Ty Watches "The Running Man"

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Barbie"

Now that I am done with the football talk I want to get to some things that I have seen or done or listened to the past couple weeks and have been waiting to tell you all about. The first thing I want to talk about is "Barbie".

Me, my wife and kids all finally went to see the movie two Sundays ago. I have been pestering my wife to see it and told her the kids should come. The movie is a phenomenon and I felt like it would benefit the kids to see it. They had typical reactions. My son, who is 11 and focused solely on sports said it was a "6 out of 10". My daughter loved the colors and seeing Barbieland, but when it got to the more serious stuff she was not interested. My wife and I absolutely loved the movie. I mentioned on the podcast last week how much I adore this movie. I fully believe it is going to go down as one of the best, and most impactful movies to ever come out.

"Barbie" tells a great story about acceptance and being okay with who you are and how it is fine to be sad sometimes and that everything is never going to be as perfect as one may want their lives to be. I was moved by this movie. I laughed harder at this movie than some of my favorite comedies of all time. The imagery was astounding and cool. They used old style techniques and made them modern day. It was highly impressive. And the acting was superb. Margot Robbie knocked it completely out of the park. She was fully engrossed in this role and gave it her all. She played funny and heartbroken to perfection. She blew me away. Ryan Gosling was what I imagine Ken would be like if the doll came to life. I fully believed he was Ken. It was terrific. He was the funniest person in this whole movie. America Ferrera spoke for all of us in our early 40's and how tough life can be with kids nowadays, especially kids with an opinion. Ferrera is wildly underrated and this role should push her to the fame she deserves. Even the smaller roles, those were nailed. Michael Cera as Allan was my favorite. Issa Rae as president Barbie was pitch perfect. Will Ferrell as Mattel CEO was spot on. Simu Liu as a rival Ken was the best foil you could want for Gosling's Ken. Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie was an example of how great a comedic actor McKinnon is. I was blown away by everyone. To see all the Barbies and Kens, that was quite a feat.

What got me most was Greta Gerwig's directing and her and Noah Baumbach's script. The directing was second to none. Gerwig controlled every aspect of these super talented actors and pulled the best out of them. To get drama and comedy the way she did, that work should not be overlooked. She should be the odds on favorite at the Oscars for best director. There should be no question. The script was even better than the directing. Gerwig and Baumbach told a relatable, real life story using Barbie and Ken dolls. They found a way to make a real life story out of dolls. There were moments in this script that were the best of the best. The way they tackled the stupidity of the patriarchy to Barbie dealing with an existential crisis to America Ferrera dealing with her daughter growing up and being over Barbie, it all worked. I bought it all and wanted more and more.

This is one of the rare perfect movies. I cannot find a flaw anywhere. Any early skepticism I had was instantly erased. I cannot recommend this movie enough. I think everyone should see it. It is a feat that will not be met for a very long time. "Barbie" is destined to become a classic and I am stoked that I saw it in a packed theater during week four of its release. What an accomplishment. 

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.