Ty Watches "Poor Things"

I was able to watch "Poor Things" over the weekend. Let’s discuss.

I had wanted to see this movie since I first heard about it a few months back. I like the director Yorgos Lanthimos. I am a fan of both "The Favourite" and "The Lobster". These movies are different and unique and weird. And I'm here for it. "The Lobster '' is what turned me from a Colin Farrell detractor to a big fan. And "The Favourite" is what opened my mind to Emma Stone's brilliance and willingness to take on different roles. She is one hell of an actor. So when she was announced as the star of Lanthimos' new movie, I was in. Then I saw a preview and that intrigued me more. Then I saw reviews and they were glowing. Then I heard people talk about the movie on podcasts and I was all the more hype to watch. My dad and I made plans to see it in the theaters, but it never happened for a myriad of reasons. So, when it was announced to be streaming, I was going to watch it ASAP. 

I loved this movie. "Poor Things" is like Lanthinmos' other movies, but on a much bigger scale. This is a big budget, big time Hollywood movie. Emma Stone stars as Bella Baxter, a Frankenstein monster of a person. Stone is magnetic. Seeing her go from infant to toddler to moody teen to brilliant adult was an absolute joy to watch. The mannerisms she used when she was an infant were real and I was convinced that she had the mind of a child. As she gets smarter and smarter I found myself getting even more interested in what was going on on screen. Seeing her discover her sexuality was funny. It was truly hilarious. I was laughing very hard. When she referred to sex as "furious jumping", it was a true delight. Seeing her use her sexuality to gain an advantage was an interesting look at the world of sex workers and those who enjoy that lifestyle. I thought it was quite powerful. I was also a fan of how incredibly calculating and smart Bella became as the movie continued. I also enjoyed when Bella was still figuring things out with the teen brain, the movie made fun of social interactions and conventions. They played with how silly all these things are when you really think about it. I loved it. Stone was magnetic and absolutely earned her Academy award.

The rest of the cast was dynamite too. Willem DeFoe, as Dr Godwin, who is basically Dr Frankenstein, was excellent. He is one of my favorite actors ever. And his prosthetics were wild. Ramy Youssef was wonderful as DeFoe's assistant and initial love interest of Bella. His performance surprised me in the best possible way. Mark Ruffalo was funny and over the top and I thought he could have gotten more awards consideration. He went for it and totally nailed it. Jerrod Carmichael had a very minimal role, but it was so memorable. I think about his scene with Bella often after seeing the movie. I liked how cynical he was. An actor that I assume is famous, but I don't know, Hanna Schygulla was great. She was sweet and answered all of Bella's questions. She felt like the first person who openly accepted Bella, warts and all. Kathryn Hunter as the madam at the sex worker home was really well done and seemed perfectly fleshed out. I was kind of mesmerized by her character. Suzy Bemba as Bella's girlfriend at the house was understated, in a great way. And then we have Christopher Abbott as Bella's first husband, who didn't know she was still alive. He was mean and ignorant and hateful. Abbott did a great acting job because I despised his character.

The look of the movie was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was like a painting had come to life. I loved the black and white at the beginning, but when it shifted to color, that took this movie to a whole other level. I have not seen another movie that looks like this in my viewing ever. And the direction was second to none. Every actor bought in. They gave it their all and it showed on screen. They were all willing to go for it, and I feel like a lot of that has to do with their comfort with Lanthimos.

I am a big fan of this movie. I was telling my dad and a buddy of mine about this movie so much that they watched it last night, I assume to get me to stop talking about it. They confirmed to me they liked it as well. Go watch "Poor Things". It is destined to be a classic and Emma Stone gives a performance for the ages. I really love this movie. 

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 "On the Count of Three"

Yesterday I rented the movie "On the Count of Three". I saw a trailer for the movie a few weeks back and was enamored by it. I am a Jerrod Camrichael fan, I liked what I saw in the trailer, there were some other actors in it that I recognized and the story seemed like something I could get down with.

The movie, for those that may not know, is about two friends who decide they are going to kill themselves. They have reached a point in their lives where they simply do not want to go on. And for those of you thinking this has to be a depressing movie, it is a comedy. It is a very dark comedy, and there is a good amount of comedy, and you need to know going into this movie that it is very, very dark, but nonetheless, it is a comedy. There are hard jokes. There were parts that made me laugh out loud on my couch. But it is about suicide. The preview I saw even put the Suicide Prevention Hotline at the beginning. The premise is sad, but it was written by a few funny guys, and Carmichael directed it and he is a comedian by trade. So it had funny stuff in it.

First off, Carmichael was magnetic as the lead. He directed and starred and he nailed both jobs. He plays Val. Val has a ton going on, but he is done. His girlfriend is pregnant, he wants out of the relationship, Tiffany Haddish plays that role, he hates his job and he is over it all. Carmichael does a great job showing a guy that is at the end of his rope. He handles all the elements really well. He isn't spoiled, he is just bored. Christopher Abbot plays his best friend Kevin. Kevin has got some issues. When we first meet him he is in a mental institution because he had tried to kill himself three days earlier. Kevin is depressed, he was sexually harassed by his therapist as a child, the therapist was played by Henry Winkler, he is not in a good mental state, he is filled with problems. He has a great monologue about how maybe he isn't as important as the doctor's at the institution are trying to make him feel. Abbot handles the mental health issues with a deft hand. He does a great job.

This movie works because Carmichael and Abbot have such great chemistry. They also handle their characters with grace. They play them both so very well. The scene where we meet Val's dad, played by JB Smoove, was powerful. He deserved to get hit with that tire iron. The stuff with Kevin and his childhood bully was excellent. It was also oddly relatable. The importance of dirt bikes in this movie struck me. Lavell Crawford was awesome as the dirt bike shop owner. I saw other people say this, and I will repeat it today, this movie uses Papa Roach better than Papa Roach uses themselves. The music in this movie is the perfect tone.

Again, do not get it twisted, this is a depressing movie. Depressing stuff happens throughout. There were times where it felt relentless. But there were tons of jokes. There were some great deadpan line deliveries from Carmichael. The movie, at its heart, is a comedy, just an extremely dark comedy.

I hope more people search this movie out. Carmichael is finally getting a much deserved chance to make the type of movies he wants to make. This might be one of the better buddy movies to come out in quite some time. And even though it is about suicide, it is oddly uplifting at the end. Check out "On the Count of Three". It is a really good movie and it is one of the first true indie darlings, as much as I dislike that wording, of the year. A good movie indeed.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches Jerrod Carmichael's "Rothaniel"

Jerrod Carmichael's new HBO special "Rothaniel" is a masterpiece. I watched it last week and have since watched it two more times and still think about it on the daily.

For those that may not know, Carmicheal is a strong stand up performer, had a very good, very underrated tv show, "The Carmichael Show" and has written a ton of great things for movies and tv. He was also in both "Neighbors" movies, and he was memorable in those as well. He wrote on "Loiter Squad", which is where I assumed he met Tyler, the Creator, and he does the interstitial parts on the epic "IGOR" album. But I think "Rothaniel" is going to open up a whole new level of stardom for this young man.

He opened the show and told the audience that he was going to leave no untold secrets for the hour-long set. He was going to let it all out. And he most definitely did as much. For instance, he revealed that his first name is Rothaniel. He went into a long bit about how he got his name. He said it was two names pushed together, the two names coming from two people in his life. One of which was his father. He then proceeded to tell us all about his father and how he was a lothario. The best part of this bit was when he told the crowd that his best friend saw his father at his house one day and his father lied about who he was. He told this young man that his name was Jerry Rice. This was so hilarious. But underneath it all you could see the pain and anger Carmichael had towards his father for what he was doing. He then told his dad he knew and he wanted him to tell their mom. She needed to know. And he did. He kind of skirted it and made his son's deal with the mom beforehand. But his dad told her, and she forgave him. This also seemed to irk Carmichael.

It was after this reveal when Carmichael told the biggest unknown secret of the evening. Carmichael revealed to the audience that he is gay. This was a powerful and moving moment in the special. And he did not sweat it or skirt it, he just came out with the news, and it was received perfectly. The crowd applauded and told him how much they loved him and how brave he is. He seemed a bit put off by the reaction, but he talked about that too. He said he is still trying to feel good when hearing people applaud him. He is still trying to accept the love. It is just tough. He then, and the rest of the set was about him coming out, telling many stories, both funny and moving, about coming out to his friends and family. I loved when he talked about telling his best friend, and his best friend told him he felt "forced to be friends with a gay guy". He said a lot of his friends actually felt "lied" to. But he did say that his girl friends were super supportive, until he told them he dated white guys. This was a riot. The crowd interaction was tremendous. I loved the back and forth. I also really adored Carmichael's openness. It was nice to see him getting all of this off his chest.

The last fifteen minutes of this set is what puts this special apart from others. He talked about his father accepting it, but his mom not. He is, obviously, devastated by this. He talked about his love for his mom, but he is clearly upset that she is using church and god as an excuse to not accept him. This was when the audience interaction was at his best. It was almost like a live therapy session, which can be intrusive, but this felt right. It was not awkward or intrusive, it was a breath of fresh air. Carmichael let it all out, and he fielded every question from the audience with grace. He was speaking his truth, and I loved it. I was moved by it. It was amazing. Carmichael used his talent to do an extremely brave and commendable thing. Bo Burnham's direction was spot on too. You can tell these two have worked together before.

I loved "Rothaniel". I think everyone should see it. It is one of these HBO specials that will resonate with anyone anywhere. It is a work of art. Check it out.

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 and twitter.

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