An Ode to Great Actor Wood Harris

Recently for our Patreon show "First Watch Rewatch", which you all should go and subscribe to and listen to, we watched the movie "Dredd". This is the newer one with Karl Urban, not the crappy one from the 90's. But I'm not here to give a review of that movie. If you want to know my opinions on the movie, go check out the show.

When I watch any movie for the first time, I always like to see if I recognize anyone in the cast. Karl Urban is the main guy, as previously mentioned, but there were a few others I noticed. Olivia Thirlby, from "Juno" and other movies, is Urban's co-star. Lena Headley, from "Game of Thrones", plays the villain. But it was the appearance of Wood Harris that had me hyped.

Wood Harris is about as dependable as they come in Hollywood, and if you are reading this and confused as to who this is, I would almost guarantee that he's been in something you've seen. And he is great as a villain in this movie. But as I was watching, I got to thinking about everything I've seen him in, and how much I like when he shows up in something I'm watching. So I decided I want to point out the stuff I remember him from today, and how much I like his performance and each thing I've seen him in.

For starters we have to talk about him in "The Wire". This is probably what he is best known for. He played Avon Barksdale, one of the dealers, who became a pusher and became a head honcho for the bad guys. He was in 38 episodes, which is most of the series. He was incredible in this role and he will always be remembered for this role. But he was in plenty before this role.

His first role was in "Above the Rim". This is a criminally underrated basketball movie. I adore this movie. I used to rent it on Pay Per View when I was younger. And his character made me nuts because he was trying to shoot the main guy. He got his comeuppance in the movie, but his performance left a mark on me. He played Jimi Hendrix in the movie "Hendrix". While this movie isn't great, he did a solid job portraying the seminal musician. "Remember the Titans" was, in my opinion, his star turning role. He went pound for pound with Denzel Washington in that movie. His performance made me cry for the first time watching a movie. I rooted for him so hard and wanted nothing but the best for his character. He is excellent in another underrated movie, "Paid in Full". That movie is  filled with rappers acting, and doing a fine job, but Harris makes that movie solid. He brings brevity to that movie. He grounds it and makes it totally worth watching. He is the clear pro amongst first time actors in that movie. He also shows up in "Southland Tales". That movie is a total mess, but you could see Richard Kelly had a vision. While that may not have come across well on screen, Harris shows up and is totally worth watching. You can also tell that Kelly wanted some actors he could count on, and Wood Harris may have been the first person he called when he knew he needed pros in this fascinatingly wild movie. "Next Day Air" is by no means a classic movie, but it is a good comedy and it proved that Wood Harris could hold his own with guys like Mike epps. He is funny and fun to watch in that movie. I already mentioned him in "Dredd". He is in the first "Ant-Man" movie, playing one of Paul Rudd's buddies. Those characters were the best in the movie and they made me laugh the hardest. Harris was part of that crew and it bummed me out that he didn't return for any other "Ant-Man" movie. "Creed" is an amazing movie and Wood Harris seemed like a perfect fit in a movie about boxing. He is clearly athletic and he got to show more of that in "Creed". He is in "Blade Runner 2049", and he is a great addition to an awesome cast and great sequel to one of the best movies ever made. He returns in "Creed II" and he is back in fine form. He had a long run on the tv show "Empire", which my wife loved, but I barely watched. I would watch more when I would see Harris show up in an episode. He was the coach for a young LeBron James in "Space Jam: A New Legacy". That movie is not very good, but Wood Harris being named in the cast was reason enough for me to watch. He was on "The Last OG", which is a show I loved. He returned for "Creed III" and played Spencer Haywood in "Winning Time". While I don't like "Winning Time", Harris did a good job playing a fading star in the NBA in the late 70's. And he most recently showed up in "One Battle After Another" as part of the French 75. And while his screen time was minimal in that movie, it was memorable.

I think that's the best compliment I can give Wood Harris. He is always memorable in his roles. He does great work when he is cast. He is a consistent and dependable actor. And I just wanted to shout him out today. I feel like he is not mentioned as much as he should in Hollywood. I'm a fan and I cannot wait to see what he does next. 

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 "Winning Time" Season One

I watched the season one finale of "Winning Time" on HBO yesterday. I wrote about this show when the season started. I was hyped for it. I was hoping it was going to work. I thought the casting was great. I, for the most part, like Adam McKay's stuff. I am fascinated by this era of professional basketball. It had everything on its side for me as a viewer.

For the most part the first season was solid. There was some good stuff in there. I enjoyed my time watching the show. I thought most stuff worked. I like the fleshing out of some of the side characters. But there were times when the show felt a little overdramatic. Hell, I'd even say melodramatic. The stuff with Jerry Buss and his womanizing, we all know that, at least those of us that follow the NBA. It was pretty cliche of Buss to ask his daughter which of her two brothers would best fit in for a front office job. We all know that she gets the job in the long run. The stuff with Magic Johnson and his girlfriend in college, Cookie, seemed forced a bit by the creators. So did the stuff with his teammates when he was first drafted. But the most egregious thing to me, as far as melodrama goes, was the whole Spencer Haywood storyline near the end of the season.

I adore Wood Harris. He is definitely up there as an actor whose work I seek out. He rules. But his portrayal of Haywood was a bit much. His monologues seemed lifted from soap operas. The whole calling a hit on the entire Lakers roster was so off base. Even the junkie stuff seemed forced. It just wasn't written well enough for an actor of his caliber. I could also say the same for the guy who played Larry Bird. Man I wish it had been Bo Burnham, but things happen. But this actor just seemed into the whole notion of Bird being a hick. And I know that him and Magic did not get along at first, but this seemed to be a bit overboard. They at least respected one another. I have to imagine that much.

Outside those little critiques, this show, as I said, worked. The basketball was real enough. The gameplay looked nice. The actors, minus the ones I mentioned, did good things with their roles. Adrien Brody shocked me. I do not like him, but I enjoyed him as Pat Riley. Quincy Isaiah was magnetic as Johnson. Solomon Hughes embodied this version of Kareem. Jason Clarke was solid as Jerry West. Gaby Hoffman was amazing. Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss was really good. The show works for the intended audience.

I think my favorite thing about this first season is how mad some of the real life people got. They took it personally. Hell, I'm sure I would too if my name was being thrown out there like some of these guys' names were. But this is a fictional show based on a book. This is not real life. The creators came out and said as much when West and Kareem and Magic all came out against the show. Again, they have that right, but them getting so upset made me want to watch even more. The fact that West was willing to ask the Supreme Court to get involved, that Kareem wrote a very good op ed about how off base the show is, that Magic won't even talk about it, that made me tune in every week as much as my want to actually watch the show. I know they are trying to keep their names clean, as they should, but them going off like that only made me itch for more.

"Winning Time" is a fine enough show. They get some things right and it is entertaining. Is it a bit of a soap opera? Sure. Is it too melodramatic at times? Definitely. But will I watch season two? You are god damn right I will. I hope they lose some of the stuff that I was personally not a fan of, but I will still record it and watch it.

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 "Winning Time" Season Premiere

Yesterday I watched the series premiere of "Winning Time" on HBO. The show is about the beginning of the Showtime Lakers. The premiere episode was pretty much all about the Lakers trying to decide if they were going to draft Magic Johnson first overall in the 1979 draft. There was other stuff that happened too, of course.

The show is shot in a very cool, old style type 70's look to it. There are times you can even see the burn marks on the film on the side of the screen. It is pretty neat. The actors also break the fourth wall quite a bit, and I am a fan when directors let actors do that. I just like it when it feels like the person playing a character is talking directly to me. It is a cool change of pace. John C Reilly, who plays Jerry Buss, talks to the audience a ton in the premiere. I love it. Reilly is also really, really good as Buss. I heard this is where the rift between Will Ferrell and Adam McKay started, but Reilly was one of the main reasons this premiere worked for me. I also love, love, love Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson. He moves like him, talks like him, looks like him and embodies the confidence and small town attitude Johnson had as a rookie. Isaiah should get so much more work from this role, and this is based solely on his performance in the first episode. I can only imagine it gets better and better from here. Jason Clarke is wonderful as Jerry West. He is angry and anxious and feels like his voice isn't being heard. Gaby Hoffman is going to be a star on this show. You can just tell. She crushed it. DeVaugh Nixon and Solomon Hughes are perfectly cast as Norm Nixon and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. They both look and sound just like them. The casting is almost as good as Isaiah as Johnson. We also meet a few other people in the premiere, but the people I mentioned are the stars of the first episode. I just can't get over how great Reilly is as Buss. He is confident when he shouldn't be. He is in over his head, but he could care less. He is willing to take a shot, even if everyone tells him he is wrong. The same could be said for Isaiah too. There is a scene where he is at a party and plays Norm Nixon one on one. It is a great insight to a soon to be rookie playing a vet. There are also great moments with him and his dad that felt really real. Those two are going to carry this show.

There are moments in the premiere that felt slow and a little tacked on. I did find myself a bit bored with some of the backstory. But when they shifted the story to Magic, and him being their pick for the draft, things kicked into high gear. I understand that pilot's have to be the table setting, and they have to give a good amount of backstory to people that may not know the whole story. But when the episode ends like this one did, where I am hyped to see what comes next, that is a sign of a, hopefully, good show. I also like McKay being heavily involved with this show. He has a true passion for the NBA, especially the era that they are talking about in this show, and it comes across like gangbusters here.

I have high, high hopes for this show. I think it is going to be a hit. I am pumped for what is going to come and how they are going to tell the story. Now I just have to wait until Sunday for the next episode.

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.