Is the New "Animal Farm" Movie for Kids?

I wrote about the movie "GOAT" that I saw with my son earlier this week. Before the movie we had some previews and one stood out to me, and I fear it is for the wrong reasons.

"GOAT" is clearly a movie for kids, so the previews were movies geared towards kids. During one of the trailers I saw a bunch of animals talking and acting like animals from the book "Animal Farm". But I figured that couldn't be the case. "Animal Farm", the book, is pretty bleak. I've read it a few times and it gets bleaker the older I get. I need to say, I love the book. I think everyone should read it once in their life. I feel it is very relevant to society today. I mentioned to my son multiple times during the preview that I think he should read the book to get the true idea of its meaning. So the whole idea of turning this very important, very bleak story into a kids movie rubbed me the wrong way.

As the preview rolled out it almost seemed like they were trying to make it a comedy. The preview had the beats of the book, but it was all being told in a goofy, funny tone. The pigs were making jokes. The other animals were laughing and goofing off. The animation made it look very child-like. They even had the line, "two legs bad, four legs good". But it sounded as if they had a child say it in voiceover.

That is not the lesson I got from the book when I read it. The book is all about standing together to overthrow the bad guys, but then turning into said bad guys when you get power. It is the good and bad of having power. The book tells that story and tells it very well. The pigs are, spoiler alert, the bad guys. They start the revolution, but when they are given the power they get too fat off of it. The book shows you the downside of being in total control. This preview makes a joke of all of that in my opinion. I have mild optimism because Andy Serkis is directing, and the voice cast is great, led by Seth Rogan. But I got a very weird vibe from what I saw. I just can't wrap my head around it.

I've wanted an "Animal Farm" movie for a long, long time. But I want it to stay true to the book. I don't care if it is animated or live action either. Animated might be better since the animals speak to one another throughout the book. But this version has thrown me for a loop. I am kind of hopeful that the preview is just a misdirect. I doubt it since they showed it before a kids movie. And that is what has me most pessimistic. I don't think studios would have attached this to the movie "GOAT" if they weren't going for the same audience. "Animal Farm" should fall into the category of "Heavy Metal" or "Fritz the Cat". You can make animated movies for adults. It has been done in the past. And that is what they should be doing with "Animal Farm". They can have this same cast. As I mentioned, I love that Andy Serkis is directing. He has made one hell of a career for himself, but he is doing more drama/action stuff. Serkis doesn't seem like the type to do kids movies. But I am a little worried that they're going to sully the greatness that is the book. I could just choose to not see the movie. I don't have to even go to the theater. But I like all of the people involved, and it is one of my all time favorite books. Like I said before, I hope they are not revealing much of anything in these early previews, and they are going to make a more true to the book movie.

Time will tell. but right now I'm a little concerned that they're going to take this excellent book, about the corruption of power, and try to make a joke out of it. That would bume me the hell 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 "The Batman"

I have just returned from my second in person theater experience since the pandemic started. I went to see "The Batman" by myself at a vax only show this afternoon. It was me, two other people by themselves and one couple. It was about as safe as I have felt inside an enclosed building in two years. I also really wanted to see this movie, so I found a way to make it work. I am at a point now where, to actually go inside a theater, it has to be a movie I really, really want to see, and I did not want to wait for it to stream. "Nope" fits that bill, and so did "The Batman".

Leading up to the movie I watched all the trailers, I like the actors, I like the director and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I'm usually a MCU guy, but Batman has always held a spot in my heart. I am pretty sure I have seen all the Batman movies, I used to watch the Adam West show, and I have even seen some of the campy movies they made with West. And as previously stated, I am a fan of the actors that were cast in this movie. I have pretty much enjoyed everything that I have seen Robert Pattison star in post "Twilight".

Getting to my thoughts on “The Batman” I think Pattison did a very good job as the lead in this movie. He brought a more emo version to the screen of Batman. He also used a lower toned voice, but it was not on the level of Christian Bale. He was also in shape, but not overly in shape. He actually looked like a somewhat regular ass person in this movie. I liked his take on the character. Zoe Kravitz was amazing as Catwoman. I think she might have been the best actor in the movie. She was very confident and calm and really held it together. I also like how she did not alternate her voice at all, or say any ridiculous cat puns. I truly adored Andy Serkis as Alfred. Serkis is a good actor, and to let him play actual people, not motion capture people or monsters or apes, seems to work. He was great as Klaue, and he was great in "The Batman". Jeffrey Wright is the consummate actor and professional and he was tremendous as Commissioner Gordon. I am a fan of his. I like John Turturro, but he felt a little overused here. He was important to the plot, but they could have cut a scene or two of his. I liked what they did with Colin Farrell as the Penguin, I just wanted more. He was hardly in the movie. Farrell went for it, and I was in, but he was only in a few scenes. I will watch the show that they have reported to be making about him on HBO Max.

Out of the main cast, Paul Dano hit an absolute homerun. He was terrifying. He was insane. He used social media, and the director and writers also did a great job of portraying how evil social media can be. Dano is almost too good at playing creeps. He legitimately frightened me in this role. The scenes where he films his criminal acts is downright stomach churning. I was terrified of him and his actions. That is the sign of an actor doing a phenomenal job.

I do think Matt Reeves did a fine job of directing. I liked this movie. I found myself invested. I wanted to see what was going to happen next. This is not a superhero movie, it is a crime drama, and I like that. But I did think it could have been a bit shorter. There were some cuts I would have made, but I am not a director. Also, the fight scenes were amazing, so Reeves crushed that component.

All in all though, I found this movie to be very okay. It was a very solid viewing experience. I'm glad I ventured to a theater and saw it on the big screen. It was worth it. I recommend "The Batman", but know going in that it is three hours long and it feels three hours long. But if you can deal with sitting around, go see this movie. It was solid.

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 "Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage"

This past Saturday my wife and I did our weekly date night. It was her turn to pick the movie and she went with "Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage". We actually bought it on Amazon. There was no other option. And it was not as expensive as going to an actual theater. So we now own this movie. Take that any way you'd like to.

I remember watching the first "Venom" movie and thinking it was not good, but it was fun. It was a fun bad movie. There is a difference between a bad movie and a fun bad movie. Fun bad movies are goofy and enjoyable and you can make fun of them while watching and talk to other people who feel the same way. A bad movie is just bad. There is no joy. No fun. No goofing on it with people. Bad movies are tedious and blah. If you'd like an example, "The Room" is a fun bad movie. "Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is simply a bad movie. Unfortunately "Venom 2" is a bad movie.

I really tried with "this movie. As I said, I found the first one semi enjoyable. But this one, it tried too hard to be cheesy. They leaned into the "friendship" between Venom and Eddie Brock far too much. In the first "Venom" it was crazy when they started acting friendly and having legitimate conversations with one another. In this sequel it seems as if they forced the friendship. The first scene with Brock and Venom was crazy. Brock is talking to a detective and when he doesn't get the assignment he wants, Venom pops out of his back and attempts to eat the detective. Brock pulls himself into a bathroom and he and Venom have a full on conversation about their set of "rules". Brock goes as far as to grab part of Venom's tentacles like hands to calm him down. It was insane. And it only got crazier from there. The way Venom and Brock live is nuts. The apartment is a mess. Brock complains all the time. So does Venom. Apparently Venom is sick and tired of eating chocolate and chicken brains. Venom wants human brains. Brock is not on board with this.

Also you have to remember, this movie has Academy Award nominated and winning actors. Tom Hardy is Brock and the voice of Venom. He tries, but he does not do well. Michelle Williams is the former fiance who has moved on, but she is barely in the movie. And when she is, she is a cliche superhero's ex. She says some of the corniest written lines. Woody Harrelson plays Carnage, and it is cool to see him play a bad guy, a villain, but he chews so much scenery. It is too much. If he had toned down the wackiness by 1/4 it could have been great. But he went too far and did too much. And they hardly used the Shriek character in this movie. She could have added great depth, but they kept her on the sideline, and that was a bummer. Also, Andy Serkis' direction was kind of clunky. There were odd cuts. I already mentioned the misuse of Williams and hardly using Shriek. And he let Harrelson and Hardy riff and go too far over the edge. It seemed like he wanted to make a comedy or a drama. He couldn’t pick one or the other. It was frustrating.

I really wanted to enjoy "Venom 2" like I did with "Venom". I went in expecting it to not be good, but to be fun bad. Unfortunately for me it was just bad. If you want to watch it, or you have an urge to watch every MCU or DC or any superhero movie, watch it. Maybe there are things I missed because I have never read the comics. But for me, "Venom 2" was a total misfire. That bummed me out.

Ty

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

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