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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Best of 2025 - Movies

Now that I've said what I wanted to about the current situation with the Michigan football team, let's get back to my best of 2025 lists. Today I'm going to give you all my top five movies of the year. I realized while writing this list that I saw a ton of movies this year, and more so, I went back to the theater to see a bunch of these movies. I have missed the theater and going back was totally awesome for me. There was a weekend where my wife, my two kids and I went to see three movies on three straight days in the theaters and it was awesome. The theater going experience adds so much to the movies in my opinion and getting back there was a big deal for me.

I do want to shout out three movies that did not make my top five really quickly. First of all I loved the new "Superman" movie. It was cool and sweet and very well made. I also happened to really enjoy Edgar Wright's "The Running Man". This one was truer to the book and it was ultra violent and even silly from time to time. Michael Cera was tremendous too. And finally, "Bugonia" is one of the most original and interesting movies I saw all year. Jesse Plemons and Emma Watson give powerhouse performances and when the movie goes barreling towards the end, it is a wild ride. Also, a small shoutout to "Eddington". That movie was magnetic for 90 minutes, and then it goes off the rails, but in a good way. And Joaquin Phoenix gives what I consider to be the best performance of his career. Now let's get to the list.

At number 5 I have "Sisu: Road to Revenge". This movie is an absolute orgy of violence. This movie is nonstop action and I was so enthralled at every second I watched. I saw the first "Sisu" with my dad at home and we were blown away at how wild it was. I mean, he survives a horrific plane crash amongst so many other things. In "Sisu: Road to Revenge", the plane crash seems timid. There's so much action in this sequel. The main guy, who doesn't speak in the movie, rides a train car that has an atom bomb attached to it. He has to fight his way through said train with a bunch of people after him. He has planes chasing him through the woods. He even finds a way to get a tanker to flip over obstacles in his way. This movie rules, it is so fun, it is violent and it might have been the best time I had in the theater this year.

At number 4 I have "Friendship". I am a Tim Robinson fan. I think that much has been made clear time and time again. This movie just allows him to do his thing for 90 minutes. Paul Rudd is in this movie, as is Kate Mara, but this is all Tim Robinson. Make no mistake, this is his movie through and through. And he nails it. It is a perfect movie for him because he gets to do what he does best, and that is his version of cringe comedy. The scene in his home, where he is confronted by Connor O'Malley while Robinson is at his drum kit is hilarious. When he takes his son to go pick mushrooms and then gets sick in the mall, wonderful. All the stuff between him and Rudd and his friends was tremendous. This is such a funny movie and I have watched it multiple times since it made its way to streaming. This is the best comedy of the year and I think everyone should seek it out.

At number 3 I have "Sinners". This would have easily been number 1 almost any other year. This is such a cool and unique take on vampires. But the movie is so much more than that. What Ryan Coogler was able to do with music and making this somewhat of a musical was magical. The scene where the young kid is playing his guitar in the juke joint and all of the past, present and future musical genres show up was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed in the theater. We got that scene and the Irish folk song with all the vampires which was amazing in its own way. I know some people said that the movie was slow in parts, but I disagree. All of that was to build the story and get us to the finale, which was incredible. Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo and most notably, Michael B Jordan, playing two roles, do some of the best work of the year. Michael B Jordan deserves all the accolades, as does Coogler. "Sinners" is an amazing movie and it needs to be seen by everyone.

At number 2 I have "Weapons". I'm not usually a fan of "horror" movies, but with "Sinners" and Weapons", I'm all in on this style of horror movies. "Weapons" is a fascinating story about a classroom of kids that all disappeared one day and this movie tells us the story of how it all happened and gives us a conclusion. I knew Zach Cregger from "The Whitest Kids U Know", but he is on the Jordan Peele trajectory of former comedy creators who now do horror. And they are absolutely crushing it. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys. She is more than deserving of awards consideration for this role. She was so menacing and scary and diabolical. The stuff she does to the main kid's parents was horrific and she totally sells it. Madigan gives such a great performance. It may be the best of the year for me.

And finally, at number 1 I have "One Battle After Another". This is not only the movie of the year, it may be one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is such a well made and perfectly told story. From the opening sequence, where we see Leonardo Dicaprio and Teyana Taylor and their group and what they're doing, it is so compelling. And the movie just gets better and better from there. I don't know if there is a movie out there that tells the story of what is happening in America right now. Taylor and Dicaprio are awesome. Taylor plays her role perfectly. Dicaprio has never been this funny in a role. Chase Infiniti is a revelation. Benecio Del Toro is wonderful. Sean Penn is eerie and diabolical. And Paul Thomas Anderson directs the hell out of this movie. He had a vision and he put it out in the world and it is getting all kinds of love. From the opening sequence to the stuff between Infiniti and Dicaprio to the car chase scene, this movie is so well made and so awesome. I was floored after I saw the movie and I implore everyone to see it if you haven't already. "One Battle After Another" is a true achievement and it is not only the best movie of the year, it is an all timer.

That's it for my top five movies of 2025. Come back on Monday for my top five tv shows of the year. 

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 "One Battle After Another"

I was able to get out yesterday with a buddy of mine and see "One Battle After Another". Let’s discuss.

I am a Paul Thomas Anderson fan. I have seen pretty much all of his movies to this point. I have not watched "Phantom Thread", "Licorice Pizza" or "Hard Eight". Every other movie of his, I can check off my list, and "There Will Be Blood" is my favorite of his, and one of my favorite movies of all time. By design I avoided any news of "One Battle After Another" besides watching one preview. I didn't want to read anything or know anything going into the movie. I did see that it was getting great reviews, but I made sure to read zero of them. That's why I'm glad that I went to see it on opening weekend. I think I may have spoiled it for myself had I not seen it this weekend. I will go about my review spoiler free because I feel like this is a movie that everyone needs to see, and if you can swing it, go see it in a theater with other people. Now, onto the review.

This movie is as good as the critics have been saying it is. I had super high expectations going in and they were all exceeded. This is one of the best movies I have seen in quite some time. After sleeping on it, I do believe that this movie jumps ahead of both "Sinners" and "Weapons" as my favorite movie of the year. It is a true work of art. I feel like PTA is at the top of his game in this movie. He has complete control over everything he is doing and it shows on screen. There's one scene with a car chase that is an incredible thing to see on screen. The acting in this movie is tremendous from everyone involved. Leonardo Dicaprio gives my favorite performance of his ever. He is funny and rundown and I found myself rooting for him throughout. Chase Infiniti is a total revelation. I believe this is her first movie and she does an amazing job. Teyana Taylor gives a gripping performance in her role. I didn't know much of her, but damn is she great here. Sean Penn is evil incarnate and he does some of his best work ever. I was watching him and this performance reminded me of how great an actor he is. James Downey, former "SNL" writer and Adam Sandler collaborator, plays a very menacing role which is totally different for him. Regina Hall continues to prove how reliable an actor she can be. She is so moving and gives the viewer some wonderful acting to watch. Benecio Del Toro is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, and the calm demeanor he shows in this role was much needed and a breath of fresh air. And the rest of the actors in bit roles do the most they can with the small amount of screen time they may have. The story is haunting and relevant. The writing is top notch. The acting, as previously mentioned, is the cream of the crop. I truly loved everything about this movie. The runtime is 2 hours 41 minutes, and it felt like the time flew by. I could have watched a few hours more and been totally happy.

"One Battle After Another" is why I love the movies. The fact that a movie like this is being made, in our current climate, makes me hopeful for the future and proves that unique content can still be made. I cannot recommend this movie enough. I want everyone to go see it and then have a conversation about it afterwards. It truly is the movie of the year. 

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.