Stavros Halkias Delivered at His St. Louis Show

Over the weekend I had tickets to see Stavros Halkias do stand up. Let’s discuss.

For people that may not know who Stavros is, he has his own podcast, he is one of the better touring stand ups on the road right now, had a small but memorable role in "Bugonia", and he starred in a movie a few years ago called "Let's Start A Cult". Stavros stays working, and whenever he is a guest on a podcast I listen to, I'm always amped to hear what he has to say. Now, I was almost not able to go to this show. I had two tickets, and my buddy who I was supposed to go with got sick. Luckily my brother was off work Friday night, and he was more than willing to attend. He is a Stavros fan as well. I anticipated a good time because, when I tried to purchase tickets for the 7pm show, I couldn't find two seats together. so, I had to adjust and get two tickets next to one another for the late show, a 9:30pm start. This made me optimistic. That meant he was selling out Saint Louis, which usually means this person will come back to do more shows.

So, as we settled into our seats, I really didn't know what to expect. I prefer earlier shows because I'm old and like to go to bed by 11 every night. But when we got to our seats, the theater was probably about 95 percent full, and a lot of the people in the crowd were my age. The opener was solid. He did about 20 minutes and his stand up was pretty solid. He was also able to improv on the spot, which I always like, and he had some sports centric jokes which I appreciate. His name is Anthony Devito, and I believe he has been Stavros' opening act during this tour.

Then, a little after 10pm, Stavros took the stage and commanded the crowd for about 75 minutes. You could tell early on how much of a pro Stavros is at stand up comedy. His segues were perfect. He was able to bounce from bit to bit with ease. When he would do some kind of contortion with his face or body, it was seamless and added a ton to the bit. He also brought up timely topics and made it funny. We all know that the world is in a horrible place, and while Stavros noted that, he also buttoned it with jokes that had me cackling from my seat. My brother goes to live shows all the time, but for him it is music. He hasn't seen much live stand up comedy, and I was happy to have a little more knowledge than him at a live event. He has always looked out for me at concerts we have gone to together, but Friday night he was in my world. He found the show funny too. He was laughing harder than me at times. What stuck out to me was how well of a job Stavros handled the crowd. He had some planned crowd work in his act, but when it wasn't planned he was at the top of his game. He called out a "Star Wars" fan at the top of the show and that was dynamite. He had a bit about being an in vitro baby, and he used that as another chance to do more crowd work. He used local landmarks and areas for some more great crowd work. Outside of that, Stavros knows how to own a crowd and go with the ebbs and flows. He did a very long bit about being an uncle now and that was perfect. The jokes he made as being the weird uncle had me cracking up. But he was also very sincere when talking about his nephew, and I loved that. He had some great jokes about the horrific administration we unfortunately have to deal with at the moment. But what stood out most to me, what will always stay with me, was his runner about taking Zep Bound. Zep Bound is a weight loss drug. Others may know it by its other names, Ozempic or Wegovy. I personally have been taking Wegovy for a few months now and it is working. But hearing Stavros talk about his journey on this drug was dynamite and I totally related to it. Every joke hit me in a specific spot and I loved it. When he talked about having to literally jab the shot into your stomach, that was the cream of the crop for me. I also really liked it when he explained to the crowd about having to leave the meds in the fridge, which means you have to take the medicine out of a space in your home where you keep all your good food.

I was all in, excited and the show fully delivered. I cannot recommend going to see Stavros Halkias live if you get the chance. He is one of the best in the business and that more than comes across when you see him live. Check out his show. 

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.

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Ty Watches "Let's Start a Cult"

I took a break from watching scary movies last week and opted for what looked to be an interesting comedy on Prime the other day. The movie is called "Let's Start A Cult".

What piqued my interest was Stavros Halkias. I like his comedy and his appearances on podcasts have always made me laugh. I knew he was an actor, but to that point I only really knew him from podcasts. I recently saw he has a role in the new Yorgos Lanthimos movie "Bugonia", so maybe he is more of a big time actor than I had ever perceived. But "Let's Start A Cult" is a starring role for him. This is his movie and he owns the entire thing.

The plot is, Halkias plays a cult member that many of the other members actively dislike. He's rude, he takes what he wants, he doesn't follow any of the rules and, when they decide to meet their maker, they leave him out. After he finds out that he was not part of the mass suicide, he moves back home, where he hates it. His family has all gotten thin, he doesn't like his job and he is constantly goofing off. Then he sees the former leader of his cult one day, dressed as a clown, and he attacks him. They come to terms, form an alliance and they decide to start their own cult. This is when the movie gets funnier and funnier. I really liked seeing them do their thing. They prey on the weak and feeble minded. They try to take whatever they can from them. Well, I should say, the former leader is preying on the weak, but Halkias really believes in this cause. He wants to start his own family. He feels like, if he can pick his own family, he will be a happier, healthier person. He forms legit friendships with these new people. They all seem to like him too. But the former leader is jealous and unconcerned with what the new cult members actually want to do. He just wants to take advantage of each and everyone, including Halkias. One night he performs a song for everyone, and they start to kind of buy in. This is where Halkias gets to do a little dramatic work, but he always has some kind of comedic take which buttons the scene with some solid humor. Eventually Halkias saves the day and he becomes the leader. This is all part of the former leader's plan. He leaves and then they see him on the news saying that Halkias was the leader of the former cult and that he was the one who made them commit suicide. Halkias has to clear his name to the media and his new friends. He goes so far as to try and drown himself. When he comes to, after being saved by his new friends, he realizes that the whole idea of a cult is nonsense. And then he is out to clear his name. They find the former leader and confront him while he is being interviewed. Everything comes to a head, and the former leader tries to take over the whole ordeal. He gets hurt pretty badly and Halkias' name is cleared. We see them a few months out and everyone seems to have achieved their goals. Two of the members are a couple. The other member has quit his job as a spy and can live a normal life now. And Halkias is married to a former pro wrestler and they have a daughter. Halkias is also an in demand motivational speaker now.

This may all sound weird and maybe formulaic, but they do such a good job making it funny. The movie never takes itself seriously and that is the best way to go about doing something like this. This movie reminds me a lot of "On the Count of Three", but even less serious. "On the Count of Three" touches on some very real stuff throughout with some jokes sprinkled in here and there. "Let's Start A Cult" is funny all the way through. I found myself cracking up throughout the 90 minute runtime. It was a nice break from all the scary stuff I have been watching lately. I definitely recommend checking this movie out. It is a nice little gem that will make you laugh. I really enjoyed it. 

Ty

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

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