Ty Watches "Dream Scenario"

I just watched the Nicolas Cage movie "Dream Scenario". I was pretty in the dark about this movie. I didn't know it was an A24 production. I didn't know that Cage was even starring in the movie. I hadn't seen a preview for it. I am not fully sure that it even played in any theaters in Saint Louis. Then I heard Scott Aukerman talk about it on one of his many podcasts. Then it started showing up on streaming services as a feature. Then I read a few reviews and decided I wanted to see the movie. The reviews were solid, Aukerman was talking it up and Cage was getting very good coverage. I'm such a fan of Cage's that I will watch almost anything he does. I just want to see how big he gets with some of his roles. In this one he was subdued, but in the best way, and the only way Cage can be.

If you don't know, and I'll be as spoiler free as possible in my review today, Cage plays a professor who starts showing up in people's dreams. And not just his family's dreams. He is in a bunch of people's dreams all over the world. And when he shows up he doesn't do anything. He is just there. He walks in, looks at the people and goes about his business. It seems harmless, but there are also some creepy undertones.  The movie opens with him in his daughter's dream and it seems like a regular day. Then stuff starts to fall from the sky and his daughter begins to call for her dad as she is starting to float away. All the while Cage's character, her dad, just continues to rake leaves and say, "it's alright". It is odd and a little scary. He knows nothing of this, but all of the sudden people start to ask if they know him, if they've met before and why is he so recognizable. It isn't until he runs into an ex at a play that he realizes what is going on. She tells him about her dreams that include him and says she wants to talk and write about it. He agrees and then he blows up. He becomes viral and he really leans into his newfound fame. He takes interviews, he gets a book deal and he starts a partnership with a new up and coming tech company.

Then things change. This is where the movie gets tense. This is when the movie talks on the whole idea of everyone wanting their 15 minutes of fame. It seems like people will do anything to get famous in the current climate, and that is the direction this movie goes with for the second half of the feature. What happens in people's dreams now runs the gamut. And when people see Cage they have certain expectations and ideas about his character. It gets hyper tense and a little anxiety fueled. And I completely bought into what they were saying. I love how they made fun of how stupid "cancel culture" has become. The people who claim that they are "canceled" are idiotic and this movie does a wonderful job of showing that. Cage's character's "apology" is rich with how stupid these "canceled" people act when they are forced to admit wrongdoing. And Cage takes all of this on so beautifully. He doesn't have to be over the top, unless it is in a dream situation, and he owns those parts. He plays a very believable professor. He seems like a boring husband and dad. He is nerdy, cringey and shy. He is not in full control of any of his real life situations. He is just a regular dude who tried to make his 15 minutes of fame last longer than it should have.

I really liked this movie. It is understated and well done. It has funny and scary moments all wrapped up in its 100 minute run time. I definitely recommend this movie. It is a good watch and does a good job with the totally wild story they are telling. 

Ty

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

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The SeedSing 2024 MLB Preview

Major League Baseball fully kicked off their season this morning. I know the Padres and Dodgers played overseas last week, but that was like week 0 in college football. This, for all intents and purposes, is the true start of the new season. As I do every year, I will try my best to do a preview and some predictions. RD is the MLB expert on this site, he knows more than I do, but I still love the game of baseball, I just don't watch the MLB much at all anymore. I'll do a sentence, maybe two on each team and pick the division winner. Then I'll do the playoffs and give away some postseason awards. I'll start with the AL. Here goes nothing.

First we have the AL East. The teams here are historic. The Yankees revamped their lineup, signing Juan Soto this offseason. They will hit a ton of homers. The Red Sox seem to be in a minor rebuild. The Rays just keep finding new, young talent and putting together 90 to 95 wins. The Blue Jays have my favorite player, Vlad Guerrero Jr, and they should be above .500. Then we have the Orioles. They seem like the team to beat here. They hit as many homers as the Yankees, but they have the better pitching staff. The Orioles take the AL East.

The AL Central is opposite the East. The East could have every team above .500. The winner of the Central may be right at .500. The Royals and Tigers are too young to win anything of substance right now. The White Sox were middling last year, and Tim Anderson is gone. This division is between the Guardians and Twins. I really don't know where to go from here. The Guardians have a solid pitching staff, so do the Twins. I think I'm going to go with the Guardians because they have the better lineup. They will eek out more wins.

Finally we have the AL West. The reigning champs, the Rangers, are still here and still pretty darn good. Getting a healthy Adolis Garcia will only help. The Astros just keep on winning and winning when they need to. The Angels are out Shohei Ohtani, but they still have Mike Trout. Albeit, that will not matter in the end. And the Mariners may finally get over the hump. They are too talented not to. Oh, the Athletics are bad and moving to Vegas. They are irrelevant this season. I'm going to take the Astros here. They have the veteran leadership and they will be better than last season.

My six AL playoff teams are the Orioles, Guardians, Astros, the division winners, and the Blue Jays, Yankees and Rangers. I'll take Baltimore winning the AL in a pretty convincing fashion.

Now for the NL. I'll start with the East here. The Mets should be a much improved team. They are healthy, older and should be way, way better this season. The Phillies are still very good, with a solid staff and some mashers in their lineup. The Braves may be the best team in all of baseball. Their lineup is loaded, led by Acuna Jr and their pitching staff is the best in baseball. The Marlins are gritty and have some really solid hitters across their lineup. And then there's the Nationals. Save for the Athletics, they may be the worst team in the MLB. This division is tough because they have three very good teams at the top. But I'm going with the Braves. They are absolutely loaded.

Let's move to the Central now. This is the toughest division for me to project. The Cardinals got older, but oddly also better. They cannot be as bad as they were last season. The Cubs seem mediocre, but they got some solid pitchers in free agency and they can hit the ball. The Reds are young and fun and very capable of doing some good things. But RD seems to be very pessimistic about his hometown team. The Pirates are not great, but that doesn't mean they won't fight. And the Brewers are coming off a playoff appearance and a division win. This is wild for me, and I think only one team from this division gets in the playoffs, and that team will be the Brewers yet again. I'd love to pick the Cardinals or Reds, but one is too old and the other is too inexperienced. The Brewers will win almost by default.

Finally we have the NL West. The Diamondbacks are coming off an improbable playoff run all the way to the World Series, but that seemed very fluky. They'll be good, but not that good again this season. The Padres have a killer lineup and some solid pitching, but they cannot get out of their own way. They struggle when they should not. The Rockies are young and fun, but also not very good right now. The Giants are not great, but not too bad either. They are nondescript. And then we have the Dodgers. They are absolutely loaded every single place an MLB team could want to be loaded. They have homerun hitters, line drive hitters and ettra base hitters. They have a dominant pitching staff. They have some of the best position players in the game. Mookie Betts is only behind Vladdy as my favorite player. Even with Shohei Ohtani's off field stuff he has to deal with, he can still mash a baseball. The Dodgers will run away with this division.

That leaves me with the Braves, Brewers and Dodgers as my division winners and top three NL playoff teams. My three wildcards are the Phillies, Diamondbacks and, hell, I'll take the Giants. The NL comes down to the Braves and Dodgers, and I'll take the Braves. The Dodgers seem to blow it in the playoffs and the Braves have the best player in Acuna Jr. That leaves me with the Braves and Orioles in the World Series, and I'll take the Braves to win it all. Acuna Jr is going to be an MVP again, both regular season and playoffs. Spencer Strider is going to win the NL Cy Young. They probably have some stud rookie I don't know about. The Braves are loaded and ready to go. As far as AL MVP, give me Vlad Guerrero Jr. I think he is going to make an even bigger leap. As far as AL Cy Young, I'll go with Luis Castillo from the Mariners. Again, take this with a humongous grain of salt. I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants right now.

Baseball is here for 162 games now. We are officially in it. Go Cards. 

Ty

Another Perspective

This MLB season is going to be a struggle of a few giants against some talented, yet very flawed, teams. The Dodgers, Braves, and Astros are no brainers to make the playoffs. All three of those teams have All-Stars and future Hall of Famers up and down the line-up. Write it in ink, those three will win their divisions.

What about the next tier, talented but flawed? My hometown Cincinnati Reds lead this pack. Elly De La Cruz has the talent to be great, but that talent needs to produce over a full season. If that happens, the rest of the Reds will follow and Cincinnati will win the Central. My old hometown team the Cardinals are like Ty said, the opposite of the Reds. St. Louis is talented, but old. I also think if the Cardinals struggle early, they will fire their manager and write 2024 off. The Yankees, Padres, Blue Jays and Phillies all have world series potential but each team has leadership and durability questions.

Why have I not mentioned the Texas Rangers, the defending World Series champs, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the defending National League winners, or the hyped Baltimore Orioles? I am skeptical that each of these teams can replicate their magic from last year. I think they all three are talented, and they will all make the playoffs, I just do not believe in them as World Series contenders this year.

Here is who I think will make the playoffs

AL

Division Winners - Toronto Blue Jays (E) Minnesota Twins (C) Houston Astros (W)

Wild Cards - Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners

NL

Division Winners - Atlanta Braves (E) Cincinnati Reds (C) LA Dodgers (W)

Wild Cards - Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres

World Series

Blue Jays vs Braves

Champs

Atlanta Braves

That is correct, no Yankees or Cardinals in the playoffs. Both teams will fire their managers before the All Star Game. One last prediction, the Oakland Athletics will lose over 120 games.

Enjoy the season

RD

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

RD is the founder and Head Editor of SeedSing

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Ty Watches "The Zone of Interest"

I'm slowly going through a good amount of movies that were up for Oscars this past year. I also like to look at best of lists and decide which movies I want to see from those. One such movie was "Zone of Interest".

I came to this movie very late. I know of Johnathan Glazer, I have watched some of his movies, namely "Under the Skin". He was never really my cup of tea as a director. His movies seem kind of boring and the story is often left up to the viewer. That frustrates me. But I read a good amount of reviews for "Zone of Interest". I watched the trailer. I saw what some people online were saying about the movie and my decision was set. My wife had zero interest in watching, so I waited until she was on a work trip to watch. I rented it on Amazon last week and sat back.

What I saw was horrifying and gross and sad and brutal and frustrating and I cannot stop thinking about the movie. It has stayed with me. We were on a trip last week and I told anyone who'd listen about the movie. I am trying to avoid spoilers, but at this point that seems moot. This movie is a must see, only once, and it will stay with you and haunt you.

For the people that may not know, "Zone of Interest" takes place at a home outside of one of the Auschwitz concentration camps. The focus of the movie is the family that lives in a palatial home just outside of the concentration camp. The dad works there, they have three kids and the mom is an at home parent. They have servants and visitors that come and go all times of the day. I know it may not sound scary yet, but all the while the family that we are focused on, who live in the house, we can hear what is going on inside of the concentration camp. There are screams, gunshots, pleas of help and we can see smoke pouring out of a furnace. What makes it even more frightening, we never see any of the atrocities, thank goodness. We can only hear the awful, awful things that happened at one of these camps. It is horrifying. The screams are blood curdling. The movie is in German with English subtitles, and when you hear the screaming, it just says "audible screaming" on the subtitles. That gave me chills while watching. When they go away from the screams of terror, we focus on the family and their inner workings. These people are pure evil. The dad is a shrill businessman who takes advantage of every person he comes in contact with. He may seem like just a working stiff, but when you think about it and watch his actions, he is a monster. The mother is a witch. She is constantly screaming at the servants. She is mad at her mom when she leaves. The mom leaves because she cannot sleep with all the sounds going on outside her bedroom window by the way. She treats her dog like garbage. She calls herself the "Queen of Auschwitz". She is just as evil as her spouse. The kids are doing what they see from their parents. The teenage son is mean and hurtful. He locks his little brother in a greenhouse at one point, and has this creepy smile on his face the whole time. The little boy will stop and listen to the horror outside his bedroom window while he plays with toys during the day. It is a nightmare. The baby is just a baby, so who knows how she grew up.

There are two things in this movie that may stay with me forever, and they both occur near the end of the movie. Spoiler alert. The husband gets a new job and has to move out. The family stays at their home while the husband continues to climb the ranks for these incredibly brutal and offensive people. At one point he gets an award and something named after him. When he calls his wife to brag, she asks how the party he is attending was. He tells her he wasn't really paying attention, but thinking about "how much gas it would take to get rid of all the people in the room". That is evil incarnate. Then, as he is leaving said party to return home, he stops in two seperate hallways and tries to vomit. Meanwhile we get a flash forward to an Auschwitz museum and you see the horrors that occurred. There are a massive number of shoes, clothes and various sizes of all, saying that no one was spared by these monsters. They show an oven that was used. They show pictures of people who lost their lives simply for having a different religion. It is truly the scariest moment of the whole movie for me. We then go back to the evil monster from the whole movie, unable to vomit, and then it is credits. It is almost like the guy realized what he was doing, and how bad it was, and he almost had a moment of clarity. Almost.

"Zone of Interest" is a movie that needs to be seen, but only once. This was a tough watch, but it also gave me a look at the day to day lives of these monsters and how truly sickening they were to be doing the things they did. I will never watch this movie again, but it was one that needed to be watched. It is a good way to learn some unfortunate history. Watch it if you are interested in the horrifying history of these evil monsters. "Zone of Interest" told a good story of how villainous real people can be, if they choose to be villains. 

Ty

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

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Ty Picks the Rest of March Madness

The men's basketball tournament is now down to the Sweet 16. Let’s discuss.

My brackets are toast. I had Kentucky in both brackets I filled out going to the Final Four. That was wrong. The Cinderellas I counted on got crushed in their round 1 games. I was all about New Mexico, Clemson made sure to crush that pick. I was rocking Drake, and Washington State took care of that pick. Vermont was another team I was really rooting for, but Duke beat them with ease. Samford was my other big upset pick, and due to some awful officiating, Kansas was able to win that game. The only upset I got right in round 1 was Yale over Auburn. It felt good to get that pick right.

If you go back and look at the teams that won, it has been fairly chalk. Outside Grand Canyon and James Madison, most of the higher seeds won. All the one seeds are in the Sweet Sixteen. So are all the twos for that matter. Oregon tried to be one of the few double digit seeds to make a push, but 3 seed Creighton made sure to pull out that win. And, when you break down the conferences representing the Sweet Sixteen, it is all major conference teams except for Gonzaga, a perennial power, and San Diego State, who was in the title game last season. We do also have Creighton, but they are a 3 seed. They are no Cinderella. NC State is a double digit seed still alive, but they play in the ACC. They are prepped for these big games. The same could be said for most of the teams left, they are bluebloods. We have UNC, UConn, Duke, Purdue, Arizona , Tennessee and Marquette. These are some of the top names in college basketball. The games, save for a few here and there, have been blowouts. UConn has run roughshod over their first two opponents. MSU gave UNC a scare, but UNC eventually pulled away. Texas gave Tennessee a run, but they had to make a pretty big comeback before eventually falling short. Duke has cruised. Houston struggled with TAMU, but they blew the doors off their round 1 opponent. Purdue has won both of their games by 20 plus points. The best game I saw in the first two rounds was the Florida-Colorado game. Defense was optional here, with a final of 102-100. But it was a blast to watch. The scoring was pretty amazing to see. But, not to be outdone, Purdue and Houston have each put up 100 points in a tournament game so far. So this has been a predictable tournament for the most part.

This leads me to my Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight picks for the upcoming games, which start Thursday night. I have to assume that all the one seeds will win. UConn should cruise. UNC may have to battle Alabama, but they are a better team. Houston has the toughest matchup, with Duke. And Purdue, if they continue at this pace, should crush Gonzaga. Outside those games, I'll take Illinois over Iowa State, Arizona over Clemson, but that will be a tough game, Marquette over NC State and Tennessee over Creighton.

So my Elite Eight consists of UConn facing Illinois, UNC playing Arizona, Houston taking on Marquette and Purdue going up against Tennessee. These should be some solid matchups. There is also 3/4 of my Final Four still playing this weekend. If you all are here for my picks, here goes. I'll take UConn over Illinois in a very, very close game. Then give me Arizona, the team I am riding with this tourney, over UNC. Then I'll go Marquette over Houston. And finally Purdue over Tennessee.

That means I have UConn, Arizona, Marquette and Purdue in the Final Four. That is two 1 seeds and two 2 seeds. Not very fun, but that seems likely. I'll go UConn taking on Purdue in the title game and UConn going back to back. UConn is locked and loaded and playing their best basketball at the right moment. Take all this with a grain of salt, but after the first two rounds, it seems like this tournament is going relatively chalk, and UConn is the best team left. I'm ready for more hoops. Thursday cannot come fast enough. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Thoughts on Michigan's New Basketball Coach

I'm back and I'll give my thoughts on the men's basketball tournament tomorrow. Today I want to talk about the new Michigan men's basketball head coach.

Michigan relieved Juwan Howard almost two weeks back, I think they should have given him one more season, and they hired Dusty May over the weekend. I guess they waited to see how Florida Atlantic, his previous team, performed in the first round of the tourney, and then they were going to get him. FAU got beat in a solid round one game, and May was suddenly very available. He was so available, that earlier on Saturday I read that he was finalizing a deal to become Louisville's next men's basketball head coach. I moved on to other names I liked for the job and sat and waited. But Saturday night something must have changed because it was reported that May had turned down the Louisville job and was going to take the Michigan job. I didn't believe it because of the Louisville stuff, but it was confirmed by multiple sources and sites and the university made it official on all of their social media. It was official. May took the job and signed the contract.

I didn't really know what to think. I still don't really know what to think. I was rooting for Shaka Smart to get the job, but who knows if he was even open to moving jobs and Marquette is still in the tournament. He still has some coaching to do. Brian Dutcher was my second choice, but his team is still playing and who knows if he wanted to return to Ann Arbor. May probably was next on my list, but that was strictly due to what I was reading online about him. I still don't know too much about him. What I do know, FAU has been to the tournament two years in a row, where before they had only been three total times in the history of being a division 1 basketball team. They were also in the Final Four last season. I know that was last year , but still, a mid major in the Final Four is pretty impressive. He also won a ton of games and developed players within the program. That is one thing I think will have to change after taking the Michigan job. The transfer portal in big business now in all of college sports. I love the idea of recruiting and developing, which he has proven he can do with way less resources. But college sports is the wild west right now, and you can get tons of hired guns through the portal. I hope he brings some kids from FAU to Michigan to help with the transition in season one under May. He has proven he can recruit. He takes two and three star guys and gives them a tried and true system and they deliver for him. He wins enough games to get to the tournament. He wins in the conference tournaments. The Big 10 is different and tough and a bloodbath, but May has proven he can hang with the bluebloods in men's college basketball.

May is also young, and I'm stoked on that. College sports is changing and you are seeing a ton of younger dudes take over big time programs. Michigan went young with Sherrone Moore to lead the football team. Alabama went young after Nick Saban retired. Duke went young after Coach K. Dan Hurley may seem old, but he is not as old as he looks. Just look at a bunch of current coaches, they are skewing much, much younger.

I have also read some things about his possible staff, and it looks young too, or if they are older dudes, they are Michigan dudes. Apparently John Beilein was instrumental in getting May to take this job, and now he is being mentioned as someone who will work closely with the basketball team, whatever that may mean.

All in all, if you read what the pundits say, this seems like a good hire. May is on the come up and he kind of had his pick of where he wanted to coach next. He has been highly successful at his previous stop and seems prepared to take this next step. It will take time. This program is a total mess and they only have four current players on scholarship. I will be watching what he does in the offseason and I hope he makes his moves sooner rather than later. I am excited, but it could just be the fact that I'm excited about something new with my favorite men's college basketball team. I'll give May two years, but results need to start coming in year 3. That is my mood going forward with this hiring. Go Blue. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Watches "Spaceman"

I'm going out of town for the rest of the week tomorrow, thus meaning I'm going to take the rest of the week off after today, but I wanted to leave you all with my review of the new Adam Sandler Netflix movie, "Spaceman". I will be back next week, but I wanted to get one more in before taking a few days off.

I was excited to see this movie. I am a big, unabashed Adam Sandler fan. I enjoy most of his stuff. There are definite duds, but for the most part, Sandler's stuff entertains me. And his recent stuff I have truly enjoyed. I loved "Hustle". "Uncut Gems" is one of the best movies I've ever watched. So, to see him take on another hard drama role, I was intrigued. He has been knocking it out of the park lately. I also like Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan and Isabella Rosselini, all of whom are cast in this movie. And I am lukewarm on Kunaal Nayar, who I only know from "The Big Bang Theory", a show I have only ever seen bits and pieces of. I have never watched a full episode of that show. So, this movie had a ton going for it before I even turned it on.

After watching and thinking about it this morning, I think the movie is fine. It isn't great and it isn't bad. It has good moments that seem to be buttressed by boring or dull moments. The performances are wonderful. I have to say that. Sandler nailed it again. He is a good actor. He knows what to do when given good work to act from. He also does good work when a director kind of pushes him to do good stuff. He delivers in this movie. I bought him as a lonely Russian astronaut. I was with him throughout the whole movie. I was sad when he was sad. I was lonely when he was lonely. It was a job well done. Carey Mulligan is about as reliable as it gets. She does very good work with a smaller role here. She is the co-star here. She is second on the call sheet. But she gives a very heartfelt, very meaningful performance. I enjoy her work. Ever since I saw "Promising Young Woman" I have been onboard for Mulligan's work in movies. Isabella Rosellini was hardly in the movie, but she has this air about her. She is a true legend and she brings in when she is cast. Kunaal Nayar was very good here. I dug his work in this movie. I also liked his time appropriate moustache. He did a solid job here. And Paul Dano, lending only his voice, was creepy and monotone and awesome. This is what I have come to expect from him. Everyone did their job and did it well. I have no qualms with the acting here.

My issue, the movie got very boring at times. It also came off pretentious from time to time. There are shots of Sandler in space that seem to stay on an image far too long. I understand that the mission needs to be addressed, but I don't have to see the same purple space scene over and over again for long stretches of time. There is also some stuff with the look and the dialogue that comes off a bit pretentious. This is a love story, but I don't need some stuff jammed in my face as a viewer. I get it. I understand what they are going after. But it came off weird for me sometimes. I feel like they could have cut the movie by about 20 minutes, make it a nice 85 minute long movie, and they would have had a hit on their hands. But, with the direction they chose, this is going to be a forgotten movie for some fans of the actors. It will kind of come and go.

Did I like it? Sure. Will I watch it again? No. But don't let that cloud your judgement. By all means, watch this movie, if only for Dano's role. It is different and weird and I truly loved his work in this movie. Otherwise, maybe skip this movie if you are on the fence. 

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts March Madness 2024

Selection Sunday has come and gone for the 2024 men's NCAA basketball tournament and I'm here to give you my predictions. I say every year that I am less and less versed in men's college basketball, and that is even more true this season with Michigan men's team being abysmal. I did not watch a bunch of men's college basketball this year, I have been back on my NBA kick. So, take all of this with a grain of salt. I'll give my region winners, which will give me my Final Four teams and I will pick a title game matchup and winner. I'll also go out on a limb and pick the Most Outstanding Player at the end of this blog. I may not watch a ton of men's college basketball anymore, but I still know some stuff. Let's get to it.

I'll start with the East Region. UConn is the number 1 overall seed in the tournament. They are the defending national champs. They got most of those players back this year and have been a top 5 team all season long. They look like the best bet to win it all. But Iowa State and Illinois are threats. SDSU was in the title game against them last season. Northwestern and Florida Atlantic, also a Final Four team last season, are both tough. This region is not a cakewalk by any means. This is going to be a tough one. As far as my upset in this region, I think Yale will beat Auburn in the round of 64, and they could give SDSU a tough game in the round of 32. But, I'm going to stick with UConn to take this region. I really want to pick either Illinois or Iowa State, but UConn is loaded and looks more than ready to defend their title.

Let's head West now. UNC is the number 1 here. UNC is a good team. They have been solid all year long. But, they look like the weakest number 1 seed in my opinion. They don't really jump off the screen as much as the other number 1 seeds. I could see the winner of Michigan State-Mississippi State giving them a tough round of 32 matchup. I really like Arizona here. They are locked and loaded. Getting Caleb Love as a transfer was tremendous for both the team and Love. They play good defense and can light up the scoreboard. Baylor is solid. Alabama and Saint Mary's look decent. And Dayton has an NBA prospect on their roster with Dayron Holmes. This isn't the gauntlet that the East looks to be. But, this region should give us some good games in the first couple rounds. My upset pick here is Mississippi State knocking off UNC in the round of 32. As far as my winner, it is Arizona. They look very good right now.

Heading to the South Region we have Houston as the number 1 seed here. I think Houston is a very good team. They play the best defense in men's college basketball. They have depth and veteran leadership. Kelvin Sampson is a top tier coach. But, they always seem to find a way to choke when they have expectations. I picked them to win it all last year and they stumbled before the Final Four. They still look like the team to beat in this region though. They will have to get through a very good Marquette team. They are as scrappy as it gets. They can match Houston's intensity on the defensive side. Kentucky is getting better every game seemingly and they want to make a long tourney run. Duke is Duke. I loathe that team, but they will find a way to get the refs to help for one win. And Wisconsin will bore teams to sleep, and then attack and win games. My upset here is the winner of Boise State-Colorado in the First Four will easily handle Florida in the round of 64. The winner of that game will beat Florida in a wire to wire victory. As for the overall winner of this region, I'm going with Kentucky. I want to see Houston win. I like how they play team defense and pass the ball so well on offense. But I don't trust them anymore. Kentucky is the winner of the South Region.

Finally we have the Midwest Region. Purdue is the one seed here. They need a big tourney run to get the taste of last year's 16 over 1 blown game. Zach Edey is about as dominant as they get at the center position. They have shooters all over the floor. And they can play defense when they are locked in. I don't trust Matt Painter though. He has had better teams that have not done what they should in the tourney, so who knows what team will show up in this tournament. Tennessee is about as dangerous as they get at the 2. They can really do it all on both ends. They also have some lights out shooters filling that roster. Crieghton is legit and ready to take a big step towards a possible long tourney run. Kansas has been inconsistent this season, but they are still Kansas. And Gonzaga does not have high hopes coming into this tournament. Maybe being a 5 will benefit them this time around. As for my upset pick, I'm going with Samford over KU in the round of 64. KU has not been so great this season, and with their top two scorers coming off injury, I don't trust that team. As for my winner of the Midwest Region, I'm going with Tennessee. They look like the best 2 seed and the best team in this region by a pretty good margin.

So that leaves me with a Final Four of UConn, Arizona, Kentucky and Tennessee. That is a very blue blood Final Four. As for my title game matchup, give me Arizona facing Tennessee and Arizona winning it all. I also have Caleb Love as the MOP. Arizona is ready to win it all after a long time of not being the champs. They have the roster, the momentum and the coaching to take it home this season.

There you have it, my 2024 NCAA Men's tournament preview and predictions. The games cannot come soon enough. This is when I'll watch more college basketball this season than at any other time. The tournament is a thing of beauty. I can't wait. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Kirk Cousins, the Grifting Quarterback

I simply cannot figure out why teams continue to give Kirk Cousins ungodly amounts of guaranteed money on his contracts. I am going to say upfront today, I am being a hater because Cousins is a football player whom I despise. I have not liked him since he was a college football player. I don't like how religious he is and that he is always spouting his religious rhetoric.  I don't like his anti-vaccine rants. And I hate the way he has culturally appropriated grills and chains. It is disgusting, not funny and looks very bad. So yes, I am a true hater of him. I had to let it be known. But, what is very irksome is all the guaranteed money this mid level NFL starting QB has accumulated over his career.

With this recent contract that the Falcons gave him, 180 million over four years with 100 million guaranteed, he will have made over 400 million just from the contracts he has signed that his agent has procured for him. That is a fleecing of epic proportions. I cannot fathom why he keeps getting these insane contracts. No one else gets this type of money. Players that are far better at football than him don't see 1/3 of what the Vikings and Falcons have shelled out for this glorified game manager. The only reasonable conclusion I can come up with is that he and his agent have some Earth shattering dirt on these teams. I feel like they know something that, if it were to get out, lots of people would get canceled and be in big, big trouble. That is the only thing that makes a lick of sense to me.

What is even more worrying is, he keeps getting these deals but never produces anything of use in the NFL. The most yards he's thrown for in one season is 4,547. That is fine, but not 100 million dollars guaranteed fine. The most TD's he's had in one season, 35. That would rank him near the middle most seasons for starting QB's. His best record as a starter, 13-4 with the Vikings. Seems okay, but when you look at his overall record as a starter, he is 78-70. That is middling at best. His playoff record, what should be of utmost importance when paying someone gobs and gobs of money in the NFL, 1-4. That is horrendous. There are so many QB's that are younger and have as many or more playoff wins than him. Jordan Love has one win already. Baker Mayfield has more playoff wins. Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, obviously Patrick Mahomes all have more playoff wins than Cousins. Jared Goff has been to a Super Bowl and two NFC title games. Joe Flacco has a Super Bowl. Ryan Tannehill has more playoff wins than Cousins. Guys like CJ Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Daniel Jones and even Mitch Trubisky have as many playoff wins as good old Kirk Cousins. These are just modern players too. There are so many other former players I could list that have won much more than Kirk Cousins when it counted most, but they have never seemed to get the contracts he has gotten over time. That is criminal.

The final aspect that worries me about this deal for the Falcons, Cousins is coming off a major injury at the age of 35. That is a death knell for most athletes. And Cousins isn't the most athletic guy out there. He never has been. So, giving him all this money, when he has a well known history of clamming up when it matters the most, when he is at or near the end of his career, coming off a massive injury, it seems foolish and negligible. I know the Falcons have higher expectations, but tying those expectations to a 35 year old injured QB with a bad history in major moments seems foolish.

I don't think it will work out for the Falcons. RD is a Vikings fan and I hear a bunch about how it didn't work out for them and how happy he is that Cousins is now gone. I feel like Falcons fans are going to have that same energy this time next year. We will see. But this deal, with this amount of guaranteed money for a middling, back end of his career guy would be very off putting to me if I were a Falcons fan. I guess I'm glad I'm not. 

Ty

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

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I Used to Be Cool: Music Edition

The Simpsons

There are many things that can make you feel old. I have had a bunch of these feelings lately. I was playing catch with my son the other day and my shoulder has not stopped hurting. I will get a cut from trail running and it will take forever to heal. If I sleep weird it is always a bummer the next day. These are typical getting older things. But there was an incident the other day that really put me getting older into perspective.

One of my nieces, who is a sophomore in college, was coming to town to go to a concert. I was talking to my folks before she got there, and asked what show she was going to see. They told me they didn't know, but that the show was at a venue called The Duck Room. I'm familiar with this spot, but I have not seen a show there in quite some time. I went on their website and looked up the calendar and saw the band. They are called Bendigo Fletcher. So, first off, I do not know if this is a band or a solo act. That was my first inclination that I was older.

I then looked at the full calendar or upcoming shows. I was scrolling and scrolling and kept coming up empty. I had no idea who any of the artists were. And it is not like I don't listen to cool music. I love finding new music to listen to. I'm open to almost any suggestions. But I was drawing a total blank. I thought to myself that The Duck Room is more of an indie venue. It is smaller and they book more up and coming acts. So I checked The Pageant website. I have gone to The Pageant a bunch over the years. I have seen all kinds of acts there. I saw A Tribe Called Quest when Phife was still alive. I saw The Black Keys when they had to set up their own equipment. I saw a live taping of Comedy Bang! Bang!. I've seen acts like Leon Bridges. The Shins and The Mars Volta. Needless to say, The Pageant gets all kinds of bands and artists to play there, big and small. But when I was scrolling through their calendar, it was mostly blank again. In fact, the only acts I recognized were comedians and tribute bands. I also knew a few of the older bands, guys a bit older than me, but that was it. All these groups or solo acts, who look hip and cool, I had zero idea who they were. I had never heard of more than eighty percent of the people playing The Pageant. It was the same with the venue next door to The Pageant, Delmar Hall. I could not recognize anyone. My buddy told me he was taking his kids to a show there soon, I asked the band, he told me and I had no idea who he was talking about. He knew the band, knew the songs and he is my age, but I was oblivious. I went on to check on some other venues around town, and much to my chagrin I only knew the big acts playing arenas and bigger spots around STL. It truly bummed me out. I've been thinking about it since Saturday night and I am disappointed in myself for not knowing a bunch of traveling musicians.

This “problem” has extended from there to other parts of my life. My other niece, who is a senior in high school, makes fun of my taste in hip hop. I listen to "old people" hip hop according to her. When did Kendrick Lamar become "old people" hip hop? My nephew plays stuff on YouTube when he visits and I have no clue what is happening. My son will tell me all these hip hop artists he likes, and I am just confused. I will tell him about the artists I listen to. I will go on and on about Tribe or Biggie or Outkast and he says they are too old for him. To him this is like when my dad would listen to The Beatles and Bob Dylan around the house, two musical acts I now adore but didn't as a kid.

This was a tough one for me. I am still having trouble with aging. I used to be cool, but I guess I am not anymore, especially when it comes to what is considered popular music. At least I still have the artists I enjoy making new music. But maybe this is just how it goes the older you get and I just have to deal with it. It's a bummer, but that is the way it goes. 

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 "Poor Things"

I was able to watch "Poor Things" over the weekend. Let’s discuss.

I had wanted to see this movie since I first heard about it a few months back. I like the director Yorgos Lanthimos. I am a fan of both "The Favourite" and "The Lobster". These movies are different and unique and weird. And I'm here for it. "The Lobster '' is what turned me from a Colin Farrell detractor to a big fan. And "The Favourite" is what opened my mind to Emma Stone's brilliance and willingness to take on different roles. She is one hell of an actor. So when she was announced as the star of Lanthimos' new movie, I was in. Then I saw a preview and that intrigued me more. Then I saw reviews and they were glowing. Then I heard people talk about the movie on podcasts and I was all the more hype to watch. My dad and I made plans to see it in the theaters, but it never happened for a myriad of reasons. So, when it was announced to be streaming, I was going to watch it ASAP. 

I loved this movie. "Poor Things" is like Lanthinmos' other movies, but on a much bigger scale. This is a big budget, big time Hollywood movie. Emma Stone stars as Bella Baxter, a Frankenstein monster of a person. Stone is magnetic. Seeing her go from infant to toddler to moody teen to brilliant adult was an absolute joy to watch. The mannerisms she used when she was an infant were real and I was convinced that she had the mind of a child. As she gets smarter and smarter I found myself getting even more interested in what was going on on screen. Seeing her discover her sexuality was funny. It was truly hilarious. I was laughing very hard. When she referred to sex as "furious jumping", it was a true delight. Seeing her use her sexuality to gain an advantage was an interesting look at the world of sex workers and those who enjoy that lifestyle. I thought it was quite powerful. I was also a fan of how incredibly calculating and smart Bella became as the movie continued. I also enjoyed when Bella was still figuring things out with the teen brain, the movie made fun of social interactions and conventions. They played with how silly all these things are when you really think about it. I loved it. Stone was magnetic and absolutely earned her Academy award.

The rest of the cast was dynamite too. Willem DeFoe, as Dr Godwin, who is basically Dr Frankenstein, was excellent. He is one of my favorite actors ever. And his prosthetics were wild. Ramy Youssef was wonderful as DeFoe's assistant and initial love interest of Bella. His performance surprised me in the best possible way. Mark Ruffalo was funny and over the top and I thought he could have gotten more awards consideration. He went for it and totally nailed it. Jerrod Carmichael had a very minimal role, but it was so memorable. I think about his scene with Bella often after seeing the movie. I liked how cynical he was. An actor that I assume is famous, but I don't know, Hanna Schygulla was great. She was sweet and answered all of Bella's questions. She felt like the first person who openly accepted Bella, warts and all. Kathryn Hunter as the madam at the sex worker home was really well done and seemed perfectly fleshed out. I was kind of mesmerized by her character. Suzy Bemba as Bella's girlfriend at the house was understated, in a great way. And then we have Christopher Abbott as Bella's first husband, who didn't know she was still alive. He was mean and ignorant and hateful. Abbott did a great acting job because I despised his character.

The look of the movie was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was like a painting had come to life. I loved the black and white at the beginning, but when it shifted to color, that took this movie to a whole other level. I have not seen another movie that looks like this in my viewing ever. And the direction was second to none. Every actor bought in. They gave it their all and it showed on screen. They were all willing to go for it, and I feel like a lot of that has to do with their comfort with Lanthimos.

I am a big fan of this movie. I was telling my dad and a buddy of mine about this movie so much that they watched it last night, I assume to get me to stop talking about it. They confirmed to me they liked it as well. Go watch "Poor Things". It is destined to be a classic and Emma Stone gives a performance for the ages. I really love this movie. 

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 NFL Free Agency

NFL free agency opened yesterday morning and it has been wild. I do like to see some movement, and there has been plenty of it thus far. The fireworks usually happen on the first couple days, but it looks like they got a bunch of it done on day one. That makes it less stressful for the leftover free agents to pick their next destination, or to stay where they are now. I'm going to focus mainly on the running back position, but there has been big movement at other positions as well.

The Falcons gave Kirk Cousins 100 million guaranteed, and that blew me away. That dude has now fleeced every team he has played for to this point. Brian Burns was traded to the Giants and they now have a scary, on paper, d line. Michael Pittman Jr chose to stay in Indy and I think that is good for him and Anthony Richardson. And o lineman are finding new places to play left and right. Some QB's are going to have new protectors, most of which are solid players. The running back position has had the most movement by far. I expected that.

Running back is not the hot position it used to be. I feel like teams draft running backs, use them hardcore for three to four years and let them walk. That has shown its face big time during the first two days of free agency. Tony Pollard, who was a fantasy darling just two seasons ago, was shown the door by the Cowboys as soon as they could cut him. It didn't take long for him to find a new place, Tennessee. I think this benefits both parties because neither have any expectations. Pollard will get to play in obscurity as the number one back for the Titans, who are expected to be a bottom feeder. This move reminds me of Markelle Fultz going from Philly to Orlando. Antonio Gibson, who was the second back in Washington, has moved on to the Patriots. This is another rebuilding team that will give Gibson the first team reps until they decide to move on to a rookie. Devin Singletary is now with the Giants, replacing Saquon Barkley. This is a massive downgrade for the Giants. They may have a solid defense, but their offense looks to be woeful going into next season. Speaking of Saquon Barkley, he is joining the Eagles, and I love this move for him and the Eagles. The Eagles get a top tier back to go with a top five QB in the league and two of the better wideouts. This is going to make their offense even more lethal. Barkley is going to be great carrying the ball and getting receptions out of the backfield. The Eagles are clearly frustrated with how last season ended, so they are going to be making moves. Speaking of the Eagles, D'Andre Swift is now with the Bears. This is a good move for both, if the Bears keep Justin Fields. Swift probably knew that the Eagles were going to swing big, so he decided to sign with a team that has playoff aspirations and needed a good running back. Swift is coming off a career year and looks to be a nice addition for an up and coming Bears offense. Austin Ekeler is gone from the Chargers, heading to Washington. Ekeler is good, he can both run and catch, but he is on the back end of his career and a move seemed inevitable. I feel like Washington has been a place where players go to finish out the end of their careers unceremoniously. That is the vibe I get from Ekeler. Gus Edwards is heading to the Chargers to be the Ekeler replacement. This seems like a good fit for Jim Harbaugh. He likes to have two backs, one of which is a bruiser, and Edwards is just that. And the two biggest moves in my opinion are Derrick Henry to the Ravens and Josh Jacobs to the Packers. Derrick Henry to the Ravens is akin to Barkley to the Eagles. He is going to an already established team that needed a true three down running back. Derrick Henry has been the best back in the league for a few years now. He may be on the backend of his career, but he still has a bit left in the tank and he is going to love running behind the Ravens o line. This is a homerun signing. Then we have Josh Jacobs to my favorite team, the Packers. I love this move so, so much. As much as I adored Aaron Jones, and shouts out to the Vikings for snagging him almost immediately, he was often injured and couldn't be counted on for a full season anymore. And AJ Dillon has never been the back I hoped he would become. Jacobs is young. He is fast. He can break tackles. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He is hungry to prove people wrong. And he is out of a situation where he was unhappy. I think he is going to thrive in Green Bay. He is the undoubted feature back. They have already given him a good payday. He is going to take a bunch of pressure off Jordan Love. He is going to help sustain drives. I'm thrilled with this signing. While it is not on the level of the Reggie White signing, this one makes me almost as happy. The Packers are taking a shot and I'm here for it. I cannot wait to watch him in the Packers uniform next season. This is a big, big deal to me as a fan.

Free agency has been pretty fun to this part. I'm sure it is going to get super quiet from here on out,but you cannot say that it was boring during the first day. Lots of movement and lots of money being shelled out makes for a fun and interesting offseason. Now I'm ready to watch these dudes on their new teams. I'm excited for a new NFL season for the first time in a long time. Let's get to it. 

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About Classless Duke Players and Their Fans

A week or so back there was major outrage coming from all kinds of sports media due to the court storming after Wake Forest beat Duke. Everyone was up in arms. Kyle Filipowski had to be helped off the court. His coach had some diatribe about the horrors of court storming. The talking heads, mostly on ESPN, were making this out to be the worst thing since the Michigan sign stealing ordeal. Other coaches were coming out in droves saying how awful court storming is, and that the rules needed to be changed. This was everywhere for over a week.

Leading up to Duke's next game, against lowly Louisville, Duke came out and said they weren't sure Filipowski was going to be able to play. First it was his knee. Then it was a high ankle sprain. Then a regular ankle sprain. Then he was "sore". A surprise to no one, of course he played in that game and Duke won. All was forgotten. No one was bringing up the whole court storming thing anymore. It came and went like a breeze. It was in the past.

Duke had their big rivalry game over the weekend with UNC. ESPN was heavily covering the game. There were videos of Duke players singing with the crowd. The "Cameron Crazies" were everywhere. This time it seemed like Duke was going to win because they had the momentum. UNC won last time, but Duke had overcome this "horrific" court storming and had righted the ship. And the game was in Cameron Indoor. This was going to be what separated them from the rest of the ACC. They were truly going to put the court storming incident behind them.

UNC had other plans.

They went to Duke and beat them for a second time this season. The game was pretty solid too, but UNC kind of had control for most of the game. They are a better team. They were the better team that day and they have been the better team all season. They came out and won and UNC grabbed hold of the ACC.

Unfortunately this game was not without its drama. Kyle Filiposki tripped a UNC player. There was a fast break opportunity, and as UNC was running up the floor, Filipowski stuck his leg out and tripped the player. He was doing his best Grayson Allen impression. He was being the typical white Duke asshole basketball player. He wasn't getting his way, his team was getting beat and he wasn't playing well. That meant he had to take his frustration out on his opponent. Clearly it was not his fault, it was this UNC player who was beating his team, so he was going to trip with the intent to stop a fast break, and maybe injure this player. But, if you were to watch highlights of the game on ESPN, they barely touched on this. ESPN cannot go after their white savior college player. Why would they denigrate this kid, even if he tripped an opposing player? It was a disgusting sight to see. They covered the court storming like it was front page news. It was a crime against humanity. But when he trips a kid they pass it off as no big deal and they want it wiped from their screens as soon as possible. That makes me incredibly angry. And other sports websites were not too high on covering the trip. The other sites seem to blow it off nearly as much as ESPN. We should not forget about this just because of the court storming. They were equally as egregious. I don't care about either to be honest, but when major publications, tv shows and websites are just blowing the trip off, that is wrong. It should get the same coverage. Not to be outdone, the Duke fans decided to throw drinks at the UNC basketball team as they celebrated their win. And for the people telling the UNC players to "win with class", shut the hell up. That was a rivalry game. UNC beat Duke twice. They have played better basketball. And they have every right to celebrate a win over a hated rival. I guarantee that if Duke won and celebrated in UNC's face, it would be a non story. The major websites would be saying that is how rivalries are supposed to be. But for the fans, the famed and disgusting "Cameron Crazies", to throw drinks at people, that is about as classless as it gets. That is foul. That is childish. That is white privilege at its worst. It is the whiniest way to handle a game that doesn't go your way. And these kids, these frat boys and girls can just run away from any punishment and go to mommy and daddy to help them out.

This makes me very upset when people act like this. I hate when Michigan gets all high and mighty, but I have never seen a fan at a live game throw a drink at anyone. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, I just haven't seen it. I have seen video of Duke fans throwing drinks at UNC. I watched Filipowski trip the UNC player. This is all readily available for anyone that wants to see it on the internet.

I have never liked Duke, and this past rivalry game makes me despise them even more. They are not above punishment. They can't just get away with stuff because ESPN likes them. They are not the blueblood they used to be and other fans are starting to notice. Duke is a classless team with a classless coach. They can get any recruit they want, but if this is how they act and their coach continues to act, I will forever root against them. My hatred for Duke only grew over this weekend. Their actions and reactions are childish, from top to bottom. Grow the hell up and stop blaming everyone else. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Watches "Dune: Part 2"

I have just returned home from seeing "Dune : Part 2".

I have been really anticipating the release of this movie. I watched the first, new "Dune" during the pandemic. It was released to streaming, and I took advantage and watched that movie in my home. I loved it. I was glued to my screen. I did not look at my phone once. My wife would come in and out of the room and ask questions and I would answer, and then rewind and rewatch what we may have missed. The first new "Dune" was also my first time I found myself cheering for Timothee Chalamet. That movie made me a fan, and I have not looked back. I also watched David Lynch's "Dune" during the pandemic. I did not like that version at all. It was a slog. It was boring. And it was nonsensical. So I've done the necessary homework. My dad joined me this morning, he watched the first new "Dune" on Wednesday, and we set off for a 10am screening.

I want to say, the theater was as clean as I've ever seen a theater before. The crowd was delightful and pleasant. The staff was dynamite and helpful. The Galleria 6 Cinema here in Saint Louis did their job perfectly. There were only two previews, only one commercial, and by about 10 after, we were in the world of "Dune". And from there on out I was in awe of what I was watching.

First off, this cast is incredible. Chamalet is back and does an even better job in this movie. Zendaya is given much more to work with in this sequel and she does amazing things. I was rooting for her character the entire movie. Javier Bardem was more involved, did a great job and even provided some laughs. Rebecca Ferguson did a phenomenal job with her arc in this movie. The whole Harkonnen family was terrifying in all the right ways. Stellan Skaarsgard is back and he is even more scary as the head of the family. David Bautista is back and he is cowardly and in over his head. And Austin Butler is the nephew who is the villainous of all the villains in this movie. He was scary as hell. Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken do some pretty good things here. Pugh figures to have a much bigger part in the third installment of this franchise. Josh Brolin returns and he is having a great back half of his career. And there's all the side characters and minor part actors who do some wonderful things in their very minimal screen time.

Then we have the direction. Denis Villenvue is the best sci fi director in the game right now. I trust him with any material he decides to work on from this moment on. And then there's the stuff on screen. This is an epic in every sense of the word. It was close to three hours but never felt long. The scenery, being pretty much nothing but sand, was mesmerizing to look at on a big screen. The sandworms were the coolest thing I have seen in a movie in a long, long time. I was enamored with those things. The CGI and the massive amount of people in the movie was a triumph all its own.

The story was pretty great too. The majority of the movie is a war movie. There are a bunch of battles. There are moments of strategy. There are training moments. There is hand to hand combat. There are soldiers hiding and attacking from everywhere. It was awesome. And, near the end, although it is what I consider to be the main story, it becomes a religious story, and the problems that lie within following one person. It was interesting to see the movie take this turn and everyone involved pulled it off with grace and professionalism.

I loved this movie. My dad did too. I couldn't believe that they exceeded my high, high expectations. I cannot recommend this movie enough. That is why I left my review so vague. I think you should try and see it in a theater too. I'm not a big theater goer, but this movie needs to be seen on a big screen to get the full effect. "Dune: Part 2" is amazing. Go see it. 

Ty

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

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Ben Simmons NBA Career is a Tragedy

It was announced this morning that Ben Simmons is out for the rest of the season. That is a bummer for him and the Nets. Simmons was a big acquisition. He was the prize for the Nets in the James Harden deal.

Simmons has a rookie of the year to his name, he was an all defensive player, a borderline all NBA player and was the face of the unicorn 6'10 point guard. He was the first big man since Magic Johnson to truly run an offense. He was up and coming, a guy to possibly build around, then the pass against the Hawks happened.

For people that may not know about this pass, Simmons had a wide open dunk that would've put the 76ers up in a possible closeout game, but he passed it off to Tobias Harris, who was fouled. Harris shot free throws, but the dye was cast with Simmons at that moment. He became the guy scared to get fouled and didn't want the ball in critical moments. He passed up a wide open dunk. I cannot state how wide open this dunk was. He is 6'10. He had zero defenders in front of him. All he had to do was put the ball in the hoop and he chose to pass. After that it has all been downhill for him.

He came into 76ers camp that season after the pass and he could not have been more disinterested. He publicly asked for a trade. The 76ers did not do it during the offseason, and with the threat of not getting paid, he reported to camp. But he didn't have to practice hard while he was there. He wore sweatpants. He didn't participate in any drills. He had his phone in his pocket during practice. He was disengaged when Doc Rivers would speak to the team. He was there physically, but not mentally. Then the season started and the 76ers did just fine without him. They won enough games. Joel Embiid took on the role of focal point and he thrived. He was becoming the MVP player we all knew he could become. Tyrese Maxey started to show signs of growth. Tobias Harris was putting up steady numbers. The 76ers were fine. They eventually got a deal they deemed worthy, and sent Simmons to the Nets. In return the 76ers got James Harden and Paul Milsap. The 76ers seemed happy to move on and Simmons was going to be able to start over. Brooklyn was excited about being somewhere new.

Yet Simmons did not play much his first season with the Nets. He played 42 games, averaged 26 minutes in those games and scored 7 points a game and had 6 assists and 6 boards. Those numbers are all well and good, but compared to his time with the 76ers, it was chump change. For example, the prior season with Philly he averaged 14 ppg, 7 boards and 7 assists. The year before he was a 16, 7 and 8. He had very good numbers with Philly, but he wanted the change and he got it. While the numbers may have not been in his favor, he seemed happier. He openly talked about his mental health struggles. Now, I do believe him when he says he has mental health stuff, but not all of it is causing his game to suffer. He's brought on a bunch of that himself. He always seems to post offseason videos of him shooting threes and playing pickup games. He has talked a bunch in the past two years about how excited he is to play. He seemed very ready to go when this season started. But then he missed a ton of time to start the season. And when he came back, he was a sideline to sideline player. He stayed away from attacking the rim. He would not set up in the dunker spot. He did not want to shoot. He was terrified to get fouled. And he was putting up pedestrian numbers. He was averaging barely over 6 points this season. He was averaging less than 6 assists, which is rough for a lead ball handler. And he was only playing 23 minutes a game. He also only appeared in 15 games before shutting it down this year. His team says it is due to a back issue, and while that may be true, he has other issues to deal with.

I don't know that I've seen a player of Simmons caliber fall as hard as he has to this moment. He was a top tier recruit. He was a solid one and done college player. He was the number one overall pick in his draft. He achieved very high highs in the NBA. And now he is an afterthought. That bums me out. He had the potential to be a modern day Magic. He could have truly changed the game. But he let one play shape him into the player he has become to this day. That is a shame. Ben Simmons could have done great things if he could've moved past one stupid decision in a meaningful game. He couldn't and now he is a player that up and coming kids will not want to be compared to. He has really fallen off. I hope he finds his way back, a la Markelle Fultz. But I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Nick Saban Needed to Retire

Nick Saban gave a pretty candid interview recently about his retirement from college football. He said a lot of stuff. He didn't like how his team reacted when Michigan beat them. He said he had been seriously considering retirement since 2022. He didn't like some players' attitude. He felt recruiting was becoming more difficult. You know, pretty much what I assumed he was going to say. But one thing stuck out to me from the interview. Let’s discuss.

When Saban was asked about NIL he told the journalist that kids came to him for their exit interview this year, and he claimed 70 to 80 percent either complained about playing time, or wanted more NIL money. He said that this is becoming too commonplace, and this was another push to retire from coaching. I read this and kind of brushed it off. But while I was out for a run I thought more about this NIL and playing time statement.

I am all for NIL. I think the players who are everywhere should be getting some kind of compensation. It only seems fair. I do agree with some people that it is totally out of hand, the transfer portal is like free agency and there is all kinds of tampering. But, this is the new era of college football, and I figure the new world of college football has maybe passed Nick Saban. Saban is an all time great. Hell, he is the GOAT college football coach. He was utterly dominant, prior to NIL. He got the best players, he got them to stay and he won. Then NIL and the transfer portal rules came into play and it became a little bit harder for Saban to get every player he wanted. Or, if he did get them to commit, that player would transfer out if they weren't playing. Take Tua Tagovailoa's little brother Talia. He committed to Alabama, was behind his brother and was expecting the start. When he wasn't named the starter, he went to Maryland, started for four straight years and set multiple records. I'm sure there are many other players that did the same. And now with NIL, these kids are getting massive deals before they even enter college football. They get big deals, they commit to one school, and if they don't play or their "brand" is not represented the way they want, they will transfer or ask for more. It is the new way in recruiting and dealing with modern college football players.

I don't think Saban liked that he couldn't fully control his players like he was used to doing. He had kids talking back, showing frustration or leaving if they were unhappy with playing time or their personal earnings. While that may be problematic and toxic, that is just how it is. And I think, while some may mourn Saban retiring, and those same people opining for the "good ole days' ', most will remember Saban's greatness, but we will also move on. There will be a new college football coach, that coaches modern players in the NIL era, that will be the next college football coaching GOAT. Think someone like Kirby Smart. Or maybe Dan Lanning. Hell, Saban's replacement Kalen DeBoer thrives in this era.

The other thing with Saban, he was in his 70's. He was going to retire earlier rather than later. And that is what we are seeing a lot with college football coaches. Saban retired. Jim Harbaugh, who is in his 60's, left for the NFL and Michigan replaced him with Sherrone Moore, who is in his late 30's. Mack Brown is still around, but he is not far from walking away again. Chip Kelly left for an offensive coordinator job and was replaced by a former UCLA player from the 2000's. Lincoln Riley isn't 40 yet. Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame is 37. Arizona State's head coach is only 33. Josh Heupel is in his early 40's. The game is skewing younger because these old guys are not into having full control. And these are not no name universities. These young coaches are getting a shot at major universities. And when you look at the older head coaches in college football, you have guys like Mack Brown, Kirk Ferentz, Don Brown, Jim Mora, Kyle Whittingham and Dabo Swinney. I already mentioned Mack Brown and him being near the end. Kirk Ferentz has a good squad on defense, but the offense is anemic. He still coaches his team like the Big 10 is stuck in the early 90's. Don Brown, who I like, has a mess of a team at UMASS. Jim Mora is dealing with the same at UCONN. Kyle Whittingham has a decent Utah team, but they are wildly inconsistent. And then there's the moron that is Dabo Swinney. I despise him. And he loathes the NIL and blames that for Clemson not being a title contender anymore. It is always someone else's fault.

College football is changing and most are changing with it. Some aren't, but they may not be long for coaching in college football much longer. Nick Saban is an absolute legend and will be a hall of famer, if he isn't one already. But to blame kids and their want for playing time and NIL money was a low blow and not needed. It seemed like a bit of sour grapes to me, an old man yelling at clouds. Times are changing and college football fans will find a new GOAT in the new era of college football coaches. It's only a matter of time. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Chris Mortensen

ESPN analyst Chris Mortensen passed away Sunday at the age of 72. This one hurts.

First off I'm one of the people that has been very critical of ESPN this past decade. I find the network stupid. They fire the wrong people. They keep loud talkers. They are a company that is solely based on hot takes. It is a mess in Bristol. But, Mortensen was one of the good ones at that network. He was an NFL savant. He knew the game inside and out. His commentary on the game was always on point. He didn't really say nonsensical things. He never really fought on air. He wasn't on the talking head shows when other colleagues jumped at the opportunity. He was respected by his coworkers and contemporaries. NFL players would openly talk with him. He was damn good at his job, and he will be missed.

I remember first seeing him in "Outside the Lines". This was a show I stayed away from as a little kid, but as I got older, I watched it more and more. The ending was my favorite thing because each commentator would have a monologue on a topic of their choosing. I always enjoyed Mortensen and Mitch Albom's takes. They had something important to say, and it held weight coming from those two. Mortensen always had thoughtful commentary on the current state of the NFL. He was always well researched and spoke openly, be it good or bad, on the topic he chose. He kept my attention as a younger person. I would stop what I was doing to listen to what he had to say. He was tremendous during those segments. I also watched him quite a bit on "NFL Countdown". He would come on to give updates on trades, injuries or possible coaching moves, and his reporting was always sound. He never said something just to say something. He did his work. He talked to his people. He got all the information and then gave that information to the viewer. He was a respected NFL journalist because he did his job as thoroughly as anyone in the business. His draft coverage was better than Mel Kiper Jr or Todd McShay could ever dream of doing. Again, Mortensen did his homework and studied. He was never a hot take guy. Even with the draft. He did the work, got the correct info and delivered it like a professional. He was head and shoulders above anyone else that ESPN had work the NFL draft.

Later on Mortensen was front and center for deflategate. I am a known critic of this whole "scandal". Deflategate was pure nonsense, and this was one of the only times I ever rolled my eyes at Mortensen doing his job. It was silly and pointless. But throughout it all, I still found myself tuning in whenever Mortensen would have some new information. I knew he had studied whatever he was going to report hard, so I had to hear what I was going to find crazy from Mortensen. No one else could have made me tune in if they were reporting on such a nothing "scandal".

He left ESPN last year after revealing a throat cancer diagnosis that started in 2016. This was a real bummer when I first heard. But, he was doing the work during his treatment, as I expected. This time though, tragedy struck. He was married to the same person forever, he had a son who played college football and is now a coach. He passed away surrounded by his family at his son's home. His journalism will be missed. He was one of the last of the good reporters at ESPN.

Rest in Peace Chris Mortensen. You will be missed. 

Ty

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

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Michigan Wolverines Basketball is Not a Good Watch

I am still reveling in the glory of Michigan's football title. I don't think I'll ever not be happy about this past college football season. It was an amazing season, it was incredible to watch and it made me smile so much. But man oh man is the men's basketball team bad. They are really, really bad.

The Wolverines cannot put it together. I don't think they've played a full game since the first or second game of the season. They have been a team that plays tough in the first half, then they totally flop in the second half. They have blown many halftime leads, they have let close games slip away and they look confused more often than not on the floor. They seemingly have no plan on offense, their defense is horrendous and the coaching has been rough all season long.

Where we sit right now they are 8-22. They have officially clinched the bottom of the Big 10. They have been beaten seven straight times. In fact, they are 3-20 in their last 23 games, and have recently been beaten by 30 at Rutgers. Their best starter, transfer Oliver Nkamhoua, has been inconsistent and now is out for the year with an injury. Dug McDaniel, their lead point guard, got oddly suspended for road games halfway through the season. It was bizarre. There was no reasonable reason for the suspension, other than McDaniel's grades. But, why not just fully suspend him? It was odd. Another transfer, Nimari Burnett, has been on the floor with the team,  but he may be the most inconsistent player in the entire Big 10. Tarris Reed barely gets touches. He has been horrendously underutilized. Howard was a big man, so you'd think he would be coaching him up. It has been the opposite for Reed. And Terrance Williams has never gotten over the hump. He has been an offensive liability since he stepped on campus. The bench is not great either. Will Tschetter is too wild and too inconsistent of a shooter to get real playing time. Youssef Khayat has not gotten any better. Tray Jackson has never gotten into much of a flow. And George Washington Jr has gotten less and less playing time. I fear he may transfer. The team is also trying extra hard to keep their committed recruits, which is never a good sign.

The construction of this team is a mess, and the coaching has been bad. The season started with Juwan Howard out due to heart surgery. I had no idea he had anything wrong. But when the team took the floor for game one, Howard was gone. Phil Martelli filled in just fine, but he is not a head coach anymore. He is an assistant. Howard came back, but it feels like he has not had any type of real gameplan. The offense seems slapstick. They shoot too many threes, but don't attack enough. They seem to settle far too much. There is no real ball movement. The offense feels a lot like going one on one. There doesn't seem to be much of a plan. The defense is very bad. They don't rotate. They get confused too much. They are bad in transition. They give up way too many open looks. Teams move the ball with ease. They are not a good rebounding team. They don't box out and they give up on possible rebounds way too quick.

This Michigan men's team is really really bad. That starts from the top. Juwan Howard is having as bad a year as a head coach can have. He doesn't seem to be in control. It started with him getting Caleb Love to commit from the transfer portal. He committed, was ready to come to Ann Arbor and then he wasn't accepted. His grades weren't good enough from what I read. Howard went to Michigan. He should know the standards to get into the university. Then he took on Nkahouma, who is very talented. But, there has to be a reason he left a very, very good Tennessee team. I don't know if it was a lack of playing time, or something else. Seems odd though. Burnett is on his third team now, and he did not start at either Alabama or Texas Tech. Then Howard had Martelli oddly coach a game that he was healthy enough to coach. But, for some reason he asked Martelli to be the head man for one game in the middle of the year. It made no sense. Then the basketball team strength and conditioning coach just resigned. But, the whole story of why just recently came out and it paints a very bad picture of Juwan Howard. He has clear anger issues that he needs to deal with on his own time. He has had multiple issues with anger in the past, and this deal with the S&T coach leaves Howard with a very bad look. Having said all of this, I would not let Howard go just yet. This season has been bad. The team looks bad, Howard looks bad, they cannot win many games and they are going nowhere. But I'd give Howard one more season on a very, very short leash. If there is no sign of improvement within the first five games of next season, let him go then. Coaches have bad years. Sometimes it doesn't pan out the way you want it to.

This is rock bottom for the men's team. I haven't seen this team play this bad since they were sanctioned to hell after the Fab Five left. Things need to be fixed, and fixed soon. But I wouldn't let this staff go just yet. Give them one final shot at turning it around. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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R.I.P. Craig Roh

A former University of Michigan football player, one I followed closely when he played there, passed away at 33 the other day. His name was Craig Roh. I'm sure not many of you know him. I have to imagine a few people out there know the name, but most are not familiar with him. I am. I was a fan.

Back when Roh committed to Michigan, 2008, I followed recruiting heavily. I don't do it as much anymore, kids always change their minds. But back then I wanted to see who was going to be at Michigan, who may restore this team to glory. Roh committed to play at Michigan back in the Rich Rodriguez era. Michigan was not very good back then, especially on defense. So when Roh, a 6'8 260 pound defensive end committed, I was stoked. I hoped he would be one of the guys who could make that unit formidable again. He had all the tools a fan could want from an edge rusher. He was tall. He was strong. He was fast. And he played nasty. I was an instant fan. I also liked that he wore number 88. You didn't see that much back in 2008 from an edge rusher. And Roh was legit the moment he stepped on campus. He started as a true freshman. I don't think a lot of us understand how athletically advanced you have to be to start at a major division 1 football program when you are 18. He learned the defensive scheme fast and it was inevitable during early practices that he was going to start. He started and played in all 12 games as a freshman, eventually playing this hybrid linebacker role due to his speed. He finished the year with 37 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception. Big things were to come.

As a sophomore Roh got bigger and was still one of the faster hybrid defensive players on the team. He also became a vocal leader on and off the field. He defended players and coaches alike and made it known he was a leader of the defense. The defense improved thanks to Roh and he was the guy moving forward for that defense.

During his third season in Ann Arbor they moved him back to defensive end, where he faced a bit of scrutiny from new defensive coordinator, Greg Mattison. It turns out that Roh had a bad respiratory illness that slowed him down at the start of the season. He recovered and eventually led the defense with 6.5 tfl's and 2 sacks. He was also named honorable mention All Big 10 that season.

Roh’s final season at Michigan saw a coaching change. Brady Hoke took over, and while Roh could have left, he decided to stick it out. He was named second team All Big 10, Academic All Big 10 and won Michigan's best d lineman for that season.

He bounced around professionally here and there, but never really stuck. He retired and lived a relatively quiet life. He had been living such a quiet life that I had no idea he was sick. It was revealed, upon his death, that he died from colon cancer, which he had been fighting for the last year. This is a bummer for him and his family. He was only 33. That is way too young. He was in good shape. He was a college athlete. He played football at the highest level. He, from what I understand, lived a pretty clean life. But he is another person struck down far too young from cancer. This stinks. I wish it didn't end this way for him. He was a Michigan man through and through. He would have fit right in with this national title team.

Rest in Peace Craig Roh. I hope you're comfortable wherever you are now. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis passed away at 76 yesterday. No cause of death was given, but he was battling Parkinson's Disease.

This one kind of hit me hard, as a fan. Lewis was a big deal to me due to his recurring role on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". He was a pretty big part of one of the best shows to ever be on tv. Lewis and Larry David are lifelong friends. It showed on the show. The back and forth, the yelling, the lack of courtesy, it all played so well because of their closeness and chemistry. They knew each other so well that they knew how to goad the other one, or how to try and make the other laugh and break while filming the show. It was glorious to watch. To see David get on Lewis' nerves whenever he would cause a break up with the next girl that he would claim to be "the one". These interactions were amazing to watch. I also really enjoyed in recent seasons of the show how they shifted from who Lewis was dating to what they were going to do in the afterlife. In one of the most recent episodes, they yell fight at one another about putting each other in their own personal will. Seeing David endlessly challenge Lewis was wonderful. And all the while you could see Lewis smiling wryly back at David. The closeness and love between the two friends was very apparent. I walk around the house and say "Richie boy!" all the time. That was how David would greet him whenever he was on the show. Richard Lewis' work on "Curb" was his greatest achievement in my mind. He will go down as one of the best people to ever be on this show. But Richard Lewis did so much more.

The first time I saw him was in the Mel Brooks movie, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights". I watched this movie over and over again as a kid. I rewatched it in the last couple of years, and while it wasn't as great as I thought it was when I was a kid, I still found myself chuckling at it, mostly at Richard Lewis' character. He played the king, and he had this mole that always moved. Every new scene, that mole would be in a different spot. And Lewis really played it up. He also got to do some of his standup routine in the movie, and that was just as funny. I liked how he would break character and go into his bits. It was great.

That is another thing I always conflate with Richard Lewis, stand up comedy. He was one of the first stand up comedians I ever saw on tv, and I clocked him as the stand up guy. He had a very unique look, and that was my influence with comedians going forward. Anytime I saw a person that looked or dressed like Lewis, I assumed they were also a standup. I first saw Steven Wright on tv with a hat and black suit coat, thought he looked like Lewis so I assumed he was a comedian, and then he did stand up comedy. The first time I watched "Seinfeld", and saw his stand up at the beginning, he was dressed like Richard Lewis. During that era, he was the guy that made me think of stand up comedy and guided my direction into being a fan of the artform. He ushered me into something I adore so much now.

Outside of "Curb" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", he was the Golem in "The Simpsons" treehouse of horrors. He appeared as himself on the highly underrated "Dr Katz". He co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in "Anything But Love". And lent his voice to "Bojack Horseman". Richard Lewis has always been around in Hollywood. He stayed working, be it tv and movies. But he was, and always will be, best known as one of the best stand up comics to ever do it. He was one of a kind. He was a legend. And he will be missed.

Rest in Peace Richie Boy. You will be missed. 

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 "Beau is Afraid"

After much thought, waiting for the movie to be on premium cable and four sittings, I have finally watched all of "Beau Is Afraid", and boy oh boy do I have some thoughts.

First and foremost, I think I liked this movie. I keep thinking about it. I cannot seem to shake what I watched. I truly loved Joaqin Phoenix's performance. This has to be one of his best performances that I have ever watched. I also enjoy Phoenix's acting for the most part. I like the movies he picks and he truly does give his all. He doesn't halfass anything he is committed to doing. I loved the imagery and the way the story was told. I liked the way it was broken down into different acts. I enjoyed the moments of silence that they have the viewer sit and wait in. All of that leads me to believe that I enjoyed what I saw. But there are some issues I have as well.

This is a long, long movie. It is one minute under three hours. The moments of silence are long and vast. There are some disturbing images that kind of freaked me out and took me out of the narrative of the movie. I feel like Ari Aster wanted to tell EVERYTHING he was thinking at the time of writing the movie. He should have, and could have, edited a good hour out of the movie. Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane could have been given a little more to work with in the script. Parker Posey is only in about three minutes of this movie, and Beau, Phoenix's character, is obsessed with her. Zoe Lister Jones, who I adore as an actor, seems to be chewing scenery. The first hour, which focuses on Beau's current living situation, is bleak and sad and disturbing and overly scary. I understand why it is shot and acted that way, but it feels like it may be a bit much.

Then we have Patti Lupone. Lupone is wonderful. I adore her. I love her outspoken nature. She is not afraid to speak her mind, and I think that is great. But in this movie she is severely underused until the last 30 minutes. In the finale she is great, they, for me, hit all the right notes with her character. And she absolutely shines. But leading up to all of this, she is a ghost. She lingers over the movie, but we don't get the breadth of her situation. We see her a lot in flashbacks, but not enough in the present day. There is her funeral, but that is just a ploy to get Beau back home. And when she returns, after one of the most uncomfortable sex scenes I've ever seen, she acts like everything is normal. It most certainly is not normal.

Looking back at this venn diagram of the good and the bad I found watching this movie, again, I liked it. Excuse me, I think I liked it. Lupone is amazing in the end. The whole scene in the forest, with the play, had me rapt to my screen. I couldn't look away. The creepy underlying stuff with Lane and Ryan had me on the edge of my seat. And Phoenix is incredible. This is a truly amazing performance from him. I like his work here almost as much as I did in one of my favorite movies ever, "Her". He is such a devoted and confident actor. He never takes things less than serious. He is all in. And in a movie like this, one that is this weird and deep, he was made for this. Phoenix is one of my favorite actors at this point. I don't know much about his personal life, but I do like his acting. I'm a fan of his acting, maybe not the person.

I'd recommend this movie with a big, big caveat. It is long, it is weird and you have to be all in while you watch. This is not a movie you can check in and out of. You have to be committed when you watch. Do that, and you will be rewarded. 

Ty

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

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