him as he was sick and dying. I was shocked, spoiler alert, when he plummeted to his death. I wanted more and more of his work in this movie, but the character is only supposed to be around for part of the story. And Waltz was dynamite. And Jacob Elordi was a revelation. I liked what he did in "Saltburn", but he was so, so much better as The Creature. He took his portrayal all the way from infancy to fully functioning adult, all the while looking like a monster. I felt for him. When he continually asked for a companion, I wanted Victor to make him one. When he could only say, "Victor", each different way of voicing it said all he needed to say. It went from joy to pain in a matter of seconds. When Victor was abusing him I wanted him to fight back. When he finally did, I was stoked. The opening of the movie, on the Russian ship, was one of the coolest ways I've ever seen a movie start. It was violent and loud and brutal and showed us everything we needed to know about the current relationship between our two leads of the movie. Elordi did so well with his work in this movie. He truly proved his star is only going to shine and rise brighter than most working right now.

Guillermo Del Toro directed the hell out of the movie too. From dream sequences, to when The Creature was created, to the build up and the conclusion, he was on the mark. While "Pan's Labyrinth" is still my favorite Del Toro movie, this one is quickly rising the ranks. With this cast and director I expected something great and I was pleased that this movie lived up to my expectations. I couldn't take my eyes off screen. With each passing day that I didn't finish it I felt the urge to go back and watch the next day. I wanted to see it all. I liked how the story was told and was very pleased with everything we were given on the screen.

Watch Del Toro's "Frankenstein". It is currently streaming on Netflix, but if you can, go see it in a theater. I bet the IMAX screenings are amazing. This is a very, very good movie. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.