SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 17 "American Psycho"

ed note: This article originally premiered on December 17th, 2018

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 great movie associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be extra awesome. Enjoy.

Day 17: “American Psycho”

Opened Doors: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16

The holiday season feels like a competition. We want to one up our friends and family with better gifts. We want to impress our neighbors with superior outdoor decorations. We want to be the most stylish, and the most recognizable, at our office holiday parties. The competition of the holiday season is not only annoying, it is also dehumanizing. It is not a shock that some of us have fantasies about murder and mayhem on all of those around us when the competition hits a little to close to our own neurosis.

At the Sundance Film festival in 2000 writer director Mary Harron premiered her film adaptation of the novel “American Psycho”. The film was a hit and featured future Oscar winners Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, and in a star making role, Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman. “American Psycho” revived interest in author Brett Easton Ellis’s work, and became one of the definitive films of the early 21st century.

Early in the film, Patrick Bateman is at a Christmas party with a fiancé he does not love, work friends he loathes, and massive insecurity about his place in the world. Drugs and alcohol are no help. The banality of 1980’s pop music is helping him get by a little bit, but Bateman needs more. He needs to destroy what feeds his insecurity. At the Christmas party, Bateman convinces Jared Leto’s Paul Allen to have dinner. The dinner is a disaster, and the evening ends with Bateman murdering Allen with a shiny ax while the dulcet tones of Huey Lewis and the News tell us all that it is hip to be square.

The weeks following Christmas find Bateman destroying anyone he sees as artificial. The false commercialism of the holidays have broken the young Wall Street worker. In the end, Bateman’s own artificial nature saves him from any punishment. He is free to wreck havoc on the poor yuppies of Manhattan next Christmas time.

The commercialism of Christmas is dehumanizing. We do not want the latest, expensive, gift, but we must participate. We really do not care about the fashionable holiday getaway, but we still make sure to book the trip. The fanciest business card from one of our office mate drones, who cares? You better damn well believe though that we are going to one up Brad from marketing. If we can not do better this holiday season, we may just go insane. In our insanity it is important to remember that ATM’s do not eat cats.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Sometimes we go crazy during the holiday’s we discover something dark from Christmases past. The gang knows this all too well in “A Very Sunny Christmas”.

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

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 15 "The Christmas Shoes"

ed note: This article was originally published on December 15th, 2018

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 are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 15: “The Christmas Shoes”

Opened Doors: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14

Yes the movie I choose for day fifteen is a little film called “The Christmas Shoes”. First things first, I have never seen this movie, but I wanted you the audience to be aware of it’s existence. I put it on here for two reasons, the star and the song.

“The Christmas Shoes” premiered in 2002 and Rob Lowe, aka one Ty’s favorite actors, was the star. I do not know why. Rob Lowe has always seemed to make pretty good career choices. To star in a movie based off a terrible christian book and song, that seems noteworthy. Maybe Lowe, like us all, has his own guilty pleasures. Starring in this maudlin, convoluted, story is his I guess. God speed Rob.

The other reason I think you should all be aware of “The Christmas Shoes” is because of the epic take down Patton Oswalt does on the god awful song. (Here is a great animation with Oswalt’s epic piece.) It may not be a movie, but that under eight minute YouTube clip is probably more worth your time than the two hour made for tv movie.

My gift to you this season is to make you aware that Rob Lowe starred in a made for tv movie based on one of the worst Christmas songs ever. Now you know, and that is half the holiday battle.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Do you know what can be festive and tacky at the same time? Christmas lights. Thank goodness there is a joyous song about all the lights we see during the season.

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

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 10 "Lethal Weapon"

ed note: This article originally premiered on December 10th, 2018

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 great movie associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be extra awesome. Enjoy.

Day 10: “Lethal Weapon”

Opened Doors: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9

The Holiday season is not easy for everyone. While everyone else is festive and happy, we may have some personal pain that eggnog and candy canes cannot wash away. We may be mourning the loss of a loved one, or concerned about the unknown whereabouts of a grown child who has lost their way. The prospect of a new partner to work with may make us feel stressed. Even worse the new partner may be battling some personal demons that makes them reckless during the holidays. Sometimes we are just to old to deal with any of this during Christmas, or any time of the year.

In March of 1987 the iconic film ‘Lethal Weapon” was released in the United States. It went on to become a smash hit, spawn multiple sequels, and even get the reboot treatment with a television series. It was the first film from influential writer Shane Black. Legendary director Richard Donner came in to direct. It secured Mel Gibson as a movie superstar. “Lethal Weapon” was destined for great success.

Where there is debate about “Lethal Weapon” is if the first film is actually a holiday film. It takes place around Christmas, but the themes of “Lethal Weapon” is what makes it a violent, darkly comic holiday treat. The story of Riggs being lost in his grief, and being taken over by his depression, we see and read stories about that every December. The growth of a friendship between two very different souls is not that different than spirit of the season bringing joy. In the end of the movie Riggs gives Murtaugh a hollow point bullet, the one Riggs was going to use to kill himself, and says Merry Christmas. Also for good measure, Darlene Love plays Danny Glover’s wife in the movie. If the appearance of the person who sang David Letterman’s favorite Christmas tune doesn’t scream holidays, I do not know what does.

It is hard to forget about the pain that surrounds people during the holiday season. We become more charitable and forgiving in December because of the holiday spirit. We want to help those who need the help. “Lethal Weapon” has these themes in the DNA of a classic plot. If you need reminding of the magic of the holidays, and you need a great action flick with one of the greatest Gary Busey characters ever, gather the family to watch “Lethal Weapon” while you usher in this season of celebration. You will not be sorry.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. For another updated take on a classic Christmas story, check out the Doctor Who episode that makes their own revisions to Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”.

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

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 8 "He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special"

ed note: This article was originally published on December 8th, 2018

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 are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Day 8: “He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special”

Opened Doors: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7

There are times when we may find ourselves in a place that does not have the same traditions and customs that our own home celebrates. We may go to a new part of the world that our western way of life has not been the primary influence. First thing to know, do not be rude. We can introduce our customs and traditions, but we must respect the ways of the indigenous people’s. We may learn some new traditions to bring home, and we may impart part of our way of life to make a positive impact on their day to day dealings. These lessons of understanding and sharing are not just important to Earth, but to all the planets we may accidentally visit that are spread out among the universe.

On December 25th 1985, the “He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special” aired once on American televisions, and was then released as a VHS so families could enjoy the movie every holiday season. The story centered around two Earth kids who were accidentally transported to the planet Eternia and they just want to get home for Christmas. The wizard Orko initially accompanies the kids, and he learns all about this holiday called Christmas. Orko is on board with this great day, and he wants all his Eternia friends to get in on the action.

Since this a He-Man She-Ra joint venture, the audience is treated with the double dose of villainy that is Skeletor and Hordak. The two bad guys want to please their great evil master by bringing the earth kids to him (or to it, Horde-Prime may have a masculine voice but is just a big colorful cloud, I do not think cloud’s have genders. I could be wrong.). Unfortunately Hordak and Skeletor do not like each other, and refuse to work together. Through some sort of shenanigans, Skeletor ends up with the two earth kids in his custody and he is going to bring them to Horde Prime.

The moments with Skeletor and the earth children is what makes the “He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special” an instant classic. The kids teach Skeletor all about Christmas, and the evil ghoul seems all in. He asks if their are fights and exploding presents, the kids say no there are only nice things that people want at Christmas time. The problem is that Skeletor likes fights and exploding presents, oh and he is definitely not nice. See the magnificent scene for yourself.

Thanks to a well timed attack from a snow beast, and a dog that keeps licking Skeletor’s fleshless face, the once evil scourge of Eternia seems to be infected by the Christmas spirit. He saves the kids from the snow beast, saves them later on from Hordak and Horde Prime, and doesn’t beat the hell out of He-Man and She-Ra when they have a laugh at Skeletor’s Scrooge like change of heart. The Earth tradition of Christmas saved everyone on Eternia the inconvenience of a Skeletor scheme on this one day of the year. God bless us everyone.

The best of our traditions that get passed down generation to generation usually have great kindness at their heart. Eternia may not have had Christmas before a couple of Earth kids got caught up with the careless Orko, but the ideas of generosity, togetherness, and being nice had a great effect on the planet’s number one Grinch. For good measure the earth kids also got to take home a tradition from Eternia. Man at Arms gifted them some run of mill rocket belts. Befriend Skeletor and get a couple of rocket belts, it is going to be hard to top that Christmas.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. If the earth is destroyed in a nuclear war, will Christmas still exist? Weird Al Yankovic seems to think it will.

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

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 4 "Batman Returns"

ed note: This article originally premiered on December 4th, 2018

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 great movie associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be extra awesome. Enjoy.

Day 4: “Batman Returns”

Opened Doors: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

The holiday season is filled with beautiful scenery and insane people. There is something magical about the look of fresh snow on late December night, but our boss at work may just kill us. The twinkle of the lights bring a feeling of festive joy, but we also know that some hideous looking forgotten son may arise from the sewer and try to take over the city. The sounds of children singing Christmas carols warms our heart, but a batman is out there having a sensual fight with a catwoman trying to keep the streets a bit more safe for the Christmas season. It is a weird time of the year.

In the summer of 1992 director Tim Burton and actor Michael Keaton delivered the promised sequel to their smash hit movie “Batman”. This time around Michelle Pfieffer and Danny DeVito joined Keaton’s Batman as Selina Kyle/ Catwoman and Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin respectively. Christopher Walken even joined the action as the villainous Max Schreck, a wild haired character created just for this film. The movie split some critics with many for and against the movie pointing to the surreal atmosphere Tim Burton brought to his vision of Gotham City. The snow was a blueish gray, the lights twinkled against the large impressive Gothic buildings, and the film takes place during the holiday season. ‘Batman Returns” would be the last Burton/Keaton outing for the Dark Knight. The weirdness of the this particular summer blockbuster was not acceptable by the major Hollywood studios of the early 1990’s.

What “Batman Returns” has in strangeness, it pays the audience back with a great story for the holidays. Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle are insane, lonely, people. They find each other under a mistletoe in the midst of a struggle. The magic of the holidays takes over. Grotesque, and abandoned, Oswald Cobblepot comes back to a city who is willing to embrace the monster. The holiday spirit asks us to see the good in people. An army of penguins equipped with rocket launchers almost destroys a city, the first born son of every household is nearly kidnapped, but through the chaos and destruction Bruce Wayne and Alfred the Butler know to wish each other a Merry Christmas in the end. The holidays are too strong to let super villains, industrialists, and Catwomen bring it all crashing down. Batman knows this.

Every great holiday movie does not need to be steeped in the mythical figures of the North Pole, we can have a holiday lesson with the mythical figures of our comic books. Tim Burton saw the serene strangeness of the holidays, and he used it to tell a Christmas tale using the Batman. Chaos, quietness, destruction, and togetherness all have a place in every person’s holiday season. Embrace the gifts, and discard the negative. Batman and Catwoman learned this lesson in “Batman Returns”. Let us all bask in their victory.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Hanukkah is different year to year. Tragedy does not care for respecting the holidays, but people do. See one of the best Christmas stories ever told by one of the best television shows ever. Check out “Death Takes a Holiday from “M*A*S*H”.

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

A Few Thoughts on the Live Action Films of Trey Parker and Matt Stone

I come to you all today with maybe a hot take. I don't really know how people feel about this because they haven't done much outside their regular show as of late. Last week I watched two movies made by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and I have a few thoughts.

First things first, I love "South Park". I watch it in and out, catch some episodes here and there and recently watched, and loved, their pandemic special. "South Park" is a once in a generation show, and it is a true classic. And the "South Park" movie is an absolute masterpiece. I think it was robbed of an Oscar, that it is one of the funniest things ever put on screen and that it is so well made and so well voice acted and so well directed. So is "Team America: World Police". But, when Parker and Stone try their hand at live action movies, it just doesn't seem to work.

The two movies I watched were "Orgazmo" and "BASEketball". Now, I like these two movies, but they just don't hold the weight that "South Park", the show and movie, or "TAWP" do. Both of the movies I watched are very much of their time. They are very 1990's. The clothes, music, jokes, it all reeks of the 90's, as it should. "Orgazmo" looks like a porno, maybe on purpose, but that movie is very, very low budget. I thought that the story was funny enough, but everything outside of that was very blah. The actors were not great. I mean, when Ron Jeremy is one of the bigger stars, that is not a great sign. The movie was also very choppy and edited very bizarre. It was also only about 90 minutes, but it felt every bit of 90 minutes. Sure I laughed here and there, and it is always funny to me to hear them do the voices from "South Park", but I think I expected, and hoped for more. That is probably on me, considering it was one of their first full length features.

Now "BASEketball" is a whole other story. I used to adore that movie. It came out when I was 16, at the beginning of the height of "South Park", and it hit me in the exact right spot. I must have seen it close to two or three dozen times. And I continued to watch it into my 20's. My friends and I would get together, watch it and quote it for days. It felt like it was our movie. I look at that movie more fondly than "American Pie". And in a rewatch, it is still a much better movie. But my wife had never seen it, and I decided I was going to show it to her last night. I also hadn't seen it in close to a decade, and I just assumed it would hold up.

Well, it did not hold up as well as I had hoped. I still liked it, I still laughed at stuff and it definitely moved faster than "Orgazmo", but it just didn't hit me like it used to. My wife didn't like it at all, but I do not think her dislike clouded my feelings after watching it last night. Again, the jokes are very of the time. This was also when Parker and Stone had a ton of hair, and that was weird. The music was that god awful return of swing/crappy alternative music. Reel Big Fish was a prominent character in this movie. I cannot stand that band. But what was most upsetting to me was how little I did laugh, and how much, at least in my mind, I thought the humor was very blah. Some of it was on purpose. They made fun of themselves and their newfound fame. But, outside of that, there weren't nearly as many moments last night that made me laugh as much back when I was 16 or 20 or 25. It just felt old. Maybe I am just old. Again, I still enjoyed my viewing of "BASEketball", but it just wasn't as funny as I thought it would still be.

Something else I want to say, Parker and Stone don't owe me a goddamn thing. They have given me "South Park", "TAWP" and they created "Book of Mormon", which is incredible. But their live action movies just don't work for me like they used to. This is not meant to be a slight to them either. I just think all of us, including Parker and Stone, have grown up. Hell, they make fun of these movies all the time, going as far as injecting jokes about them in "South Park". So, if you are looking for a vehicle helmed by Parker and Stone, I suggest stick to their cartoons or puppet movies and shows, or go listen to "Book of Mormon". That is where they truly shine.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Better Late than Never on "Sleeping With the Enemy"

This Friday was my wife's pick for movie night and she showed me "Sleeping with the Enemy". I had never seen it, I liked it and I have some thoughts.

First off, I did not realize how much of a star Julia Roberts was in the 90's. I mean, I know of her, I know she is famous, I have seen her in a few movies. But when I looked up her IMDB page for this movie I was kind of stunned how many leading roles she had in the 90's in all different kinds of movies. She was a top of the line, big time marquee movie star. She was a legit upper tier famous person. My wife also told me she thinks Roberts took this role because this was her "damsel in distress" movie. And she totally knocked it out of the park. She was really great as the damsel, but I will get to it a little later on in my piece how she turned from damsel to hero in 90 plus minutes.

This movie was also a perfect snapshot of 90's fashion and hairstyles. Julia Roberts' hair is beautiful in this movie, but it is so long, so thick and so curly. And the big bows and scrunchies and all of that, they were front and center. The two main male characters, their looks were something else. The abusive husband looks like a villain. I mean, you look up a villain in the dictionary and this dude fits it to a T. He is menacing, he wears all black, he has a creepy mustache and he seems to always have a weapon on his person. The gentleman that Roberts meets when she leaves her abusive husband, his hair and clothes were insane. The amount of turtlenecks was wild. The colorful button up shirts were nuts and loud. And his hair, my goodness. He looked like he had a headband in his hair, but he didn't. It was like this weird hybrid of a mullet and a shaggy hair look. It was as 90's as 90's gets. In fact, the only person who didn't have a wild get up was Roberts' mom, but she was the old lady in a nursing home. She got to wear comfy clothes.

Shifting to the music, it was as cliche as a thriller in 1991 can get, and again, I liked this movie. But anytime there was a tense or nervous or uncomfortable scene, there was this loud twinge of music that filled the movie, and you knew something bad was going to happen. The music when the villain husband was on screen was almost hilarious to me. It was so loud and so ominous. It was a little too on the nose. There was also this weird tonal shift in the movie when Roberts and the new guy are trying on clothes, which becomes a montage scene, and this happy music underscores this very odd moment of an otherwise nice thriller. They also have a weird dance scene where they play the song "RunAround Sue", which seems to be a staple of 90's movies.

Outside of these few minor personal issues I had though, as I have stated so far, I did enjoy the movie. It was a good thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I was rooting for Roberts to be happy, to be the hero, which she gets to be. This movie could have followed along the same lines of most "damsel in distress" movies and let the guy be the hero, but this movie didn't. The villain husband, spoiler alert, tracks her down, and has her trapped in her home. It looks like he will win, but the new guy shows up and tries to stop him. The new guy gets knocked out, and it is just the villain and Roberts. I thought this was where they were going to have the new guy wake up and save Roberts. "Sleeping with the Enemy" had other ideas, and I loved it. Roberts grabbed the gun and pointed it at the villain. He tried to talk her down, tried to control her. And just when it looked like he might win her over, she called the police and said she had just shot an intruder. She hadn't yet, but I was pretty certain she was on that path. When she hung up the phone she fired four shots into his chest. All the while the new guy was knocked out on the floor oblivious to what was going on. Roberts took actions into her own hands, shot the bad guy and won. She defeated the villain. She saved herself and the new guy. She was able to exorcise this demon in her life, and she did it by herself.

I think that is a pretty powerful move by a movie from the 90's. As I have said, a lot of movies back then would have let the guy save the day. This one didn't, and I thought it was a great move on the writers and actors and directors part. I love that they let the "damsel" be the hero. It was great. I recommend this movie to anyone that is looking for a classic 90's thriller and to any Julia Roberts fan. I really enjoyed many things about this movie.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

I, like most of the rest of the country, watched "Borat 2" this past Friday.

Right off the bat, this was a solid sequel. It wasn't as good as the original, most sequels aren't, but it achieved its main goal. There are parts of the US that are as terrifying as anywhere else in the world, and Sacha Baron Cohen, as Borat, proved that yet again. In fact, while this movie is a comedy in genre, I view it almost like a horror film. The people not named Borat, Tutar and 3 other ladies, legitimately have me worried about the country I live in. This was as eye opening as the first "Borat" movie, but in so many different ways, and in a very new, very racist light.

The main plot of the movie is simple. Borat is in prison for the first movie, he is let out to give a present to the current "government", to get in their good graces, things go awry and we meet some truly awful, awful people. The "present" is supposed to be a very popular monkey from Kazakhstan that is a movie star. Unfortunately for Borat, his daughter hides away in the cargo, eats the monkey, and then she becomes the "present". It is as simple as that. But, it just got worse and worse and worse from there. Again, I liked the movie, but the people we meet in it, with three exceptions, are the worst people I can imagine. When Borat realizes he has to give his daughter as a gift, this is when things get nuts. The first person we meet that is horrendous is an Instagram "influencer". I never understood that "job", but this lady seems to make money off of it. But the way she talks to Tutar, Borat's daughter, it is so demeaning and so misogynistic. She tells Tutar, "women have to be more submissive", or, "we kind of have to let the men do everything". It is pretty demeaning. The actress that plays Tutar does a great job of egging her on, trying to get more from her, and the other stuff she says is truly embarrassing. That lady should be ashamed of herself, for real. There is a preacher they meet later on, and Borat tries to get him to "get a baby out of her", "that he put in her". The "baby" is a plastic toy from a cupcake, but they don't tell the religious guy that. They make it seem like he actually put a baby in her. They try to get this monster to help them out, but he refuses to do anything, and says something along the lines of, "it doesn't matter how the baby got there, now we are here". Again, when these words came out of his mouth, I was stunned that someone could be that ignorant and stupid and disgusting.

It only gets worse from there. Tutar leaves Borat to be a journalist. We then cut to the US when the pandemic first hit. This is when the movie gets truly scary. Borat finds a few guys that let him stay in their home during the beginning of quarantine. The stuff that comes out of these guys mouths, on film, is some of the most vile and hurtful and horrible things I have ever heard. They say they are "sad" that "unfortunately democrats have the same rights as us". I mean, we are all people. Jesus Christ why is it that hard for people to see. They read QAnon constantly. They call the pandemic and COVID a hoax. It is really bad. It gets even worse when they go to an anti mask rally. This was the second scariest moment in the movie. Borat changes his outfit because he has to hide out. He proceeds to sing a song that the crowd sings along with, which is one of the most heinous songs I have ever heard. The lyrics are truly, truly horrifying. I don't even want to repeat them on my blog because I fear it will put me on some weird list. While singing the song, the cameraman cuts to maskless people in the crowd standing too close to one another, people holding AR 15's for some unknown reason and racist assholes doing the Nazi heil sign. I was so upset it made my stomach hurt. And this wasn't the worst thing in the movie. T

he worst thing happened next. Tutar gets a job doing fake journalism for conservative nutjobs. She is so beloved by these maniacs that believe what she is doing is real, she gets a one on one interview with Rudy Guiliani. He is a real, real, real dirtbag. I don't know if anyone has had such a hard fall as he has. He was considered an okay person after 9/11, and now here we are. He starts the interview off calling Tutar "sweetie" and "honey". Tutar is supposed to be 15 years old by the way. From there Tutar kind of sees how far she can go. She keeps laughing and touching his knee. Meanwhile, Guiliani is drinking a scotch, not wearing a mask and openly coughing while stating that "we've done a great job containing this virus". There is so much wrong with everything that is going on in this short little segment. He's openly drinking hard alcohol with a 15 year old. If you are not in someone's bubble, please, please, please wear a mask. The coughing, to me, is a clear sign that he has some form of COVID. And the statement is patently false. We have lost far too many lives, and still counting, because of the current "government's" lack of doing anything, and thinking this virus would "just go away". It is all wrong. From there, Borat storms in, pretending to be a boom mic guy, and messes up the interview. Tutar takes him to the back, and tells him she is fine. Then Tutar escorts Guiliani to her room in the hotel to "have some drinks". Then, in a wildly disgusting, disturbing and telling moment, Guiliani lays on his back and looks to be unzipping his pants. Borat storms in in a thong and bikini underwear and tells him to take him instead. He says that Tutar is too old for him, again, she is 15, and tries to get him to take him. Of course Guiliani takes offense to this and tries to make Borat look like the bad guy. Borat is not. He saved the actress that plays Tutar, although I am sure she would have saved herself too. This is, by far, the most heinous and gross and disturbing thing I have seen in a movie in quite some time. If it weren't for the babysitter and the two Jewish ladies in the movie, there would be no redeeming characters. They are the soul of the movie.

I recommend watching this movie if only to see how truly terrifying some people in this country can be. It is startling and upsetting, but this is who we need to fight and vote out of office. These people are monsters and just outright awful, and "Borat 2" proves that tenfold. We live in a weird and scary world, and this movie shows that. Now is the time to revolt and vote. Please vote. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "American Utopia"

Yesterday I had the chance to sit down, uninterrupted for two hours, and watch "American Utopia". This is the new concert movie from David Byrne and directed by Spike Lee. It was his short run Broadway show in fact, and it was absolutely amazing. I was totally blown away by the entire thing. I was excited to watch, and when it started, that excitement jumped to a 10.

The opening of “American Utopia”, with Byrne holding a fake brain and singing the song "Here", was pretty god damn cool. The song, and the prop, were a perfect way to open this show. From there on out, Byrne and his band went on to crush the entire set. The spectacle of it all, the band, the music, the message, the way the message was put out there, Byrne interacting with the audience, it all worked out to perfection. I used to attend many live shows, and I still did up until February of this year, and I have never seen something like this. This was so over the top, but in the best possible way. I absolutely loved the way they did the lights, the shadows, everything was done up so well. I loved hearing the songs I have gotten to know off of "American Utopia" in the recent months. As you all know, I am a late comer to David Byrne and Talking Heads. I am catching up during the pandemic, especially when I go running. So seeing this now, for me, was perfect timing. It has all these songs that I am growing to love, and understand more, on a daily basis. The version they play of "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", which is my current favorite Talking Heads song, was so cool. I was dancing on my couch while they played it. "I Zimbra" was rad. The way they performed it, it was so cool to hear all the isolated instruments. "I Should Watch TV" was quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen on TV, or in person for that matter, ever. That was done so well, and when Byrne crashes through the chains, and the stage goes to black, damn that was awesome. "I Dance Like This" was really well choreographed. The way the entire band moved in sync, and danced their hearts out, it was really neat. "Everyday is a Miracle" was pretty brilliant, and I was pretty moved by Byrne's performance. I really enjoyed when Byrne talked about the Detroit Choir doing a version of his song, "Everybody's Coming to My House", and making it a totally different song without changing anything. I also liked why his version is much sadder than the Detroit Choir's version. It was also great to hear the Choir's version during the end credits. "Once in a Lifetime" was really exceptional because Byrne recreated a lot of the dancing he did on "Stop Making Sense". I liked that. "Burning Down the House" sounded as full as ever, and when the whole band came together, my goodness was that amazing. The song that moved me to tear up, literally, was their version of the great Janelle Monae song "Hell You Talmbout". To listen to the full band play and sing the song, then say the names of the too many murdered African American people, with their pictures placed in the movie, was heartbreaking and moving and made me want to go and start a revolution. This was simply put, a perfect representation of this important song. And closing the show with "Road to Nowhere", walking into the crowd and singing and playing, it made me miss live shows.

"American Utopia" really had everything I wanted. It was great music. Byrne discussed important, pressing issues, like climate change and voting, amongst other things. The band was incredible, and to see them perform all these songs was truly exceptional. These people are amazing musicians and performers. And it made me miss live music, which is what I look for now when I watch concert movies. Spike Lee's directing was top notch also. Lee can do no wrong. If he doesn't win an Oscar this year, for this or "Da 5 Bloods", it would be very disappointing. I highly, highly recommend everyone watch this movie. It is great music, it is timely, it is important and it rules.

Seriously, go watch this immediately.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

"Not Another Teen Movie" is Still a Classic Spoof Movie

Lately I have found myself rewatching old comedies, or as Netflix puts it, "late night comedies". I like these type of movies because they are just dumb and fun and a breeze to watch. They are usually under 90 minutes too, which is a total bonus in my book. And by "old", I am not talking Chaplin, or "Dr. Strangelove", but stuff like "Dazed and Confused" or "Orgazmo" or "Half Baked". I'm talking about late 90's and early to mid 2000's movies.

One that I recently revisited I was hesitant on because I truly like this movie, and I was certain that it was going to be problematic and not hold up. The movie is "Not Another Teen Movie". I have revisited some of the movies they spoof, like "American Pie" and "She's All That", and those movies are problematic and do not hold up. I wrote a whole thing about how truly awful "American Pie" now is, seeing it with adult eyes.

I am here to say that "Not Another Teen Movie" totally holds up. It is funny, the movies they spoof, the spoofing is perfect and it is meant to be bad because the movies they make fun of are truly awful. When I turned it on the other day, I was immediately brought back to the first time I saw it, and laughing as hard this time as the first time. It is, for me, the best spoof movie since "Airplane". None of the other spoof movies, like the whole "Scary Movie" franchise, or movies like "Date Movie" or any of those hold a candle to "Not Another Teen Movie". What "NATM" does better than any of the other recent movies like it, they got good actors who had a good time and looked like they enjoyed what they were doing. This was Chris Evans first major movie role, and he is great. He is so perfect as the jock guy that turns it around. He spoofs that character, which is so prevalent in every teen movie. But what Evans does so well, he makes the jokes, and they all land. When he is walking through the hall and everyone is throwing underwear at him, and a guy throws a pair, this could have been such a bad and mean joke, but the way Evans played it, it totally lands. Outside Evans, the rest of the cast is really good too. Chyler Leigh, as the geeky girl with glasses that suddenly becomes cute when she takes her glasses off, she is pitch perfect. Jaime Pressly as the mean girl, she was born to play that role comedically. Eric Christian Olsen as the best friend of Evans, but also his foil, this kid is so perfect for these types of roles. He is funny and goofy and seems to love doing comedy. The side characters stand out too. Mia Kirshner as Evans' sister, playing the Sarah Michelle Gellar character from "Cruel Intentions", is so funny and so disgusting, on purpose. Deon Richmond as the lone black guy, simply pure and perfect. Damn he is funny in this movie. And Eric Jungman as the best friend in love with Janey, playing the Ducky role, awesome, Ron Lester reprising his role from "Varsity Blues", but playing it for laughs, perfect, and Cody McMains as the young high schooler who just wants to hook up with a girl, he is one of the best. "NATM" just works on every single level. It makes inappropriate jokes, but it is on purpose, and it works. The way they intertwine so many different teen movies, yet still make the story work, it is one of the best. The actors are really, really solid. The direction is good. And all the inside jokes, be it from calling the high school John Hughes High School to the cheerleaders ripping off the dance moves to all the football jokes, and everything else, it just works.

I love this movie, and I am happy that it holds up. If you haven't seen it, and are looking for something light and fun, I highly recommend checking out "Not Another Teen Movie". It is really good, thank goodness. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Comedic Genius of Fred Willard

I mentioned last week how my wife and I have been on a Christopher Guest kick for our quarantine date movies. We have watched three the last three weeks. We watched "This is Spinal Tap", "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show". They all still hold up, they are all still very funny and they all make me want to watch his other movies.

On these re-watches, I noticed that it is Fred Willard usually being, or having one of the best parts or moments in the movie. He is only in "Spinal Tap" for one scene, but it has still stuck with me. He is the naval base guy when they play a veterans show, and he greets them. He calls them Spinal Tarp, he throws in some solid dry dad jokes and I was sitting there watching it and just laughing and laughing. It is supposed to be a forgettable role, but Willard made it great. And then in "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show", he steals each movie, at least for me. He is absolutely wonderful in both of these movies. He is, by far, in a cast filled with great humorists and comedians and improv people, the very best. In "A Mighty Wind" he is the manager of the New Main Street Singers, the cheesy Branson esque folk band, with a past in TV. He appeared on a TV show called, "Wha Happened", which according to the newspaper in the movie was "canceled due to total lack of interest". But Willard's performance makes it seem like he was a star. He was so funny, doing the "wha happened" line over and over again. And when he is talking about doing stand up and bombing, but throwing in lines that he thought worked, it was tremendous. He was a sad sack of a comedian and actor, but he had this happiness that he let wash over him all the time. He also had bleached blonde hair that he gelled up for this role, adding even more humor. I don't know if Guest asked him to do this, but I like to think it was his idea, he told no one and showed up to set the first day and rolled with it. He is so good in that movie.

Fred Willard, and I am not kidding, is Oscar worthy great in "Best in Show". He is a bumbling broadcaster for the dog show, who knows nothing about dogs. He goes off on these tangents and soliloquies, that are total nonsense, but coming from Willard, they are delivered to perfection. He is so funny. He is so memorable. He is the best thing about what I consider to be the best Christopher Guest movie. When he is talking about the dogs, then goes into questioning the co broadcaster how much he thinks he could bench in his prime, that is classic. When he calls Jane Lynch "one happy fellow", and is told that she is, in fact, a woman, hilarious. When he tells the proctologist joke, and the other broadcaster calls him out for using that last year, and he just moves on, it is majestic. Every single thing Willard does in "Best in Show" not only works, it is perfect. His portrayal of this buffoon is just perfect.

This got me thinking about some other things I have seen Willard in, and how he is pretty damn good in everything he did in his lifetime. Most recently he was on "Modern Family", and even though we stopped watching that show, I did see Willard, as Phil's dad, and he was great. He was in a sketch in one of my favorite shows from last year, "I Think You Should Leave", as an organist at a funeral, and his performance is riotous. He's the TV show manager at the news station in "Anchorman", and his cut away lines, when he is talking to the school about his kid, or his one interaction with Christina Applegate, those are some of my favorite quotable lines from that gem of a movie. He was in three episodes of "Space Force" as Steve Carrell's father who is clearly suffering from dementia, and he makes that funny. I will never, ever forget him in "Review". He was amazing as Jessica St Clair's dad, who Forrest tries to reconcile with, takes him to space, and he meets a very unfortunate and untimely death, again, played to humongous laughs.

The list for Willard goes on and on and on. IMDB has him as a credited actor in over 300 things. That is astounding. The fact that he isn't more appreciated, he barely ever comes up when people talk about all time great comedic and improv actors, is criminal. Willard is one of, if not, the best. He is always reliable. He was always funny. He never really had any outside problems, minus the being caught in an adult movie theater, but he found a way to make a joke out of that because he is a master. Fred Willard was a tremendous talent, and rewatching some of his older stuff, I have found myself missing him, and wishing I could see him in more. Willard was great, and I suggest people go and check out his work. It is a plethora of comedy classics, and he usually steals the show.

The fact is that Fred Willard was one of the all time greats. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Genius of a Christopher Guest Movie

My wife and I have been watching "Schitt's Creek" the past couple weeks. We are taking it slower than other shows we have binged because we want to savor the show. We heard all the good reviews, my mother in law is a humongous fan, and we are in the midst of season three and the show is totally worth the hype, and more than lives up to it. It is an excellent show with tremendous acting and writing and likeable characters. It is truly a great TV show.

I am not here to review "Schitt's Creek" today. I will do that when we finish. In watching this show, my wife and I have been revisiting Christopher Guest's movies because Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are the stars of "Schitt's Creek", and they have been in all of Guest's movies. We plan on going through Guest's whole catalog in the next couple weeks. These movies have been our quarantine date night movies. Two weeks ago it was my pick, and I picked "This is Spinal Tap". Now, I know that Guest didn't direct this movie, Rob Reiner did, but "This is Spinal Tap" is where Michale McKean and Christopher Guest made their mark. They were writers and stars of this movie. Levy and O'Hara are not in this movie, but do our personal mission, we had to go to the beginning. And boy oh boy does "Spinal Tap" hold up. This is a perfect parody of an aging rock band. I watch this movie now, and all I see is the Metallica documentary, "Some Kind of Monster", but that was supposed to be a serious movie. "This is Spinal Tap" is a straight up comedy, and man does it hit a homerun. Guest, McKean and Shear play the main three guys in the band, and they are oblivious to their actual downfall. They think they are stars, even though they get poor reviews and shows get canceled at the drop of a hat. The on stage performance is just as ridiculous. "This is Spinal Tap" is the rock movie parody. I love a movie like "Walk Hard", but there would be no "Walk Hard" if not for "Spinal Tap".

This past Friday my wife had the pick, and she chose "A Mighty Wind". Two weeks, two musical parodies. "A Mighty Wind" is Guest at the top of his game. This one has all the people you have come to expect in one of his movies, and they are all tremendous. Guest, Shearer and McKean reunite, this time as the folk trio The Kingsman. They are so talented and so funny and so musical and it comes across great in both movies. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are in this movie, and they are the unequivocal stars. The movie hinges and rides on their story and relationship. It is crazy to watch this performance, then turn around and watch them on "Schitt's Creek". It is totally separate. But Levy is dynamite in "A Mighty Wind". He is Oscar worthy. He embodies the 60's folk singer, and where I would imagine one would have been in the early 2000's after going through what he did. O'Hara is almost equally as good. She loves him, but she has to move on. She needs to better herself. She needs to live a normal life. But she so desperately wants to be with him. It is opposite their dynamic in "Schitt's Creek". She is Levy's provider. He is lucky to be with her. It is not like that at all in "A Mighty Wind".

This all leads me to Christopher Guest. He is clearly a genius when it comes to making these "mockumentaries". He has a pitch perfect tone. The joke writing and improvising is perfect. The actors are professionals. Everyone seems to be having a great time making these movies. They are so much fun to watch. And that is why I think Guest is so great, but also underappreciated. He hasn't made a movie in awhile, with the last one being "Mascots" on Netflix I believe. I hope he decides to make more movies. I want to see these people work together again. It will be a bummer to not see Fred Willard in the movie, but Guest can still get most of the original crew back together at some point. I'm glad my wife and I started this new thing. I'm glad we added this to our date night. This week will be "Best in Show", and I am so stoked to revisit that one.

Bottom line, these movies are awesome, and Guest is a great actor, writer and director. He deserves all the accolades he has achieved and so much more. The dude is a genius. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "Bill and Ted Face the Music"

For quarantine date night my wife let me choose the movie, it was my turn, and we watched "Bill and Ted Face the Music". First things first, I am a "Bill and Ted" fan. The first movie, the sequel, I truly love them both. I think they are great, they hold up and they are a ton of fun. And after a real tough week last week, I wanted to watch something that would put my mind at ease, and let me laugh for an hour and a half.

"Bill and Ted Face the Music" did just that. I truly enjoyed every single second of the movie. It was a good story, it moved with the time change pretty effortlessly, it was fun, it was funny and damn did I enjoy it. Bill and Ted may have grown up, but they are still teenage rockers at heart. They are speaking at Ted's little brother's wedding to start the movie, Ted's little brother is marrying Missy, who you may remember from the first movie, and they give a very odd speech, and then go into song. They are still searching for that one song that will save humanity, and at the wedding, they decide to play their latest chance at said song. I personally like the song, but everyone else at the wedding, except for their daughter's, is not feeling it. They think it is weird, and they all still don't believe that Bill and Ted traveled through time. Also, yes, they do each have a daughter. They are both married to the princesses from the first movie, again played by someone different, and they have had kids. The daughters are mini versions of their dad's, except they really know a ton about music. They have studied almost every form of music imaginable. The daughters are absolutely fantastic in the movie too. They are very important to the story as well. In fact, after they realize their latest song is not the song to save humanity, they are brought to the future to be told they have one day to write this epic song, that all humanity is in the palm of their hands. But, unlike "Excellent Adventure", Bill and Ted travel to the future to try and find the older versions that wrote this song. This is where a ton of hilarity ensues. The older Bill and Ted's they run into each have their own personal stuff, and every one of them they meet is worse off then the next. But, the daughters take the "Excellent Adventure" path, and they travel back in time to get together some of the greatest musicians ever to help their dad's write this song. They get Jimi Hendrix, Mozart and Louis Armstrong, among others. These actors also did a wonderful job in their portrayals. As we move through the movie, there are pieces of each of the first two movies, and they all work. We get to see the Grim Reaper again, I already talked about Missy, there is a hologram George Carlin, the phone booth is in there, and used plenty, this one has it all. They also added a few new characters, and they were awesome. Kristan Schall plays Carlin's daughter, basically playing his role. And we have a robot, who is supposed to be a killing machine, but gets a conscience somehow, and it is one of the funniest characters in the whole movie. When he reveals he has a name, and says it over and over again, it is great.

I do not want to spoil much because I think people should watch it. I also think you, if you can, see it at home and pay the premium rental price. No matter how good, or how much you want to see a movie, and you think you have to go to a theater, please don't, for your own safety. Watch this stuff at home if you can. Luckily for me, "Bill and Ted Face the Music" was, and I watched it happily and safely from the comfort of my own home. I suggest you do the same. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Remembering Chadwick Boseman

I have never been a "2020 has been a long decade", "or boy was the month of March a long year" type guy. I am not down with any of those cliche sayings about how crummy this year has been. But, when I received a text from RD on Friday night that Chadwick Boseman had passed away, I was stunned. Then I was shocked. Then I was angry. Then, I finally said to my wife, "2020 is truly the worst year". I became a cliched saying dad in that moment.

I was so in shock at the news. My wife and I were watching our quarantine date night movie when I got the text, and we both had to stop and see for ourselves if the news was true. It was, and that was when I went from upset, to angry and finally to sad. I couldn't believe it, or maybe even more so, I didn't want to believe it. Boseman was, if not already, becoming the new big star Hollywood star, yet he was an incredibly well liked, personable and charming young man. He did work with terminally ill children. He showed up at NBA events. He was always shown with a smile on his face.

Boseman kept his personal life personal, and that is why the news of his death was such a shock. I immediately checked to see if it was CoronaVirus related, because that is the world we live in now, but it was not that. Apparently he had been battling colon cancer for four years. That means he played his most iconic character, and played some other very important roles, all the while dealing with a horrific cancer diagnosis. He was shooting "Black Panther" while going through chemo and getting surgeries. Think about that for a minute. This movie, which was already incredible, will now go down in history as an all time great, had to be pretty hard to shoot and film. Boseman had to travel and fight and act all the while dealing with cancer. I mean, if that isn't the epitome of strength, I don't know what is.

I will admit that my first Boseman movie was "42". I am a humongous Jackie Robinson fan, I wore the number 42 all the way through my baseball career, and I wanted to see if this "new" actor to me could pull this role off. He did, and it was great. I was so blown away, I kept talking to people like I was the first person to discover Chadwick Boseman. I then watched him play James Brown in "Get On Up". I was skeptical because this was the second time he was portraying a famous person, but again, he was wonderful. His performance as Brown is right up there with Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles and Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, in fact, I'd say Boseman was better than Kilmer. I watched the movie "Draft Day" not even knowing he was in it. And when he showed up in a University of Ohio State uniform in the movie I was perturbed, but by the end, I was hoping he would be the number one overall pick. Boseman was such a great actor that he got me to root for a kid who went to the school I dislike the most, being a Michigan guy.

He did some movies in between those, most notably "Marshall" where he was excellent yet again as another famous historical figure, but then he became Black Panther. I first saw him as Black Panther in "Captain America: Civil War". He might have been the best part of that movie. I think it is a three way tie between him, Spiderman and Antman. But in "Civil War", we finally got to know Black Panther, and how awesome he is. While filming the movie he had already been diagnosed with cancer. Think about that the next time you watch it. Then came "Black Panther" two years later, even deeper into his treatment. That movie is amazing. RD and I did a whole podcast on its importance to pop culture. It is one of the most visually beautiful movies I've ever watched. We finally got a superhero who wasn't white. Women were given much bigger roles in that movie. It has the best villain to ever appear on screen. "Black Panther" is a classic, and Boseman was front and center and just being perfect in every single way in that movie. The same can be said for "Infinity War" and even more in "End Game". When he came out of that portal in "Endgame", the first one out, it was so enthralling as a movie goer. It still gives me chills. Black Panther pushed his way to the top of super heroes for me, behind only Wolverine. He is so cool. And the last movie I saw him in was "Da 5 Bloods". Again, RD and I talked about that movie as well on a different podcast, I even recall saying that Boseman needed a bigger role, but now knowing what I know, it makes sense why he took on the role of Stormin Norman. The man was fatally ill, yet he gave us some of the most moving movie moments in 2020 in that movie. His speeches and story in "Da 5 Bloods" is all the more riveting now. All in all though,

Boseman, while being a great actor, was a better person. I mentioned all the great things at the top that he did, but he also did so much more. He became that superhero that some kids never had but always wanted. The roles he took on near the end of his life make sense now. He never let the spotlight shine on his illness. He made movies that will go down in history while he was terminally ill. He did things for people that they will cherish and remember forever. The fact that he was who he was off screen makes this so much harder to digest. Why him? Why does someone who is so selfless, caring, fun, nice and talented have to be taken away from us so young? He was 43 years old. That is only six years older than me. He has a wife that he leaves behind. I don't know if he has any children, but again, that is because he was able to keep his personal life personal. He does have throws and throws of young kids, my son included, who look up to Black Panther, and will forever.

This isn't fair. Chadwick Boseman did not deserve this. He was too good a person. He was someone we need now more than ever. He would help unite us and bring us to a better place. This hurts, and it is going to hurt for a long time. I have already watched "Black Panther" twice, and I watched "42" the other day, and I still can't believe he is gone. I was a slobbering mess during the ABC special last night. This is devastating news in an already historically horrific year. I wish he were still here, I wish I could see him in another "Black Panther" movie, but he was so unfairly taken away from all of us so young, too young.

Rest in Peace Chadwick Boseman. You will be forever remembered, but this is going to hurt for some time. What a horrible tragedy. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

"Can't Hardly Wait" and "American Pie" Are Not the Classics We Remember

Before the NBA came back, which is basically all I watch now, I was watching a lot of movies. I still do. I mention my quarantine date nights, I watch random stuff on cable, I watched a few when I was on "vacation", so movies are about the only thing that will pull me away from the NBA right now.

One night recently I came across two movies, one I have seen and one I haven't, and my wife and I decided we would watch them both. They started early enough for us that the night would be over by 10 at the latest. Also, the kids were doing their thing, so we had the TV to ourselves. The two movies were "Can't Hardly Wait" and "American Pie". These are two movies that some mine and my wife's age would consider "classics". The first rated R movie I snuck into was "American Pie". My wife saw "Can't Hardly Wait", the one I hadn't seen, a few times with friends in theaters. These were movies of the time that, at least I know, felt like they would be remembered forever for only good reasons.

Welp, I couldn't have been more wrong. These movies are not very good, and quite frankly, both are fairly problematic. I'm not talking "Sweet Sixteen" and Long Duck Dong problematic, but still, these movies are not very flattering to women and non white people. Let's talk about "Can't Hardly Wait" first. This movie uses some of the most homophobic language I have heard this side of the "Entourage" movie. It was appalling to hear some of these actors, some who have had, and are still having, solid, well respected careers. I was shocked to hear these words come out of their mouths. My wife and I said it was a different time. Really though, it wasn't. These movies were made in the 21st century. They are not very old. They couldn't drink if they were a real person. It is wild. What was most upsetting to me was watching Seth Green, an actor I truly adore. He was written so offensively. Him and his friends were the worst caricature of wannabes. They spoke in the cliche "black guy" voice, and it was grating and so tough to watch. Green is a great, well respected actor, but I have to imagine he looks back on this role and cringes. It is so wrong on so many levels. I was offended watching it, and I am a middle aged white dude from the suburbs. I just can't fathom a world where this was approved, and more so, considered to be the "funny" guy in the movie. It was awful.

But, as bad as that was, "American Pie" was much worse. This movie is pitiful. This movie is so degrading to women. This movie makes guys look like suave sophisticated individuals in high school. This movie pokes fun at an athlete trying something non athletic. And to make it singing, you'd think he was the worst person in the world. And then we have Stifler. I love Sean William Scott. I think he has scrubbed this role from his memory. I think he has done a good job of not being pigeonholed. But, he was so offensive, mean, abusive and an outright dick in this movie. He said horribly offensive and homophobic things. He was a jerk. He was the prototypical "jock" caricature, and it was hard to watch. He is not nearly as funny as I thought he was when I was 16. As for the other guys in the core group, man do they stink. They are so focused on "getting laid", and we are supposed to view them as the "heroes" of this movie. We are made to root for them in their "quest". In reality, they are assholes who treat women terribly. They view women as objects and that they are only there to make them not virgins before they go to college. It's awful. And the female characters in this movie, they get nothing. Shannon Elizabeth is only there to be gawked at. Tara Reid is supposedly the "bad guy" because she wants her boyfriend to say he loves her before she sleeps with him. Mira Sorvino has moments, but they are all closed with her longing for Chris Klein. Natasha Lyonne is the only real strong female character in the movie, but it is revealed near the end that she is only nice when she wants something. They paint her as materialistic. It is so bad.

I was so thoroughly disappointed in both movies. I didn't fully know what I was getting into with "Can't Hardly Wait", but I left thinking that the people who wrote this have never met an African American person in their life. As for "American Pie", I was so so so so wrong about everything I used to "love" about this movie. It's a bummer that it took me growing up to realize how terribly this  movie treats women, and boy does it treat them bad. But everything that might have saved it was washed out by the offensive dialogue and the awful character arcs. These movies do not hold up and I wish I could wipe them from my memory. Man do they stink. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Stand By Me"

Teddy reviews "Stand by Me"

Ty Watches "Palm Springs"

On our quarantine date this weekend my wife and I sat and watched "Palm Springs".

This is the Lonely Island movie that won Sundance, and sold for a record amount of money, which was a record by 69 cents, and that is hilarious to me. But, the movie was obviously well received, and got good feedback. I am a sucker for a lot of stuff that comes out of Sundance, and is considered a "darling" movie, and "Palm Springs" got all that attention and then some. Add on the fact that Andy Samberg, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, is the star, and I am going to give it a very fair shot.

So after my wife watched the preview and said she'd love to see it, we turned it on, and the next ninety minutes were wonderful. I loved this movie. It more than lived up to the hype. I am not going to spoil much, if anything because I really want people to watch and support this movie, but I will give you a little outline. The movie is like a newer generation "Groundhog Day", except with much more cursing, and way more sexual situations("sexual situations", what am I a hundred?). Andy Samberg plays Nyles, a guest at a wedding, and he ends up reliving the same day over and over and over again. He doesn't exactly know how it happens, or does he, but he is just reliving the same day. Nothing changes, so he just decides to roll with it eventually, and he decides he doesn't care anymore. He has tried to find ways out, be it suicide, or other, but nothing has worked. So, instead of trying to leave, he simply gives in. He does the same thing, but changes up the situation from time to time. One day he'll fight with his girlfriend, the next he is nice to her. He hooks up with all different people, the best being when he claims to have hooked up with the bride's dad, played by Peter Gallagher. That scene is a riot. But there is one night where he sees someone new. He decides to give a speech to save her, and they go to hook up out in the desert. Only, the hookup doesn't end like they both want. Nyles is being hunted by Roy, who is played by JK Simmons, and man is he great, and the girl he is with, Sarah, played by Cristin Milioti, goes to try and help him, and then realizes she is trapped in this infinite loop. She goes to Nyles and finally gets him to explain what is happening but she doesn't buy it. She thinks he is crazy, and she decides to drive all the way home to Austin so she won't fall asleep there. Well, she wakes up in Palm Springs again, and from there on out the movie just becomes more and more hilarious. When Sarah finally starts to buy in and join Nyles on some crazy adventures, That's when I truly fell in love with the movie. They go out and constantly find ways to wreck the wedding. They do copious amounts of drugs. They get drunk everyday. They fight bar patrons. They even did a dance at said bar, and that was some of the funniest dancing I have ever witnessed. I cannot imagine how many takes that took to get that full shot. It was glorious. Throughout all this stuff, Sarah and Nyles start to realize they have feelings for one another. They have an intimate evening, but when they awake again, they both have different reactions. Sarah realizes she has done something wrong, and Nyles, well, he may or may not have been lying to Sarah this whole time. They have their argument, and Sarah disappears. She eventually comes back, and she has a plan that just might get them out of this loop. Nyles isn't so sure, he has grown accustomed to this life, and that is where I will leave this review because it gets so wild and crazy from there.

All in all, like I said above, I loved this movie. Samberg showed some real chops. He has always had the comedy, but in this movie he had to show other emotions, true emotions, and he nailed it. I already said how great Simmons was, and so were the other bit actors they got to be in this movie. But Milioti, she is the star of this. She owns this movie as much, if not more so, than Samberg. She is funny, dark, mysterious, quirky and excellent in everything she does in this movie. I was blown away by her performance, and I shouldn't have been. She was great in "30 Rock", and was totally awesome in her episode of "Black Mirror". She is a damn good actor. Check out "Palm Springs". It is on Hulu, it is short and it rules. This is definitely one of the best movies I have seen in 2020.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Back to the Future III"

Teddy reviews Back to the Future III

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Back to the Future II"

Teddy reviews Back to the Future II

Ty Watches "The Polka King"

On our recent mini vacation, every night after the kids went to bed, we would pick a movie to watch at the Airbnb we stayed in. Each person chose a different night. On the last night we were there it was my father's choice, and he picked a movie called "The Polka King". I remembered seeing stuff on Netflix for this movie. I believe I had it on my list to watch, it has Jack Black in it, so that makes me instantly in, and it was, deemed by critics, similar to another Jack Black movie I love called "Bernie", I guess it has the same feel to it. So I was down when my dad asked to watch this movie. My wife and mom didn't seem too crazy about it, but it was dad's choice, and we watched it.

“The Polka King” is a solid movie. In fact, I enjoyed it quite a bit. And while, for me, it isn't on the same level as "Bernie", that movie is criminally underrated, it was still a well told story with a great Jack Black performance. The movie is about a polish gentleman named Jan Lewan, who is a polka musician, moves to Pennsylvania and gets sent to jail for running a ponzi scheme that preyed on the elderly. It seems like a very by the book crime movie, but it took a different approach than others. The fact that Lewan was this polka musician, and spoke with a thick accent, it made him seem aloof to what he was doing. You almost felt like he was doing now wrong. He seemed to be a nice guy, that just dug himself into a hole that he couldn't get out of until too many things went wrong and he landed in jail. Black embodied the character. Seeing him go about his everyday life as Lewan was great. He crushed that. But the polka stuff, my goodness did he crush that. He was electric. I am not a polka fan, in fact the only person I know who truly liked polka music is my now passed away Grandpa. I have met no other people who list polka as a favorite genre of music. But dammit if I wasn't bouncing my leg and humming along to the music when Black performed it in the movie. It was fun. Black was through and through perfection in this movie. I totally bought him as Lewan, I loved his musical performances, I bought his earnestness and his downfall, I was all in. He was tremendous. So was every other big time actor cast in this movie. Jenny Slate played his wife, and she was great. She talked about how she fell for him because he seemed so sad. She then really loved him, but struggled with his fame over hers. I loved the stuff with the Miss Pennsylvania pageant involving Slate. She was awesome. Jacki Weaver was wonderful as Slate's mom, and Black's mother in law. She didn't like Lewan, always thought he was up to something, and let him know every chance she could. And when she stood up for him, that was a dynamite scene. Jason Schwartzmann as his band mate and friend, he is becoming one of these actors that you can always count on for a solid performance, no matter if the movie is good or bad. It definitely helps when it's a good movie like this. Even JB Smoove, in a very small role, with a full head of hair, he was excellent and stole his scenes.

I didn't know if I would like this movie when we started it, but I can say very loudly now that I truly enjoyed this story and this movie's way of telling it. It was also a quick 90 minutes, which I very much appreciate. So, if you are looking for a quirky, funny, real life crime story, I highly recommend "The Polka King". It is a very, very solid movie. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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