Better Late Than Never on "Don't Tell Larry"

The other day while I was searching for a movie to watch I came across a recent-ish indie comedy called "Don't Tell Larry". I had never heard of it before, so I watched the trailer attached to the movie. It piqued my interest. I also saw that Ed Begley Jr had a role in it and Patty Guggenheim was the main character. Guggenheim falls into the same territory with me as Johnny Pemberton. I enjoy both of their work, and feel like they should be starring in more content, be it tv shows or movies. So I hit play and sat back for the next 90 minutes and watched.

Right off the bat, I found myself enjoying the movie. It is by no means the best movie in the world. It isn't some kind of breakthrough comedy, but I still found plenty of laughs and had a good time with the movie. The movie stars Guggenheim who is the potential next CEO at a travel agency and she is just biding her time before getting the job. Ed Begley Jr is her superior, and he is about to retire, leaving the door open for Guggenheim to take over. We meet Kenneth Mosely at the beginning of the movie, and he plays Guggenheimn's buddy at the office. We also meet Larry, played by Kiel Kennedy. Larry is a weird dude. He eats raisins with his pencil. He doesn't know much about the business. He is too overzealous and needy. We quickly come to find out that he is Ed Begley Jr's long lost son. And Begley wants to make him the new CEO. Prior to this, Guggenheim throws him a retirement party, but doesn't invite Larry. She gets bad vibes from him. The party goes off without a hitch, but Begley notices and brings up that Larry wasn't there the day after the party. This is where we find out he is his son and that he wants to make him CEO. Guggenheim is obviously upset at this news, and goes off on Begley. It is so bad that she throws a rock at his window and Begley relieves her of her duties. But as she is about to pack up and leave, we hear a scream from Begley's office and we find out he has fallen out of his window to his death.

The movie kind of takes off from here. It turns into a crime caper type movie, but with a ton of jokes peppered throughout everything. It was kind of cool to see a throwback comedy like this. The movie never takes itself seriously. The people involved understood the assignment and they ran with it.  The scene with the drug tester is hilarious. We eventually meet Larry's Nana, played by Paula Rafferty. She doesn't have too many lines in the movie, but when she does speak it serves a purpose and this actor nailed it. We get a whole lot more from Mosley during the second half of the movie and I found him to be the funniest person in the whole thing. Dot-Marie Jones plays the detective that is sent to work on the case in the office, and she is wonderful. The scene between her and Guggenheim near the end is great, until some even crazier stuff happens. But it was Kennedy, playing Larry, who really stole the show. He is so off putting and creepy, but also funny. There were times when I really disliked him, but then would switch to feeling bad for him. The stuff between him and his nana was hilarious. And when Kennedy had to turn the creepy on, in the final act of the movie, he absolutely nailed it. The last image of him I found haunting and hilarious. He really pulled off something very intriguing here. And it was nice to see Guggenheim get to do her thing. She is so funny and easy to watch on screen. I hope this will get her more starring work soon.

In the end, "Don't Tell Larry" is a fun and easy movie to put on and enjoy. I recommend it to comedy fans who want to see something a little off beat, a little different and akin to a throwback comedy from the 80's. I say check 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 "Mermaid"

I am a fan of Johnny Pemberton. I became a fan when I first saw him on "Superstore". He played Bo, Cheyenne's boyfriend then husband, and his character cracked me up. He was silly and made tons of jokes. I then saw he was cast in "Fallout". I like that show as well, and he is just as funny as he is in his other work. He brings comedic elements to a show that can be pretty intense from time to time. He has popped up in other stuff here and there, but it is usually just a small comedic thing. Then I listened to him on a bunch of recent podcast appearances and he kept talking about his new movie, "Mermaid".

I heard “Mermaid” described as a horror/comedy. When Pemberton was talking about the movie during these appearances, I could not glean how much he was going to be in it. Well, the other day I noticed that it was streaming for free on Prime, so I decided to watch.

Pemberton is the main character in this movie. He is the star and he drives the whole thing. First off, that made me happy. I feel like he has been around long enough, paid his dues and was bound to get a leading role sooner or later. But he is playing a totally different character here. Pemberton plays Doug, a divorced dad of one who gets fired from his job as a fish tank cleaner and is addicted to pills. And while there are some comedic elements in this movie and this role, Pemberton plays this character very quietly and makes him very odd. That is the consensus of all of the people who spend time with him in this movie. They are constantly asking him if he is okay or if something is wrong.

The first 45 minutes of this movie give us Doug's backstory after he gets fired. We see him spending time with his daughter, getting into a fight with his ex, drinking beers and taking pills. Then one of his dealers and his crony show up at his house trying to get paid. This is where Robert Patrick comes into play. He is the dealer and he is a bad, bad dude. After they rough up Doug, Patrick pours bleach into his fish tank. This really upsets Doug, as fish are the only thing he communicates with on a regular basis. From here on out the movie takes us on a wild ride.

Doug is in the process of trying to kill himself, and then he chances upon a mermaid in the ocean. We see this mermaid during the first scene of the movie, a chance encounter with Tom Arnold. Doug takes the mermaid into his home, it is injured, and he starts to care for it. The movie then kind of starts to go nuts when the mermaid shows up and has a starring role next to Pemberton. This mermaid is very scary looking. It's not like most mermaids we get to see on screen. The usual mermaids we see are beautiful, with great voices and a heart of gold. This mermaid is terrifying. The mermaid has super sharp teeth, its body looks like it has been mutated, the fin and tail look normal-ish, but the rest of the mermaid looks scary. I like that they go to these lengths to make this mermaid look different. And the relationship between Doug and the mermaid is well done here. Doug takes proper care of her and truly cares for her. But it is the stuff they add on here that makes this wild. The puking, the birthday party scene, the montage of them hanging out, it is crazy. We then have an auction in the final plot point of the movie. This is where the movie officially goes off the rails. It is truly nuts.

This movie was hit and miss for me. There was some stuff that I truly liked. As mentioned before, I thought Pemberton did a really good job with this role. He gets to do something different and he really goes for it here. I liked the design of the mermaid. I thought Tom Arnold had a great scene. I liked Kevin Nealon as well as his relationship with Doug's ex and his daughter. Robert Patrick plays a superb villain as well. But there was some other stuff that I just couldn't get into. I thought Kirk Fox was underutilized. Sometimes the movie got gross just to be gross. There was about 15 to 20 minutes that they could have easily cut out of the movie to make it a clean 90 minutes. And I wanted to see more with the other sea creature that came to help, or maybe hurt the mermaid and Pemberton. It kind of felt uneven. But my favorite thing in this whole movie was the opening credits had some writing on the screen that read, "this is my love letter to Florida". And Kevin Nunn goes out on a banger of a line, that you have to see because it rules.

"Mermaid" was fine, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again. And I'm glad that Pemberton is getting more work. I just read that he is going to be in another horror movie coming out sometime in the near future. Give it a watch if you're curious. That is my glowing recommendation for "Mermaid". 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Tim Curry

Last week Tim Curry passed away. This one was almost as big a bummer to me as Dolly Parton's passing. Tim Curry left more of an impact on me than I realized.

After he passed I went and checked out all of his work online just to refresh my memory. He was in a ton of movies that I watched over and over again. The movie that I have gone back to time and again is "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Dr Frankenfurter left an indelible mark on me. "Rocky Horror" was the first time I saw a musical and loved it. The music is second to none in that movie, but it was Dr Frankenfurter that I put most of my attention towards. That performance was truly unique and one of a kind. Every time I watch that movie I find something new that reminds me of how wonderful a performance Curry gave in that movie. That is probably his most iconic character he has ever played.

Pennywise from the original "It" has also stayed with me for other reasons. I used to adore clowns. They were my jam as a kid. When I was younger I even went as a clown for Halloween one year. Then my brothers showed me "It" and it changed me, for the worse. I have a fear of clowns to this day because of that movie. There are only a few that I can tolerate, Krusty is probably it to be honest with you. but Curry's performance here as Pennywise put a permanent fear in me too. He was so creepy and so scary. I still get spooked out whenever I see red balloons floating in the air. I cannot hear the phrase, "we all float down here" without picturing Curry as Pennywise.

But it didn't stop with those two characters. The "Scary Movie" franchise used to be a funny enough spoof series of movies. I enjoyed the first one, so of course I saw the second one in theaters. Tim Curry gives a hilarious performance here. Sure, Chris Elliot and David Cross do the brunt of the comedy, but it is Curry's straight man that makes me laugh harder with each rewatch. There is a scene where Cross and Elliot are going back and forth, ribbing one another, and Curry is there smiling and trying his hardest not to laugh. It is small, but I still think about it to this day. More recently,

RD had me watch the movie "Legend" for one of our Patreon shows. While the movie didn't do much for me, Curry played the Devil and he crushed it. When he was on screen in this movie I could not take my eyes off of him. He was scary and mean and loud and did some really solid work as the villain. "Legend" was kind of dull, but when Curry showed up, the movie sprang to life.

I can remember seeing the movie "Congo" in theaters as a kid. When I went to see it back then, I only remembered a lady saying, "this movie is so startling, I cannot even eat my Twizzlers". My friends and I dined on that quote for years. But I rewatched it during the lockdowns during the pandemic, and while it is not good, Curry is decent. He always brought the heat whenever he was cast in a movie. Even something that should have been great, like "Congo", but it doesn't live up to the hype, Curry makes his time on screen worth watching.

I will never, ever forget my first time seeing "Clue". That movie rules. I actually think it is kind of underrated. The fact that they took a board game and turned it into one of the best movies to come out in the 90's is a feat all its own. And Curry gives us yet another great performance as the butler. He is funny and sarcastic. He is great at being the straight man in these heavily comedic movies. He just nailed it in this movie, like he usually does.

A few other movies come to mind when thinking of Tim Curry. He's exceptional in "The Hunt for Red October". He lent his iconic voice to tons of cartoons and kids shows. He is the absolute best part of "Home Alone 2". I thought he was excellent, again playing a butler-esque character. My wife has been a fan of his ever since she saw him in "Muppets Treasure Island". She has always been a muppets fan, and I bet if I asked her, she would probably rank his performance in a muppets movie right up there with Michael Caine and Charles Grodin.

As he got older he stopped acting and got pretty sick. He was wheelchair bound not too long after he got sick, but he still went out there and gave interviews. He was an icon that kept going as long as he could. I watched an interview of his from a few years back where he talked about death and his feelings towards it. He was in his wheelchair and it was a very profound and enlightening interview. I was moved when I saw it.

It stinks that Dolly Parton and Tim Curry both passed just mere hours between one another. I hope wherever they are right now they are hanging out and having a laugh together. And wherever Tim Curry is right now, I hope he is singing some tunes from "Muppets Treasure Island" or "Rocky Horror". Rest In Peace. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Dolly Parton

Last week we lost two icons. I will be taking the next two days to write about them.

The first one that passed away was Dolly Parton. I was sitting down on my couch and my wife texted me to let me know. I didn't believe her at first. I had just read something that Parton had written about how she was sick, but she was going to fight it as long as she could. This was only a few days before her passing. Then I got the text and checked it out and found out it was real. Dolly Parton was officially gone.

This is such a bummer. Not only was Parton an icon. She did so many wonderful things in the world of country music and acting. "I Will Always Love You" is one of the greatest songs ever written. It is so beautiful, meaningful and elegant. "Jolene" is one of the best songs ever written about a scorned lover. "9 to 5" is fun and upbeat and so easy to sing along with. I could go on and on about her music. She was such an exceptional writer, she could play the hell out of a guitar and her voice was so ironically her own. No one else out there sounds like she did.

As far as acting, the first thing I saw her in was "9 to 5". She is more than up to the task with the other great performers in that movie. When she arrives on screen, she fully takes the whole movie over. It is all hers from there on out. "Rhinestone" is a terrible movie, but not because of her. She gives it her all and she tries everything she can to save that sorry excuse for a movie. She lent her voice to so many kids shows and cartoons. She had that voice that is instantly recognizable and she used it for some great work. She also did her own music videos, as well as appearing in tons of other artists, artists who idolized her, videos. She also had a theme park in her name, Dollywood. And she gave as much back to the community as possible.

And, as I mentioned before, she was so much more than just a musical artist and actor. She was a humanitarian. She tried and gave to any kind of non for profit or charity that she believed in. She was instrumental in helping get the Covid vaccine out there and running when it was needed most. She championed other artists. My brother showed me a letter that she wrote to Eminem years back and it was amazing to see how polite and kind she could be in a letter. She wanted equality for everyone. I read that she got into a Dolly Parton lookalike contest and was beat out by a drag queen. She cheered and was so happy for that person. She didn't begrudge them or say bad things, she was happy and made sure that the winner knew how happy she was. She would appear on talk shows and make jokes at her expense and others. I love the "Letterman" clip that has resurfaced online as of late where she mentions that people don't "recognize that she also has a great ass".

Dolly Parton never let the fame get to her head. She always knew and remembered where she came from. She never stopped working hard. That is what those close to her have been saying lately. She worked all the way up to her final days. She wanted people to be happy with what she did and did as much as she could. I've also read that she has a ton of unreleased music she was working on prior to her death, and that her estate is more than likely to release it when they feel ready. I cannot wait to hear it. I have been going back and watching some of her older clips too, and she was the same when she was young and new on the scene. She was always happy and bouncy and fun when she was on the tv or on a movie screen. She never let that die. She always had an upbeat spirit that was infectious in the best way possible. She was loved the world over. No one has come out and said anything bad about her or tried to take her down a peg since her passing. She was one of the few people that crossed borders and was loved by everyone she came in contact with, or was a fan of hers. It felt like she had so much more left to give. She was taken far too soon. She was only 80. She seemed like she was ready to fight the cancer, or whatever illness took her.

This one stinks. This one hurts. Dolly Parton was a big part of my life, but also hundreds of millions of other people. My niece, who is in her early 20's, is just as devastated by this as me, my wife and my folks. Dolly Parton is going to be severely missed. I wish she were still here. At least she is with her husband wherever she may be right now. I hope she is jamming with other music legends wherever she is now as well.

Rest In Peace Dolly Parton. Gone way too soon and you will be sorely, sorely missed. 

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never on "Seven Samurai"

I sat down over the past three days and watched the entirety of "Seven Samurai". This movie has been on my list for sometime now. I have always heard about it. I have heard everyone say what an epic and triumphant movie it was when it came out. I have heard everyone sing the praises of director Akira Kirosawa. I know the lore but have never put away time to sit and watch. I knew with my son starting football practice that I would have some free time in the mornings to watch what I want to see, and "Seven Samurai" was my choice. It must be said, this is my first Kirosawa movie that I have watched. I figured I'd start with what most consider to be his best. I will definitely be watching more of his work after seeing this movie.

"Seven Samurai" is a classic, and it is a classic for a myriad of reasons. This is one of the best movies I have ever watched. Never for one moment did I feel bored or annoyed watching an almost three and a half hour long samurai epic from 1954. The movie's pacing might be one of its best attributes. This is probably the first movie that followed the whole "getting the band together" cliche. That is the crux of this movie.

For those that haven't seen it, "Seven Samurai" tells the story of a village of people afraid of being pillaged by bandits, asking one samurai to help, and he then recruits six more to fight the fight. From the first moment we saw our main samurai, I was hooked. I loved seeing him pretend to be a monk and help out the other village. I didn't mind seeing the villagers become scared by the bandits, then try to recruit other samurai before getting their first commitment. I thought the full storyline for one of the villagers, Rikichi I believe was his name, was incredible. We got to see him go from meek and weak willed, to fighting off bandits himself, to leading the whole village in song after they win. I thought the movie had great comedic moments. My favorite samurai, Kichuychi, was hilarious. He had jokes galore, but when it was time to fight, he was serious. He also had the most hero worthy death of all of the samurai. And I don't even care that he wasn't technically a "samurai". He wanted to fight, he gave his life, and he saved the three samurai that made it out of there with their lives. He ruled. I also liked the second samurai they got to join the crew. He was always smiling, always ready to laugh at a joke. But he also knew that he had a job to do, and death was one of the setbacks. He was willing to give his life to fight. The young kid who comes aboard as a student or sorts fascinated me. He wanted so hard to be a samurai, but he also had some fear and he was clearly in love with one of the villagers' daughters. The love story between the two of them fit perfectly within the story this movie tells.

What got me the most, what made me truly love this movie, was the battle scenes. I wrote yesterday about how wonderful all the fight scenes were in the most recent season of "House of the Dragon". None of that is possible without "Seven Samurai" doing it first. From what I read after I finished the movie yesterday, most call this movie the first action movie. I totally see that. This movie has fights and deaths everywhere. The sword work is masterful. The way they shoot bows and arrows is like nothing I have seen before. The hand to hand stuff is rad. There's an early scene where another villager challenges the best swordsman within the seven samurai, and while the fight is short, it is precise and perfect. We get a small glimpse of this samurai's talent and when he cuts down the villager who challenged him, he doesn't gloat or yell at anyone. He simply puts his sword back in its sheath and continues his mission. Growing up I used to watch a ton of Bruce Lee movies. I was obsessed with how they shot those movies and the fact that Lee did his own stunts. Those movies were made in the 70's, with nice cameras and more knowledge. The stuff that Kirosawa did in this movie, the edits, the choreography, the fight scenes, the tension, he did all of that in the early 50's. He was clearly a visionary and way, way ahead of his time. We don't get movies like this anymore. "Seven Samurai" builds and builds until that final scene, where it is an explosion of a battle scene. But I wanted to know everything about everyone in the movie. I appreciated the backstory and how they all ended up joining the fight. I like that each moment was given its space to breathe and to let the audience fully understand what was at stake.

I am ashamed that it took me so long to see this movie, but glad that I remedied that over the past three days. "Seven Samurai" is a masterpiece. I now see what other movies I love have taken from this as an ode when making newer movies. I loved this movie and I cannot wait to dig into more and more of Kirosawa's catalog. "Seven Samurai" rules. 

Ty

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

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2026 Has Alredy Been an Amazing Year for Movies

Maybe it's just the movie fan in me, but I can't remember the last time I looked at a theater schedule and thought, "I want to see almost everything." For the first time since the pandemic turned Hollywood upside down, it feels like movies are back in a big way.

For years we've heard the same conversation. "Movie theaters are dying." "Streaming is the future." "Hollywood has run out of ideas." And while there have certainly been some great films over the past few years, 2026 feels different. It feels like there's real momentum again.

What's been most exciting isn't just that we've gotten a handful of good movies—it's that we've gotten great movies across almost every genre.

Early in the year, science fiction fans were treated to the incredible Project Hail Mary, a film that reminded audiences why big, intelligent sci-fi adventures belong on the biggest screen possible. It wasn't just another effects showcase. It had heart, humor, and one of the year's most satisfying stories.

Animation has been on a roll, too. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie continued Nintendo's winning streak, proving once again that video game movies can actually be...well...good. Better than good, actually. It captured the fun and imagination that fans hoped for while introducing a whole new generation to Mario's universe.

Then came Toy Story 5.

I'll admit it—I wasn't sure we needed another Toy Story. After Toy Story 3, I thought Pixar had wrapped things up pretty well, yet they still made Toy Story 4. But somehow they found another story worth telling. It reminded us why Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang have meant so much to audiences for nearly three decades.

And then there's The Odyssey.

Big, ambitious, epic filmmaking has felt increasingly rare over the last several years. Seeing a classic story brought to life on such a massive scale reminded me why theaters exist in the first place. Some movies just aren't meant to be watched while folding laundry at home. Chistopher Nolan swung for the fences with The Odyssey, and he hot the ball out of the stadium. Go see this movie on the big screen.

Over the weekend the biggest movie opening ever happened. Spider-Man: Brand New Day delivered exactly what fans wanted: heart, humor, exciting action, and a reminder that superhero movies still work when the focus stays on great characters instead of simply setting up the next dozen sequels. Great actors playing characters we love doing cool stuff will always bring box office gold.

But here's what I think has made 2026 really special. It hasn't just been about the giant franchises. Some of the year's biggest surprises have come from smaller films, especially in horror. Obsession and Backrooms became breakout successes not because they had enormous budgets, but because they had fresh ideas, memorable scares, and audiences eager to discover something new. People, twenty somethings in particular, wanted to have a shared moviegoing experience with these films made by people who are their age. The success of these films proves that you don't need a $250 million budget to make an impact—you just need a great concept and strong execution, and an audience that wants to be scared. That's encouraging not only for horror fans but for anyone who wants Hollywood to keep taking creative risks.

Honestly, the best part is that we're not even finished with 2026. The second half of the year still has plenty to look forward to. I'm already counting down the days until Digger, one of the more intriguing original films on the horizon with a must see performance from Tom Cruise. Then there's Avengers: Doomsday, which has the chance to be the biggest superhero event in years if it sticks the landing. And for science fiction fans, Dune 3 promises to continue one of the most visually stunning and ambitious franchises of the modern era. For the first time in a long time, it feels like every few weeks there's another movie worth getting excited about.

The pandemic didn't kill moviegoing, but it definitely changed it. Studios became more cautious, release schedules were constantly shifting, and streaming often overshadowed theatrical releases. For a while, it seemed like every discussion about movies centered on declining ticket sales instead of the films themselves. This year, the conversation has finally changed. People are recommending movies to each other again. They're avoiding spoilers, buying advance tickets, debating favorites online, and making plans to see films together. Going to the movies has started feeling like an event again rather than just another entertainment option.

Will every movie be a classic? Of course not. But that's never been the point.

The point is that 2026 has reminded us what it's like to be genuinely excited about going to the theater. Between smart science fiction, emotional animated films, massive historical epics, crowd-pleasing superhero adventures, and inventive low-budget horror hits, there's been something for just about everyone. After several uneven years, Hollywood finally seems to have found its rhythm again. And if the rest of the release calendar lives up to the promise of Digger, Avengers: Doomsday, and Dune 3, we may end up looking back on 2026 as not just the best movie year since the pandemic—but one of the best blockbuster years in a very long time.

I’m excited. As Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel used to say, “I’ll see you at the movies”.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Better Late Than Never on "Bronson"

While looking for a movie to watch yesterday I came across a Tom Hardy movie called "Bronson". I was searching on Amazon, it was free and I like Tom Hardy. I watched the trailer and it intrigued me enough to press play.

I don't know, nor did I recognize, any other actor in the movie, but that doesn't really matter. This was a full on Tom Hardy movie. He was in every single scene. He was the focal point and they did not try to hide that while making this movie. Nicolas Winding Refn is the director, and while "Drive" is one of the best and coolest movies ever made, he has about a 50 percent hit rate with me. But he makes interesting and unique movies, so the fact that he was directing and Hardy was starring, that was all I needed.

What I proceeded to watch for the next 90 minutes was unlike anything I have seen in quite some time. This movie came out in 2008, so it was before Hardy was playing Bane, but you can see his star potential here. "Bronson" tells a somewhat true story of Michael Peterson, aka Charles Bronson, London's most notorious criminal. He went to jail in the 70's for robbing a post office, but due to his constant conflict, he has spent right around 34 years in prison, 30 of which have been done in solitary confinement. This movie tells us his story of how he ended up in prison, what led him to make bad choices and the why and how of him constantly ending up in solitary.

Hardy is incredible in this role. He embodies this prisoner. From the way he talks to how buff he got for the role to his constant fights involving prison guards, Hardy nails it. He also narrates the story and does something akin to a one man show. There were quick cuts and jumps back and forth from prison to telling his story in front of an audience. I thought this was a cool and different way to tell a story like this. I have never seen a prison story told in this manner. Hardy chews up the scenery like no other here too. That made this movie decent to me. I really liked the fight scenes. I enjoyed seeing him tell his story. I thought the prison stuff felt real. I liked how bi polar he was as this character. He would fly off the rails at any given moment, but this was always after he was, seemingly, calm. But you knew that there was almost always a storm brewing. I will say, there's a ton of full frontal nudity in this movie too. Apparently this prisoner likes to grease himself up before he gets into fights, and Hardy was more than game to do this. He would grease himself up, strip down to nothing but his shoes and socks and get himself ready to fight. This would lead to fight scenes where Hardy's manhood was just flopping around. I give Hardy credit for going to these lengths, but man do I really know what his genitals look like now. Anyway, the movie was still keeping my interest throughout all of that.

Where the movie would miss for me was, they had these long scenes where almost nothing was being said, and they just sat on a still of Hardy. This added nothing to the story for me. This felt about mastubatory for Hardy and Refn. It was like they were saying, look at all these muscles I gained to play this role. Or look at how menacing I can be. Or this manchild really is a violent criminal. We got all of that from previous scenes in the movie. I didn't need to see him brooding for what seemed like an eternity at times. I also liked the scenes where he would get ready to fight the guards, but the buildup seemed way too long. The final battle sees Hardy as Bronson painting his art teacher to look like a classic work. You think something bad may happen to the teacher, but as soon as the teacher starts crying, Hardy proclaims that he has had enough and he is ready to fight. All of that felt like a big buildup to just another fight between Bronson and the guards, where they beat his ass. But, that just seems like Refn's way. He seems like he may be a bit full of himself. I wouldn't be shocked if he calls himself an auteur as opposed to a director.

I will say, even with my little quibbles, "Bronson" held my attention, and it was all due to Hardy. He is magnetic to watch on screen. There are few actors that I can watch a movie solely focused on one character, but Hardy fits the bill for me. Not only did I kind of like "Bronson", I truly love another movie that he is the lone star in, "Locke". He just has a way of owning the screen like few others can.

Would I recommend "Bronson"? to certain people, yes. This movie is violent. This movie is grim. But it also has one of the wildest scores for a movie like this and Hardy's performance is worth your time. Make no mistake, this is what many would consider an "art" film, but it also takes chances other movies may not. Check it out if you have the time. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Glen Hansard

This morning I awoke to a notification on my phone from one of my brothers. I don't usually check my phone first thing in the morning, but something compelled me today. I do use my phone as my alarm, but I usually just turn that off, then start my day. Today was different. I think maybe it was due to the fact that he sent me a story on two different sites. I had to check. What I read really bummed me out today. My brother sent me a few stories to let me know that Glen Hansard had tragically died in a motorcycle accident.

For those that may not know, Hansard is a musician and actor of note. Growing up in my house we watched the movie "The Commitments" a ton. My parents have always liked old soul music and movies that are about bands making music. My brothers and I all have very eclectic taste in music. We cross paths a lot, but we also all have our own taste. And everyone in my family likes odd movies. Some of us, me specifically, like weirder movies than others, but we do enjoy independent movies. I have not gone back and watched "The Commitments" in years, I have heard it isn't as great as I thought. But I do remember Hansard very vividly in that movie. He was a guitar player in the band, he had long curly hair and it was bright red. He instantly grabbed my attention as a kid. I have never seen hair like that before. It didn't hurt that he was an outstanding guitar player as well. His character and performance always stuck with me, all the way to adulthood in fact.

Then, like most of the world, I fell in love with Hansard and Marketa Irglova all over again after seeing the movie "Once". "Once" is one of the best movies ever about forming a band and making music that means something to you. I saw the movie multiple times in theaters, bought it the moment it was released on DVD and still revisit it from time to time. I also wore that soundtrack out. I listened to it over and over again. I knew every nook and cranny of that soundtrack. Sure, "Falling Slowly" is an all time hit and Oscar winner, but I also loved tracks like "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy", "All The Way Down" and especially "Say It To Me Now". These songs became a part of my everyday life after watching the movie and buying the soundtrack. I was totally hooked. And his performance, along with Irglova as well, was beautiful. "Once" worked on every single level for me. I adore the movie to this day and I will be watching it again very soon in memory of Hansard.

After the movie became a hit, Irglova and Hansard went on a tour, and I was lucky enough to see them in Saint Louis. The show was spectacular. Those two really knew how to play together and they crushed it at The Pageant. I remember sitting in the venue with my dad and him telling me he could tell I was just in awe of their talent. That show has a special place in my heart because it was one of the best, yet most stripped down live concerts I've ever seen.

After watching that show I decided it was time to listen to Hansard's band, The Frames. I really dove deep into their stuff. They were like a rock band, but they had some heavy folk influences. It was wild to hear them play music with distortion, but whenever Hansard's powerful vocals would show up, I knew I was in very good hands. He had this amazing voice that would take over everything in the best way possible.

After Eddie Vedder made the soundtrack for "Into The Wild" I was fortunate enough, again, to see him play live at the Fox here in Saint Louis. I was already hyped for the show, and then I read that Glen Hansard was going to be the opener, and he was going to be playing solo, acoustic versions of his work. This made me even more hype. I made sure that the people I was going with knew that we had to see Hansard perform that night, and boy am I glad they obliged. He was magnetic. He was playing the guitar he used in "Once" and it was a glorious opening set. Hansard played for about 45 minutes and hit every song I wanted to hear him play with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. He even joined Vedder for some songs and they played very well together. I remember leaving that show and being in a wonderful mood. Vedder is a superstar, but getting to see Hansard in that way in such a prestigious venue, that is another show I will never forget.

I don't know all the details of what happened, or how the accident occured, but I do know that his passing has made me very sad this morning. He was so young, still in his 50's. I'm sure he was still making music. I am going to have to go out and find what he made before his untimely and tragic death. I am going to miss him very much, and I didn't know him at all. I was, and still am, just a big fan of his work.

Rest In Peace Glen Hansard. I know you are plucking your guitar wherever you may be right now. 

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never On "The Prestige"

I am still trying to find a time that works for my wife and I to go see “The Odyssey”. We have two kids, one wants to see it, the other has zero interest. We also don’t necessarily have a babysitter, so we rely on grandparents. The problem there, they want to see it too. So, in lieu of going to see “The Odyssey”, we still plan on it, we decided to go back and watch the Christopher Nolan movies we have yet to see.

This week we watched “The Prestige”. This one has been on my list for a long while now. My wife knew of it, but she has never really brought up rather she wanted to see it or not. I know that RD really likes this movie. He’s told me this before. So, we had our date night on Friday, it was my pick and I chose “The Prestige”.

Right off the bat, this movie rules. I was in from moment one. I was telling my wife after watching that I never thought I’d care about magicians as much as I did while watching this movie. I thought the story, the way it unfolded and the twist were all pretty damn perfect. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, spoiler alert for a 20 year old movie, do excellent work playing dual roles. Jackman gets to be serious and funny in this movie. As The Great Danton, he is as much a workhorse as there is in the magic industry. He’s an obsessive who wants nothing more than to be the best. But as Root, he gets to play a drunken buffoon who used to be a viable actor. He was great. Christian Bale plays twin brothers, but we don’t find that out until the end. He gets to be himself, but two versions. And the way this all unfolds at the end is so gratifying. I would have gone nuts if I didn’t know what was coming. Bale pulls off the twin brothers wonderfully. He’s such a good actor. Michael Caine plays an advisor of sorts to both of the magicians. I can see why Nolan puts Caine in a bunch of his movies. He’s so reliable and so good at his job. He was wonderful, as per usual, in this movie. David Bowie plays Tesla, and Andy Serkis plays his assistant. Bowie is great, and kind of perfectly cast. He got to play a weirdo, which is fitting. I always forget than Serkis can play real people, but when he does he usually puts out some solid work. Rebecca Hall plays one of Bale’s twin brothers wife, and she does a bang up job. She gets to do a lot of dramatic stuff and she really nails it. I forgot how good of an actor she can be. Piper Perabo is barely in the movie, as Danton’s wife, not she’s memorable. She gives him his magician name and dies a tragic death that kind of sets the whole movie in motion. Scarlett Johansson gets the bulk of screen time as the assistant and love interest of both magicians. Johansson is a real talent and it was so easy to see she was going to be a big time star, even back then. She rules. And for Nolan, to adapt this work to the screen, he is a wizard. Again, this movie made me care about magicians. I found myself rooting for each at different moments. I loved the “montage” type stuff he put in the movie. He knows how to make a damn watchable movie. And to give one of the twin brothers the final line of, “abracadabra” was genius.

I adored this movie. I wish I’d seen it sooner without knowing the main twist. I highly recommend checking it out if you’ve never seen it, or going back and rewatching if you haven’t seen it in awhile. “The Prestige” rules. I’m stoked I can mark this one as seen on my list now.

Ty

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

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Better Never Than Late on "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot"

When I was younger I loved Kevin Smith's movies. That has never really changed for me. But as I have gotten older, his newer stuff has kind of fallen by the wayside. Growing up I adored "Clerks", "Dogma", "Chasing Amy" and "Mallrats". I would list those as some of my favorite movies. I never watched "Jersey Girl". I wanted to see "Cop Out", but it got awful reviews. I was always curious about his Superman movie that was possibly in the works in the late 90's/early 2000's. I even went to see "Clerks 2" when it came out in the theaters. But one movie that I unequivocally liked, and never deemed a "guilty pleasure", was "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back".

This movie was endlessly quotable for me. I used to watch it over and over again. I loved all the cameos and how funny I thought it  was at the time. Besides "Clerks" and "Dogma", "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" was third in line as my favorite Kevin Smith movie.

Kevin Smith grew up and started making different stuff. I get it, he wanted to try his hand at different things. I remember seeing "Tusk" and being grossed out, but interested. I never saw "Yoga Hosers", but some people I know who saw it said it was scary and funny. He had a role in the criminally underrated and bizarre "Southland Tales". He has tried to branch out, but it hasn't been the stuff I grew to like from him. And that is all well and good. People get older, have kids and want to try something else. I totally get it.

The other day I was searching for streaming movies and came upon the "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot". This definitely piqued my interest. As I said before, I adore the first movie about these two characters, I have always liked the Jay and Silent Bob dynamic, and I figured it would be a good nostalgia trip for me to watch this movie that came out in 2019.

Boy was I wrong.

This movie is bad. I hate to dump on stuff on the site here. I feel like that is all the internet is becoming now, but man oh man was this movie not good at all. It was retread joke after retread. It moved slowly and it was boring. Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith are much too old to be playing these characters anymore. I yell at my podcasts that I listen to when a 50 year old says stuff like, "LET'S GO", or they call someone "unc". That was all this movie was for me. It felt like two dudes just trying to capture what worked over 25 years ago, but they just got old and this makes them look silly.

I read that Smith wanted to make something with Jay and Silent Bob because the first movie was when Mewes was at his worst with his addictions. That is all well and good and makes sense, but this was the wrong movie to make together. They did the whole thing of, "we are going to get the band back together", but it just felt hollow and like the worst kind of nostalgia grab.

Jason Lee returned, but he was playing his character from "Mallrats". Lee is far too old and far too good of an actor to act like he still lives in his mom's basement and is pining to go to the mall. Joey Lauren Adams and Ben Affleck return as Amy and Holden, which should have worked. But it was just a reason for Smith and Affleck to bury the hatchet, and talk on screen as their characters as to what makes being a parent so awesome, all the while adding dick and fart jokes. Shannon Elizabeth and Rosario Dawson return, but it is for one scene and it is all just to set up Smith's daughter, Harley Quinn, and her character. Fred Armisen and Molly Shannon are wasted in their one scene. Hell, this movie even has Johnny Bananas, who is most known for being on reality tv competition shows, just so he can say, I kid you not, "this is bananas".

I loathed this movie. It made me visibly upset. My son saw me watching the movie and he asked me why I was even watching it. I didn't have an answer for him. I understand that Smith has reached a level where he can make what he wants, and he wanted to do this movie after his heart attack. I understand that he wanted to make amends with some people close to him. This movie was well intentioned on paper, but man was it really, really bad on screen. They tried to tell a story of growing older and becoming a parent, but Jay and Silent Bob never actually grew up. They were still telling the same tired jokes and it frustrated me.

Smith's prime is past him and it bums me out to say that. I think maybe he should continue to make low budget horror movies. If this was his attempt to return to the top and make these characters important again, he badly missed the mark. I watched this movie so now you don't have to. Skip this one. Save yourself the time. 

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never on "Heathers"

As a kid I used to hear a ton about the movie "Heathers". I'm pretty sure it is/was one of my brothers favorite movies. But I used to hear all three of my older brothers talk about it incessantly. They would go on and on, quote it a ton and rewatch it constantly. But I never got around to it. I don't know if I was too young or deemed myself too cool at the time, but I never saw the movie until last night.

One of my brother's, the one who lives in town, kept telling me that I had to see it. He told me how much he thought I would like it. He gives me recommendations all the time, and for the most part, he is right on the money. But "Heathers" never found its way to my tv. But with my wife being out of town on a work trip, and my kids being too cool to hang out with me at night now, I decided that last night was a perfect time to watch.

From what I knew about the movie, as mentioned above, I figured I was in for your typical late 80's comedy. I thought it would be goofy and I would have some fun with the movie. But what I saw was the exact opposite, and I am here to say, "Heathers" is a classic for a reason. This movie more than lived up to the hype for me.

What blew me away the most was how absolutely dark the movie ended up being. I did not expect this to be a story of suicide and murder and friendship and cliques all wrapped up in a movie that clocks in under two hours. Sure, "Heathers" has some high school movie trademarks, but it goes so much further beyond all of that. For instance, the opening scene to the movie centers around the lunchroom. The popular girls are all ther, the "Heathers", and they decide to play a prank on another girl. They give her a fake love note to entice her to talk to the star QB. All the while, Veronica, played by Winona Ryder, keeps checking in on JD, played by Christian Slater. I don't think they know one another, but they keep making eyes at each other. When the other girl approaches the QB, he laughs in her face and she storms out of the lunchroom. But then the football players head over to JD's table to mess with him. Sure, this may all seem like typical high school movie drama, but here is where it veers into a whole different direction. When the football players begin to bully JD, he makes some quips back at them, and then pulls out a humongous gun. I was shocked when I saw it. He fires the gun, but we quickly learn it was filled with blanks and JD gets suspended. Everyone is okay on the surface. But the movie just ramps it up from there. This is the lightest take they have on suicide, murder and death in this whole movie.

One of the Heather's bullies Veronica to go to a party, where a college guy tries to prey on Veronica. When she deflects his advances, Heather makes fun of her and makes her leave the party. She confides this to JD, and they decide to prank Heather, only JD is not in the mood for pranks anymore. They accidentally kill Heather by making her drink poison. And instead of confessing, they make it look like suicide. They do a similar thing to the football players. But during all of this, Veronica thinks no one will actually get hurt. JD, on the other hand, wants to, as he puts it, "cleanse" the school of cliques and bullies. He clearly takes it way too far. And this is the theme of the entire movie. I couldn't believe a movie from the 80's went to these lengths. It shocked me that they did, but shocked me in a good way.

Winona Ryder and Christian Slater are at the absolute top of their game. I was telling my brother about the movie this morning, and how awesome I thought it was, and he asked me about the chemistry with Ryder and Slater. It was off the charts. You could tell they enjoyed acting with one another. I read afterward that they supposedly were dating while on set, and that makes total sense to me.

I also finally got some context for some of the stuff my brothers used to say. My oldest brother always used to say, "F>$k me gently with a chainsaw" when I was younger. That's from this movie. When one of the football players dies, his dad exclaims, "I love my dead gay son". I have heard that used over and over again in movies and tv shows. I finally got some of the quotes. I wish that Big Fun was a real band, because the song that plays throughout the movie is cool as hell. The adults in this movie were so aloof and disinterested in their kids' lives, as I'm sure they were directed to be, and it worked.

I really liked "Heathers" quite a bit. I get why my brothers have been on me for so long to watch it. It was so good and I am so happy that I finally watched it. I definitely recommend checking it out if you've never seen 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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Physical Media Lives Again

Earlier today I took my 14 year old to sell some of my dad's old CDs. He had no use for them, I don't own a CD player and my son strictly listens to Spotify. I got rid of my CDs almost a decade ago. I do own and buy vinyl now, but that is simply because I want to be as cool as my brothers and my friends. My son is all about digital media. That is what he likes, that is what this generation likes and I have to assume my daughter will be the same when she gets her phone next year.

So, going to V Stock, a local store that buys and sells old media, I figured there wouldn't be much of an inventory. I was very, very wrong. First off, my dad had a bunch of CDs to sell. There was a Rubbermaid full of CDs. I didn't think we'd sell that many, but there was only 1/10 of that bin left after we were done. That should have been my first clue that physical media is having a moment. But it wasn't until I walked around the store did I truly realize how much people still buy and collect older things.

V Stock was full of CDs, DVDs, Blu Rays, old collectible toys, older gaming systems, vinyl and they even had VHS', among other random nonsense. I immediately went to check out the vinyl. They had a solid selection, but it was a little too pricey for my blood. They did have some older, used records for a solid price, but there was no gold to be found. But it was the CD and DVD/Blu Ray selection that really blew my mind. They had so much. They had shelves stocked with them. They had Criterion Collection Blu Rays. They had a whole DVD section that was strictly classic movies. They had Marvel and DC movies on their own end caps. They had a whole section of TV series on DVD. I remember buying those up when it was the only option.

The CD section was, possibly, the biggest section in the store. And they had old, new, used and special CDs in the store. They had rare stuff. They had a bunch of live CDs for sale. They had stuff in alphabetical order, but much like the DVDs, they also had certain CDs in their own special section of the store. I saw a bunch of Black Keys CDs, both new and old, and I have, at one time in my life, owned every single one of them. I even thought that maybe they had some of my old ones there for sale.

The VHS section had me floored too. First off, I remember when VHS went the way of the dodo. I remember getting rid of them and not even being all that sad. But V Stock had a bunch of them for sale today. They even had the old puffy Disney VHS boxes. I have not seen those in years. I know some people collect those, so if you're reading this, go check out V Stock now to get the puffy box VHS. I also really enjoyed the collectible toy section. They had them all sealed in bags, but you could still see what they were.

I saw a bunch of old He-Man toys that one of my brothers had. They had a bunch of "Thundercat" toys there. They were up to their ears in collectible Funko Pop toys. They had some from series or comic books that I have never even heard of before. Funko Pop toys are cool and all, but this place made them feel super special. It kind of blew me away to be honest with you all today.

I know that some people are really into physical media, but this really opened my eyes. I like that physical media is having a comeback. I hope it sticks around for a long time. I have really been happy to be collecting vinyl again. I love the artwork and all the added stuff records provide for the buyer. I've heard people talk about Blu Rays and Criterion discs, but it didn't really hit me how important this stuff is to collectors today. They had a Super Nintendo for sale today, and I kind of wanted to buy it just to play the games I used to play growing up.

While the trip to the mall and to V Stock today went on way longer than I expected, I was very happy with what I saw and witnessed this afternoon. Physical media has always had a place for a bunch of people, and right now it is having a moment. That makes me smile and I want to see it go on for a long, long time. 

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never on "They Will Kill You"

Yesterday I watched the movie "They Will Kill You". Let’s discuss.

I remember seeing a trailer for this movie sometime ago, and it intrigued me. I like these stylized, hyper violent movies that throw in some comedy. These movies are supposed to be "horror" movies, but even HBOMax called it a "horror/comedy". That made me even more interested. I had planned on going to see it in the theaters, but it came and it went pretty quickly. I thought maybe it was due to poor reviews, but the movie has a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is on the good side of fresh, according to their website.

So, after waiting a few days, I finally pressed play, and I found myself having a damn good time with this movie. "They Will Kill You" is fun, goofy, gory, bloody, over the top and hilarious. Everything I had heard about the movie was true. The people who wrote and directed this movie knew exactly what they were doing. The cast was all in as well. That was my biggest takeaway. When you have everyone buy into such a ridiculous premise, that is always a good sign to me. That means everyone seemed to be having a good time making the movie, and that definitely showed on screen.

The plot of the movie is pretty simple. A pair of sisters get separated, go their own ways and reunite so one sister can save the other. It's a story of family and violence. Zazie Beetz plays our lead, Asia Reaves. She is so awesome in this role. She knew the assignment and took it to the best possible level. I also read that she put in the work. She trained super hard, did a bunch of her own stunts and even learned how to properly wield an axe. There's a scene in which Beetz lights an axe on fire and goes on to decimate some of the people that live within the hotel that is our main set for the entirety of the movie. It was one of the raddest things I've ever seen. I also liked her quick backstory of how she learned to fight so well. She simply tells the person asking her how she learned to fight, and she simply says, "jail". I loved every second Beetz was on screen, and that was the entire movie. Myha'la plays her sister, Maria. She doesn't have as big a role, but she gets some solid jokes in there, and her final scene, where she wants some breakfast, is pretty perfect for a movie like this. Patricia Arquette plays the head maid in the hotel. She is an Irish lady who clearly has some kind of secret she's hiding. She may or may not have made a deal with Satan. That will be for you all to find out when you watch the movie. Arquette is having a moment right now, and she is doing some very cool, very different stuff that I am a big time fan of. Tom Felton, Heather Graham, David Viviers, Gabe Gabriel and Willie Ludok all play Arquette's minions in the movie. It was pretty rad to see Felton and Graham on screen again. I haven't seen them in anything in awhile, and they were more than up to task in this movie. They seemed to have a real good time making this. Paterson Joseph plays Arquette's husband, and he is tired and just wants out. I thought he did a really fantastic job in this movie. Overall, what I enjoyed a ton with this movie, they really went for it. They knew the premise was wild. They knew the gore was over the top. They knew that the fight scenes were going to be epic. And they absolutely ran with it.

I'm so glad that I turned this movie on and watched it yesterday. I had a total blast during the 90 minute runtime. I highly recommend this movie, especially to people who like horror/gore mixed with comedy. Beetz was so much fun to watch as well. I was already a fan of hers, but after seeing this, she is quickly becoming one of my favorites in the business. Check this movie 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 "Obsession"

My wife and I sat down last weekend and finally saw "Obsession". I figured it was time when RD told me how much he liked the movie. I'm going to do a review today, but it will be as spoiler free as possible. Please read ahead if you're thinking about seeing this movie because nothing will be exposed today.

I first heard about the movie right after I saw "Backrooms". I saw some posters for it at the theater I went to, but I never gave it much thought. It wasn't until I was looking for other movies to watch similar to "Backrooms" did "Obsession" really pop on my radar. I do think that the only true comparison for both of these movies is, they're in the horror genre, and both are directed by young kids who got their start on YouTube. Other than that, these are two different, and very good movies. That’s the first thing I want to say about "Obsession", this is a very scary and very well made movie. I do think it is scarier than "Backrooms". Where "Backrooms" is more creepy, "Obsession" is way more gory and has many more jump scares, which I have found that I have begun to like in certain horror movies. But you can tell with both movies that these young kids have a deft hand and should be making movies for a very long time. They have both proved that they belong and they will be around for as long as they want to make movies. The follow ups will tell a lot, but they have come out of the gate swinging.

What I liked about "Obsession" so much was how quickly they get into it. There's a little backstory just so we know the characters and why they are on the paths they're on. But when the male lead makes the wish, about 15-20 minutes into the movie, we are off and running. That was another thing I found I really enjoyed about this movie, the casting. I hadn't heard of anyone who was in the movie, except for Andy Richter, and he has a very minor part. The four main leads are young, working actors, but I wouldn't have been able to pick them out of a lineup before seeing this movie. Megan Lawless plays Sarah, and Cooper Tomlinson plays Ian. They're friends with our two main characters, Bear, played by Michael Johnston, and Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette. Sarah and Ian are co stars, but they do a ton with the time they have on screen. Ian is the life of the party and just wants to have a good time. He never takes anything too seriously, but when he does it may be a little too late. Sarah wants to be an artist and she has a crush on the male lead, which feels like it is not reciprocated. She has a wonderful scene with Nikki at a party that is at times funny and terrifying. Bear is a total pushover. He is meek and cowardly and stays that way pretty much throughout the movie. I grew to despise his actions, which I believe is the point, as the movie went on. And Nikki, she is thrust into a world that she wants nothing to do with, but it is out of her control. Navarrette gives a star turning performance. She should be considered for every award. The stuff she is able to do with facial expressions alone is haunting and so well done. She absolutely owned this movie and I'm certain she is going to get so much more work from this. The way she slips back and forth between two characters is mesmerizing. She has all the talent in the world and  she showed that in this performance. It is one for the ages. I was blown away by her work.

And the story, oh man does it get pretty crazy. The way the movie escalates all the way to the conclusion was a sight to behold. The movie heightens at a fast pace, but it is still able to tell the story that it wants to. I couldn't believe the stuff I was watching and I was on the edge of my couch for the entirety of the movie. I also appreciated that they put jokes in there from time to time just to cut the tension and ease up just a hair before scaring the hell out of me in the very next scene. The scene between Bear and Nikki at the nice restaurant is a masterful play of just how creepy vibes can get when something feels off.

"Obsession" is totally worth the hype. There's so much more I want to say, but I also want people to see it for themselves and draw their own conclusions. I want to hear what others think about the movie, and mainly, about the final scene and the stuff going on over the end credits. I highly recommend watching this movie. It is a good, scary and quality time wherever you may watch it. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Sam Neill

Sam Neill has passed away at the age of 78. I awoke to the news this morning and it really bummed me out. I don't know Sam Neill from much, but the things i know him from have had a tremendous impact on my life.

I first became aware of Neill in "Jurassic Park", as I assume most people my age did. He played Dr Alan Grant. This was a formative movie for me. Growing up I loved dinosaurs. So, the idea of a movie that brought dinos back was such a big deal for me. I believe my folks took me to see it on opening night, and it has stayed with me forever. My wife will tell most people that "Jurassic Park" is her favorite movie of all time. We rewatched it fairly recently, and as I have told many friends of mine, the movie is damn near perfect. And for me, Dr Grant is the best part of the entire movie. The dinos are cool, Laura Dern is amazing, Jeff Blodblum does some of his best work, this may be Wayne Knight's second best performance, behind Newman, but Neill is the best by leaps and bounds. From the start of the movie, where he is lecturing the punkass kid that tries him, to the end, where he is basically the 2 kids in the movie new father, Neill owns it. He is one of the first people to see the issues this park may have. He brings to light many of the problems. When he is there for the birth of the baby raptor, Neill plays all happy go lucky and terrified all within a five minute long scene. He owns every single second that he is in this movie. I took so many things away from this as a kid, and watching it as an adult, my biggest takeaway was how wonderful Sam Neill was in this role. He was an adult who never wanted kids, only wanted to study dinosaurs and have a loving relationship with Laura Dern. But he ends up being the one who helps the kids survive the night, shows that he can be a good role model for younger kids, and is ready to get off the mountain as soon as they are able. And although the sequels and remakes they made for "Jurassic Park" were all terrible, anytime Neill and Dern showed up, at least I knew there'd be a few good scenes in there.

The other movie that I adore that stars Sam Neill is "Hunt For The Wilderpeople". This movie kind of came out of nowhere for me, but after I saw it, I told everyone I could everything about it. The driving force for me at first behind this movie was Taika Waititi being the director. He is one of my favorite directors, especially when he is doing more indie style movies. Then I heard people talk about Julian Dennison and how good he is in the movie. He plays the lead role of Ricky Baker. He's a troublemaker who just needs the right people to watch over him. He gets adopted by a couple, played by Neill and Rima Te Wiata. Rima, the wife, really wants a kid and jumps at the opportunity to adopt. Neill wants to be left alone and left to go out and search the land they live on and near. But, spoiler alert, after the wife unexpectedly passes away, Neill and Dennison are forced to be together. The movie sings from there, and it is due to the performance of these two actors. Dennison is clearly a star, but Neill plays such a different role for him and he absolutely nailed it. He is a sweet curmudgeon. He doesn't want the kid there, but he needs a companion once his wife passes. He tries to ward off Dennison at every turn, but it is to no avail. And as he softens, the movie just gets better and better. I saw this movie a few months after my daughter was born, so I was a father to two. And Neill's performance really hit hard for me. This movie always makes me cry and it is because of the relationship that grows between Dennison and Neill. "Hunt For The Wilderpeople" is a movie that is somehow still slept on, and if you haven't seen it yet, remedy that and watch it in honor of Sam Neill.

I know he has done a ton of other stuff, but these two movies are the cream of the crop for me. I know I will go back and watch some of his other work that I have yet to see now. Movies like "Memoirs of an Invisible Man", "Possession" and "Jessica" are now on my list. My wife loved his turn on the series "The Tudors". And I just found a short called "Cinema Quarantine: Das Bad", that I may watch as soon as I am done writing this.

Sam Neill was a great actor, and it looked as if he was a nice, simple man who enjoyed a quiet, unassuming life. This is a true loss. I'm bummed by this. Sam Neill left an impact on me at two very different times in my life, and for that I will be forever indebted to him. Rest In Peace Sam Neill. You will be missed. 

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 "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die"

Of the seven movies I have watched this week, the one I'm writing about today may have been my favorite. "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie" was the funniest, and "Blackberry" was a nice surprise. But "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is the one I have thought about the most since watching it.

I have wanted to see this movie for some time now. I tried to see it in the theaters, but it came and went pretty fast. Then it was streaming, but it was something like twenty dollars to rent. But, there was a deal to rent the movie on Amazon this week for five bucks, so I decided now was the perfect time. And, as I said before, I really liked this movie quite a bit.

I'm a big Sam Rockwell fan, and he does some masterful work here in this movie. The short plot of this movie is, Rockwell shows up in a diner in modern time LA to warn everyone that always being on your phone causes an apocalyptic event and he is here to try and stop it. This is the whole first scene of the movie, which grabbed me right away, and the movie takes off from there. Rockwell absolutely owns every second that he is on screen in this movie. He is brash, mean, foul mouthed and clearly has a job that he needs to get done. Coming off his minor arc on the most recent season of "White Lotus", this role in this movie was almost too perfect for him. He crushes the whole time. I feel like they told him to just be a heightened version of himself.

As he is recruiting the rest of the team for this mission, this is where we meet the other main characters in this movie. Juno Temple plays Susan. She plays a grieving mother who may be getting information to join Rockwell's fight from a certain source. What I like about this movie is we get some breakaway scenes where we find out why these people are in the diner that night and why they eventually choose to help Rockwell. Temple's story is the saddest by far, but it also gives us a very good, very real understanding of why she is joining the fight. I also appreciate that Gore Verbinski, the director, tells a story of how numb Americans have become to school shootings. Temple's character arc focuses on this entirely. Haley Lu Richardson, who is basically the second lead, plays a character that is allergic to phones and wi-fi. Smart phones play a massive part in this movie. They may be the villain for all intents and purposes. I love that they are using those as the basis for why the apocalypse started. I feel like teenagers should be required to watch this simply for that reason alone. Haley Lu Richardson, as said before, is allergic to these devices. She grows to loathe them. She has a partner that is on her team for awhile, until he is not anymore. This was a nice reversal from her previous roles. She gets to have fun with this and she is right up there with Rockwell as far as her performance. I thought she was great. Michael Pena and Zazie Beetz play high school teachers. They have the funniest backstory. I found myself howling when they got their turn on screen. They are also kind at the starting moment of the whole world going nuts for their phones. Beetz is hilarious and I love that she keeps saying that teachers who aren't at the school anymore are on "sabbatical". It was great. Pena is terrified of the kids and he wants them off their phones. He gets a nice little hero turn and I thought he was the funniest of all. There are a few other members of the team, but the five I mentioned are the key players.

What made me so enamored with this movie was why they ended up where they did in the movie. Smartphones are becoming a real problem in the world. People are addicted to them. I see more people with their heads hunched over just staring at their phones. That is the inciting incident for this movie. People are so obsessed that they literally turn into zombies. Rockwell is hell bent on turning this all around, but he looks crazy, says he is from the future and takes people's phones and throws them in buckets of water. His costume in this movie is so rad. I kind of want to go as him for Halloween this year.

The best thing about the movie is all the twists and turns. Rockwell's character says something early on about how movies suck you in with the story, the problem and how you think it is all going to be wrapped in a nice, neat and happy bow. But that may or may not be the case with this movie. This is not a spoiler, but the way the movie ended floored me. I did not see it coming and that made me like this movie even more. I wished I had seen it in the theater, but at least I watched it on streaming.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone. As I said before, I do think it should be mandatory for teenagers to watch. But I also highly suggest that people who like Sam Rockwell watch it. "Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die" is a fun time traveling apocalyptic movie. It tells a good story with some very excellent performances from solid actors. Check 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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Better Late Than Never on "Blackberry"

I mentioned during my review of "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie" yesterday that I streamed another movie simply because Matt Johnson was the director and co-star. That movie was "Blackberry", and it was pretty damn good.

RD had mentioned this movie to me a long time ago and told me that I should watch it. I kept putting it off for a bunch of reasons. The main one being that I didn't think I was going to be interested in a movie about the rise and fall of the Blackberry Phone. I never had one of them. I believe RD had one, maybe it was a Palm Pilot. Either way, he has always been more on top of technological trends than I have. But this movie has been on my list for some time, and I'm glad that I finally pressed play Tuesday night.

This was a very good, very well told story and it was pretty damn funny. I should have known it was going to be good because it has Johnson's name all over it. The movie stars Jay Baruchel as the co creator and co CEO of the company. It starts out as Research In Motion, but soon changes to Blackberry. Johnson plays the co creator of the company and phone. Glenn Howerton plays the co CEO of Blackberry, eventually. Howerton first has a job at a sales company, and Johnson and Baruchel got to pitch their idea to him. He pushes them aside at first, but then he figures out a way he can sell their phone. When the three of these actors get together, this is when the movie really takes off. Seeing the growth and the heights that Blackberry reached in the late 90's and early 2000's was fascinating to me. I thought Baruchel did a fantastic job in his role. He was the quiet genius who knew what to do in almost any situation. But he was also very introverted and almost too nice. He was super Canadian, and it showed. Johnson was the fun guy in the office. He set up movie nights and got the staff to do the work. He knew all kinds of quotes from movies and would quote them endlessly. He made this hard job fun for the other employees. He knew they were giving up a ton to be there, but he believed in the vision. He was also incredibly smart and knew how to build phones and make them better. Howerton plays a badass boss who will go to any lengths to make the company successful. He is no nonsense and mean. This was not a total departure, Dennis Reynolds is a sociopath, but Howerton does little to no comedy in this role. He is mean, brash and an egomaniac. He also knows how to sell product, how to move it and how to get people to go the extra mile for his company. He did do some shady stuff, as most CEO's do. But he never stopped trying to make Blackberry a massive and major company. There is a moment in this movie, where Howerton gives a very angry monologue, and he screams something about being in "Waterloo, where the Vampires hang out". I was laughing and terrified at the same time. It was very Dennis Reynolds coded, but more mean than anything Reynolds does on "Always Sunny".

What separated this movie from other fictional biographies, it moved very quickly and it had a bunch of jokes. Sure, they did the typical stuff that these movies do, but they did it better. Johnson has a deft hand when directing, but he also has his place as an actor. He is very talented and I'm glad he is now on my radar. But don't sleep on Howerton or Baruchel. They both do very good work in roles that aren't their typical stuff. This movie showed a different side of these two actors and I'm here for it.

I cannot recommend "Blackberry" enough. I was floored at how much I liked it. I almost turned it on again today, but decided to do some housework. Maybe now that I'm done I'll watch it again. And if you haven't seen it yet, remedy that and watch it immediately. You will love it. 

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 "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie"

While my wife and daughter are out of town I have been watching a bunch of movies, and you all will be getting some reviews of certain ones over the next couple of days. My son has been hanging out with his friends, so that gives me a few hours each night at home to watch whatever I want. It's glorious. To fill that time I'm catching up on movies I missed in the theaters that I wanted to see. The first one I watched, and my son watched the last 40 minutes with me, was "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie".

Now, I have never seen the stuff these two guys, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarroll, did prior to this. I had never heard of them in fact. But I heard really good things about this movie, and when RD told me he watched it on a plane recently, and also told me that I didn't really have to see what they did before, and that he liked it, that was enough for me to rent it on Amazon and watch.

I absolutely loved this movie. I get all the good reviews now. This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in quite some time. I believe me laughing is what convinced my son to saunter out of his room and see what was so funny.

The plot of the movie is pretty simple. McCarroll and Johnson start out as young kids with a dream, they grow up not fulfilling that dream, they kind of do their own thing and Johnson inadvertently creates a time machine after rewatching "Back to the Future". The time machine aspect is the driving force in the second act of the movie. This is where we really dig into the plot. But the first act made me laugh the hardest. Seeing Johnson and McCarroll do their comedy bits was hilarious for me. They do bits that incorporate real people on the street. And it works. But they also had to do a ton of camera tricks in this movie as well. There's no way they actually went to the top of the CN Tower and jumped off it trying to get into the dome where the Blue Jays play their home games. That would be suicidal if they did that. But the way they filmed it and put it on screen, it sure looked real. The shots from the top of the CN Tower made my knees buckle when I was watching it. And seeing them jump off, and land on the dome as it fully closed, that terrified me. And I have to assume that none of that was real. But they pulled it off.

The whole idea of the jump was to spark up interest in the show they were trying to perform at a local Toronto venue called The Rivoli. The Rivoli gets mentioned a ton from start to finish. But they wanted to draw up interest by doing the jump from this establishment so they could perform live there. When the jump doesn't work, they have to walk home and they get stuck in a bad storm. Unaffected by this, Johnson starts to come up with a new plan, the time machine plan, as soon as they walk in the door. McCarroll is turned off by this and he decides he is going to do an open mic by himself in Ottawa. He wakes up early the next day to take the winnebago they have and do this show. He doesn't know that Johnson fell asleep in the van the night before. And when McCarroll hits 88 mph they miraculously jump back in time. They head back to that date when they're young and full of hope and potential.

This is where the movie really takes off. This is when it went from good to great for me. A bunch of stuff happens. They're so inept at time travel that they seem to make mistake after mistake. They never seem to get it right. Even when one of them gets a chance at real fame, they find a way to screw it up. And it is so funny all along the way. I love how they were able to add shots from 18 years ago that looked so real still to this day. McCarroll has this quietness to him that I related to as a viewer. He is upset with Johnson's antics, but he sticks by his side, until he doesn't. Johnson is a star in my eyes. He is so funny and charismatic and so fun to watch on screen. He was my main reason for wanting to watch this and his performance did not disappoint. He was so good that I watched another movie this week, which I will be writing about later on during the week, simply because he directed and co-starred in it.

"Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie" is an absolute home run for me. I thought it was hilarious and I thought that Jay McCarroll and Matt Johnson made something truly unique and hilarious. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Go check it out immediately and be ready to get a very good chuckle while watching this movie. 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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Better Never Than Late on "Vivarium"

After seeing, and quite thoroughly enjoying "Backrooms", I have been on the search for movies with a similar vibe. One movie that kept popping up on some lists related to my search was "Vivarium". I had never heard of it, but it had Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg. That was more than enough for me. But, if it was anything like "Backrooms", I figured I was in for a treat. I found it streaming on Vizion On Demand for free and turned it on yesterday.

Before I get fully into my review, the movie does have a similar feel as "Backrooms". It is creepy and sinister and dark and slow in certain parts. But that is pretty much where the similarities end. While this movie has a good idea and good actors attached, it is nowhere near the level of "Backrooms". I found the movie to be weird for the sake of weird, and way more boring than anything else. Eisenberg and Poots are up to the task in their roles, but the writing and direction feels slightly lacking in my opinion.

The whole idea of the movie centers around Poots and Eisenberg, a young couple, looking for a new place to live together. They want to start a life with one another and they figure the first step is getting an apartment together. They can't find anything until one day when they stumble into an office building that is selling homes in a new and upcoming developmental neighborhood. The person working at the office building is weird and pushy, but he is intent on getting this young couple to look at one of the homes. He gets them there, shows them around, mimics Poot's character very weirdly and all of the sudden disappears. The couple cannot find a way out of the development, and they keep ending up back at the home, number 9. Every house looks the same, the roads look the same and no one else seems to live there. They try to follow the sun to get out, they write on the roof of the home for help, they try to dig their way out, they even try to burn the home down. Nothing works, and all the worse, the home is unaffected by whatever they do to it. They wake up one day to a baby and a note. The note tells them to take care of the baby and they will be released. The kid is a nightmare and forces the couple to grow to resent one another. Eisenberg becomes obsessed with his hole, Poots tries to play mom and the kid just gets worse and worse.

This all feels like a well thought out idea, but the movie tends to go off the rails far too much. The kid is loud and obnoxious, but never really scary. Eisenberg and Poots do their best to show this couple growing apart, but it was easy to see this coming from the start. The effects and underworld they created for this movie are fine, but you can see this in any other sci-fi movie. And the biggest discrepancy for me, the movie is never all that scary. "Backrooms" did a great job of making us feel like we were living in the space created for the movie. It was creepy and unsettling. The music was perfect for the atmosphere they created. The actors knocked it out of the park. "Vivarium" tried their best to do this before "Backrooms", but it wasn't the same. I wonder if I had seen this before "Backrooms" would I have a different feeling? But that is not the case, and I'm going to be comparing a lot of sci-fi psychological thrillers to "Backrooms" from here on out. I would like to point out that I did think Imogen Poots did prove that she can be a leading actor in movies moving forward. She did a very good job with less than stellar direction and writing to work with in this movie. And sometimes, being weird just to be weird doesn't always work out. The movie just kind of ended and it felt hollow to me. I tried to read a bunch of stuff to wrap my head around it, but everyone has a different theory and they are all over the place.

If you liked "Backrooms" I'd say skip "Vivarium". It just didn't work all that well for me, and it is nowhere near the level of other really good sci-fi movies in my opinion.

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 "Backrooms"

I was able to go see "Backrooms" on Monday, and I have some thoughts about it.

I have wanted to see this movie since I first heard about it a few months back. I saw a trailer before some other A24 movie I went to see and it intrigued me. Then I heard some more things about it that stoked the fires even more for me.

I heard that it was directed by a 20 year old that was found on YouTube. I saw that they had cast Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve in the lead roles. I am a fan of A24 and will watch most of their stuff. And I heard it was creepy, but in more of a psychological way. Those are the kind of "horror" movies I tend to enjoy. I don't like gore porn or jump scare movies. I am also not the biggest fan of traditional horror movies. There's just something that fascinates me when it comes to psychological horror/drama movies. The underlying creepiness compels me. It is why I am able to watch stuff like "Hereditary" or "Bring Her Back". Sure, these movies are very creepy, and can be haunting, but they are more of a mind f than anything else, and I prefer those types of "horror" movies. "Backrooms" definitely falls into that territory for me as a movie goer. Don't get it twisted though, this movie is scary. But it is more in the details and the threat of what could happen in this scenario.

I have later learned that this movie is based on a YouTube series that I have yet to see. I plan on watching the series now that I've seen the movie, but that is for another day. I was happy to know only the very little that I told you all up top going into this movie. You should go in as blind as possible if you have not seen this movie yet, and my review will be spoiler free by the way. That's the ideal way to experience this movie in my opinion.

"Backrooms" was a fascinating watch for me. I was on edge the entire time, but in the best possible way. Watching it all unfold was at times scary, frustrating, compelling and overall exciting. I sat on my Letterboxd review for a while because I couldn't figure out how many stars to give it. In the end I settled on three and a half. That felt proper to me. There are moments, the movie is about an hour and 50 minutes long, that I thought could have been cut. I understand why these certain scenes were left in the movie, but I also think we would have been fine if they were a little shorter, or gone from the final cut completely. I don't know if we need all the flashbacks with Reinsve's character. And maybe they only needed one scene in the therapist's office. But that may just be me. But the rest of the movie was compelling. And scary. The opening sequence itself, which was tremendous table setting, had me on edge. It was spooky and left me wanting to see what was going to happen next. The use of sound was exceptional. It was loud and soft at the appropriate times. When I needed to be spooked by something, the music cues helped me out. I thought they did a wonderful job in that area. Ejiofor and Reinsve were up to the task. When they had to monologue, they crushed it. When they had to step back for the others to shine, they did well in that regard too. Those two are solid, seasoned actors, and they showed that tenfold in these roles. And Kane Parsons seemed to have a deft hand as a director. He may be young, but this kid has an up and coming career. My son asked if the direction was good, and I told him it felt like a real movie directed by a real director. There was nothing that stood out as bad or over the top. This kid knows what he is doing behind the camera and it showed on screen.

I recommend this movie to fans of the genre. If you want to be creeped out, but also have a mind f, go see "Backrooms". I'm very curious to see what Kane Parsons does next. But for now, he came out of the gate swinging and I thought he had a pretty solid first attempt. 

Ty

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

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