Better Late Than Never on "The Toxic Avenger"

Editor’s Note: This article is about the original 1984 film and not the recent version starring Peter Dinklage.

A few weeks back, when I was watching "scary" movies, I came across "The Toxic Avenger". Look, I'm not much for gross out movies, but something about "The Toxic Avenger" kept calling out to me. I once saw a Troma movie a long time ago and I didn't particularly care for it. It was odd and goofy and disgusting. I know that Trey Parker and Matt Stone made one that I had planned on seeing, but I never got around to it. But, after reading the synopsis, I decided I was going to pull the trigger and watch "The Toxic Avenger".

This movie was gross, but let's not get it twisted, this is a comedy. This movie was funny. It was stupid and pointless and gory and mean and wrong, but it was also funny. The whole idea, a nerdy gym worker gets tricked into doing something embarrassing, and when he is running away he ends up in some toxic ooze which transforms him into the Toxic Avenger. Leading up to that, this movie was wild. The bad guys play a game where they run people down for points. I remember hearing about this game as a kid, but I never knew where it came from. From now on I'm going to have to assume that it came from this movie. And these villains were horrible. They were doing drugs and running down kids. They were drinking and driving. They took advantage of everyone they could and had no remorse for it. At one point the two dudes go out and acost an old lady just to steal her car. While these villains are doing villainous activity, the Toxic Avenger is finding out what he has become. And what he has become is a crime fighting superhero. The Toxic Avenger's whole identity has become stopping all the bad guys in Tromaville, which, chef's kiss on the name of the town. The Toxic Avenger stops guys who are looking for a fight. This scene, with the main guy and the three bad guys is one of the funniest things I've seen in a movie in a long time. Then there's an attempted robbery, where they hurt a dog, and the Toxic Avenger goes to town on these dudes. He puts one guy's hands in the fryer. He also meets his girlfriend here, who happens to be blind. I wonder if the whole "Fantastic Four" relationship between The Thing and his girlfriend was copied from this, or if this movie copied from "Fantastic Four". The movie culminates when the town mayor wants to get rid of the Toxic Avenger, but the town has grown to love him. They want to protect him. And they do. And, spoiler alert, the Toxic Avenger rips out the mayor's guts, and the whole town cheers. The mayor was corrupt by the way.

This movie has a very thin and easy to follow plot. But it was the comedy that made me finish the whole thing. I wasn't too interested in the gore or some of the language in the movie. I don't think I'll be going back to watch any more Troma movies in the near future. But I am glad that I watched this movie. It was exactly what I thought it was going to be, and that was silly and goofy. The guy that played the Toxic Avenger before he switched played the best nerd I've seen since the nerds on "Saved By the Bell". The amount of nudity was plentiful. The jokes came and they never stopped, which I loved. It felt like the actors knew what they were doing and they had fun with it, especially the blind girl. In no world would I ever believe she was blind, but she had fun with this one, and I respect the hell out of that. And the villains were so heinous and vile and gross, which is just how they were supposed to be. I hated them so much and that was when I knew they did their job.

Movies like "The Toxic Avenger", and Troma movies in general are not very good. But I can see why they have an audience. These movies are made for niche fans and I do kind of understand what they enjoy about them. So I guess, in the end, I found "The Toxic Avenger" to be fun but I will probably never revisit it again. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on Virginia Tech Hiring James Franklin

It was announced yesterday that Virginia Tech football is hiring James Franklin as their next head coach. Franklin was not out of a job for that long. I figured he was going to find a job sooner than later, but this was much faster than I expected. I went a little hard on Virginia Tech when they let their coach go midseason. I may be wrong on the actual dates here, but I believe Brent Pry and James Franklin were let go from their old head coaching jobs only a few days apart. Franklin is a better coach, and I wasn't all that shocked that he found a job this quickly.

I have thought about this hiring for the past day, and I have to say, I feel like Virginia Tech kind of hit a home run here. I'm not a James Franklin fan at all. I feel like he is an okay enough coach, but when it comes to big moments and games, he always finds a way to fumble it away. The last three seasons at Penn State he had all of his biggest games at home and didn't win a single one. They had a chance to make the final four of the college football playoff last year, and he let his QB throw late in the game. He was constantly saying out of pocket stuff and not backing it up. There were times while he was the head coach at Penn State where the job seemed too big for him. And it seems like the pressure finally got to him. He didn't even come close to the playoff while Saquon Barkley was on his team. He could recruit the big names, get them there, but when it was time to deliver, he never really came through. But, the job at Virginia Tech is not nearly as pressurized as Penn State.

While at Virginia Tech, Franklin will be given time to rebuild the program. If he gets to a small bowl game in year two, that will be a success. He can build up from there. Virginia Tech also happens to be in the ACC, which may be the weakest of the Power 4 conferences. Franklin is going to be able to fly under the radar for a few seasons. Sure, he has a recognizable name and stature in college football, but after a while people will forget he coached at Penn State if he can turn Virginia Tech into a top 25 team, which I think he can do, if given time. Franklin can recruit. He got big names in his time at Penn State. And he squeezed the very best out of the talent he had while he was the head coach at Vanderbilt. Franklin will help up the NIL at VT, he will get better players to commit because of name recognition, and he should be able to get four star guys simply due to the wealth of playing time that will be available after a bunch of current players transfer out. Franklin is going to be able to rebuild this whole program in his eyes. He should be given carte blanche to do what he needs, within the rules of course, the moment he steps on the campus.

The most beneficial thing for Franklin, and why I think this may actually work, is the lack of pressure at this job. This is not the Virginia Tech of old. Mike Vick is not walking through those doors. The special teams isn't the elite unit it used to be. The defense has been struggling for quite a few years now. And Franklin is going to be able to put his stamp on this team. While they may never reach the levels they did with Vick at QB, this team should be back in the top 25 within two years. James Franklin knows more about football than I could ever dream of. He is in the position he's in because he has won at his first two stops. He was in the playoff last season. He made Vanderbilt a perennial bowl team. He can recruit with the best of them. And now he will get to do all of that in relative silence.

I have spent a good amount of time trying to figure out who Penn State was going to hire, when I should have been looking out for Virginia Tech. They did a great job in this search, they got one of the best names on the open market and they should be back to being competitive in a short amount of time. While i'm not a big fan of Franklin's, this was a great move by him and the university. A true homerun hire for Virginia Tech. 

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 "The Running Man"

My son and I had a night out, my daughter had a sleepover, so she, her friend and my wife hung out, and we went to see "The Running Man". Let’s discuss.

I have always liked the original movie. I have plans to read the book at some point. What I love most about the original movie is how campy and hilarious it is to me. The idea of the movie, the US has slipped into a post apocalyptic state, reality tv shows are all the rage and the most popular one is "The Running Man". This is where the top athletes in the world go and compete. The contestants are usually hard up for money, have some kind of wild athletic prowess and want to go on this show because they think they can win. The whole show has the entire world hunting them as well. It is a no win scenario for the contestants. Sounds bleak, but the original movie made it funny.

This newer, updated version is still funny, but with Edgar Wright directing, it has some heart and humility as well. Glen Powell plays the lead role in this version, and he is pretty perfect for this role. He's down on his luck working man, but he was let go from his job for trying to help his other coworkers. We also see that his baby is sick and can't get the proper medicine. Instantly we are all rooting for him. There's two other contestants, and they play their roles, but this movie is all about showcasing Glen Powell, and his journey through this show. Josh Brolin plays the evil producer of the show, Coleman Domingo is the host and Lee Pace plays one of the main hunters on the show. Where this movie differs from the original, people can pick to be on this show. It is all voluntary. I loved watching the montage scene of the contestants showcasing their skills. It was cool to see the difference in each person. The movie is somewhat of a real world to me. Powell is picked to be on "The Running Man" because he is clearly the best athlete there, and Brolin fully believes that he can win the game, or so he says. When the game starts, the movie gets intense, but still manages to stay fun and funny. Seeing Powell play an adult and deadly version of hide and seek was fun as hell. He tries to do the whole disguise thing, but that eventually wears off. I will say, seeing Powell trying disguises is hilarious to me. He is still incredibly buff and handsome, no matter how many fake mustaches or pairs of sunglasses he wears. As the game goes on the movie gets way more intense. Powell is constantly on the move. His videos that he is forced to make are being doctored. He gets help from random people along the way, and they have to suffer through all his nonsense. Michael Cera shows up at one point and he is my favorite part of the whole thing. He is funny, he makes it feel like an Edgar Wright movie and he plays a very memorable role. I have always been a fan of his, so having my son kind of geek out at his appearance, that made me very happy. When we get to the conclusion, this is where we see Lee Pace. Pace is brutal and extremely violent. He is very good in this role and I liked his performance quite a bit.

All in all the vibe of this movie was perfect. It was reminiscent of the original, but updated. Edgar Wright was kind of perfect to direct. He knows how to make a solid action comedy. And when he gets his people involved, it makes the movie so much better. I would recommend this movie to anyone who liked the original and wants to see an updated version. I liked it, my son really liked it and it has made me want to revisit the original and read the book again. That is the mark of a solid movie going experience for me. 

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 "Frankenstein"

After three sit downs, I finished Guillermo Del Toro's "Frankenstein" yesterday. Let’s discuss.

Right off the bat, I loved it. It was melodramatic in all the right ways. The movie looked beautiful. I wish I had seen it on the big screen, but my television at home was just fine. I thought the acting was stellar, the writing top notch and, for a two and a half hour long movie, I was never bored. This was a movie where I wasn't even enticed to look at my phone, and that is saying something.

I was pretty hyped to see the movie after a few trailers and RD telling me he saw it and seemed to enjoy it. I am also all in on anything involving Oscar Isaac. He is a great actor and seems like an even better person. He was perfect as Victor Frankenstein. He can pull off the egomaniacal like no one else. I found myself feeling for him at times during this movie, then at the next moment I would loathe him. That was his job in this role. Every version of Victor is different, but the one Isaac chose was perfect for my viewing experience. Mia Goth pulled double duty and she was equally great. She played Victor's mom in the first half, then switched to Victor's brother's fiance. She shined in both roles. As the mom she had very little to do, but you could see the very close, very odd relationship she had with Victor as a child. Her death wrecked him, and both Goth and the actor playing young Victor nailed it. Then, as his brother's fiance, she was great playing coy and toying with Victor to an extent. Goth has this look about her that is so compelling. She reminds me of an actress from a forgotten era. She is so good at playing these over the top roles, but bringing the character down to Earth. She was exceptional here. Christoph Waltz was a made up character in this version, but as he always seems to do, he was wonderful. He was goofy at times. He was flirty in a way with Victor. He made me feel for him as he was sick and dying. I was shocked, spoiler alert, when he plummeted to his death. I wanted more and more of his work in this movie, but the character is only supposed to be around for part of the story. And Waltz was dynamite. And Jacob Elordi was a revelation. I liked what he did in "Saltburn", but he was so, so much better as The Creature. He took his portrayal all the way from infancy to fully functioning adult, all the while looking like a monster. I felt for him. When he continually asked for a companion, I wanted Victor to make him one. When he could only say, "Victor", each different way of voicing it said all he needed to say. It went from joy to pain in a matter of seconds. When Victor was abusing him I wanted him to fight back. When he finally did, I was stoked. The opening of the movie, on the Russian ship, was one of the coolest ways I've ever seen a movie start. It was violent and loud and brutal and showed us everything we needed to know about the current relationship between our two leads of the movie. Elordi did so well with his work in this movie. He truly proved his star is only going to shine and rise brighter than most working right now.

Guillermo Del Toro directed the hell out of the movie too. From dream sequences, to when The Creature was created, to the build up and the conclusion, he was on the mark. While "Pan's Labyrinth" is still my favorite Del Toro movie, this one is quickly rising the ranks. With this cast and director I expected something great and I was pleased that this movie lived up to my expectations. I couldn't take my eyes off screen. With each passing day that I didn't finish it I felt the urge to go back and watch the next day. I wanted to see it all. I liked how the story was told and was very pleased with everything we were given on the screen.

Watch Del Toro's "Frankenstein". It is currently streaming on Netflix, but if you can, go see it in a theater. I bet the IMAX screenings are amazing. This is a very, very good movie. 

Ty

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

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An Ode to My Favorite Licorice

Growing up in my house we ate a good amount of licorice. Let’s discuss.

My mom seemed to get it at the store and we would have it as little treats now and then. My mom liked red and my dad liked black licorice, so we got to try them both. I had some neighbors who would buy chocolate licorice every once in a while and after trying it I was not the biggest fan. When my mom would buy it she usually bought Twizzlers. That was what our local grocery store sold and that was what they had at the movies. I have always liked Twizzlers. It is soft and chewy, just as it should be. When it comes to Twizzlers I do prefer their strawberry to their black licorice. Both are good, but there are way better black licorices out there. For a time, my mom would bring home Switzer's, a local Saint Louis company.

This licorice blew my mind. It was sweeter and chewier than Twizzlers. Switzer's became my go to brand. Wherever I could find it I would either buy it myself or ask my folks to buy it. And when they would, I would eat it way too fast. But I was all in. Their red licorice was the best, and their black licorice absolutely blew Twizzlers out of the water. It was better all around. But then Switzer's kind of went away. It is having a comeback of sorts, The Arkadin here in Saint Louis sells it in smaller bags. I buy one every time I'm there if they have it in stock and it always brings me back to being a kid.

I do quite enjoy the taste of Australian licorice. This is my go to for chewy licorice. There is no one that even comes close to the level of chewiness that Australian licorice contains. And all of the flavors are dynamite. I love the red, the black Aussie licorice is my favorite black licorice and they do other flavors that work so well because of the texture. I've had mango, lime, pineapple and other fruit flavors that are quite wonderful. The problem I run into with Aussie licorice is the amount that I eat. I will continue until I feel sick. It is so good and so chewy that I forget that I'm eating it. I have eaten full bags in one sitting. That's not good.

Recently I have been buying licorice for my kids and I online. My wife doesn't like it all that much, but we do. The website I use is licorice.com. Simple enough. What makes this company so great is the many different forms of licorice I can purchase. We recently ordered some and we got cherry flavored short sticks, creme filled rainbow small rolls and the spiral red licorice wheels. I'm not too keen on the creme filled ones, they're too sweet, but the other 2 flavors are excellent. The cherry shorties look like Twizzlers, taste like Switzer's and are chewy like Aussie licorice. I'm not the biggest licorice wheel fan, but these ones work because they are not stringy like other wheels. I like that I don't have to take them apart just to get the licorice flavor.

And, of course, we have Red Vines. Red Vines are hit and miss with me. They're nice and sweet, just how you want a red licorice, but they also taste waxy from time to time. When you get a waxy bunch it is a true bummer. I went through a heavy Red Vines stage, but it was short lived because too many of the batches had the wax issue. I kind of left that brand behind.

While I'm sure there are a bunch of other brands out there that I'm forgetting, these are the ones that have stuck with me over the years.

I'm writing all of this today to say, of all the brands of licorice I’ve had, all the flavors I've tried, all the times my mom and dad bought me different varieties, Switzer's is still the absolute best. Maybe it is because I'm born and raised in Saint Louis, maybe not. But when I sit back and think about all the different licorices I've had in my 40 plus years, Switzer's always makes me the happiest. I get giddy thinking about it. When I find some to buy somewhere here, I get super amped. Switzer's has the best red and black licorice, and it is not even close. The last time I was at the Arkadin I bought multiple bags because eating it was that wonderful.

I know everyone has their favorite, and mine is Switzer's. If you are a licorice connoisseur like I like to fancy myself, go out and search for some Switzer's if you've never had it. It will blow you away. 

Ty

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

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Is This the End of Bradley Beal?

About an hour ago it was announced that Bradley Beal is out for the season due to hip stuff. I don't know if it's a fracture or a break or surgery. All I know is that his hip is giving him enough pain that he is done. And that brings me to what I want to touch on today, is Bradley Beal done as a pro basketball player?

I have always liked Beal from the first moment I knew he was a Saint Louis kid. I'm always going to root for a kid from here, as long as they don't do anything foul in their personal lives. For all intents and purposes, Beal seems to be a solid dude. I followed him his one season at Florida and saw the lottery pick potential. It was no surprise that he was going to go top ten, and the Wizards did just that when they drafted him. I liked the pairing with John Wall there. I felt their respective games complimented each other very nicely. And they found a little success with those two as their guys. The Wizards were a perennial playoff team, Wall and Beal were both constantly in all star talks and they were fun to watch. I know that when this whole website started, during one of my earliest NBA preseason preview and prediction blogs, I had the Wizards, with Wall and Beal, making it to the Finals. That obviously never happened, but the Wizards still made a push and won a playoff series here and there. Then John Wall got hurt and was kind of the forgotten guy in Washington. The team decided to let Beal be the star. And they found minimal success. They were still a playoff threat. When they got a still solid Russell Westbrook to team up with Beal, it was a little reminiscent of Wall playing with him. Bradley Beal was still putting up a ton of points and running the offense. He got a massive deal with Washington, one in which he got a no trade clause, and then it started to tumble off a bit. The Wizards were bad. Beal would miss big chunks of the season. He didn't have the juice that many had come to expect from him. He started to have his name pop up in all kinds of trade talks. A lot of people deemed his contract one of the worst in professional sports history. He handcuffed the Wizards. It seemed like he was content to stay there, cash in his checks and not win too many games. But I have to imagine at some point the lack of winning games had to wear on him. He was on teams that were mostly competitive.  And I have to think that the front office went to him and said they were going to rebuild during this time. When he finally relented, he accepted a trade to Phoenix to pair him up with KD. It didn't hurt that he was going to get to play with Devin Booker as well. The three of those guys teaming up had me thinking that the Suns were going to be one of the most lethal offenses in the NBA. That never happened. Devin Booker is not a point guard. Bradley Beal is not a point guard. KD is not a point guard. They had no player that could truly run the offense. Beal insisted on starting, and with three too many guys that needed the ball, he felt like the odd man out there. Then the injuries started to pile up. KD got hurt warming up for a game. Then Beal would miss massive amounts of time during the year. The only one who stayed on the court was Booker, but man that had to be frustrating for him after being in the Finals a few years before all this went down. The Suns were so bad last season that it seemed inevitable that this group was going to fracture, and that Beal was the main reason why. KD went over to the Rockets in a big time trade and Beal was cut and able to roam free agency as he wanted to. He only ever wanted to go to the Clippers, so when he finally signed there it was not a surprise to anyone. I liked the fit under one condition, Beal needed to come off the bench. He is so bad defensively now that I would rather have Kris Dunn start, a non shooter, because he is wonderful on the defensive side of the ball. But Beal had to be a starter, and the Clippers relented and let him start. The Clippers are 3-8 at this point in the year, the defense is horrendous, which should be their calling card, and the offense isn't much better. James Harden is still productive, but Kawhi Leonard is hurt, Ivica Zubac has underwhelmed and Bradley Beal wasn't doing much when on the floor and he is now done for the year. In the long run this may benefit the Clippers because now Ty Lue can play rotations and starters that he trusts.

Bradley Beal has taken such a deep dive since signing his humongous deal with the Wizards. He never got back that oomph that made him so much fun to watch when he played with John Wall. He seemed okay to clock in and out and cash his paycheck. It didn't feel like he was legitimately trying to improve his game in any way. He just kind of fading into the back and now I am left wondering if he will be an afterthought when he finally decides to retire. And that bums me out being a fan of his previous work. 

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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I Took My Daughter to "Dog Man: The Musical"

Over the weekend my daughter and I went to the theater. I was driving home one day from coffee with my buddy and I happened to drive by a local theater, Stifel. I was looking at their marquee while at a stop light and an ad for "Dog Man: The Musical" popped up.

My daughter loves these books. My son used to read them all the time, and when he was done with them he gave them to his sister. She devoured these books. She has read every single one multiple times. She references them to me time and time again. She will tell me all kinds of random jokes that she got from the books. So when I got home that day I figured I would see if the whole family wanted to go. At first we were all in, but then my daughter said she wanted it to be just the two of us. Selfishly, that made me a little happy. She just wanted it to be us, and I'm going to savor that feeling for as long as it lasts. I went to purchase the tickets, and to my delight they weren't that expensive, considering it is a traveling show and Saint Louis was one of the few stops this go round. I got us some nice seats, and after a very good dinner of wood fired pizza, we made our way to the show. I didn't really know how my daughter would react. She is an introvert like me, and loud noises make her a little squirmy from time to time. I was curious what the crowd would be like and how full the theater would be. When we got there it was about 75 percent full. For a kids show on a Friday night that seemed pretty solid to me. I was happy when we found our seats because we had a lot of room to stretch out if needed. We had about five to seven open seats next to us. The crowd was much like my daughter and I, parents bringing their kid or kids. Some brought friends as well. It was what I was expecting.

The show started, and right from the jump, my daughter was invested. Every time I had a question or they introduced a new character, she would answer me or tell me who was on stage. This was echoed throughout the theater, which was a delight. The actors did a really good job. You have to know, this is a show for kids, so the actors are going to act like the kids like the characters they are playing. It was very well done. I especially enjoyed Lil Petey and Dog Man's performance.  The person playing Dog Man had to do all of his work with barks, ruffs and movement. And they nailed it. Lil Petey had a beautiful voice and, according to my daughter, sounded just like the character from the book and movies. They split the show into two parts, which was nice. They did 30 minutes, took a 15 minute break and finished with 30 more minutes. For a crowd made up mostly of kids aged 5 to 12, an hour and 15 minutes was the perfect amount of time. I was so happy that they did it that way. During the show, besides her telling me things I asked, I have never seen my kid so invested in what was going on on stage. She was smiling the whole time. The show got some loud laughs from her. There was one scene where they made a disco ball-like effect with the lights and my daughter audibly gasped and said, "wow! that is so cool!". She was so entranced by what was happening. She was also paying very, very close attention. She didn't have to take a bathroom break, nor did she ask me to get up and walk around with her. When the show was over I asked if she wanted to get involved with theater and she gave me an emphatic yes. She is all in now. All in all I was very impressed with what we saw. I love that my daughter was so in love with what she saw. I really like live music and theater, and now it seems like this is something we can share more of with one another. And my hat is off to Stifel Theater and the touring company of "Dog Man: The Musical". They clearly know what they are doing, they have a system, they know their audience and they are out there doing a wonderful show.

If you have a kid, or you yourself were once a fan of this material, go see this show. It is a very good time and it is so well put together. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Bugonia"

I went to see "Bugonia" yesterday. I have wanted to see this movie ever since I saw a teaser trailer maybe four or five months ago. Let’s discuss.

I am a Yorgos Lanthimos fan. I think he makes thought provoking movies and he always seems to do something interesting and unique with each new movie he directs. I have also really liked the pairing of Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone in his movies. I don't like to use this word because it feels gross to me, but she is something of his "muse". She has been in a bunch of his work, winning an Oscar for "Poor things", and from what I have read she seems pretty comfortable working with him. I feel like she gives it her all in his movies, and in return, Lanthimos gives her some juicy roles. As for Plemons, I believe the first thing he did with Lanthimos was "Kinds of Kindness". That is an odd and long movie, but it is different from anything else he has done, and after I finished it some months back, I thought about it for a long time. And that movie is Plemons movie. He is the star, at least in my eyes, of all three acts. And he absolutely delivers. Plemons is an odd dude himself, and he thrives at playing weirdos. After watching "Bugonia" yesterday, my buddy I went to see it with said that he wishes Plemons didn't play similar characters in his work, but he is so good at it, and he should just keep playing this same role time and again. He has found what works for him, and Lanthimos feeds into his work. And Plemons plays a straight up weirdo in this movie.

The short plot summary of "Bugonia" is about two cousins who look at the internet way too much and decide they need to kidnap the owner of a high powered company because they believe her to be an alien. Plemons plays Teddy. He clearly has some issues with his past and he had a weird relationship with his mom. I'm going to be spoiler free the rest of the way. Plemons let his hair grow long and didn't shave for this role. That helps him in portraying this sad sack of a person who thinks what he is doing is right and everyone else is wrong. He is fully committed to his beliefs, and if anyone tries to stray or question him, he is ready for a fight. It was kind of disturbing to see him do this role because, as unfortunate as it is nowadays, there are people who actually think and act like him. It is upsetting when someone buys into conspiracy theories full bore. They see no other way, and Plemons nails that. His cousin Don is played by newcomer Aidan Delbis. He is autistic and believes that Teddy only wants what is best for him. Even when he questions what Teddy is doing, he is quick to apologize and take all the blame, Don is the only person in this movie worth rooting for. He has a good heart, he is just being led by the wrong person. I felt for Don and wished he had a better outcome. Emma Stone plays Michelle, the owner of the company. She is wonderful in this movie. She gets to do so many different things and she does them all so well. She is such a reliable and consistent actor. When she vacillates between her character's different traits, it is an absolute joy to watch on screen. I feel like she is at a point in her career where she can do what she wants because she is such a good and in demand actor. Stavros Halkias has a minor role as a creepy cop. Alicia Silverstone is unrecognizable in her role in this movie, and she plays a very important part. And Vanessa Eng is only in two scenes, but she does a great job playing an underling of Michelle's.

With “Bugonia” Lanthimos takes a totally different approach from his previous movies and I like that. This movie is much smaller than his previous stuff. A basement of a crummy farmhouse is the main set. I appreciate that Lanthimos can do as much with way less. That more than proves his talent.

"Bugonia" is not the easiest movie to watch. It is heavy and paints a dark picture of our modern obsession with the internet and conspiracy theories. But damn does this movie pay off tenfold during the final act, and I loved every second of it. I highly recommend this movie for Lanthimos fans, but also for people who like to be challenged when they go to the theaters. "Bugonia" will be on my mind for some time now. 

Ty

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

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Sports are Being Destroyed by Gambling and Being Brought to You by Gambling

On a recent episode of our podcast RD and I talked about gambling and how detrimental the effects are going to be in professional sports. We were both in agreement, although I did feel like legalized gambling was inevitable and we would have to deal with early hiccups. Well, it didn't take that long until this all blew up in athletes faces, and I have to say, RD was pretty much right on the money.

Look, I have no issues with athletes gambling the millions of dollars they have if that is what they want to do with their money. They have earned the right to spend it anyway they want. Where I have a problem is when they bet on the sport they plan and can change the outcome of a certain game. That is messing it all up. Sports is the one thing that is supposed to be unpredictable. It's the best show on tv because of all the drama involved in each and every game. But now, with gambling running rampant, some athletes have taken it upon themselves to change that.

Terry Rozier is one of the hot names in this current NBA gambling saga. Apparently he would tell some of his buddies that he was going to check himself out of a game early, say he was injured and have his friend bet on the under for minutes played. Then he had the audacity to film himself on the internet holding stacks and stacks of cash. That is stupid. When you put stuff on the internet it is going to be there forever and someone knows how to find it. Also, why does Las Vegas need to have prop bets on guys like Terry Rozier? That is wild. If you need to have prop bets, and I think that prop bets are the dumbest thing ever, it should only be done for star players. There's no need for a deep bench player or a fifth starter to have prop bets being placed. This is the reason that Johntay Porter is now banned from the NBA. He fixed games to help his friends win money, thus having a hand in changing the outcome of a game. That's messed up and I fully agree with Johntay Porter getting a lifetime suspension. This is what Pete Rose did as a manager, and Johntay Porter is no Pete Rose. And as everyone would have expected, all the big time websites and tv shows have taken these guys to task. They are running their names through the mud at every chance they get. They talk about the sanctity of the game and say that these guys have ruined it.

All of this is leading to my biggest issue with all of this, every single ad on most of these shows has to do with gambling. I was listening to Zach Lowe's podcast when this news broke and, I kid you not, the first ad read of the episode was centered around gambling. I don't remember what site they were talking about because I was so appalled that the very first ad was about the very same thing Lowe was chastising. Then he comes back from break and immediately starts to rip into these players again for gambling. It's almost as if he doesn't know what ads will be on his show, and he probably doesn't care. Those ads help pay his salary, so why take the time to know which ones are going to be on his show that day. It is insane to me that no one involved at The Ringer vetted the ads on the day Zach Lowe was going to rip sports gambling a new one. And it hasn't stopped these from showing up time and again. I live in Saint Louis and the gambling ads are now telling me how easy it will be to gamble on professional sports in Missouri any day now. I just don't know how these writers can do a podcast where they crush players for gambling, and in the very next breath, they're doing an ad for FanDuel. The same goes for ESPN. When they broke the Terry Rozier thing, they may as well have had a gambling ad on the lower left or right hand side of the screen. Every time I turn on ESPN or the NFL Network or NBC or CBS or ABC to watch college football, 99 percent of the ads are for free gambling sites. My television is basically begging me to gamble. But when pro athletes do it I'm supposed to be disgusted by them.

The commissioners and owners had to know this was going to happen the moment sports betting was made legal. I have to imagine the employees at The Ringer and ESPN had to know this was coming. Hell, Bill Simmons openly talks about gambling and does an annual over/under podcast for the NFL and NBA every year. Yet he feels like he has to bash these pro athletes for doing the exact same thing he and all his buddies are doing. Going on your show to minimize and degrade pro athletes for gambling, then having ads for nothing but gambling makes them hypocrites in my eyes. Either scrap all the ads from gambling sites, or understand that they're part of the problem. A

s long as this is legal, pro athletes are going to find a way to gamble and there's nothing The Ringer or ESPN can do about it as long as they keep running the same ads time and time again. RD was right. Gambling is going to take all the fun away from pro and college sports and that will make me sad because I don't gamble and I love watching live games for the endless drama. We live in a weird timeline. 

Ty

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

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Is There a Place for Zion Williamson?

In NBA news not involving the Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans appear to be a bad basketball team. I think they only have one win to this point of the season. I know it's still early, but being 1-6 or 1-7 in the Western Conference does not bode well for this team. Let’s discuss.

The Jordan Poole trade has been terrible to this point. They barely play Derik Queen, who they traded a ton for to pick in the lottery. Kevon Looney is coming off injury, Dejounte Murray is not all the way back and they even started Deandre Jordan this season. Jeremiah Fears looks solid, but other than that, this team is a disaster. I feel for their coach because he has not been given a fair shake. And now, as it always seems to be the case, every major publication says it's time to trade Zion Williamson.

I feel like Zion has never really wanted to be in New Orleans. The fit has been odd. Even when he was healthy and playing with some kind of regularity, he never seemed content. Now he is often injured, his offseason body comes and goes and he seems even more discontent. So I guess I get why people say they should trade him. But I do not truly know who would want him at the price the Pelicans will be asking, and why would the Pelicans willingly trade him when he is the only reason people come to games in New Orleans.

When I think about where he may want to go, it seems like he wants to be in a big, big market. Let's take the three major markets, New York, LA and Chicago.

Chicago has a good thing going right now, it probably won't last, and they just shredded a ton of salary the past two seasons. They got off DeRozan and Lavine's contracts. I think they're near the end of Nikola Vucecvic's deal. They gave Josh Giddey less than he wanted. Coby White doesn't have an extension yet. The Bulls front office is finally making some solid decisions. So why would they trade real assets for Zion? He doesn't play as much as they would need him on the floor, and he is an expensive dude to keep under contract. I also don't see a fit next to Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Coby White. Patrick Williams seems to have figured some stuff out too, and he is just Zion light. I don't think the Bulls should do anything at the moment. They should ride it out, especially in the East, and see what they have.

As for the two LA teams, it doesn't make any sense. The Clippers have an old roster and no desirable picks coming up. They have the guys they want, Ty Lue gets to run his system and Zion would just stop any production they have moving forward. Zion is almost too good a talent, and I feel like he would muck up the whole system with the Clippers. The Clippers may be the only team that could take on his salary, but that's besides the point. The Lakers simply cannot afford Zion. They have no real picks of value. They would have to trade players they really like to get Zion. Luka Doncic may like to throw him lobs, but he completely halts any type of defense. LeBron James needs time to ramp up when he comes back, and Zion would clog the lane. And Zion would not be able to have the ball in his hands much, and that would slow him down.

Brooklyn doesn't need to add him when they have a million young players. I guess they could trade some of those young guys, but why would they to get Zion? They don't know what they have yet in all their picks, they don't have plans to truly win, they want to build from within and they don't want to take on massive salaries.

Amongst the big market teams, the Knicks make the most sense. They have the players to do it, Zion would probably love playing there and they could integrate him with ease. But the Knicks are already in a good place. I don't think they should rock the boat. They have a team that made the East Finals last season and have bigger aspirations going into this season. While Zion is a wunderkind, if this trade didn't work for them, it would set them back too much for the current stars on the team.

So the big market teams make zero sense for Zion and the Pelicans. But if a trade were to happen there's only two real teams in my opinion, the Grizzlies and Hornets. These are not big markets, but the Pelicans could get a big name from Memphis, say Ja Morant, and the Hornets could give them real picks that have real upside of being lottery picks. Now, as for Memphis, why trade Ja for Zion? That makes no sense to me. They need to get more important role players if they're going to trade Morant. As for the Hornets, if they can keep LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, why not go after Zion? Teaming him up with Miller and Ball would be kind of fun. There wouldn't be much defense, but the offense would be a blast to watch if Zion can stay on the floor.

All in all I just don't see any real reason for the Pelicans to bail at this time. They should keep him around, see if he and Poole or Fears can do something promising and aim for a high pick in the upcoming draft.  

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Better Late Than Never for Vintage Paula Shore in "The Guest House"

My dad sent me an article earlier today about a movie on Netflix called "Guest House". I watched it, and while it certainly isn't the best movie I've ever seen, it did make me laugh. The movie is very simple, it's 84 minutes long and the people involved seemed to be having fun when they made it. My main takeaway from this movie was Pauly Shore. Shore is the guest in the new house of the young couple, and Shore is doing his thing here. And that is what I want to touch on today.

Pauly Shore has his warts, I'm sure he had/has some issues he has to deal with and he continues to play the same character over and over and over again. He is, and will always be, The Weasel. That was his persona in the 90's, especially when he would appear on MTV. He was always "wheezing the juice" and calling himself "The Weasel". That is how I grew to know him and that was who he played in his roles in the movies. He went so far as to call himself The Weasel in the movie "Encino Man". Along with the MTV appearances, "Encino Man" really vaulted Shore into the spotlight. You couldn't turn on any music channel or go see a comedy without some kind of Pauly Shore influence. And let me tell you, as a kid, I loved "Encino Man", and it was all due to Shore being in it. I thought he was the funniest dude in the world. That continued when I saw "Son in Law" and "In the Army Now". Shore got to do his thing and it worked for a time. It wasn't until I saw the movie "Bio-Dome" that I felt a little too old for his schtick. I was kind of over the whole "Weasel" thing. It wasn't until he showed up on an episode of "Workaholics" that I remembered what made him so funny to me. But in that single episode he was kind of making fun of himself. He didn't want to be that guy anymore it seemed.

Then I saw "Pauly Shore is Dead" and I kind of got back into Pauly Shore's whole deal. He was doing a sendup of The Weasel and I was here for it. I like when actors are able to make fun of themselves. It shows humility and humor. Shore didn't do much after that movie, but he did do a short film where he played Richard Simmons. I was kind of hoping for a full length movie, but what we got in that eight minute movie was pretty great. I wrote about it on this site when the short film came out. I was truly blown away by what Shore did in that short amount of time. I couldn't see anyone other than Shore playing Simmons in a biopic. I really wanted it to happen, but it didn't, and it looks like it will never happen. But then I saw "Guest House" today, and he reverted to The Weasel, but in a good way.

The Weasel was needed for this movie. It wouldn't have worked any other way. He is all boozed and drugged up throughout this entire movie, and the viewers need him to be funny. I was a little relieved that he went back to what made him so famous. I kind of like seeing this older Weasel. Sure, he is too old to be doing this type of thing, but that is what makes his performance work in "Guest House". He is supposed to be pathetic. We should not be looking to him as the savior of the movie. He is the one who starts all the conflict and we, the viewer, are supposed to be annoyed by him. The Weasel is annoying and kind of lame. Shore does that great here.

What I love most about Pauly Shore is that he is okay to be pigeonholed as The Weasel. Other actors look at being typecast as a bad thing. Shore understands that this character he can do so well is what will keep him working. He has found his niche and he has made it work his entire career. He doesn't have to take on different stuff. We don't need him to do dramatic stuff. He doesn't need to be some "revelation" in an award worthy movie. What he does works for comedy and he does it as good as anyone in Hollywood. I appreciate that from him. He doesn't care and that is a nice thing.

Like him or not, Pauly Shore has found what he does best and he has run away with it. He will be more appreciated when he's not acting anymore, and I'm sure he's okay with that. I guess I'm just here to say, I'm a Pauly Shore fan and I don't want to hide from it anymore. Now maybe I'll go revisit some of his earliest roles. 

Ty

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

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Qahwatea Adds a Great Coffee Shop to the St, Louis Suburbs

My dad and I go out for coffee twice a week. This all started when he retired and it has quickly become one of my favorite activities. My brother comes along sometimes. So does my buddy Kirk. We get to hang out, chat with each other and have some good coffee, and sometimes, some good food. We have visited a bunch of shops over the years. We try to go to newer shops after they've opened, but we hit up our favorites more times than not. I prefer Sump here in Saint Louis. My dad is a Shaw's fan. Kirk and Seth don't seem to mind where we go, so it is left up to my dad and I.

Today it was just my dad and me. Seth and Kirk both had work. My dad has told me about a newer shop out my way. It's a Yemeni coffee shop. It has replaced what used to be the Blockbuster that my family went to when I was a kid. Apparently he went a while back with my mom and they both liked it. Today it was my turn to give it a try.

The shop is called Qahwatea. When we walked in, the vibe was great for me. The place was big and spread out. It felt and looked very clean. All of the pastries were up front and easy to find. The staff greeted us and we were helped instantly. I was so intent on what I was going to get that I don't even know what my dad ordered. He let me have a drink and it tasted like brown sugar and cinnamon and it was very tasty. I got a banana mousse thing and an iced pistachio latte. The banana mousse was dynamite. It had a white chocolate type cover on it and it was excellent. The mousse was even better. It was sweet, but not too sweet. The banana flavor was there, but it wasn't overpowering. It also had little pieces of banana in it, and that added a solid texture that I wanted. And the jam/cake thing that was on the bottom was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed my treat.

My pistachio latte was on a whole other level. This is, and I'm not being hyperbolic, one of the better coffee drinks I have had in a long, long time. I'm usually more of an espresso tonic or a citrus forward coffee fan. I don't always get lattes because milk sometimes messes up my stomach. But I had to get this pistachio latte today. They had a whole thing on the online menu about it, I've been to one other Yemeni coffee shop before and got a pistachio drink and I have always loved the flavor of pistachio. Qahwatea took everything in this drink and blended it perfectly. I loved every single sip of this drink. It felt like I was drinking pistachios. And that is a good thing. I loved the nuttiness and coffee flavor throughout the drink. My dad tried it and he seemed impressed. We were both talking about the drink well after we finished it. I was amazed at how perfectly they got the flavor of pistachio in this drink. The milk didn't do anything to my stomach, the coffee was very good and not too strong and however they made the syrup was the absolute best. During one drink I got some of the crystalized pistachio flavor and it was so, so good. It was like a sugar crystal mixed with actual pistachios. I wanted more and more of it. I usually sip my drinks but today I inhaled it. It isn't too often that my dad and I finish our drinks before we leave a place, but we did today. We were both so impressed with the drinks that we did not want to stop drinking them. When we left I told my dad that I will for sure be coming back and getting this drink, as well as the rest of the menu. It was a little higher priced than other shops, but that doesn't bother me when the quality is this damn good. Sometimes a little extra money leads to a very good drink, like this latte.

I cannot recommend this place enough. If you live anywhere close to Ellisville, go to Qahwatea and get this pistachio latte, preferably iced. You will be a very, very happy person while drinking this drink. 

Ty

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

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It's Time for the Grizzlies to Move on From Ja Morant

You all know that I'm a big Memphis Grizzlies fan. The moment Kevin Durant left OKC, I followed the Thunder after Oklahoma City stole the SuperSonics from Seattle, I shifted my allegiance. I eventually ended up picking Memphis as my new NBA team pretty much due to proximity and the way they play. It was an easy shift for me.

Shortly after I became a fan of the Grizzlies they started to get good. They got a high pick, Ja Morant, more on him in a second, and I couldn't have been happier that they were relevant almost instantly after I chose them as my new team. They never reached the highest highs, they never even got to the conference finals, but they were fun to watch, and that was pretty much all due to the arrival of Ja Morant. He looked to be becoming a superstar. I felt he was going to be a perennial all star and all NBA type of guy. I felt like he was going to be one of the new faces, taking over for LeBron James. It all seemed good.

Then Morant decided he had to wave a gun on the internet. We all know what happened after that. Morant portrayed himself as a "tough guy". He is not. He grew up totally fine. I believe he lived in the suburbs. He went to college in small town Kentucky. Nothing about his past screams tough guy or someone who struggled. The whole gun thing really put a wrench in his game. He got suspended. Then he got hurt. The Grizzlies struggled without him. They just didn't have the juice. He came back last season and the team was better. But it wasn't due to Morant's game or his ability as a point guard. Jaren Jackson Jr became Defensive Player of the Year. Desmond Bane, man do I miss him right now, became a true number one scoring option. I liked the Zach Edey pick. I feel like he can replace some of the things I miss now that Steven Adams is gone. And some other, less notable players started to show out enough. Then the Grizzlies really limped to the finish line, got throttled by the Thunder in round one and they were done. During the late season swoon they let their head coach go, seemingly to appease Morant, apparently he didn't like the offense being run, and they brought in a new guy.

Going into this season I had no true expectations. I hoped they would be solid, maybe fight for the 6 seed in the West. They have not looked like that team so far, and now with Morant's attitude during a recent game against the Lakers, I'm ready for them to move on.

I love Ja Morant. He was one of my favorite young players in the league. I ranked him ahead of Zion Williamson in the draft when they were the undisputed one and two players. I was so stoked that the Grizzlies drafted him and that he made them almost instantly better. But the time has come to move off of him. He has become too much of a headache now. The attitude he displayed in that game was horrendous. He looked disinterested. He was not involved in team huddles in the second half. He made snarky comments to the media after the Lakers game, ostensibly blaming the coaches for his attitude. They suspended him for one game, he made some social media posts trying to ease any tension and frustration. All of that is far too little, far too late. I am fully ready for the team to revolve around JJJ. He shows up every night, he is ready to play, he tries as hard as he can when he is on the floor and I'm okay with the Grizzlies making him the new face of the franchise.

I have read that the trade market for Morant is very, very small. I don't care at this point. Go get whatever you can get Grizzlies. Find a group of guys as opposed to a superstar. Get three young dudes and some draft picks. Find something, anything that will help this team. But when they go out searching for a trade, if they even do, find guys that are actually interested in playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.

I know that Morant loves Memphis, and Memphis loves him, and I still adore him as a player, but the time has come. They have to move on. This has been going on for three plus seasons now. It doesn't seem like he has learned any lessons. If I have a player, I coach eighth graders by the way, that shows the attitude Morant showed, I'd bench them. Morant has to understand that he is a role model to young players and that his actions speak loudly to them. But, as a Grizzlies fan and a Ja Morant fan, I'm ready for both parties to separate and go their own ways. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

A Dirty Take on a Classic Halloween Song

A few years back I wrote about my love for the song "Monster Mash". That hasn't changed. As far as "Halloween" music goes, "Monster Mash" is one of the few good songs that people should all listen to during this holiday. Most of the other music played this time of year is nonsensical to me. Everyone tries to put some spooky sounds or add spooky words and it makes the song even worse in my opinion. But "Monster Mash" is a solid hit, a bop as my son would say. But there is one other Halloween song that I want to shout out today, and it is kind of perfect because it is almost exactly the same as "Monster Mash".

I'm an avid podcast fan as you all know, and you all know about my love for "Comedy Bang! Bang!". It is still my favorite podcast of all time. During Halloween they used to do episodes entitled "Hell House". These were some of my favorites. I'm not much on Halloween, especially when I stopped trick or treating. I don't like to dress up, I don't like being scared, I would rather run around than walk and stop at house to house and I have never been much of a partier. That has changed a little since my kids were born. I like to walk around with my daughter and her friends and I like that my teenager is doing teenager things for Halloween. And the music, as you all know, is not for me. But at least I had these hilarious episodes of "CBB" to listen to during Halloween.

From time to time, Nick Wiger would show up near the end of these episodes. I'm a big time Nick Wiger fan. He is one of the funniest dudes in the podcast and writing world. He knows how to make jokes and how to present them so they work. I love his main podcast "Doughboys" as well. So whenever I saw his name pop up as a guest on the "Hell House" episodes I would get stoked. Wiger's presence meant that he was going to be playing Leo Karpatze. Karpatze is an old timey singer/songwriter. He usually has one of his daughter's perform with him. And before he goes into his song we get to hear his backstory. And it always cracks me up. This all inevitably leads to Wiger as Karpatze talking about how he is the original writer of "Monster Mash". He claims to have done all the work, but Bobby "Boris" Pickett made it famous. He also claims that Pickett changed the whole idea of the song. Karpatze says that the song still revolved around monsters in his vision, but they were not at a mash, or a party. These monsters were much more lascivious and adult. I will not put any curse words in this blog moving ahead, but you all have to know that Wiger as Karpatze doing his version is incredibly filthy. Karpatze's version is actually called "The Monster F%^&", and it is about all of these monsters having what equates to an all out orgy. The song is vile and descriptive. Wiger puts in great detail what each monster is doing to one another. He paints a very vivid picture of what is going on. He did film a video for this song years ago, and that brought the whole thing to life. But what makes this song so amazing and fun for Halloween is Wiger's performance on each appearance of the "Hell House" episodes. He is so locked in and focused. He growls the song at times. He is intent on finishing without breaking, all the while he is trying to have every other person crack up while he sings. The many actors that have played his various daughters do a wonderful job of playing along. This song is filthy. It is downright disgusting. And yet I love to listen to it year round, but especially during the month of October. My wife and I will walk around the house when just the two of us are home and sing random lyrics. I have listened to it multiple times already leading up to this Halloween. I still prefer "Monster Mash", but "Monster F%^&" is a very, very close second.

I implore everyone to give it a listen, but just know going in that the song is very, very not safe for work. Now if you'll excuse me I think I'm going to give it a listen before the kiddos get home and I have to take them out to trick or treat. Happy Halloween everyone.  

Ty

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

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An Ode to Fresh Made Juice

A short time ago I wrote about my love of citrus fruits. That hasn't changed at all by the way. But today's topic may be even a little more niche than that post. I watch a lot of cooking videos on Instagram. That is my way to relax before going to bed. And I've seen and tried to replicate many of those recipes. I have recently gotten into cooking the last couple years, and trying something new is a lot of fun to me. Amongst the videos I have gotten some where people make juice.

I have always liked juice. Who doesn't? As a kid I was all in on apple juice. I used to dislike orange juice. When I was a kid I was convinced that you only drank orange juice when you were sick. But now I love it. I like it plain, in coffee, with some ice. It's all good. I like cranberry juice mixed with other juices. The only kind I don't really go for is grapefruit, but I've never been much of a fan anyway. Back to the juice videos I have seen.

What struck me most from the first video I saw was how much work it took to make them fresh. I would watch people peel an endless amount of fruit. I would see people using a mortar of sorts to muddle the fruit and then strain it. Straining it was a whole other process to deal with while making fresh juice. But then my wife got me a juicer last Xmas. This was a total game changer for me. I still have to peel a bunch of fruit, and while that can be tedious, I'm here to say that fresh juice knocks pre-made stuff totally out of the water. As I sit writing this right now I have a fresh glass of orange juice at my side. And it is so much better than any juice you can buy in the store. It is straight up orange juice. There is no other flavor, and that is exactly what I want from my juice. A few weeks ago I made a bunch of apple juice. We went apple picking as a family and my son and I picked a whole bag full of fresh apples just to juice. My kid, my wife and I all agree that this was the best apple juice we have ever had. After multiple strainings, it was so flavorful and so appley, I wanted more and more of it. In the past year I have done a bunch of other fresh juices. Pineapple has been my favorite. I have liked the watermelon juice I've made. Kiwi juice was a nice surprise. I like to combine multiple fruits from time to time. I once juiced blueberries and bananas together. It wasn't that bad. I like adding fresh lime juice with a little fresh ginger from time to time. Sometimes adding veggies to the fresh fruit gives a nice contrast. But nothing compares to the flavor you get from juicing one single fruit. It is like nothing else you can have. It has a straight up flavor. This orange juice I'm having right now is exactly what I have come to expect from fresh orange juice. And I didn't have to squeeze it or anything like that. All I had to do was peel the oranges, which was a choice all my own. My juicer allows fruit to have the peel on. It separates the peel as best it can, and sometimes when some of the peel makes its way into the juice, it adds a slight bitterness that is a welcome taste. But when you get just the juice, and strain it a bit, man oh man is it good. And refreshing.

I'm all in on fresh juice at the moment. I don't mind the extra work. The extra work proves to me that, by putting in a little effort, you get better tasting food and drink. There is something to it. The fact that I went through some extra work makes it taste better to me. So, if you have the time, I highly recommend making fresh juice. And, if you have the means, get a juicer or something similar. It cuts the time in half and you still get the reward of freshly made juice. It is worth the time in the long run. 

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never on "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter"

As I'm sure you can all tell, I've been watching a bunch of movies. I'm in a renaissance of sorts I'd guess you could say. I have always loved movies, I have just rekindled that love I suppose. And lately it has been horror or horror adjacent movies that have struck my fancy. I have always liked when someone does a spoof of classic horror tropes or monster movies. I had the great pleasure of going to The Arkadin recently with my buddy Kirk and we saw one of these spoof horror movies, and I have got to say, it was everything I wanted it to be. The movie was called "Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter".

Some of you may be reading this and thinking it is similar to the movie "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", which I have also seen. What separates "Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter" from "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" is the sheer fact that "JCVH" knew it was stupid and silly and goofy and wasn't really trying to do anything else. "ALVH" tried a little too hard. It took itself a little too seriously. It could have been great if it embraced the silliness. It unfortunately went the other way, and that is why I did not enjoy my experience when I saw it, in 3D I might add, in the theaters. But, "JCVH" embraced it all and it was quite fun to watch. I do want to point out, if I had watched "JCVH" on my own in my home I don't think it would have hit as well as it did. I saw it at a cool theater, at a later start time, with a full audience and I was hanging out with the best person to see this movie. All of that, and the delicious snacks, only added to my enjoyment.

"JCVH" is very simplistic in its idea. Jesus Christ is summoned to Canada to stop vampires from turning everyone. But there is so much more to this story. These vampires can be in the daylight with no consequences. Apparently they're targeting lesbians and Jesus is not okay with that, as he should not be okay with that. There are evil surgeons. This movie has full on dance numbers. There's a Mary Magdalene character who goes by the name Mary Magnum, who gets turned into a vampire at one point. There's a shop owner who speaks in a very problematic way and serves no other purpose in the movie than just being a punchline. And, like most movies from the early 2000's, there's a plethora of montage scenes. My favorite was when Jesus got his haircut and then had to fight a massive amount of random people being constantly thrown at him. And while all of this was going on the movie and the movie makers were absolutely in on the joke. They knew exactly what they were doing. They did not take this seriously at all, which is what my friends and I would do if we got enough money to make a movie. The people who made this have got to be friends in real life. I have not heard of a single one of them, and when I researched them after seeing the movie, they have only worked with one another for the majority of their careers. I like that. It makes "JCVH" all the more fun for me.

Throughout the entire movie I could not wipe the smile off my face. I was laughing and laughing. The movie is a little long for a joke, it runs about an hour and twenty minutes. I was ready for it to be over after an hour, but the last twenty minutes did wrap it all up nicely, so at least its got that going for it. And these dance scenes, especially the one after the beach scene, were my favorite part. They were so unnecessary and did nothing for the plot, but I'll be damned if they weren't fun as hell and made me cackle whenever a new one started out of nowhere. This is the type of movie I like to watch most during what may deem "spooky season". I have always enjoyed a good laugh at the expense of movies that are meant to scare you. And "Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter" has shot up to the top of my list to watch from time to time during the month of October.

I would recommend seeking this one out. If you can find it streaming or on physical media, give it a chance. It is a good time and also hilarious. Do yourself a favor and give it a look. It's a fun one. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Let's Start a Cult"

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Thoughts on LSU Letting Brian Kelly Go

RD and I just did a recent podcast in which we talked about coaches being let go during the season and the gambling epidemic in pro and college sports that is already making major headlines. During that episode I didn't fully agree with RD's take on in season coaching changes. In some cases I fully believe that a university should let a coach finish the season before getting rid of them. Doing it during the season halts every single thing that a college program can do to help itself. It slows recruiting, the product on the field gets worse and in the transfer portal era, it makes it so easy for a superstar player to seek greener pastures.

Now, you may notice I keep referring to universities, and that is fully on purpose. Professional sports is a totally different world with more than double the amount of money going into college programs. If an owner and their board want to relieve a head coach during the season in the pros, that is their prerogative. That's their money and they can do with it as they please. College coaches and pro coaches are a totally different breed.

Where I differed with RD when it involves college coaches being let go, I think if the product on and the off the field has gotten so bad, possibly even regressed, then an immediate change is needed. When Michigan fired Brady Hoke in the middle of his fourth season it felt justified and necessary. They had regressed every season under him, recruiting was mediocre and they had become a bad football program. He also allowed a concussed player to continue playing in a game. That was the final straw for me. I fully agree with UAB letting Trent Dilfer go a few weeks ago. He was not doing his job. There were videos and pictures of him taking pictures when UAB visited Tennessee earlier this year. You could tell he had zero faith in his team that afternoon and he just wanted some pictures to keep on his phone of the time his team got their teeth kicked in. Whenever there is some kind of scandal at a college involving a head coach, they have got to go too. There's no reason to keep someone around who is going to bring sanctions and violations in the very near future. We also have James Franklin from this season. I was not too stunned when Penn State let him go a few weeks back. He had done some quality things in his 11 years there, but he could never get over the hump. He had pretty much every advantage a head coach in the Big 10 could want in his time there but he never won anything major. He couldn't get it done and I'm sure some people at the university were ready for a change now. They didn't want to wait until the end of the season.

All of this brings me to the news of LSU relieving Brian Kelly of his duties yesterday. Again, on first blush I was a little shocked, but after reading some things and hearing some people talk, LSU has not done the things they have expected since luring Kelly away from Notre Dame. The three head coaches ahead of Kelly at LSU all won a SEC title and a national title. Sure, Nick Saban left for the pros, Les Miles turned out to be a creep and Ed Orgeron may have been giving payments before it was legal, but they all won. Saban built a powerful defense, Miles continued that and added a powerful run game and Orgeron knew how to use the portal before it was popular. And they all walked away from that school with a ring. Kelly never really did much in his three plus seasons. He had a 34-14 record in his time there, but he was never in the playoff, never won a SEC title, was never really in contention to be honest and he continually made an ass of himself to the media and fans. I'll never forget his speech he gave the LSU basketball crowd where he did a fake southern accent. He's from Maine and, prior to coaching LSU, he only coached in the midwest. That accent thing was nuts. Then he started to dance in recruiting videos. He's far too old for that. Then he wasn't able to secure his top commitment in last year's recruiting class, Bryce Underwood. And when Underwood signed with Michigan, Kelly complained about the lack of NIL. at LSU. That is wild.

And then we have the on field product this season. The offense has been inept. It reminds me of how Michigan's offense looked last year, but Garrett Nussmeier is a much better QB than Davis Warren, no disrespect to Warren. They have athletes on that side of the ball, but they haven't been able to put it together. And when they have played similar talent rich programs this season, they have been getting whooped. It all came to a head this past Saturday when Texas A&M beat them up pretty bad in Baton Rouge. The final score of that game was rough for LSU. They gave up over 40 points at home. I get that A&M is really, really good this season, but still, LSU got demolished. And they looked really bad while getting blown out.

All of this is to say that I understand why LSU made this decision this weekend. That school is supposed to be a blueblood. They should be in the playoff hunt every year, especially now with it being expanded. And that has not happened under his watch. I am curious to see who they target, but it will be a desirable job because it has pretty much always been a premier football program. i'm interested in their hiring process going forward. 

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never on "The VVitch"

As I said yesterday, I like to catch up on scary movies that I may have missed during the month of October. I told you all about my push to watch all of Ari Aster's movies, so that was why I finally got around to seeing "Hereditary". Well, similar to my need to complete a small filmography of a director I like, I decided that I wanted to complete all of Robert Eggers work to this point, and that meant I had to watch "The VVitch".

I have seen his other movies and really enjoyed them all. I thought he did great work on "Nosferatu". "The Northman" is one of the most badass movies I've ever watched. And I truly adore the madness of "the Lighthouse". That left me with "The VVitch". It seems that I tend to miss these young directors' first major movies when they are in the theaters. But with so many streaming services, it was easy to remedy this self imposed issue. 

First off, what I appreciated most about this movie was the runtime, "The VVitch" clocks in at 90 minutes. I'm not opposed to a longer movie as long as it keeps my attention. But if I see a runtime like this, my mood is instantly better. Ninety minutes is totally doable in one sitting, especially with my kids back in school. Right off the bat, I loved the look of this movie. What impresses me most about Eggers to this point is how true he tries to stay to the time period of which his movies take place. This movie takes place in 1630 and it focuses on a Puritan family forced to leave their home. They then run into some wild stuff revolving around a witch and their new home and I was here for all of it. Anya Taylor Joy is the main character in this movie. She plays Thomasin and I believe this was her first big starring role. You can tell she had stardom quality right away. I bought every moment of her character. From being put upon and unloved at the beginning, to posing as a witch to scare her siblings and then her final transformation, she did an excellent job in this role. She was never over the top or cringey at all. She talked the talk and held her own with some other stars. Speaking of another star she worked with in this movie, Ralph Ineson plays the father. He is meek and weak willed. He has his family's best interest, and his love for God, at the forefront. But he is no good at anything else besides chopping wood. He is a poor hunter. He is a poor provider. He never really stands up for himself, and when he does try, it is met with harsh resistance. Kate Dickie plays the mom and she nails the torment and grief that comes with all she had to endure in this movie. Kids get kidnapped and possessed and Dickie shows that grief to near perfection. I didn't know much about her going into this movie, but she was so magnetic and I could not take my eyes off of her. I also disliked and liked and agreed with her at various points of the movie. To me that is the sign that an actor really nailed the role. The other kids in the movie did good work, especially the brother who gets possessed by the witch, but this is truly a three person performance. All of us who watched this wanted to see it for one of the three main characters I have to assume.

As for the setting, like I said above, it was wild to see a modern movie transform me into 1630 Puritan times. Wherever they shot it was a perfect spot. I felt desolate and isolated while watching. Seeing the crops not grow had me worried, especially because it looked as if cold weather was coming. The interior of the house is exactly what I imagined it would look like back then. From eating dinner by candlelight, to the forest, to the outside of the house, it is just as I have always envisioned it would be to live back then. And the animals they got to work in this movie were great as well. The bunny was scary as hell. The hunting dog was excellent. But it was the black goat, Black Phillip in the movie, that took the cake. That goat was horrifying and mean. I read that it was a little harder to train, and that shows. Apparently the goat and Ralph Ineson had run-ins, which makes the climatic scene all the better.

After sitting with this movie for a few days, I think it is only second to "The Lighthouse" for my fondness of Eggers work. He really did something special in his first go round, much like Aster did with "Hereditary". And you may say that this movie doesn't sound all that creepy, but don't be mistaken. This is an eerie and deeply upsetting movie. While it doesn't have jumpscares, this is still very scary, in its understatement and tone.  I recommend "the VVitch" wholeheartedly. It is a solid creepy season watch. 

Ty

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

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Better Late Than Never on "Hereditary"

During October I try to catch up on scary movies that I have wanted to see, but just haven't gotten around to yet. I'm not usually a scary movie fan, but I will watch certain horror or horror adjacent movies. For instance, I loved "The Substance" when I saw it last year. "Black Swan" is great. I really like "The Babadook". What turns me off is gory movies. I can watch any movie I just mentioned time and again because they're not gory. But, put me in front of a movie like "Scream", I get squeamish. I think what I like in my horror movies is the psychological as opposed to the gory. One such movie that I have wanted to see but avoided because I heard how scary it was is "Hereditary".

I have heard so many people talk about how good of a movie "Hereditary" is. I've read it all. I, luckily, avoided spoilers and finally turned the movie on and sat down and watched it last week. "Hereditary" is as great as everyone said it was. The main push to see it at first was the fact that I wanted to see every major motion picture that Ari Aster has directed to this day. I saw "Midsommar" a few years ago and was intrigued yet grossed out by some of it. "Beau is Afraid" is such a wild ride and way too long. And I saw "Eddington" on opening weekend. I feel like 75 percent of that movie is awesome, and then it completely goes off the rails in the end. So all I had left was "Hereditary", his first directing gig. And it is his best work to date.

As much as I like about some of the stuff in his other works, "Hereditary" showed me that Aster can pull off an entire movie without going totally nuts. This movie is tense and creepy from start to finish. Aster does such a good job making the viewer sit in silence and be terrified at nothing. The way this whole story unfolds is near perfection. From the start at Toni Collette's mom's funeral, to the end where, spoiler alert, we learn about Collette's mom's past, this movie is great. I found myself glued to the screen. I did not want to miss a thing. I was looking for all kinds of easter eggs or signs of what was to come. I was also lucky enough to have the time to sit and watch the movie with no interruptions, which is the only way to see this movie. Collette is so goddamn good in this movie. I was flummoxed that she didn't get any awards consideration for her work. She plays a grieving wife and daughter so well. The tension that builds between her and her son is so scary and you can see it all bubbling over as the movie goes on. There is one scene in particular, at dinner, that is top notch acting from Colette. The way she gets her point across is perfection. And she is mean and leaves no stone unturned. I actually felt bad for her son at that moment. Yes, what he did was awful, but it was also a pure accident. But Collette will not let that slide one bit and she lets him know during this dinner. And while the son, who plays a pivotal role in this movie, and the husband, who has his own grief to deal with but isn't allowed, make no mistake, this is Collette's movie from start to finish. All throughout the beginning we also see Charlie, the young daughter, and she seems to be a little off. There is something strange brewing inside of her and the terror and creepiness all starts with her first appearance. She is also only in the first third of the movie, but she leaves an indelible mark on this movie. As we went on and on with this movie I got more and more scared of what was happening, but I did not want to stop watching. And this movie really goes for it in the final act. I mentioned to a friend of mine, the one who recommended the movie to me in the first place, that I had watched it during the day time when the sun was out. He mentioned that that was a very good idea. I don't know how the movie would have affected me had I seen it at night, but I don't have to think about that now. As the movie gets into that final act, Collette ramps up the craziness and she gets scarier and scarier. And she has a friend, Joan, who clearly has ulterior motives. She shows up randomly at opportune times to lead Collette on an odd mission of which she has no idea she is doing.

After seeing the movie I get why people have such high praise for it. It truly is a well done movie. Ari Aster came out of the gate and hit a dang home run. I have not seen a movie that has scared me this much since I first saw "The Shining". That's high praise. And what makes it fully worth the watch was how great of a movie it was and how incredible Toni Collette is in this role. I highly recommend this movie, but understand, it is very, very scary. Maybe don't watch it at night. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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