Some Praise for Chase Infiniti and Jesse Plemons

I know that the Oscar nominations came out about a week ago and a bunch of people and publications have done their own writeups on them. I know some have their "snubs and surprises", and others have their own way of saying the same thing. I don't really pour over whom or who did not get nominated. There's only a certain number of nominations that go out and only those people are who the voting committee gets to pick the nominees. That's just the way it is. But I do want to point out two people who, regardless of getting no nominations, I think people should seek out the movies they are in to watch some incredible work.

The first one I will focus on today is Chase Infiniti and the work she did in "One Battle After Another". It's no secret to anyone who reads my stuff that "OBAA" was my favorite movie of last year. It is one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. The performances make the movie what it is in the long run, but Infiniti may have stolen the show for me. She was amazing. She shows up about halfway through the movie and when she is onscreen she is the best part of every scene. She goes toe to toe with each and every scene she's in with Leonardo DiCaprio. He plays her dad and she is so, so good as a brooding teenager having to deal with an overprotective and all the frustrations that come with all of that. The scene where her friends come to pick her up and DiCaprio has to deal with all of that is funny and relevant. That is how I imagine I will react when my daughter inevitably starts hanging out with kids I don't know. And as much as I relate to DiCaprio in this scene, Infiniti steals the show from him. And the whole thing between her and Sean Penn is simply wonderful. She is the most powerful one onscreen at that time and she owns the scene. And the whole finale with her and the car chase is one of the most amazingly shot scenes I've ever seen, and Infiniti does such good work and she barely has to say anything. Chase Infiniti stood above the crowd in a movie filled with stone cold stars and up and comers who did get Oscar nominations. She was so awesome and when the movie ended my first thought was how great the work she did in this movie and that I want to see what she does next more than anyone else in this superb movie.

The other performance I wanted to single out was Jesse Plemons in "Bugonia". Emma Stone was rightfully nominated, and if she were to win, that wouldn't shock me one bit. She is the driving force and lead actor of the movie and she is so reliable that I expect her to shine. Plemons is right there with her in this movie though. Stone and Plemons were in Yorgos Lanthimos' previous movie, "Kinds of Kindness". They did some good stuff in that movie, but that was also a very odd and disjointed movie. I liked it, but it was a tough watch and there was almost too much going on in it. "Bugonia" is a much more focused movie and Stone and Plemons only had to play one character. And they both nailed it. Plemons is so good at playing a quiet psychopath. My buddy I saw the movie with said to me that he may be a little too good at playing these types of characters and then we had a full on conversation about Plemons and if he really is like the people he plays in real life. In "Bugonia" he is your typical internet obsessed crazy person who "does their own research". He claims to know who and who is not an alien amongst humans. He drags his cousin along on his wild fantasy. He drags everyone down to his level. He is the main one behind the whole kidnapping and questioning of Stone's character. The way he talks and deals with Donny frustrated me to no end. He was manipulative and acted like what he was doing was for all of humanity, when it really it was all about him. But, in the end, maybe he was right. Plemons was so pathetic and destructive that you are meant to think he is nuts. And while he is, he did kind of know what was going down, he just went about it in the absolute wrong way. As for being psychotic, Plemons nailed that as well. The way he could just switch his crazy on and off was wild. He was truly all the way gone and Plemons showed that tenfold in this performance. I think he was up to Stone's level in this movie and they both did some incredible work.

That was all I wanted to say about these two performances. While they may have not been nominated for any Oscars, go seek out these movies for these performances if you haven't yet. It is some of the better work you will see and the performances will stay with you for a long, long while. 

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 "Bugonia"

I went to see "Bugonia" yesterday. I have wanted to see this movie ever since I saw a teaser trailer maybe four or five months ago. Let’s discuss.

I am a Yorgos Lanthimos fan. I think he makes thought provoking movies and he always seems to do something interesting and unique with each new movie he directs. I have also really liked the pairing of Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone in his movies. I don't like to use this word because it feels gross to me, but she is something of his "muse". She has been in a bunch of his work, winning an Oscar for "Poor things", and from what I have read she seems pretty comfortable working with him. I feel like she gives it her all in his movies, and in return, Lanthimos gives her some juicy roles. As for Plemons, I believe the first thing he did with Lanthimos was "Kinds of Kindness". That is an odd and long movie, but it is different from anything else he has done, and after I finished it some months back, I thought about it for a long time. And that movie is Plemons movie. He is the star, at least in my eyes, of all three acts. And he absolutely delivers. Plemons is an odd dude himself, and he thrives at playing weirdos. After watching "Bugonia" yesterday, my buddy I went to see it with said that he wishes Plemons didn't play similar characters in his work, but he is so good at it, and he should just keep playing this same role time and again. He has found what works for him, and Lanthimos feeds into his work. And Plemons plays a straight up weirdo in this movie.

The short plot summary of "Bugonia" is about two cousins who look at the internet way too much and decide they need to kidnap the owner of a high powered company because they believe her to be an alien. Plemons plays Teddy. He clearly has some issues with his past and he had a weird relationship with his mom. I'm going to be spoiler free the rest of the way. Plemons let his hair grow long and didn't shave for this role. That helps him in portraying this sad sack of a person who thinks what he is doing is right and everyone else is wrong. He is fully committed to his beliefs, and if anyone tries to stray or question him, he is ready for a fight. It was kind of disturbing to see him do this role because, as unfortunate as it is nowadays, there are people who actually think and act like him. It is upsetting when someone buys into conspiracy theories full bore. They see no other way, and Plemons nails that. His cousin Don is played by newcomer Aidan Delbis. He is autistic and believes that Teddy only wants what is best for him. Even when he questions what Teddy is doing, he is quick to apologize and take all the blame, Don is the only person in this movie worth rooting for. He has a good heart, he is just being led by the wrong person. I felt for Don and wished he had a better outcome. Emma Stone plays Michelle, the owner of the company. She is wonderful in this movie. She gets to do so many different things and she does them all so well. She is such a reliable and consistent actor. When she vacillates between her character's different traits, it is an absolute joy to watch on screen. I feel like she is at a point in her career where she can do what she wants because she is such a good and in demand actor. Stavros Halkias has a minor role as a creepy cop. Alicia Silverstone is unrecognizable in her role in this movie, and she plays a very important part. And Vanessa Eng is only in two scenes, but she does a great job playing an underling of Michelle's.

With “Bugonia” Lanthimos takes a totally different approach from his previous movies and I like that. This movie is much smaller than his previous stuff. A basement of a crummy farmhouse is the main set. I appreciate that Lanthimos can do as much with way less. That more than proves his talent.

"Bugonia" is not the easiest movie to watch. It is heavy and paints a dark picture of our modern obsession with the internet and conspiracy theories. But damn does this movie pay off tenfold during the final act, and I loved every second of it. I highly recommend this movie for Lanthimos fans, but also for people who like to be challenged when they go to the theaters. "Bugonia" will be on my mind for some time now. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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