"The Room" is the Midnight Movie We Need in Our Lives Right Now

This past Saturday I went to my first ever midnight movie. I have never done one of these type events, and "The Room" was playing at a local theater, The Tivoli, here in Saint Louis. I jumped on the chance to go since it was a weekend, and I didn't have to coach the following day. I convinced one of my buddies, it wasn't that hard, I asked him if he wanted to go and he said yeah, and we trekked to the theater. He had previously seen a late night screening of "The Room", in fact very recently, so he kind of had an idea of what to expect. Me on the other hand, this was all new territory.

For those of you that don't know, "The Room" is a horrendous movie. It is so bad. It is poorly written, acted, directed, shot and its release was a disaster. It was so bad, this past year a great movie, "The Disaster Artist", was made about the making of this movie. "The Room" is widely considered the "best bad movie ever made". That is why it is so alluring, and the perfect midnight movie.

As I said, I have never been to one, but I know of them. I have heard and read many stories about midnight movies. "Rocky Horror Picture Show" is a big time one. Horror movies seem to draw big time crowds. And, bad movies as well, are the perfect fodder for this event. "The Room" falls into that third category. My buddy that I went with sent me a sort of "how to" when going to see "The Room" at a midnight showing. I am very grateful for this because it helped me to prepare. He, as previously stated, also knew the reins, so he was helpful for this event.

We were all let into the theater right around 11:30 pm to get our seats and get ready. I'd say that the theater was about 1/3 full, not as much as I thought, but it seemed like a good amount. Before the movie started the manager of the theater came out, gave us the rundown of the evening, told us what was upcoming as far as their future midnight movies, and what he knew was going to happen throughout the movie that evening. It was nice to have this little chat right before the start. It even further prepared me, which I like. All the extra prep I can get, give it to me. Then, he told us to enjoy, the lights went down and the curtain was rolled up.

When the movie started, "The Room" has multiple companies producing it, both owned by Tommy Wiseau, more on him later, the first production symbol popped up. The whole crowd cheered. This threw me for a second, but then I was right in there. Then, before the second production symbol, a commercial for Wiseau's underwear popped up.

Now for Tommy Wiseau. He is the star, producer, director and writer of the "The Room". He has a very odd backstory. He may or may not be rich. He may or may not be a villain. He is just an all around goofball. If you really don't know about him, and for some reason you are dying to learn, watch "The Room", or any other thing he may have been in. He is a weird dude.

Anyway, after his bizarre underwear commercial, a bunch of random quotes showed up on the big screen that were immediately followed by an explosion and the text, "Shame on You". Some of the quotes before hand were, "you question the making of "The Room", "shame on you", or "you question Tommy Wiseau", "shame on you". This went on for about 2 minutes, and it was all hilarious. My favorite part was at the end, when instead of the "shame on you", it said, "you know who you are". After all this, the second production symbol came up and the crowd cheered even louder.

Then, the movie started. "The Room" has what seems to be about a 5 minute intro scene, crediting every single person involved with the movie. It seems long when you watch it at home, but with a midnight crew, it ruled. The cheers, the boos and the hisses were amazing. After that nonsense was over and the movie for real started, it just got better form there. The random things people were shouting had me cracking up the whole time. Some great examples, every time that Lisa's mom shows up, Lisa is the villain, everyone yells "CANCER!". This may seem mean, but she randomly says at one point that she "definitely has breast cancer", and it never comes up again in the movie. I laughed every time. Another thing, when Denny, the weirdo that lives in their building shows up at Johnny's home, that is Tommy Wiseau's character, we all yelled, "Hi Denny", and "Close the god damn door Denny". He is always showing up out of nowhere, leaving the door open and saying and doing random nonsense. This also goes for any other character in the movie. Whenever a new person shows up, we' say, "oh hi" insert name, and subsequently telling them to close the door. Then whenever Mark, Greg Sestero, shows up and says that "Johnny is my best friend". we all cheered, until he cheated with Lisa. Then the boos and hisses came out. There was also anytime that people would make out we all yelled, "nom nom nom" because it looks like they are eating the other person's face. Also, during the far too many sex scenes, which are also way too long, we would all clap along to the crappy wannabe R&B music that would play. When Wiseau shows his bare ass, which he is famous for saying that he "needed to show my ass to sell this movie", came up, a loud cheer followed. As far as other random things people said, there was a gentleman in the back, who has clearly been to this more than once, who crushed it all night long. He had one liners and zingers ready all night. He was the star of the evening as far as I am concerned. Some other weird stuff that went on during the movie was the tracking shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the crowd chanting "GO! GO! GO!", and then cheering when the cars passed was so much fun. Anytime a football was brought out, which happens a lot, light weight footballs were tossed around. There is a phenomena of pictures of spoons in the movie, and any time one shows up on the screen, we all yelled "SPOONS!", and proceeded to throw plastic spoons throughout the theater. It just got better and better as the night went on. The party scene was hilarious, what with all the laughter and the added commentary. The final fight between Lisa and Johnny was great. The stuff between Mark and Johnny was awesome. The "cheep cheep cheep" noises we all made when people were called chicken in the movie was great. The scene between Chris R and Denny was perfect. The scene with the psychologist, both on the rooftop and at Johnny's home, were amazing. And the conclusion, spoiler alert, when Johnny shoots himself in the head, was just uproarious. That may sound mean, but if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean.

I cannot recommend seeing "The Room" in this atmosphere enough. It was so perfect on so many levels. I now understand why it is such a big thing. This was a night that I will never, ever forget. I had so much fun, no matter how tired I was. This was an amazing event, and I will definitely go to more in the future. It was awesome.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Black Panther"

My wife and I, much like the rest of the country, saw "Black Panther" this weekend. It was amazing! This was a perfect music in every single aspect. There is not a single problem that I can find with this movie. It more than lived up to its tremendous hype. I wish all the movies in the MCU were as good, but more importantly, as genius and profound as "Black Panther".

I had never heard of the super hero Black Panther until I saw "Civil War". I loved him in that movie. I loved his suit, his powers and his politics. I was fully on board. Black Panther immediately shot right up there with Wolverine and Deadpool right after seeing "Civil War".

Then, it was announced shorty after that Black Panther was going to get his own movie. I liked the idea. Then, the names that were involved started to get mentioned, and that took my want to see the movie to a whole new level. Of course, Chadwick Boseman was returning to play T'challa, Black Panther, and I have enjoyed him in every performance I have seen of his. Ryan Coogler was then announced as the director. This dude, for me, is 3 for 3 now with his direction. First off, "Fruitvale Station" is one of the best, and most important, movies that I have ever witnessed. Seriously, that movie should be shown in history classes. Then. he made "Creed". I was hyper critical and very nervous that this may mess up "Rocky" for me. Well, "Creed" is amazing as well. For me, it is right up there with "Rocky", "Rocky 2" and "Raging Bull" as best movies about boxing ever made. So, when he was announced as the director of "Black Panther", I was stoked and ready to see it right away. With Coogler came Michael B Jordan. I mean, Michael B Jordan may be my new favorite actor. He was exceptional on "The Wire", as the lead in "Fruitvale Station" and as Apollo Creed's son in "Creed". Even when the movie he is in isn't that good, his performance is fine. For example, he was just fine as the Human Torch in the god awful "Fantastic 4" reboot. He was also decent in that rom com that starred him, Miles Teller and Zack Efron. Michael B Jordan is a very solid actor that will turn in good performances most of the time.

Then, the female cast was announced. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o was cast. I loved it. Then, Danai Gurira, Michonne from "The Walking Dead" was cast. She is the only good person left on that show. And Letitia Wright was cast. I didn't know who she was at the time, but then I watched the "Black Mirror" episode, "Black Museum", and became very familiar with her. Oh, and let us not forget about Angela Bassett. She is wonderful. Some more names that came after the fact were Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Forest Whittaker, Sterling K Brown and Daniel Kaluuya. Those are all bona fide stars. Hearing all this, then seeing the previews just amped it up to 11 for me. When they attach a Run the Jewels song, that was that. It was a wrap for me. I was going to see this movie, and I was going to see it on opening weekend.

When my wife and I sat down in the sold out theater, and the movie started, I was wrapped by every single second. The way the movie started, flashing back to Oakland I 1991 was perfect. Seeing Wakanda for the first time was amazing. I wish it were a real place, I'd love to visit. The effects and the costumes were astounding. But, what made this movie perfect was the acting and the message. Chadwick Boseman was incredible. He owns this role, and he is perfect for it. Michael B Jordan, as the villain Kilmonger, was hauntingly good. There were moments where I legitimately thought that he was right and everyone else in Wakanda was wrong. He was amazing. Danile Kaluuya, in a small role, was very good. He is becoming a household name now. Lupita Nyong'o was absolutely incredible as the spy that was T'challa's former lover. Nyong'o just crushed this role. She was the strongest female lead, and maybe the strongest person in this movie. Danai Gurira was a total badass, and I loved her. She sure as hell can wield a weapon, but she was also a very strong willed person that answered to no one. Forest Whittaker was very good in his smallish role. He has a very profound moment between him and T'challa. Martin Freeman was pretty good, as a side character, reprising his role from other MCU movies. Andy Serkis, not in motion capture, is a perfect bad guy. Even Sterling K Brown, in a very tiny role, had some great moments. And Angela Bassett was not only beautiful, but wonderful. But the star was Letitia Wright. She was so great in this movie. She played T'challa's techy younger sister. She was the smartest person in a country of extremely smart people. I'm so excited to see what they do with her character moving forward. I hope she is in "Infinity War" because I want to see more of this character.

As far as why this movie is so important, it shows a cultural shift in super hero movies. If we are being honest, pretty much every other super hero movie, that is a big budget movie, is based on a white person. Well, there are only 2 white characters in "Black Panther", and one is evil, and the other is used as a very marginal side character. And it was perfect. This movie belonged to the main cast. Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Bassett, Wright, Gurira, Nyong'o, these were the main characters. These were the people who's stories I wanted to see when watching this movie. They were the most important people, and Coogler put that across tenfold. It was perfect.

I literally have zero complaints about "Black Panther". I'm so happy that it is crushing records left and right. I love that RTJ and Kendrick Lamar have attached their names and music to this movie. I love that Donald Glover came in and did punch up. I love that the movie had jokes in it. I just plain love this movie. Seriously people, go see "Black Panther" for all the reasons I mentioned, and for so many more. It is a perfect movie. I'm so excited to see where they take these characters from here on out. "Black Panther" has made me excited to see super hero movies again.

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 "May it Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers"

Yesterday I watched "May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers". This was a very good documentary. Now, it needs to be said, if you are not an Avett Brothers fan, this movie may not be for you. Luckily for me, I love the Avett Bros. I own all their music. I've paid to see them multiple times in concert. I enjoy their entire catalog. I love how they have turned the folk/bluegrass/alternative/country genre on its head. They are a band that cannot be put into one genre. They expand them all. They are an awesome band.

The main premise of "May It Last" focused on their time recording their last record, "True Sadness". But, it was about so much more. That is what I loved about this movie. It takes us to personal and deep places that I had no idea about with this band that I adore. I have always had enormous respect for this band because of their exceptional writing. I just figured that they were deep dudes that had a great talent. To hear the stories that they tell when writing specific songs, it was amazing. It was touching. It was, at times, heartbreaking. Just thinking back at the movie, hearing Seth Avett talk about writing "Divorce Separation Blues", it almost made me cry. To hear him and his brother talk about all the things they went through sounded very, very rough. I loved how open and honest Scott Avett, the older brother, was about the divorce. He talked about telling his brother to just get over it, and that he has broken up with girls before. But when Seth told him all that he was going through, he completely flipped the script. That was astonishing to see brothers be so open about a very horrible situation.

Another song writing and recording scene that will always stick with me is when they do "No Hard Feelings". Man, that was brutal and beautiful at the same time. To hear Seth Avett sing his heart out, and then watch him be so drained was spectacular. To see Scott just kind of paralyzed afterward, phenomenal. Then, to watch them talk about what they were going through while writing and recording, it was a beautiful piece of film making. Judd Apatow did a great, great job directing that scene, and this whole movie for that matter.

Some other things I really enjoyed about this movie was the closeness that, not only the brothers, but the band has with each other. Their bass player, Bob Crawford, is a great human being. Hearing his story of meeting the brothers and joining the band was awesome. The fact that they just had him play with them in a parking lot was so cool. Then, to hear all the stuff he has gone through with his daughter, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 2, she is okay now, made me cry. To hear all of the members talk about their feelings while going through this just further hammered home their closeness and how much they like playing music and just generally being with each other. Hearing Joe Kwon's story, their cellist, was awesome. Again, he was a guy they called based on a recommendation from a buddy, he joins the band, then does all this other stuff just so he can continue to play music with them was great. He literally does a ton of stuff for the band. He is their chef, computer guy, friend and cellist. Kwon is a cool dude, and he brings an added element to a band that already is hard to box in.

I absolutely loved hearing about the brothers as kids. Being a little brother myself, it was easy to relate. I have 3 older brothers where Seth Avett just has Scott. But, the stories are the same. As brothers you dislike one another as kids, then the older brother becomes the protector, then when you are adults, it is all respect. Again, it was so easy for me to understand and relate to. The fact that they have remained this close and played in a band together for so long is so cool. They have a crazy amount of respect for each other, and that is great. To see them as a young hard rock band was pretty cool. I had no idea that they did that, but it makes sense when you hear some of their early stuff. I'm glad they changed to acoustic guitars and banjos, but again, it was neat to see their path. The stuff with Rick Rubin was great. He is, without a doubt, the greatest producer that has ever lived. All the things he has done in music, the people he has worked with and the gold he has made with those people and bands is truly amazing. He is a genius and I will argue anyone that disagrees with me on this point. Rick Rubin is a legend. Seeing their families, their kids, their wives and girlfriends, it was all wonderful and so great to see them be so open with everything. They literally let HBO and Apatow film whatever they wanted. And never once did I think that they came off as pretentious or off putting.

The Avett Brothers seem to be down to earth, cool dudes that just happen to be wonderful musicians. I cannot recommend this movie enough, especially for Avett Bros fans. "May It Last" is well worth your time.

"May it Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers" is currently available on HBO Go and HBO Now

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty tried to start a band with his brothers. He wanted to play blues, the head editor wanted to play thrash metal, the other two brothers were advocating for jam band type music. The band never took off.

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Some Predictable, and Some Awesome, Choices for this Year's Oscars Nominations

The Oscar nominations came out this morning, and for the most part, it was status quo. Everyone that has been rumored got their nominations. "Three Billboards" got a ton of nominations. "The Post", along with Meryl Streep, got their nominations. Willem Defoe got his nomination. Frances McDormand was there. So was Gary Oldman and Daniel Day Lewis. Like I said, status quo. I was a bit upset that "The Disaster Artist" only got one nomination, but with the recent Franco allegations, I was not surprised.

What made me smile a bit when I read the nominations was all the new people that are getting consideration. Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani got nominated for best original screenplay for the excellent "The Big Sick". That movie was amazing, and it was incredibly well written. It was very much deserved, and I'm happy that comedians are finally getting noticed by the academy. I love that "The Shape of Water" and Guillermo del Toro got nominated. Guillermo del Toro makes weird, but great movies, and "The Shape of Water" is no different. I'm stoked that Great Gerwig got nominated for what many consider to be the best movie of the year, "Lady Bird". Saoirse Ronan got a much deserved nomination too. Margot Robbie, playing Tonya Harding, will be at the ceremonies. Sally Hawkins, who rules, got nominated and she plays a mute in her movie. It's also pretty cool to see someone like Mary J Blige get nominated for acting and original song. I don't know that that has ever happened. Good for her. It's nice to see Woody Harrelson get some recognition.

What makes me happiest are three specific things from this morning. First off, "Coco" is getting the much deserved recognition that it needs. That movie is so innovative, great and moving. I will be very, very upset if it doesn't win best animated feature. It is leaps and bounds better than any other movie that is in that category. I'm also stoked that "Remember Me" is nominated for best original song. That too should win in a runaway. It is so sweet, but also is the running theme throughout that movie. It is not only a great song, it serves a purpose.

Next, I'm pumped for Daniel Kaluuya getting a best actor nod. He was amazing in "Get Out". He more than deserves this nomination. I only became aware of him last year when I first saw him in the "Black Mirror" episode "15 Million Credits", and I thought he was tremendous in that. Then I had the pleasure of watching "Get Out", and his performance blew me away. He was so good. He made me believe everything that was going on in the movie. He created a truly unique and dynamic character. I will be so happy if he somehow wins. But, the things that make me happiest are "Get Out" and Jordan Peele getting their due. "Get Out" was the most unique and interesting movie I saw all year. I know it wasn't my top movie of 2017, but it was the best movie I saw all year. The way they balanced horror, drama and a little comedy was stupendous. The people involved toed the line of each genre to perfection. "Get Out" is a one of a kind movie, and we need more movies like that in this remake and rehash age we live in now. It is a special movie. Which leads me to the thing that surprised me most, in a good way, this morning. Jordan Peele got a best director nod, he should win, a screen play nod, he should probably win and a best picture nomination, again, he should win. Jordan Peele created something truly different and wonderful and scary and honest and poignant and perfect. He outdid any other director that is up for the award. He did a masterful job with "Get Out". Everyone in that movie was made better by his direction. As far as screenplay, if I have said it once during this blog, I have said it a thousand times, there is no movie more unique than "Get Out". And not just this year, in quite sometime. He made something fresh and new and it speaks to the thousands upon thousands of people that saw "Get Out". No one knew what to expect, and everyone was talking about it after they saw it. This movie had more memes, GIF's and fan art than any other movie I have ever seen in my life. It is one of a kind.

As far as best picture, I think "Get Out" has only one, maybe 2 competitors. "Darkest Hour" is too boring and too historical. Same with "The Post". "Three Billboards" will get scrutinized too much to win. "Dunkirk" is a war movie, and those don't hold much weight anymore. And "Phantom Thread" is too weird. I think "Get Out" only real competition is "Lady Bird" and "Call Me By Your Name". "Call Me By Your Name" won't win because "Moonlight" is a better movie and it won last year. "Lady Bird", by all accounts, I have not seen it yet, is great, but I think the voters will only give it one award, and that will go to Ronan for acting. So, that leaves "Get Out" as the best movie left. I am hoping that it wins best picture. It would be so awesome, given the current state of our country, for a movie like "Get Out" to win best picture. That is my wish at least.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the people that were getting recognized this morning, and that hasn't happened in awhile with the Oscars, Hopefully, times are changing for the better. At least this year's nominees makes me hopeful that is happening.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the robbery where "Logan" gets one nomination, and the movie of the year gets zero nominations. Why did the Oscars forget "The Lego Batman Movie"?  Why?

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I Just Saw "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". What the Hell is Wrong with People?

The movie theater protects me from reading what the internet idiots think.

Editor's Note: There are spoilers for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" in this article. You have been warned about a movie that has been out for a month now.

This past Saturday my son and I went to see "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". Today I will do a short little review of the movie, but I also want to talk about the ridiculous backlash this movie has gotten from so called "lifetime fans".

First, the review.

I found this movie to be quite enjoyable. My son did too. We had a good time watching it together. The fight scenes were some of the best that I have seen in any "Star Wars" movie. In particular, the fight scene with Kylo Ren and Rey teaming up to fight the Imperial Red Guards was almost as amazing as what Darth Vader did at the end of "Rogue One". That Vader fight scene was the best "Star Wars" fight scene ever, but this was a very close second. I also really liked the opening scene, with the war in space. I thought that was rather cool. Hell, I even, I'd go so far as to say loved, the last battle between Luke and Kylo Ren. Every battle scene in this movie was well made and a joy to watch. I was more than happy with BB-8 being back in the movie. I really loved, and her performance makes me miss her even more, the badassness that is General Leia. Poe was just as reckless, but also as cool as he was in "The Force Awakens". Finn was back, and I love John Boyega in this role. He is perfect for it. I loved the additions of Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) and Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). They were strong, important female leads that are much needed in the "Star Wars" universe. Chewbacca and the relationship with the Porgs was much more likable than the Ewok's. I liked evil BB-8. It was cool to see Snoke not in hologram form. He is a bad dude. I thought Benecio Del Toro was good in this movie. It was awesome to see Luke again. But, above all else, Rey was amazing. She was the star. Daisy Ridley has made Rey into such a likable and memorable character. She is wonderful in these first 2 movies, and I cannot wait to see what they do with her next. Hell, I even liked the use of Yoda in this movie. I thought it was cool to see the most memorable "Star Wars" character show up in a crucial scene in "The Last Jedi".

If I had to complain about anything, the movie could have been about 30-40 minutes shorter. It did not have to be 2 and a half hours long. But, that is a small complaint. Even with it being a "complaint", I was never bored, and neither was my son. If I had to put the movies in order, this definitely makes my top 4. I'd have "Empire" as 1, "Rogue One" 2 and "Force Awakens" 3. I am very new to all these movies, so recency bias most definitely plays a role for me. But, I thoroughly enjoyed my movie theater experience of "The Last Jedi".

Now, my second point. All these fan boy morons that can never get a date, that still live in their parents basement even though they are probably in their 40's, that probably think this new "government" is doing all the right things, that seem to despise females, that just feel the need to spit vitriol, that just need something to complain about, shut your god damn mouths. You should be grateful that they are still making new "Star Wars" movies for you to watch. To sit here and chastise Rian Johnson and all the actors involved is so goddamn childish. No one is ever satisfied anymore, and it is getting quite annoying. I made the mistake of reading some user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes after seeing the movie, and all that showed me was how stupid and disgusting and mean these fan boys can be. I read stuff that had quotes like, "keep your liberal agendas at home" and "this was feminist garbage", and one person even said that, "this movie raped my childhood". How dare you. That is so out of bounds that I don't even know where to begin. "The Last Jedi" is a fantasy movie, very well made might I add, and all you idiots can do is sit behind a screen name and bitch? What a bunch of cowards.

It doesn't stop with the Rotten Tomatoes user profile reviews. I was listening to "Doughboys" , and Mike Mitchell, who I am a big time fan of, called the addition of Yoda, "disrespectful". Why is it disrespectful? What does Rian Johnson or George Lucas or anyone else involved with "Star Wars" owe you? You are a ticket buying fan. I say again, be grateful that they are still making these movies. I have seen other comedians that I like complain about this movie on Twitter and say that the prequels are better. That is utter nonsense. The prequels are bad movies. "The Last Jedi" is well made and good. I guess what I'm trying to say is, these nerds and dorks that claim they have been a fan of this franchise from the start are liars. They aren't fans. They are whiners and complainers. They are real life Comic Book Guy's. That's not a compliment. Get over yourselves. And, if you don't like the movie, don't go see it. That is what makes it even worse. These people that are griping about this movie go see it multiple times in the theaters. If you hated it so much, why did you go for a second, third and fourth viewing? Why do you keep giving your own money, or maybe it is your parents money, to a movie that you claim to hate? Just knock it the hell off you dorks. I'm sick of the bitching and complaining about a very good movie. Get over yourself you bunch of babies. It is just a movie. And it is a very good movie at that.

These are my thought on "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". Good movie followed by a lot of whiny crybaby idiots.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. After getting his high waist pants, and doing a few crunches, Ty is shirtless and ready for the Kylo Ren challenge.

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Better Late Than Never on the Gem of Movie "Brigsby Bear"

I finally got around to seeing the movie "Brigsby Bear" yesterday. I have wanted to see this movies since I saw the first trailer for it over a year ago. I do not watch "SNL" anymore, but when I still watched it, the one person I always enjoyed was Kyle Mooney. He appealed to my weird comedy side. He was always doing something unique and different on the show, and 99 percent of it, I loved. My favorite character of his was the 90's standup that he played on "Weekend Update". He was so sad and wanted so much attention and tried so hard.

When I heard that he was writing a movie, and that The Lonely Island, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schafer and Andy Samberg, and Phil Lord and Chris Miller were producing it, I was intrigued. I assumed it was going to be a bizarre comedy, which it has elements of. But "Brigsby Bear" was way different than I expected. I gathered from the trailer that it may be more of a moving and heartfelt movie, but I still expected mostly comedy. For the most part though, "Brigsby Bear" is a drama. It has so much more drama and kind of bleak moments than I expected. And, I loved every single second of the movie.

First, a short synopsis of the movie. Kyle Mooney plays James. He lives in a bubble of a home with his "folks", played by Mark Hammil, who was a delight, and Jane Adams. James watches a show every night called "Brigsby Bear", and the show teaches him life lessons and is the only thing he has ever seen. James loves it so much, he runs a message board solely based on each episode. His "folks" tell him he can't go outside because of the poisonous air, so he barely leaves his room. One night he decides to go outside and sit on a rooftop, and the police come. We find out that James was abducted 25 years ago as a baby. He gets returned to his real folks, Matt Walsh and Michaela Watkins. He also has a sister, played by Ryan Simpkins. They try their best to acclimate him to the real world. Remember, James has been in a bubble his entire life. James is an outcast. He is very odd. He only likes "Brigsby Bear".

James's father does take him to the movies, to try and give him a normal life, and this starts an idea in his head. He decides that he wants to make a Brigsby movie. Things further progress when his sister takes him to a high school party and he meets some people that want to help him. He also meets a detective, played by Greg Kinnear, who has always had a dream of acting. At first, things are going well. He is making friends and his movie is plugging along. Things take a turn for the worse when he makes a real explosive for his movie and the cops find it and arrest him. He is then sent to a psychiatric ward. He soon breaks out, his family comes to accept his love for Brigsby, and they help him finish the movie. He is welcomed at the theater to a hero's welcome.

I really, really like this movie. Kyle Mooney is the only person that I would have bought playing the role of James. He can pull off the weird loner better than anyone out there right now. He is truly amazing in this movie. I could not take my eyes off screen when he was on it, which was the entire movie. And while it does have moments of comedy, this movie is more about friendship, finding yourself, being accepted, coming to terms with a terrible tragedy and the love of a family. Hell, even though Hammil and Adams characters kidnapped him, he still felt love for them. They did a truly awful thing, but they were never awful to James. They truly did love him. Even after taking a life sentence for what they did, James visits his captors in jail to have him do some voices. He holds no real ill will towards them. Seeing Walsh and Watkins and Simpkins deal with this tragedy and accept for James for who he really is was wonderful. Walsh and Watkins are mainly comic actors, but they do nothing of the comedic variety in this movie. They are parents that lost their kid, got him back and are trying to make up for lost time. Simpkins, the reluctant sister, was great too. She acted like any teenager would, but when push came to shove, she loved, and missed, the brother she never knew she had. Kinnear was excellent as the detective that helped to find James, but also had an acting bug. His turn is so good and he was so good in this role.

I truly loved this story of friendship and family. I would be lying if I didn't say that I teared up a bit near the end. I hope that this means more things will come from Kyle Mooney. He found a very unique way to tell this story. He is the only person who can tell this type of story the way he did. "Brigsby Bear" also proves to me that The Lonely Island and Lord and Miller are only attaching their names to cool and different stuff, but stuff that works, stuff that finds its niche audience. I highly recommend people seek this movie out and watch it. It takes you places you don't expect, and that was great to see. I'm very glad that I saw, and now own, "Brigsby Bear". It is a very well done movie.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is now inspired to make a movie of the television show that taught him how to be a good and compassionate person. Look out for Ty's "Saved By the Bell" film any day now.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Best of Everything in 2017

Welcome to the final day of 2017. The year has featured a lot of good stuff, and a whole lot of stuff we want to forget, COUGH Trump COUGH. In order to celebrate we are going to focus mostly on the good stuff. Check out all of our best of the year articles, and enjoy the X Millennial Man 2017 Year in Review podcast. 

Oh, and have a Happy New Year.

The Best Films

The Best Television

The Best Music

The Best Podcasts

The Best Sports Moments

The X Millennial Man Year in Review

The Staff at SeedSing

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The Best Films of 2017

Being that we are currently in the midst of the holiday season, I figured what better time than this week than to do my top 5 lists of 2017.

2017 has been kind of a train wreck, but there has been some pretty good things to come out in the world of music, movies, TV, podcasts and sports moments. Those are the 5 topics I will cover this week, one topic per day. Today I'm going to start with movies.

Movies was one of the hardest lists for me to pair down to 5. There were a ton of very good movies that came out this year. For example, some great movies that did not make my list, "Wonder Woman", "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", "The Big Sick", "John Wick: Chapter 2", "The Lego Batman Movie" and "Coco". I saw all these movies and thought they were awesome. Also, I have not seen the new "Star Wars" movie, I haven't seen "Thor: Ragnarok" or "War for the Planet of the Apes", "Dunkirk", and many, many others. Too many to name. But, I finally got my list paired down to what I consider to be the best 5 movies of the year. Here we go.

At number 5 I have "Blade Runner 2049". That enough should show you how great I thought the movies were this year. This was the movie I was looking most forward too, and boy did it deliver. I'm a big time fan of the original "Blade Runner", so I had enormous expectations. Well, Ryan Gosling and Denis Villenvue delivered. The visuals were stunning. The acting was great. The story was great. The scenery was magical. I loved that they kept the tone and look of the original. It was everything that I wanted, but so much more. The movie ran almost three hours long, and I could have watched it for three more hours. "Blade Runner 2049" more than lived up to the hype, and it is such a quality companion to the wonderful "Blade Runner". That is my number 5 movie people.

At number 4 I have "Baby Driver". I know that this movie has the Kevin Spacey stink on it, but if you can try and push past that, this movie is amazing. The opening chase scene set to Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's "Bellbottoms", is heart racing and tremendous. From that moment on, "Baby Driver" just goes and goes hard. The driving is so cool and slick and real. The acting is top notch. This is Jaime Foxx's best role in my opinion. The action is intense. But what makes this movie stand apart is the way Edgar Wright mixes the music with the storyline. Every song has a meaning to the scene that it is in. I heard someone describe the movie as an action/car chase/ musical, and I couldn't agree more. Edgar Wright completely knocked it out of the park with this movie. Also, the soundtrack rules. Go watch this movie now, then go buy the soundtrack and watch it again. "Baby Driver" is awesome.

At number 3 I have "Get Out". I'm one of the few people that didn't get to the theaters to see the movie, but I did see it recently. My wife and I rented it on Netflix and watched it right around Halloween. "Get Out" is a big time achievement by Jordan Peele. His love for the horror genre, but also his comedic chops, make this a one of a kind movie. The Golden Globes got it way wrong by putting this movie in the Comedy and Musical category though. It should just be nominated for Best Movie. Putting that aside though, "Get Out" had me on edge more than any horror/suspense movie that I have ever watched. I also could not look away from the screen, and I did not figure out what was going on until they revealed it in the movie. All the actors did an amazing job as well. They put their all into their roles, and it really shows. Jordan Peele has an unique vision, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. Until then though, go watch "Get Out".

At number 2 I have "Logan". This is, by far, the best "superhero" movie I have ever seen. I know awhile back that I wrote that "Guardians of the Galaxy" has taken over as my favorite superhero movies, but "Logan" is still the best "superhero" movie. What I love so much about "Logan" is the violence. This movie is brutal. "Logan" shows what his claws would actually do to someone's head when he uses them. There is so much blood and gore. It is crazy. I also love how "Logan" is more a Western than a "superhero" movie. I like to say that it is a Western that just happens to have some super heroes in it. Besides all that, the acting in "Logan" is pretty amazing. Hugh Jackman is great. The little girl that plays Weapon X is awesome. The villain is brutal. Stephen Merchant is a revelation. But no one is better than Sir Patrick Stewart. What he does with an old, Alzheimer's ridden Professor X in this movie is amazing. He more than deserves Oscar consideration. "Logan" may be the best "superhero movie ever made.

And at number 1, I have "The Disaster Artist". And no, this is not recency bias. "The Disaster Artist" is a masterpiece. James Franco made something absolutely perfect. I could not love this movie anymore. It is perfect in every single way. The comedy is top notch. The drama, and yes there is drama, fits in quite nicely. The recreations of all the insanity that went into making "The Room" was amazing. James Franco better damn well get Oscar consideration. Not only does he direct this movie great, but his acting as Tommy Wiseau is perfection. He was so, so good. So was his brother Dave Franco as Greg Sestero. Everyone else in this movie, and there are a lot of big time names, did a wonderful job. For any fan of "The Room", "The Disaster Artist" is a stupendous love letter to the wackiness of it all. For people that didn't see "The Room", "The Disaster Artist" is a must see for fans of friendship/Hollywood/chasing your dream style of movie. For me it gets no better than "The Disaster Artist" in 2017. It is a masterpiece.

There you have it, my top 5 movies of the year. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 albums of the year. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also did not see the number of forgettable movies that got nominated for a bunch of Golden Globes. He still needs to catch up to timeless classics like "The Tourist", "The Artist", and "La La Land". He will catch up with those films when he is bored with good movies.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 15 - Blue Milk

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen

Day 15: Blue Milk

Some of the food and drink we use year round becomes extra special around the holidays. We take for granted the vegetables we eat all year, but in December those same vegetables are the stars in a party platter. Our soups we reluctantly sip in July become hearty and comforting in the waning days of fall. The bantha milk (aka blue milk) we drink on Tatooine becomes a special holiday beverage during our time on Ahch To.

Blue milk is a special kind of thing from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away. It is like regular milk, except it is blue. For many years we thought one could only get blue milk on Tatooine, but as of yesterday we learned one can find it on a remote island on the planet of Ahch To. Not everyone likes it, but legendary Jedi heroes will drink that stuff straight out of a creatures teat. It is that awesome, for some. 

Today we witness a new chapter in the beloved Star Wars Saga, and surprisingly blue milk makes a mid December reappearance. Is it milk that is blue, probably. Is it a holiday treat, probably not. Yet this lovely blue milk will hold a spot in one of our most beloved December released films. In all honesty, the blue milk appearance was probably just a way to make the jaded gen xers connect with the newest Star Wars film. Happy life day anyways.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. This holiday we encourage all people to gather around their tree, raise a glass of blue milk, and sing along to the Tree of Life.

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

Ty Watches "The Disaster Artist"

I had the great pleasure of seeing “The Disaster Artist” this past Saturday. I’ve been very much looking forward to this movie since I heard they were going to make it over a year ago. I’m a big fan of “The Room”, and when I saw they were going to make a movie about making that movie and Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero’s friendship, I couldn’t wait. Then, I saw the cast and I knew I had to see this movie on opening weekend. “The Disaster Artist” was a hit at every festival, and the early reviews were pretty much all positive. This only built my anticipation. My wife bought us tickets about a week ago, and we finally got to see it on Saturday.

I was absolutely blown away. First of all, the theater we saw the movie in was sold out. I was stunned, but in a good way. I never thought a niche movie like this would appeal to a mass audience. Boy was I wrong. After the previews the movie started and it had my full attention for every single second of its 105 minute run time. This was such a perfect way to tell this story.

The first third of the movie was all about Tommy and Greg’s friendship. “The Room” doesn’t come into the story until about 40 minutes in. We see a “young” Tommy and a young Greg meet in an acting class in San Francisco. We see their friendship grow from scene partners to roommates to collaborators. I must say, all the buzz that James Franco is getting is well deserved. He embodies Tommy Wiseau. It’s not just the accent either. He looks like him. He has his same gestures. He laughs like him. He became Tommy. He was amazing. He better damn well get an Oscar nomination. Dave Franco was just as good as Greg. He embodied the faith and trust that Greg inexplicably has for Tommy to this day. His devotion is at times charming, but also sad. The younger Franco was so good. I imagine this had to have been so much fun for them to do as well. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time they’ve acted together. They crushed it.

Outside of the Francos, everyone else in this movie was awesome. Ari Graynor as the actress that played the infamous Lisa showed us the naive and ultimately disgusted young actress. Seth Rogen and Paul Scheer as 2 key workers on the movie were hilarious. Rogen was a delight, as usual. Scheer crushes his performance. He was great. Josh Hutcherson as Denny, phenomenal. His haircut was worth the admission alone. Zac Efron as Chris R, wonderfully absurd and hilarious. Nathan Fielder as the psychologist, perfect. Jason Mantzoukas and Hannibal Buress as the guys that sell Tommy the equipment for the movie, perfect. There are so many cameos, and they are all amazing. Too many to list. Just know, JJ Abrams shows up in the very first scene.

When we do get to the making of “The Room”, “The Disaster Artist” effortlessly bounces between comedy and drama. This was where James Franco truly shines. The stuff he says and does on the set are so crazy, but it’s all true. Only an actor like James Franco could’ve pulled this off. I do not want to spoil anything for anyone. I will say though, you don’t have to see “The Room” to like “The Disaster Artist”, but if you’ve seen “The Room”, you’ll understand the movie more, and I think you’ll love it like I did.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is a true masterpiece. Due yourself a favor and go see “The Disaster Artist”. It has definitely been the best movie I’ve seen in 2017.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He and his brother have worked together on an entertainment product. I wonder what that could be?

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "Goon: Last of the Enforcers"

I am not a fan of hockey as a sport. I find it very boring and, quite frankly, stupid. This could be because I cannot skate, I never played it as a kid, I never watched it as a kid, there are so many reasons. I just flat out dislike hockey. But, for some odd reason, I do enjoy movies about hockey. I think it is because the movies only show the "exciting" parts of the game. I don't have to deal with any of the other nonsense, and I get to just see the goals and fights. That is all I want to see anyway. I can sit down and watch "Mighty Ducks", or "D2" anytime it is on cable. I have seen "Slap Shot" a handful of times. "Happy Gilmore" has hockey moments in it, and that is one of my all time favorite movies.

But, all of these hockey movies pale in comparison to the wonderful "Goon". That movie is amazing. I saw it on Netflix when it was recommended to me by many people and I was blown away. "Goon" was funny, bloody, raunchy and even a bit moving. Sean William Scott was absolutely perfect as Doug "The Thug" Blatt. This is one of his best roles. In fact, I think he has totally redeemed himself and made himself a great actor and gotten out of the shadow of Stifler. He should be talked about as much as Channing Tatum. I feel like they have both had a great second life as actors.

So, when a sequel to "Goon" was announced, and that Jay Baruchel was going to direct, I was on board. Baruchel co wrote "Goon", so I figured with him directing we would get much of the same. I couldn't get out to the theaters to see it, but I just recently rented and watched "Goon: Last of the Enforcers". And, the movie was okay. It was not even close to the greatness that "Goon" was, but that was an impossible achievement. Everyone is back from the first movie. The hippy goalie, the Russian brothers, Stevenson, La Flamme, the coaches, Alison Pil, Liev Shrieber, Jay Baruchel and Sean William Scott. This time around they added Elisha Cuthbert, in a totally off form role for her, which she was great at, and Wyatt Russell, as the villain.

"Goon: Last of the Enforcers" starts out with the NHL on strike, so this semi pro league that Blatt's team plays in is, for better or worse, the main attraction. This is what everyone in Canada watches. We see the team being give their jerseys and Blatt is named a team captain. Blatt is still the same type player, an enforcer. He is out there to protect his teammates and get into fights. In their first game they face a team that the owners son plays on, this is Wyatt Russell's character. He is a younger, faster and better overall hockey player than Blatt has ever been. They get into a fight in the game, and Russell destroys him. It was a great fight scene. This is when "GLOTE" really shines. The fight scenes are the best moments of the movie. They are just as gory and brutal as they were in "Goon".

Blatt gets his shoulder all messed up, and he has to turn away from hockey. His wife, Pil, is also pregnant with their kid. Blatt goes into insurance, but he hates it. He starts to get the itch to play again when he watches his old team, who has now traded for Russell, and they are miserable. Russell is a great hockey player, but he is also very selfish and crazy. To get himself back into playing shape, Blatt tracks down Schreiber, his nemesis from the first movie. Schreiber is fighting in brawl type competitions because he cannot pull himself away from the game he loves. He helps Blatt learn how to fight with his off hand. The scenes of them working together are pretty good too.

Blatt eventually gets back on the team, but Pil doesn't want him to fight. She needs him around for their kid. He heeds her demands at first. But, in the final regular season game, after the team releases Russell and he is back on his original team, he has to fight him again. Russell knocks out Schreiber, so Blatt goes out to defend his friends honor. He does beat up Russell, but ruins his shoulder in the process. He will never play hockey again.

I mean, "GLOTE" was a fine movie, but it was very color by the numbers. You could tell beat for beat what was going to happen as it happened. That doesn't mean it was a bad movie, I just feel like it may have been a bit unnecessary. "Goon" was classic. I feel like they should have stopped there. But, I get why they made a sequel. No one expected "Goon" to be as great as it was, so why not do it again. Look, everyone was good in this movie. Sean William Scott was great. Jay Baruchel was hilarious. Alison Pil was good. Elisha Cuthbert was just as funny as Baruchel. Schreiber was fine. Even Russell was a decent villain. I just feel like they didn't have to make this movie.

"GLOTE" is fine to have on when you just want to zone out and watch a sports movie. But, when comparing it to the original, it is not even close. I'm glad I watched it, but I will take "Goon" any day over "GLOTE". It was a fine movie, but it was unnecessary.

Ty

Let Me Tell You About this Awesome Movie "Coco"

I took my kids to see Coco this morning. That movie is incredible. It needs to be talked about more than it currently is being talked about. I know it just came out, and it’s currently sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, but I mentioned to a few people that I took my kids to see Coco, and their response was, “what’s that?”. That’s a shame to me. This movie was vibrant, colorful, funny, moving, action packed and wonderfully written and perfectly voice acted. There was never a moment I felt bored or wanted the movie to pick up the pace. Did I mention that it is great.

"Coco" focuses on a young boy named Miguel who happens to be an excellent guitar player. The only problem, his entire extended family has forbade music since their great grandma’s dad walked out on them to pursue a career in music. Miguel yearns to play, but anytime he gets a chance in the town center, someone from his family finds him and stops him in his tracks. When Miguel does have a chance to play, it’s in secret. He has a secret room where he strums along with his hero, Ernesto. Ernesto is said to be the most famous musician this small town in Mexico has ever produced. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say, Ernesto may not be as great as he seems.

On Dia De Los Muertos, there is a big time talent competition. Miguel decides he is going to join, and he doesn’t care what his family says. His family catches him trying to get to the competition, and his grandma smashes his guitar. Miguel is so upset and runs away to do the show. He cannot join the competition because he doesn’t have a guitar. But, he decides he is going to go into Ernesto’s shrine and take his guitar. When he grabs it, he strums it, and the leaves laid out for the dead light up. Miguel feels odd, but proceeds to the show. Some townspeople see that Ernesto’s guitar is gone, and they come in to search. Miguel thinks he caught, but we come to realize he has crossed over to the land of the dead.

This is where the movie shifts from good to great. Pretty much from here on out we are with the dead. The animation is beautiful. The colors are amazing. The people we meet, including Miguel’s extended family members that have passed, are all great. They want Miguel to go back home, but he wants to know why they do not want him to play music.

All of the stuff with his deceased family was tremendous. I loved that family was the important, central theme of the movie. I am extremely close to my family, so this was easy to relate to for me. I also loved how this movie embraced its heritage.

This movie was also all about Spanish family and Spanish people. That’s pretty rare for a kids movie, but kudos to the people that made this for sticking to the heritage.

The music was excellent as well. I bought the soundtrack right after the movie.

"Coco" is a must see for everyone. Pixar once again hit it out of the park. This movie ranks right up there with Wall E for me. I like it more already than any Toy Story movie, and I love the Toy Story movies. Go see this movie if you can, and take your kids. Also, try to see it in the theaters. It is worth it for the colors alone. Coco is a beautiful movie with beautiful,  vibrant colors, and wonderful music. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He loves guitar, and even has a favorite ax to shred on.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

"Get Out" and "The Cabin in the Woods" Should be on Your Halloween Movie Watching List

I am not a fan of Halloween as you all know by now. I don't like being scared, I don't like dressing up, I eat too much candy, I grew tired of trick or treating by the time I was 10, I just don't enjoy the day. I also loathe the puns, as I stated on a podcast last year, and still complain about it to this day. Stop with the "spooktacular" bull shit. That's not a word. Every holiday does this, but for some reason, Halloween puns really bug me.

With all this being said, I do love movies and TV shows. Just listen to our recent podcast about great Halloween TV shows. These are fun shows for me, especially when they are of the comedy variety. So, for today, since it is Halloween, and we didn't touch on movies in our recent podcast, I'm going to give you 2 movies that I think are perfect Halloween movies to watch tonight.

The first movie I just saw recently. By recently, I mean a week ago. My wife and I just watched "Get Out", and that movie is incredible. What makes it a great Halloween movie you ask? Well, for one, it is horrifying. It is scary, but not "The Shining" scary. "Get Out" is a slow burn. There are very few shock scares too. You know what shock scares are. It is when something jumps into frame and loud music plays. "Get Out" has one, maybe 2 moments like this. "Get Out" doesn't have to go for cheap scares. The movie's premise is scary enough. I mean, white people taking the brains out of hip, young black people, spoiler alert, that is frightening. But, "Get Out" has comedic moments, it has action, it is very well written, incredibly acted and perfectly directed by Jordan Peele. It isn't just a straight up horror movie. Lil Rel Howery plays the main character's best friend, and the scenes of him figuring out what is going on with his buddy's girlfriend and family, it is very funny. Also, the scene where he shows up at the police station to tell the cops what is going on, and they all laugh at him, just perfect comedy. The final scene, where Daniel Kaluuya escapes the house and fights off the whole family, it has as much action as "Die Hard" does. It is awesome, and exciting. "Get Out" has it all. It is not only a great Halloween movie, it is a great any day, any time movie. I'm mad at myself that I waited so long to see it, but now that I have, I'm so happy. This movie stayed with me for days too. I kept thinking about it over a week after I had watched it. That is the sign of a quality movie.

The other movie is a bit older, not too much, but so awesome and so off the beaten path. Everyone needs to see this movie. The movie is "The Cabin in the Woods". Funny thing about the 2 movies I mentioned today, Bradley Whitford is in both of them. That dude is a good actor. Anyway, "The Cabin in the Woods" is very scary, but it is also hilarious. This movie takes on the trope of 5 friends going on a trip to a creepy cabin. It is in the same vain as an "Evil Dead", if you will. But, "The Cabin in the Woods" had a lot more money put into it than "Evil Dead". I only saw "TCITW" after hearing a ton of people talk about it on podcasts, and in general conversation with friends. I also heard that Chris Hemsworth was in it, and I am a fan of his. I avoided it because I thought it was a straight forward horror movie, but was assured that I would enjoy it, and that it was like nothing I had ever seen. Those people were right. "TCITW" is very different from a classical horror movie. The movie has scares and it very gory, but I would consider this more a comedy with horror elements. I personally think it is funnier than "Evil Dead", or any other horror movie that tries to go full comedy. The kids in the movie are hilarious. The stuff they go through is crazy, wacky, bizarre, but above all else, funny. The way that some of the characters meet their fate is downright laugh out loud funny, especially Hemsworth's character. Then you have the people who put these kids in this situation. I already mentioned Bradley Whitford, but there is also Sigourney Weaver, in one of her most underrated roles, and Richard Jenkins, who is an amazing actor. They are so god damn good, and very funny in this movie. As I said, "TCITW" is unlike anything you will ever see. It is so different and bizarre and scary, but most of all, funny. 

So, while I may not be a fan of actual Halloween, I do enjoy movies and TV shows, and "Get Out" and "The Cabin in the Woods" are 2 incredibly solid choices if you are looking for great movies, that also may up your heart rate a bit. Go check both of these movies out. I think you will really like them, especially during Halloween.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He also recommends watching "Young Sheldon" if you need a good scare. The fact that the show exists is one of the most frightening things ever.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Better Late than Never on "The Big Sick"

I am finally getting caught up on TV shows and movies that I have meant to see, and I finally saw one of the movies that I really wanted to see it the theaters. That movie is "The Big Sick".  

I am a big Kumail Nanjiani fan. I love him as Dinesh on "Silicon Valley", I love his bit roles in some good and not so good movies and I have been a fan of his standup from day one. When I heard about this movie that he and his wife wrote, loosely based on their relationship, I was intrigued. Then, the movie got big time buzz when it was screened at a bunch of different festivals. Everyone was saying that they loved it. The movie sold after the Sundance Film Festival I believe, for somewhere in the 12 million dollar range. That is enormous for a movie that is basically an independent movie. This made me want to see the movie even more. Then the critical buzz came, and it was nothing but shine. Pretty much every critic found something to like about this movie. I do not usually care what critics say, but when a movie gets somewhere in the high 90's percent critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, that makes me think it is a movie worth checking out. I could not see it in the theaters, family and kid stuff got in the way. But, I finally saw it when it was released on DVD and Blu-Ray.

This movie is everything that the critics and the fans said it was. I love this movie so much. It is so touching and funny and sad and just perfect. This is a true star turning role for Kumail Nanjiani. He owns this movie. He is playing himself, but he brings such great emotion, perfect comic timing and just controls everything that this movie is supposed to be. It helps that he co wrote it, but damn it, was he great. Zoe Kazan, playing his now wife Emily, is just as good. She could have come off as a clichéd type love interest, but she is not. She is just as powerful and moving and funny, all the way up to when she is put in a coma. For those of you that don't know, Kumail met his wife Emily at a comedy club, they struck up a romance, broke up due to cultural stuff and then she got sick and was put in a medically induced coma. That is what "The Big Sick" is about. I'll touch more on the plot in a moment. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are tremendous as Emily's folks. Holly Hunter is the fiery southerner who will do anything to get her daughter healthy. Ray Romano is great as the quieter, but can also be fiery, dad that has a troubled past. They are tremendous actors to begin with, and that shows in this movie. Kumail's family, Anupam Kher plays his dad and Zenobia Shroff plays his mom and Adeel Akhtar play his brother, are all wonderful. Every time that Kumail's mom brings an Indian woman over to meet Kumail, it is funny and awkward. Kumail's dad is a bit softer on him, but he still wants his son to be a faithful Muslim. Kumail's brother is hilarious. Every line he talks is so funny and witty and just perfect. As far as the other standouts from the movie, I love Aidy Bryant, Bo Burnham and Kurt Brauholer. They all play Kumail's friends that perform at stand up clubs in Chicago, in hopes of getting into the Montreal Comedy Festival. They each bring a different character to their roles, and they all nail it. Kurt Brauholer is truly wonderful as the comic that just shouldn't be doing standup.

Getting to the plot, "The Big Sick" is a great, modern love story about family and culture. It is amazing to me that people from Pakistan still believe in arraigned marriage. It was amazing to see Kumail express to his parents how he thinks this is not for him. To watch their disappointment, but then acceptance, is truly wonderful. To see the beginning, middle, break and reuniting of Kumail and Emily is so great, sad, funny and perfect. This movie perfectly captures what a new romance for people in their mid to late 20's is about. The stuff in the hospital, and at Emily and Kumail's apartments, with Kumail and Emily's parents is just awesome. Their distance, then getting close to each other is so great. Watching a boyfriend and the girlfriend's parents going through this horrific event is masterfully done in this movie.

"The Big Sick" is amazing. I really think everyone should see it. It is a movie that could have been ripe with clichés, but Emily Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani and Michael Showalter, the director, wouldn't allow that to happen. They are too talented for that. This movie is really, really good and my only gripe, I wish I had seen it sooner. I hope this brings on bigger and better things for Kumail, I guess it has, he just hosted "SNL", and Emily Gordon, because they deserve it. Watch this movie, it is a must see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had some cultural differences when he was dating his wife. She came from a culture where she was good looking, and he came from one where he was ugly. They worked their way through the differences.

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Let's Take Another Look: The Movie "Her" is Even More Relevant Four Years Later

I was scrolling through the movie channels that we have provided by our cable provider and I came across the movie "Her" from 2014. I saw this movie in the theaters when it was first released and I loved it. I remember it winning best original screenplay at the Oscars that same year. It was much deserved for Spike Jones and all the people that helped write the movie. It was a very forward thinking movie. I wanted to see if it held up, so I watched it.

First off, it totally holds up. In fact, I think it holds more weight now than it did when it came almost 4 years ago. In 2014, the idea of a lonely guy that just got divorced and ends up falling in love with a computer operating system was far fetched. Now, I think it is less than a few years away where this will be widely accepted. We are all already so heavily involved with our phones, computers, tablets, anything electronic basically. I'm just as much at fault for this. I read the majority of my news from my phone. I listen to podcasts on my phone. I watch TV on my computer and my son's tablet. All my music is played through my iPod. I use electronics everyday. Hell, my "watch" is also my Fitbit. It keeps time, but it also tracks my steps, my heart rate, the calories I've burned and how many "hills" I've climbed. It can also map my runs and any other exercise, and that is just a "watch". So in re watching "Her" the other day, it felt more like a "Black Mirror" episode that a light dramedy. It was kind of horrifying if I'm being totally honest.

For example, there is a scene near the end of the movie where Samantha, Joaquin Phoenix's OS that he calls his girlfriend, wants to be intimate with him and she finds a service where a real life person can come to his home and she can talk through an earpiece that they both wear. The scene is kind of awkward and I felt kind of wrong watching it. Phoenix didn't know this girl. She was hired to be a real life form of Sam. It was a very light form of prostitution. When Phoenix finally becomes too weirded out by the whole situation, he is made to be the bad guy by Sam and the girl she hired. That is crazy. Also, no one else besides a weirdo like Joaquin Phoenix could have pulled off this role, and more importantly, this scene.

How far off are situations like this in our real life? It is not too far fetched that some stuff like this may be going on right now. I have no doubt at all that some people have a genuine "love" for their phone or tablet, and they call that piece of electronics their partner. No doubt at all. We are all becoming attached to our devices. It is becoming a problem. I'm just waiting for a "True Life" on MTV or some god awful TLC show that talks about people wanting to marry their phone, computer, tablet, whatever it may be. People already have been on TV shows that have shown love for things like real life dolls, cars, furniture, basically all kinds of stuff. Now, as long as you aren't hurting anyone, I have no problem with this. Love whoever or whatever you want. I'm just curious, and I really think it is a real possibility, that people are already saying that some piece of electronics with an operating system is their lover. I know people that freak out when they can't find their phones. I've heard people say, "I don't know what I'd do without my phone". That is crazy.

Every time I go out for coffee or lunch with a group of friends there is inevitably a table filled with people that all have their computers out, are eating lunch and not speaking to one another. Same goes for teens. They'd rather text or Snapchat than engage in a real life conversation. Could this current generation of teens be the first to claim that an OS is their boyfriend/girlfriend? I say most definitely.

The one nice thing I took away from my second go round of "Her", and I say again, I think this movie is wonderful, the people in this futuristic society passed no judgement on these people that were in relationships with their OS's. I think that is great, and I think everyone should be accepting of all consensual love. Love is love and love is blind and love is great. I say again, as long as no one is getting hurt or worse, I'm down with whatever.

The one thing that made me look at "Her" with terror was the end of the movie. Before I go on, spoiler alert. I'm going to wreck the end of this almost 4 year old movie. But, at the end, Phoenix is struggling with his relationship. He and Sam are fighting all the time and they just seem bored and tired of each other. In a last ditch effort Phoenix tries to get her back on his side and he runs into a train stop. Here he realizes that "Sam" is in many relationships. She is an OS, so of course other people have this program for their piece of electronics. It is so heartbreaking and upsetting, but also real. Many people have similar interests when it comes to a partner, and Phoenix finds this out the hard way. It is so gut wrenching because of how true it really is.

Look, I highly recommend the movie "Her". It is great. But, the next time you watch it, if you have already seen it, or if this is your first viewing, think of how close this idea is to reality and watch the movie through that lens. It will really open your eyes. I know it opened mine.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once fell in love with an OS. Jennifer Aniston and Matt Perry could really make a guy love Windows 95.

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Better Late than Never on the Average Film "Fences", and the Incredible Artist Viola Davis

Yesterday I watched the movie "Fences".

It was a very good movie. I understand that. But, I was not wowed, with one exception. I understand it is hard to take a play and adapt it for the movie screen. "Fences" was one monologue after another. The monologues and performances were great, but after the first hour, I got kind of bored with the constant single shot and 5 minutes of straight dialogue from one of the main actors. Denzel Washington was tremendous as the main character, Troy. He is always great, and this was no exception. Everyone else in the movie, his children and the side characters, they were just fine. None of them wowed me, but I never thought their parts should have been cut.

The lone exception was Viola Davis. She was phenomenal. She was/is a powerhouse actor. She owned every single scene she was in. She was, by far, the best thing about this movie. I could not take my eyes off her when she was in screen. Her monologues were the best. Her performance out shined everyone else, including Denzel. The final scene, where she talks to her son, was as powerful a scene that I have ever seen in a period drama. She was amazing.

I did some research after watching the movie and came upon the fact that she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She won, as she should have, but supporting actress? Give me a god damn break. She was just as much the lead in this movie as Denzel was. I know Washington directed the movie, and he was doing the play, but Davis was an equal star. I don't know who was up for Best Actress in the most recent Oscars, but the fact that Davis had to be put in the Supporting category is ridiculous. She was easily the best actress from all the nominated movies that I have seen thus far. I HAD to watch every scene she was in. I stopped everything else I might have been doing to watch her performance. The same cannot be said for anyone else in "Fences". I watched the movie intently, but when Davis wasn't on screen, I'd let my mind drift, check email, or just lay down. But, the moment Davis came back on screen, I sat straight up, put my phone down and focused.

I know Davis won the Oscar, but I still feel like she is underrated and not as appreciated as she deserves. She is pretty much good in everything she is in, and in "Fences", she was the best actor on screen. I mean, I would have given Denzel best actor over Casey Affleck, but Davis would have won it over anyone last year. I do not care who was up for Best Actress, Viola Davis out acted them all by a mile with her role in "Fences". I cannot wait to see what she does next, and I hope she starts to get her due as the wonderful actor that she is. She is great on the Shonda Rimes show, "How to Get Away with Murder", she has been great in bit roles here and there, but she was masterful in "Fences".

My hat goes off to the wonderful Viola Davis.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He just remembered who won the Best Actress Award this year. It was Emma Stone for either "Hawaii" or "White People: The Musical". Way to go Oscars.

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Better Late than Never on the Strange, and Great, Movie "The Lobster"

Yesterday I was finally able to finish the movie, "The Lobster". I started it a few days ago, but with picking up my kid from school and doing things during the day with my daughter, it usually takes me 2 to 3 sittings to finish a 2 hour movie. "The Lobster" was recommended to me by a few people who's taste in movie I very much trust. I am not a Colin Farrell fan when he plays an American in some stupid action movie, but, when he gets to use his own dialect and accent, the results always seem so much better. I was assured by said people that he spoke with his Irish tone in "The Lobster". I was also told that the tone and pace of this movie was right up my alley. I like darker, dystopian future movies. I appreciate when writers and directors make a movie of the not so distant future and it isn't all peachy and sweet. I'm usually right on board. That is exactly what "The Lobster" did.

"The Lobster" movie takes place in a very near future in Ireland. People who have lost their spouse, be it divorce, death or them just straight up leaving, are sent to a hotel where they have 45 days to find a mate. I call it a hotel, but it seems more like a prison. At the end of the 45 days, if they haven't found a partner, they get turned into an animal of their choosing. Sounds pretty weird, right? Well, I loved the story this movie was telling. It is such a weird concept, but maybe, just maybe, this is something that could definitely happen in the near future.

The movie opens with a lady driving out to the hills of Ireland and shooting a cow. I was confused, yet intrigued. We then see Farrell and a lady is talking off camera, letting him know that she is leaving him. Farrell has glasses on, and his only question to her is, "is the man near sighted?". He seems upset, but more so at the man's sight as opposed to the fact that his wife is leaving him for this other person. Farrell then checks himself into this hotel with his dog. He states to the clerk at the front office that maybe they remember his brother, he had been there a few years ago. She does not remember him. This was when I started to suspect that the dog may have been his brother. Farrell then goes to his room and is asked a plethora of questions involving his sexual past and present, and what kind of animal he would want to be turned into if he doesn't find a mate. This was so uncomfortable, but also fascinating to watch. This was the exact moment that Farrell won me over in this movie. His performance, as a monotone loner that is upset, but won't show it, was spot on.

After all the inquisition, we jump cut to a scene at the hotel dining room area. By the way, this blog is going to be filled with spoilers. Nothing too big yet, but it is coming. In the dining hall we meet 2 of Farrell's "friends" at the hotel, played by John C Reilly and Ben Whishaw. Both are wonderful in their smallish roles. Reilly is a total punching bag. He lets people walk all over him. Whishaw is a snake that will do whatever it takes to find a mate. He was tremendous in the movie. After they have a very bizarre dance scene, everyone is whisked away in a bus to go and "hunt" outsiders. Outsiders are people that have either left the hotel or do not want to go this this terrible place. They live in the woods and anytime the hotel occupants come to "hunt" them, they use tranquilizer darts to capture the Outsiders and bring them back to the hotel, the Outsiders fight back or try to get away. The "hunting" scenes are intense.

Throughout the first 2/3 of this movie, we get a narrator telling the story of how she met Farrell's character. It is very helpful to give you some kind of idea of what is going on. After the first "hunt", Farrell meets a lady that only has a day or 2 left to find someone, and she claims she is going to kill herself if she doesn't find someone. Another lady he meets at the pool has one day left, and she proclaims to him that she cannot wait to be turned into a mini horse. She has beautiful hair, so she sees that being the only animal she can turn into. There is a third lady that, as the narrator says, "is the most heartless person that ever existed". Farrell decides that he is going to make the heartless lady his companion. He puts on a whole show for her, and she agrees to be his mate. They get moved to the couples hotel, they have a separate spot for couples, and they have one of the most unsatisfying and unhappy relationships that I have ever seen. This is what the lady wants. It is not what Farrell wants. At one point Farrell wakes up and he sees blood on the lady's leg and she has told him that she "killed his brother. There was no struggle". I was horrified by this because it meant that she killed his dog, and it reaffirmed my suspicion that the dog was his brother.  Farrell shows his first true sign of emotion, going to the bathroom to cry, and his mate finds him, calls him an unfit match and starts to march him towards the room where they transform people into animals. Farrell manages to escape her, with a little help from a hotel worker, and flees the scene, but not before transforming the lady who killed his dog/brother. We never see what animal he transforms her to, but I think it is better that way. While fleeing, he finds the Outsiders and asks to join them. They have a leader, and she allows him in the group.

Throughout his transformation from hotel attendant to Outsider, Farrell, and the viewing audience, meet the narrator. She has no name, but Rachel Weisz plays her, and she is amazing in the role. She still narrates the movie, but we get to see some dialogue between her and Farrell. The Outsiders are supposed to be opposed to the hotel and what they do, but they do have some weird rules. There can be no physical contact between the people in the group. If someone kisses someone, they get their tongues cut out. You can imagine how much worse it gets the further the relationship goes. Farrell fits in so well with the Outsiders, he is fourth in command within no time. The four main Outsiders travel to the city to get the things they need to go and try to destroy the hotel and its occupants. These scenes are great, and when they do storm the hotel, it is a pretty cool scene.

Soon after the hotel fight, Farrell and Weisz start to find a way to be romantically involved without getting in trouble. They find ways to communicate and find times to be alone. This all comes to a head when a mole finds Weisz's journal. The leader of the Outsiders takes things into her own hands and makes Farrell dig his own grave and blinds Weisz's character. Weisz thinks that she is getting surgery to correct her eyes, she is short sighted, but the leader wants her blinded for having emotional feelings with another Outsider. Farrell had to dig his own grave and put dirt on his body, but that was as bad as it got for him. He and Weisz decide that they are going to leave the woods and live a life in the city. But, when Farrell finds out she is blind, he is not so sure anymore. Eventually love wins out for him, and he and Weisz find a way to get out. Farrell knocks out the leader and puts her in the grave he just dug and he and Weisz flee during the daylight. The final scene has Farrell and Weisz at a restaurant and Farrell heads to the bathroom with a knife, possibly to blind himself. The movie ends on that cliffhanger. We do not know if he goes through it or not.

What I enjoyed so much about "The Lobster" is the way they approached the stigma of single people that are older. They made it seem bad, but who really cares? I also liked the way they showed how far people will go for love, see Farrell pondering blinding himself. "The Lobster" is weird and different and not for everyone. I loved it, and if you like dark movies that will make you think, I recommend checking it out. "The Lobster" stays with you and really makes you contemplate how far, or what you'd do for love. It was an interesting and very well made movie.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If put in the same situation as the movie, Ty would choose to be transformed into a butterfly. As Bart Simpson says, "No one suspects the butterfly".

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"Guardians of the Galaxy" is the Best Movie Franchise Out There Right Now

Microwave popcorn taste better with a better movie franchise

I finally saw "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" this past weekend. This is not going to be a review of the movie though. That being said, the movie was incredible. I loved everything about it. I literally cannot find one thing that made me think, "they should have left that out". It was amazing, and I highly recommend, if you haven't already, watching this movie multiple times. It is so great and makes me very excited for where they are going to take these characters in future movies.

My topic for today came up when I was watching the movie with my wife. We were about 3/4 of the way through the movie, and after being silent because we were both so amazed at what we were watching, I said to her, "Guardians has taken over the "X-Men" movies as my favorite superhero movies". That was not something I ever thought I would say. I love all the "X-Men" movies, save for "Origins: Wolverine", that was a pile of trash. But, other than that, I think they are all fantastic. I know some people weren't as high on "The Wolverine" or "Apocalypse", but I found both of those very enjoyable. I love the first 2 original "X-Men" movies, and the third one was great until the last 40 minutes lost all the credibility that the first 2 had built up. Then, after the debacle that "Origins" was, they really rebounded very nicely with "The New Class" and the second one in that franchise. I never thought anything would take away my love for the "X-Men" movies, as far as the superhero genre was involved.

Then I saw the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" and I was blown away. The movie was dark, fun, funny, fast paced, action packed, well acted and directed, it was a total homerun. I went out and bought Funko brand bobble heads of both Starlord and Groot after seeing the first movie. I loved Rocket Raccoon. He is probably my second favorite superhero now, behind only Wolverine. Gamorra is a total badass. I'd rather have her on my team than most superheroes. Drax is just wonderful. Every character, and everything about that first movie was perfect. I was already a built in James Gunn fan too (St. Louis pride), so he didn't have to do too much to win me over. But, he went above and beyond and made one of the greatest super hero movies ever with the first "Guardians".

I was very excited to see the second one right after watching the first one on Blu-Ray. I didn't get to see it in the theaters because I have 2 young kids and it is hard to get out, but when it was released on the 22nd of August, and after numerous people, RD included, kept praising it, I could not wait to watch it. I had very, very high hopes after the first one being so good and all the buzz the second one got. I was hoping it was going to live up to the hype, and from the first battle scene at the very beginning of "Vol. 2", I was hooked. I just knew that, not only would it live up to the hype, but it would surpass it.

First off, this movie was beautiful to look at. The colors and the set designs and every visual was magical. The Ravager funeral, semi spoiler alert for those that haven't seen it, but know what Ravagers are, was a sight to behold. The colors were so amazing, it looked like a painting. And the actors, once again, totally brought their A game. Everyone was stupendous, but Drax was especially wonderful. Dave Bautista does such a great job with this role. He is so, so funny and plays the role to perfection. Baby Groot was almost as adorable as my almost 2 year old daughter.(She is the most adorable person ever, so that is high praise) But, it was right around the time that Nebula broke loose and trapped Yondu and Rocket that I really started to think, "these are better than "X-Men". I was just, honestly, moved by what I was watching. There are times when the "X-Men" movies can drag a little bit, but with the first 2 "Guardians" movies, I have never felt bored or thought they could lose a scene or 2 that made the final cut.

Everything they put in these movies seems essential and important to the story they are telling. And the people that they got to play bit parts in "Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2" are incredible. "X-Men" does have major actors, Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan to name a few, but they play major roles. They are lead characters. In "Vol. 1", both Peter Serawincz and John C Reilly play future cops. They don't have many lines, but both of those guys are pretty famous in their own rights, and they just wanted to be in the movie. Glenn close has a small role as the chief of these futuristic cops. She is one of the better actors of all time. In "Vol. 2", Sly Stallone shows up, and he has one important scene, then a few lines near the end. That is it. Kurt Russell has a pretty big role, but I would probably bill him as the fourth or fifth person in the credits. That is amazing to me that stars of their caliber just want to be in these movies, no matter how big or small the role. You don't see that in many super hero movies across the board. Some may say, well what about JK Simmons in "Spiderman", or Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan's "Batman" movies, but I think those roles are pretty important. They are both way bigger than what Stallone did in "Vol. 2". And, you don't see many people popping up for cameos in the "X-Men" movies because all the mutants are played by stars, so they don't have a Stallone or Russell type role for super star actors to just show up and play. Both "Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2" have allowed Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista to become household names. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are already known, but another point goes to the people that make "Guardians of the Galaxy" because we never see their faces. They are voice actors for these movies. That's amazing, especially in Diesel's case, because he seems like the kind of dude that wants to be the star of everything. The fact that he is willing to just say, "I am Groot" is a big deal to me. I don't know how the people who make the "Guardians" movies convinced him to do only that, but my hat goes off to them.

Both "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies are incredible. They are so much fun and just so great to watch. I will even go as far to say that I like "Vol. 2" more than I like "Logan", and I LOVED "Logan". This is not meant to sound like me crapping on the "X-Men" movies either. I will watch all of them , except one, anytime they are on TV. But, I will stop everything I am doing, turn my phone and computer off so I can watch both "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. They are that good, and they deserve my full attention. I can't truly say that about any other super hero movies. But, "Guardians" is worth getting totally sucked into, and having a good time. I'm so excited to see where this franchise goes from here, and I cannot wait for "Vol. 3".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants James Gunn to know that his hometown of St. Louis would be a good setting for Vol. 3, and Ty is ready to take on the role of "awestruck bystander". Give us a call.  

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"Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" Makes Us Ask Why.

Please stop making "Sharnado's". I can't stop watching.

So, my wife and I watched "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" yesterday, and all I have to say about this pile of garbage is why? That is the universal why? Why are they still making these? Why are Ian Ziering and Tara Reid getting work when they are horrendous actors? Why are the "celebrities" that cameo doing this? Why does the Syfy Network continue to allow this? Why do they keep airing these? But most importantly, why do I feel the need to watch all of these? I'm going to try and answer all of these why questions today.

First off, why is there a 5th "Sharknado" movie? I'd venture to guess that they made the first one as a goof, but it got a ton of social media buzz, and everyone was talking about it. They struck while the iron was hot. I do not blame them for this, but each new "Sharknado" seems to get worse. The acting gets more and more terrible and the writing, directing and everything else, it is so terrible. They have bought into the fact that it is a farce a bit too much. They tend to take these ridiculous roles a bit too serious.

Which leads me to Ian Ziering and Tara Reid. My god are they atrocious actors. The "Sharknado" universe is the only place I know of Ian Ziering. Maybe RD, the generation Xer of the group could tell me why he is famous (Ed Note: I actively rooted against Steve Sanders on 90210). But, his acting in these movies is straight trash. He takes it way, way too serious, and I feel like he thinks these movies have been a rebirth of his stardom of sorts for him. I think he genuinely thinks that he is a star. He is not. He is a horrendous actor. And Tara Reid. My goodness, what happened to Tara Reid? I loved her in "American Pie", and thought her small role in "Big Lebowski" was great. She did a very good job with these roles. Then, she went off the rails. She thought she was more famous than she truly is. She did the whole plastic surgery thing and took it way too far. My wife kept saying, "look at how bad her surgery looks", and I have to say, I agree. But her acting is so awful. She shows no emotion. Her yelling was some of the most uninspiring yelling in a movie I have ever heard. It sounded like my daughter when she fake cries. As far as facial expressions, Reid's never changed, no matter what the scenario. She has fallen so far off, it is kind of sad. This is all she has, but I think that she thinks this will lead to other, bigger stuff. It won't, she is a bad actor.

The cameos only seem to get worse with these movies. In this one, I kept asking my wife, who is that? She then had to look it up, and for the most part, neither of us knew who the people were. When we did recognize someone, it was just sad. Bret Michaels looked horrific. He needs to fully embrace his baldness because the bandanna and fake blonde hair are rough. Olivia Newton John does not need to lower herself to this level. She was once a respected actor and singer, so why show up in this nonsense. Same for Dan Fogler. He was only in a 15 second scene, but come on man, you are a respected comic actor. I love the ping pong movie he's in. He doesn't need this shit. Greg Louganis played an art thief. I mean, what the hell. You are a respected Olympian, and if you want to get into acting, I can almost guarantee that he could get in something better than "Sharknado". Clay Aiken, try as he might, was so poorly miscast all I could do was shake my head at the bad acting. Chris Kattan has fallen so far off, that getting his name in the opening credits was the biggest thing for him since "SNL" I bet. When I saw him I said to my wife, "he and Will Ferrell were co leading men in "Night at the Roxbury", now look at their careers". She responded with, "poor Chris Kattan". It was a mess of terrible cameos. They also bring on reality TV "stars", and there is a reason that they only appear on reality TV. These people cannot act.

Syfy keeps airing it for all the reasons I already mentioned. It gets a ton of social media talk, I'm reviewing it today, and people talk about it for weeks afterwards. I do not blame them for doing this. I wish they'd stop, but I understand why they do it. Same thing for the constant repeats. We did not see it on "opening night", but we recorded and watched it later. That is why they constantly show these movies.

Finally, and this is the most important question for me, why do I continue to watch, even though I have a vitriol hatred for them. I think it is part OCD, part fear of missing out(FOMO). I have OCD big time, so with most things I feel like I have to watch them all to feel complete. I hate that my mind works like this, but if they continue to make them I will probably watch them, just to see how far they take this thing. I wish I could stop, but unfortunately, I can't. Then when it comes to FOMO, it is not enough for me to read about the movie, I want to see it so I can talk about it with supreme confidence. I want to see all the nonsense so I can judge it and make fun of it. Isn't that one of the main reasons there are so many "Sharknado" movies? They want people to make fun of it? I assume so. I wish I could stop, but I can't. I will probably watch the next one of they make another one.  

If you watch it or not, all of these "Sharknado" movies are dreadful, and the fifth installment might be the worst of the bunch. It is awful, and unless you want to torture yourself like me, do not waste your time. These movies stink.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is looking forward to the day he watches "Sharknado 63: A Sharknado for All Seasons", and then dies once it ends. Then he will be free from the curse.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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For Love of God, Do Not See "The Emoji Movie"

The only place "The Emoji Movie" Belongs

Today I'm going to give a review of "The Emoji Movie".

Now, it needs to said, I have not, and will not see this movie. This movie looks like an absolute piece of garbage, and by all accounts, it is terrible. This is also one of, if not the, biggest cash grabs I have ever seen. Has Hollywood really run out of ideas? Has it come to this? Is this what we, the viewing public, has to realize that we will get from big time movie production companies? Are there no new ideas, unless it is from an indie studio, a la A24? I'm flabbergasted that this movie even made it past the pitch phase. The fact that writers and actors, some well known, well regarded and very good, gave their voices to this movie is insane.

It should also be known to the readers that I don't use emoji's when I text or write or do anything that may involve an emoji. First off, I don't know what half of them mean. Second, I am not a high school student, so I know how to write full words and not waste my time with some stupid smiley face or a piece of shit. If I'm happy about something, I use the words happy, ecstatic, goofy, anything that portrays my happiness. If I think something is shitty, I say that it is shitty. I do not need a picture to get across what I am trying to say. Also, I have a hard time deciphering what someone is trying to say to me when they send me emoji's in a text. This includes family members, and my wife. My wife and my mom love to use emoji's, and I have to ask them all the time what they mean. Is that smiley face a sarcastic one, or are you serious? Why all the hand claps, did I do something good, or is this another sarcastic thing? What's with the heart? Just say love. These are all questions I have said to anyone that has sent me these particular emoji's. So, the fact that a 90 plus minute movie was made based on our lazy speech patterns as Americans is sickening to me. We have really fallen off as a country. I didn't think it could get any worse than what the archaic, and very stupid, electoral college did in November, and "The Emoji Movie" has made that horrifying act even more horrifying.

Where we sit right now, the movie is rocking a 3 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and I guarantee the 3 percent that like it are the same stupid ass morons that voted for that narcissistic pig who is dumber than a kindergarten student. I'm sure the people filling up theaters to see this piece of trash, the movie is not doing well, are either poor parents stuck with young children that haven't developed a sense of humor yet, or people that are just as dumb as that narcissistic pig that golfs more than he does anything else.

I feel bad for my mother because 2 of her grandchildren want to see this movie. One of them is my son. I am vehemently opposed to giving any of my money to this movie. My son knows this, so he went to his Mimi to ask her to take him. And since she is such a wonderful, selfless lady, she told him she would take him to see it. I have tried to talk her out of it. My son is only 5, he doesn't know what is funny or not. He still tells the same knock knock jokes. But, he wants to see this horrible movie. His cousin is in town, and they want to see it together. So, this week my poor mother will be taking at least one of them to see it. I think my dad has to tag along too. I can only imagine this is an absolute nightmare for them. But, they rule and are awesome parents and grandparents, so they will stick it out. I cannot talk them out of it either. I keep suggesting other, better movies to my son, but he won't have it. And his cousin, I think he just wants to hang out with Miles. And sure, tell me I'm a horrible curmudgeon of a father because I will not go see this movie with my son. I don't care. I've already heard about how unimaginative I am because I don't like "PJ Masks". I will say though, "PJ Masks" makes "The Emoji Movie" look like Shakespeare.

I am disgusted and annoyed that Hollywood has given up. There is nothing new. It is all remakes or cash grabs, for the most part. I don't care that my son is only 5, I'd rather he see "John Wick: Chapter 2", or "Baby Driver" than the god damn emoji movie. At least he would see some great action, and not a total waste of time. The fact that this got made is so sad, and maybe Hollywood will learn from this awful piece of garbage. Only time will tell. Until then, I say avoid "The Emoji Movie" as if it were the plague, because that is what it is for movies. This is horrible. I'm disgusted in Hollywood, and everyone that made this movie. And I will say it one more time, I have not, and will not see this movie. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He begged his parents to take him to see "Cool as Ice" many years ago and thought they had learned their lesson. Guess not.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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