What's Next for Michigan Basketball?

After winning the national title in men's college basketball Michigan is looking for a new head coach. Let’s discuss.

In very shocking news to me, Dusty May has accepted the head coaching position with the Dallas Mavericks. I was kind of stunned by this news when it scrolled across my phone this morning. I was out doing my Monday grocery shopping, and as I finished loading my car with said groceries, the news was all bold coming across my phone, "MAVS HIRING DUSTY MAY". I couldn't believe it. I thought he was going to stick around the college game a little longer. He looked to be building something nice and powerful at Michigan. In two years there he brought them back from a very low point and turned them into a national title winner. May knew how to work the portal, he got players to play for one another as opposed to playing for themselves, he coached three guys that could be picked in the top 14 in tomorrow's draft and he brought in a nice haul in the portal and with incoming freshmen for this year's team. But now he is gone, off to the pros.

I fully understand that this is the end goal for almost anyone who gets into the coaching world. May started at the bottom, worked his way up to the head coach at FAU, took them to the final four, went to Michigan and won the whole damn thing. The NBA is the next and final stop for him. He had a meteoric rise and now he gets to coach what looks to be an up and coming team in the West. They have Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, a high pick in this draft and a coach who looks like an offensive genius. May almost feels like a perfect fit for this team and it wouldn't shock me if he has them as a perennial playoff team within two years. And while it bums me out that he is leaving for the NBA, he doesn't owe Michigan or us fans anything. He took them to the pinnacle and gave them their first men's basketball title since 1989. I said it with Jim Harbaugh when he left for the Chargers after winning the title with the football team in 2023. He did what he set out to do. He doesn't have to prove anything else to anyone in Ann Arbor. Harbaugh and May will be celebrated forever in Ann Arbor, and will get the warmest of welcomes whenever they return. May's time was shorter than Harbaugh's, but the results are still the same. They did it. They brought glory back to a storied program. I wish nothing but the best for Dusty May, and with Doncic being out of Dallas, I may start rooting for the Mavs. Hell, if they take one of the Michigan guys, the Mavs may become my second team to root for in the NBA, behind Memphis, and until Seattle gets a team again.

Moving on, with May officially off to the pros, I am curious to see what Michigan does now. I wonder who they are going to target for this job. The current roster has 15 days to decide if they want to stick around or transfer out. I'm sure a few guys will leave. It always happens, and with the way modern college athletics are going, it is bound to happen. I would be bummed if guys like Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau leave, but it could happen. I do think, if Michigan wants to try and retain as much of the current roster as possible, they should just give the job to Mike Boynton. He is the reported choice for interim head coach while they do their search. I read that he went and met with every player on the roster after the news of May's departure. That gave me a sense of relief as a fan. He was May's first hire when he got the Michigan job, he was right next to him on the bench during their tournament run this year, he is a very good recruiter and he has been waiting his turn to coach. I'm a big fan of staying in house when it comes to moves like this. I know it blew up in my face with Sherrone Moore, but the football program rebounded with the hiring of Kyle Whittingham, and Boynton seems to have a good head on his shoulders. May wasn't the biggest name when Michigan hired him, but it clearly worked out. Boynton's name may not jump off the screen, but he would allow for continuity.

Some other names I've already seen floated around are Billy Donovan, Nate Oats, TJ Otzelberger, Josh Schertz and Ben McCollum. I fully believe the only name on this list that would make me happy is Billy Donovan. I'll explain why in a moment. Nate Oats is a good recruiter and a solid coach, but he is an asshole who would rub people the wrong way, including fans. Otzelberger knows the midwest and has made Iowa State a power. But he has been reluctant to take bigger jobs. Also I think he is quite content in his current position. Schertz would intrigue me, I have seen what he has done at SLU up close and personal. But I do think the lights may be way too bright for him in Ann Arbor. And McCollum's run with Iowa last season felt very fluky. Iowa didn't have the best season, and then went on a wild run. I don't know that he can duplicate that at Michigan. Other than Boynton, Billy Donovan would be an absolute homerun. The guy can flat out coach. He won multiple titles at Florida. He knows the college game. He did a solid job in the NBA without ever having a roster that was actually meant to win a bunch of games. He has more than proven his worth. My worry with him, I don't know that he will want to come back to the college game. He could hold out for almost any NBA job that will come open next season. He could also do tv for a year, and he may fall in love with that just like Jay Wright has. I think Billy Donovan would be the best possible guy they could get for the job, but it also seems very far-fetched at this point. And that is why I say they should just give the job to Mike Boynton. He has the best chance to keep this team rolling. He has been there since they hired Dusty May. The players are familiar with him. He knows how to put these kids in the best position to win. He can continue the dominance of this team.

Time will tell, and this is still wild to me, but I think, if they make the right choice, Michigan will be just fine in the long run. We will see. 

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.

Ty Watches "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die"

Of the seven movies I have watched this week, the one I'm writing about today may have been my favorite. "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie" was the funniest, and "Blackberry" was a nice surprise. But "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is the one I have thought about the most since watching it.

I have wanted to see this movie for some time now. I tried to see it in the theaters, but it came and went pretty fast. Then it was streaming, but it was something like twenty dollars to rent. But, there was a deal to rent the movie on Amazon this week for five bucks, so I decided now was the perfect time. And, as I said before, I really liked this movie quite a bit.

I'm a big Sam Rockwell fan, and he does some masterful work here in this movie. The short plot of this movie is, Rockwell shows up in a diner in modern time LA to warn everyone that always being on your phone causes an apocalyptic event and he is here to try and stop it. This is the whole first scene of the movie, which grabbed me right away, and the movie takes off from there. Rockwell absolutely owns every second that he is on screen in this movie. He is brash, mean, foul mouthed and clearly has a job that he needs to get done. Coming off his minor arc on the most recent season of "White Lotus", this role in this movie was almost too perfect for him. He crushes the whole time. I feel like they told him to just be a heightened version of himself.

As he is recruiting the rest of the team for this mission, this is where we meet the other main characters in this movie. Juno Temple plays Susan. She plays a grieving mother who may be getting information to join Rockwell's fight from a certain source. What I like about this movie is we get some breakaway scenes where we find out why these people are in the diner that night and why they eventually choose to help Rockwell. Temple's story is the saddest by far, but it also gives us a very good, very real understanding of why she is joining the fight. I also appreciate that Gore Verbinski, the director, tells a story of how numb Americans have become to school shootings. Temple's character arc focuses on this entirely. Haley Lu Richardson, who is basically the second lead, plays a character that is allergic to phones and wi-fi. Smart phones play a massive part in this movie. They may be the villain for all intents and purposes. I love that they are using those as the basis for why the apocalypse started. I feel like teenagers should be required to watch this simply for that reason alone. Haley Lu Richardson, as said before, is allergic to these devices. She grows to loathe them. She has a partner that is on her team for awhile, until he is not anymore. This was a nice reversal from her previous roles. She gets to have fun with this and she is right up there with Rockwell as far as her performance. I thought she was great. Michael Pena and Zazie Beetz play high school teachers. They have the funniest backstory. I found myself howling when they got their turn on screen. They are also kind at the starting moment of the whole world going nuts for their phones. Beetz is hilarious and I love that she keeps saying that teachers who aren't at the school anymore are on "sabbatical". It was great. Pena is terrified of the kids and he wants them off their phones. He gets a nice little hero turn and I thought he was the funniest of all. There are a few other members of the team, but the five I mentioned are the key players.

What made me so enamored with this movie was why they ended up where they did in the movie. Smartphones are becoming a real problem in the world. People are addicted to them. I see more people with their heads hunched over just staring at their phones. That is the inciting incident for this movie. People are so obsessed that they literally turn into zombies. Rockwell is hell bent on turning this all around, but he looks crazy, says he is from the future and takes people's phones and throws them in buckets of water. His costume in this movie is so rad. I kind of want to go as him for Halloween this year.

The best thing about the movie is all the twists and turns. Rockwell's character says something early on about how movies suck you in with the story, the problem and how you think it is all going to be wrapped in a nice, neat and happy bow. But that may or may not be the case with this movie. This is not a spoiler, but the way the movie ended floored me. I did not see it coming and that made me like this movie even more. I wished I had seen it in the theater, but at least I watched it on streaming.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone. As I said before, I do think it should be mandatory for teenagers to watch. But I also highly suggest that people who like Sam Rockwell watch it. "Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die" is a fun time traveling apocalyptic movie. It tells a good story with some very excellent performances from solid actors. Check it out. 

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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Better Late Than Never on "Blackberry"

I mentioned during my review of "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie" yesterday that I streamed another movie simply because Matt Johnson was the director and co-star. That movie was "Blackberry", and it was pretty damn good.

RD had mentioned this movie to me a long time ago and told me that I should watch it. I kept putting it off for a bunch of reasons. The main one being that I didn't think I was going to be interested in a movie about the rise and fall of the Blackberry Phone. I never had one of them. I believe RD had one, maybe it was a Palm Pilot. Either way, he has always been more on top of technological trends than I have. But this movie has been on my list for some time, and I'm glad that I finally pressed play Tuesday night.

This was a very good, very well told story and it was pretty damn funny. I should have known it was going to be good because it has Johnson's name all over it. The movie stars Jay Baruchel as the co creator and co CEO of the company. It starts out as Research In Motion, but soon changes to Blackberry. Johnson plays the co creator of the company and phone. Glenn Howerton plays the co CEO of Blackberry, eventually. Howerton first has a job at a sales company, and Johnson and Baruchel got to pitch their idea to him. He pushes them aside at first, but then he figures out a way he can sell their phone. When the three of these actors get together, this is when the movie really takes off. Seeing the growth and the heights that Blackberry reached in the late 90's and early 2000's was fascinating to me. I thought Baruchel did a fantastic job in his role. He was the quiet genius who knew what to do in almost any situation. But he was also very introverted and almost too nice. He was super Canadian, and it showed. Johnson was the fun guy in the office. He set up movie nights and got the staff to do the work. He knew all kinds of quotes from movies and would quote them endlessly. He made this hard job fun for the other employees. He knew they were giving up a ton to be there, but he believed in the vision. He was also incredibly smart and knew how to build phones and make them better. Howerton plays a badass boss who will go to any lengths to make the company successful. He is no nonsense and mean. This was not a total departure, Dennis Reynolds is a sociopath, but Howerton does little to no comedy in this role. He is mean, brash and an egomaniac. He also knows how to sell product, how to move it and how to get people to go the extra mile for his company. He did do some shady stuff, as most CEO's do. But he never stopped trying to make Blackberry a massive and major company. There is a moment in this movie, where Howerton gives a very angry monologue, and he screams something about being in "Waterloo, where the Vampires hang out". I was laughing and terrified at the same time. It was very Dennis Reynolds coded, but more mean than anything Reynolds does on "Always Sunny".

What separated this movie from other fictional biographies, it moved very quickly and it had a bunch of jokes. Sure, they did the typical stuff that these movies do, but they did it better. Johnson has a deft hand when directing, but he also has his place as an actor. He is very talented and I'm glad he is now on my radar. But don't sleep on Howerton or Baruchel. They both do very good work in roles that aren't their typical stuff. This movie showed a different side of these two actors and I'm here for it.

I cannot recommend "Blackberry" enough. I was floored at how much I liked it. I almost turned it on again today, but decided to do some housework. Maybe now that I'm done I'll watch it again. And if you haven't seen it yet, remedy that and watch it immediately. You will love it. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie"

While my wife and daughter are out of town I have been watching a bunch of movies, and you all will be getting some reviews of certain ones over the next couple of days. My son has been hanging out with his friends, so that gives me a few hours each night at home to watch whatever I want. It's glorious. To fill that time I'm catching up on movies I missed in the theaters that I wanted to see. The first one I watched, and my son watched the last 40 minutes with me, was "Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie".

Now, I have never seen the stuff these two guys, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarroll, did prior to this. I had never heard of them in fact. But I heard really good things about this movie, and when RD told me he watched it on a plane recently, and also told me that I didn't really have to see what they did before, and that he liked it, that was enough for me to rent it on Amazon and watch.

I absolutely loved this movie. I get all the good reviews now. This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in quite some time. I believe me laughing is what convinced my son to saunter out of his room and see what was so funny.

The plot of the movie is pretty simple. McCarroll and Johnson start out as young kids with a dream, they grow up not fulfilling that dream, they kind of do their own thing and Johnson inadvertently creates a time machine after rewatching "Back to the Future". The time machine aspect is the driving force in the second act of the movie. This is where we really dig into the plot. But the first act made me laugh the hardest. Seeing Johnson and McCarroll do their comedy bits was hilarious for me. They do bits that incorporate real people on the street. And it works. But they also had to do a ton of camera tricks in this movie as well. There's no way they actually went to the top of the CN Tower and jumped off it trying to get into the dome where the Blue Jays play their home games. That would be suicidal if they did that. But the way they filmed it and put it on screen, it sure looked real. The shots from the top of the CN Tower made my knees buckle when I was watching it. And seeing them jump off, and land on the dome as it fully closed, that terrified me. And I have to assume that none of that was real. But they pulled it off.

The whole idea of the jump was to spark up interest in the show they were trying to perform at a local Toronto venue called The Rivoli. The Rivoli gets mentioned a ton from start to finish. But they wanted to draw up interest by doing the jump from this establishment so they could perform live there. When the jump doesn't work, they have to walk home and they get stuck in a bad storm. Unaffected by this, Johnson starts to come up with a new plan, the time machine plan, as soon as they walk in the door. McCarroll is turned off by this and he decides he is going to do an open mic by himself in Ottawa. He wakes up early the next day to take the winnebago they have and do this show. He doesn't know that Johnson fell asleep in the van the night before. And when McCarroll hits 88 mph they miraculously jump back in time. They head back to that date when they're young and full of hope and potential.

This is where the movie really takes off. This is when it went from good to great for me. A bunch of stuff happens. They're so inept at time travel that they seem to make mistake after mistake. They never seem to get it right. Even when one of them gets a chance at real fame, they find a way to screw it up. And it is so funny all along the way. I love how they were able to add shots from 18 years ago that looked so real still to this day. McCarroll has this quietness to him that I related to as a viewer. He is upset with Johnson's antics, but he sticks by his side, until he doesn't. Johnson is a star in my eyes. He is so funny and charismatic and so fun to watch on screen. He was my main reason for wanting to watch this and his performance did not disappoint. He was so good that I watched another movie this week, which I will be writing about later on during the week, simply because he directed and co-starred in it.

"Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie" is an absolute home run for me. I thought it was hilarious and I thought that Jay McCarroll and Matt Johnson made something truly unique and hilarious. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Go check it out immediately and be ready to get a very good chuckle while watching this movie. It is a total blast. 

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.

Thoughts on Where Giannis Plays Next - Part 2

With each passing day, and with it getting closer to the NBA draft, it looks more and more likely that Giannis Antentekoumpo is going to be traded. He wants out and has done everything short of asking to be traded. A while back I went through some teams that made sense to me. That has changed since then.

I know Giannis has some leverage, but so does Milwaukee. This is an interesting case of a star that has won it big with the team that drafted him, but has fallen on hard times as of late. The Bucks have tried to rebuild around him since they traded Jrue Holiday to the Celtics. Damian Lillard was never fully healthy, and the fit with him and Giannis wasn't great. I was on board with that trade at the time, but it never materialized in the way I hoped it would. They went out and signed Myles Turner last season, but his success seemed tied to Tyrese Haliburton more than anything else, and with the Bucks having no real point guard, his skillset never fully translated to the Bucks. The Bucks also let Brook Lopez walk so they could sign Turner, and he and Giannis were great buddies and running mates. They were the anchors of the defensive frontcourt for the Bucks. As expected, the Bucks limped to a rough season and during the year it looked like they were going to move Giannis. That never came, but now it seems inevitable. As I said though, both parties have leverage. Giannis won a title in Milwaukee. He also won many awards, including an MVP. He seemed to love the city from the moment he was drafted there, and they loved him back. He did it all with the Bucks, and if he wants to move on and try to win a title before retiring, he has that right. What more could Milwaukee want from him? But, the front office also signed him to an extension two years ago. He is, technically, still under contract with Milwaukee. They don't have to trade him if they don't get a deal to their liking. He has two years left, and in the end, the NBA is a business, and it is cutthroat. It would be awful if they wasted two more seasons for Giannis, but they can if they want.

In looking at who may be left in the Giannis sweepstakes, it looks like it is only the Heat and Celtics. These seem to be the only two teams with either the picks or young players, or both, that can trade for Giannis and are places he'd be happy to play for.

I understand why he wants to play for the Celtics. They are championship ready right now. They won a few years back, they overachieved without Jayson Tatum for most of the season and they have picks and one blue chip young player they may want to move. Jaylen Brown is awesome. He was in the MVP conversation for most of last season. He was an All NBA  player. He is a wonderful defender. He can create his own shot. And he showed that he could lead a team as the number one option last season. I believe a team like the Bucks covet a player like Jaylen Brown if they decide to move on from Giannis. Brown would make the Bucks, at the very least, a play-in caliber team right away. The Celtics also have future picks they can trade. The problem, those picks may not be super valuable because the Celtics are going to be pretty good for a while longer. Also, the Celtics may need a third team to get this deal done. They may have to add some other team that can add more, and better picks to the deal. And that may end up with Brown going somewhere else. The Bucks may have to just settle for a ton of picks. They may like that, they may not. But it seems unlikely that the Celtics would pull the trigger on trading Brown after he proved he can lead a team and still play quality defense. The future picks may be too much for Brad Stevens to swallow as well.

The Heat seem like the most likely landing spot for Giannis. They have the picks and the young guys to get it done. The only question is, will the Heat be willing to give up some of the younger talent to get Giannis. If the Heat are serious, and they want to do it, they are going to have to part ways with one of either Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr or Ke'el Ware. They are also going to have to give up their first round pick this season and Tyler Herro. I think the Tyler Herro of it all is not a big deal to the Heat. He may be a good offensive player, but he is a sieve on defense and he has become oft injured. I think the Bucks would welcome him because he is from Milwaukee and he would be the number one offensive option. But the Bucks would want the first round pick, to keep their own first round pick, and one of the young guys I mentioned before. Nikola Jovic is raw, but has potential. He would get to play a ton, but it would be frustrating to watch him play. Jaime Jacquez Jr is a solid bench player, but a higher usage rate may be tough for him to handle. I'm sure he would welcome it, but that also comes with expectations. He may not be ready for that. The most ideal, and best fit for the Bucks, in my opinion, is Ke'el Ware. He has proven that he is a solid number 5 in the NBA. He can score in the post, and has shown that he is capable of stretching the floor. He is a good defensive player and a solid rebounder. I think he would end up being the best asset in this possible deal and he could flourish with the Bucks.

I think the only team that can trade for Giannis, that would make the most sense, that would make him happy is the Heat. He and Bam Adebayo would be awesome. They could keep Norm Powell and let him create and score. They have the young kid from Illinois that showed flashes. They would be able to keep Jacquez and Jovic and let them stay in their current roles, which fit them best. I think the Heat will get it done and do it before the draft. That is what I see happening in the long run. 

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.

The Knicks are NBA Champs

After 53 years, the New York Knicks are your 2026 NBA champions.

This is wild to me. I honestly didn't think I'd see the day that the Knicks actually won the whole damn thing. The Knicks, even with being in one of the biggest markets, had kind of become a laughingstock. I grew up on really good Knicks teams that couldn't get over the hump. I genuinely liked the John Starks and Patrick Ewing Knicks. I was a Ewing fan from the time I remember starting to watch the NBA, and when John Starks dunked on Jordan, he didn't, I became an instant fan of his. I had that damn poster on my wall as a kid. I liked Allan Houston and Larry Johnson. Charles Smith will live in infamy, but he was fun for me to watch. Hell, I even tuned into their games when guys like Langston Galloway, Nate Robinson and Frank Knitilikina were a part of the team. They did have a solid little run with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in the mid 2010's. But the team just couldn't get the big win. Be it Charles Smith getting continually blocked at the rim, or Ewing missing wide open layups, or Hakeem Olajuwon blocking a starks three point attempt, or Carmelo not getting the team past the second round, the Knicks just looked destined to be good, but not good enough. Hell, even last season they couldn't get by the Pacers. The Pacers were on an all time heater, and that Tyrese Haliburton jumper was amazing, but the Knicks were the better team.

After that East Finals matchup, to be honest, I kind of gave up on this current Knicks roster. It seemed a lot like what they had always done. I'm a Grizzlies fan, but growing up in a house that rooted against the Jordan Bulls, I became a Supersonics fan, and always will be. But I also kind of rooted for the Knicks too. It was all about Ewing and RD being a fan. I have never hated or loved the Knicks. I tolerated them. I like their jerseys, I like MSG and I have liked a ton of their players. But they never won anything big, at least not in my lifetime.

Then the Knick had this playoff run. They looked so good after game three against the Hawks. For people that may have already forgotten, the Hawks held a 2-1 lead in the first round, before the Knicks woke up and blew the doors off of them in three straight games. After the Hawks took the lead it looked like typical Knicks playoff regression. Then something clicked and it clicked at the exact right time. They went on to obliterate the Hawks so badly that they had a 60 point lead in Atlanta in the closeout game of that series. They wiped the floor with the 76ers in the second round, and easily dispatched of the Cavs in yet another sweep. This Knicks team felt and looked different. But that didn't stop me from still picking the Spurs to win in seven games. I figured the long layoff for the Knicks, the youth of the Spurs, the home court advantage for the Spurs and the dominance of Victor Webanyama were going to be enough for the Knicks to get beat on the biggest stage. I was so very wrong. Every game in this series was great, and close. I know the Knicks won game one by 10, but that was some late free throws making the final score look a little off. Each game was back and forth. The Spurs would hold these big leads in the first half, but the knicks never wavered. They felt like they could win every game. I do feel the only reason they didn't win game three was because that monster was in attendance when no one wanted his punkass there. He soured that whole night for the Knicks. But even in that game the Knicks closed it to one with seconds left on the clock. The turning point for me, and everyone else I bet, was the comeback win in game four. The Spurs were up 29 at the half. Teams with that big of leads in the NBA don't usually blow those games. But the Knicks just kept chipping away. When they cut the lead to 13 going into the fourth quarter I told my wife I had to go watch just to see if they could fully comeback. And dammit they made the full comeback. That OG Anunoby tip in was incredible and I will never forget it. I was sitting in my living room jaw agape watching no Spurs player guard him and Anunoby rushing to the rim, out jumping everyone and tipping that ball in. It was an incredible game with an amazing comeback and my son was equally as stunned as I was when I told him the Knicks won. Game 5 kind of felt like a formality after that, but you still have to play the game. And the Spurs showed up for three and a half quarters. But so did Jalen Brunson. I'm not the biggest fan of how Brunson plays basketball, but he was determined to close out the Spurs in game 5. The dude was amazing to watch. Every shot that went in seemed crazier than the last one. He was otherworldly in that game. But he had help throughout the series. Anunoby was my personal pick for Finals MVP. He did it all. Literally. Karl Anthony-Towns played the best defense anyone has ever played on Wemby. Mitchell Robinson was the perfect bully. Josh Hart out hustled anyone in his way. Mikail Bridges did his role perfectly. Jose Alvarado stepped up when his number was called. This team was built for this and they won their title in pretty dominant fashion.

I found myself happy for the Knicks watching this series, but it wouldn't have mattered who won. I like both these teams. I was texting with a friend of mine and we both just wanted the series to continue because it was so much fun and so competitive. But in the end the Knicks are the rightful and deserving NBA champs. They went out there and beat everyone in their way. I was wrong, they were right to let Tom Thibodeau walk and hire Mike Brown.

Congratulations New York Knicks. You are the 2026 NBA champs. 

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.

Austin Reaves and the Nets is Not a Good Idea

The NBA draft and free agency are right around the corner. Not to worry, I will do a draft preview closer to the actual day of the draft. But with free agency looming, news stories about possible deals are already popping up in the media. Let’s discuss.

The "big fish" as of right now seems to be Austin Reaves. I'm very tepid on Reaves. I think if he were playing in almost any other market, and putting up the same stats, he wouldn't be viewed as the prize possession he is because he plays for the Lakers. This is one of the few cases that the name on front of the jersey is more important than the one on the back. I think he is showing a tendency to be more injured, he is an inconsistent scorer, he pops off way too much and he is a liability on the defensive end of the floor. I also think he thinks he is better than he truly is in the world of the NBA. But, because he is finding himself wide open, given open driving lanes due to who he is teammates with, and because he can hide on defense, he is going to get a ton of offers. I personally think he will stay with the Lakers, he'd be an idiot not to, but that won't stop teams from chasing him. Right after the Lakers season ended, teams already popped up as possible suitors. I've seen the Hornets mentioned. I have read that the Bulls may pursue him. I'm sure a rebuilding team in a "smaller" market, like Sacramento may go after him.

This morning I read that the Nets are preparing a max offer sheet for him. The Nets front office is willing to give him four years and 175 million plus to be their number one offensive option. It seems as if they are ready to build a team around Austin Reaves. I openly laughed at the headline when I read it. This is so perfectly Brooklyn Nets coded. The Nets cannot ever seem to make a right decision within the front office. They almost nailed it when they got Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to sign. And when they landed James Harden it seemed as if the Nets had done something right. But in true Nets fashion, it blew up in their faces. Kyrie Irving refused to get vaccinated. Kevin Durant couldn't stay healthy and demanded a trade. He also wanted the coaching staff and front office fired if he were to stay. And James Harden couldn't deal with the workload and asked to be traded as well. They couldn't get it together.

Even prior to this, the Nets have made some odd decisions in the past during free agency. Deron Williams seemed like a perfect fit when they lured him away from Utah. But he was never the true point guard leader they needed, and he was never able to stay healthy for a full season. They gave Andrei Kirlineko a bunch of money just to see him flame out in epic fashion. They signed Gerald Wallace to a nice offer sheet, but as much as I liked Wallace when he was on the Bobcats, he was not the frontcourt star they hoped he would be.

But, with the Reaves news dominating NBA headlines this morning, the only offer from the past that the Nets made that kept popping up in my brain was when they gave Tyler Johnson an offer sheet. Do you all remember that? Do you all even remember Tyler Johnson? For people who may not know who he is, or was at that time, Johnson kind of came out of nowhere as a member of the Miami Heat from 2014 to 2019. He had an up and down start to his tenure there, splitting time with the Heat and their D League affiliate, that's right, the G League used to be called the D League. But in 2016 through the 2018 seasons, something clicked for Johnson. He became this excellent bench scorer for the Heat. He played in 72 and 73 games both seasons, averaging around 12 points on 43 percent shooting. The media and Heat fans loved his energy off the bench and he became this niche basketball player that analytic people loved. He hustled, played his role and seemed destined to be a starter in the near future. The Nets saw this and decided he was ready to be given a sizable offer sheet. I want to say they offered him about 50 million for around four years. This was unheard of at the time for a bench player. He passed, the Heat gave him a one year deal and then he bounced around the league, never finding the success he found from 2016 to 2018. He went to Phoenix where he only played a total of 44 games in two years. He did find his way to Brooklyn eventually, playing a total of 47 games in two years. He then spent some time with the 76ers and Sant Antonio Spurs in the 21-22 season, playing a total of six games. I get mad Tyler Johnson vibes from this Austin Reaves news. Tyler Johnson should have stuck it out and played the role he was best suited for with the Heat. Hell, he could still be there if that was the case. But some other teams saw something, and a team like the Nets were ready to throw a bunch of cash at him and give him a bigger role.

It would not stun me at all, if Reaves were to sign with the Nets, if the same thing happens to him. Reaves would become another player who got paid and faded away. He is not a guy to build a team around. He is only successful because of the teammates he has around him. He will ot put up anything close to the same numbers with the Nets as he would if he stays with the Lakers. I find Austin Reaves to be incredibly overrated. And if he thinks that he is going to live up to a max contract, that is laughable to me.

The Nets need to stop with this nonsense of taking wild chances on unproven players. Do something right and pull this offer, or never even let it get out that you're thinking of doing it. Austin Reaves is not a player you can win a title with as your number one option. 

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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Better Late Than Never on "I'm a Virgo"

After seeing "I Love Boosters", I decided I was going to watch the seven episode series "I'm A Virgo". You all know I'm a Boots Riley fan, and this is the show he did in between his two excellent movies. I remember when the show was announced, but why I never got to it then, I don't remember. But I'm glad that I remedied that over the past couple of weeks.

"I'm Virgo" is a coming of age tale about a giant that lives with his aunt and uncle in San Francisco. I know, it sounds weird. But I am pretty much on board with whatever Boots Riley is doing creatively at this point, and this show was a blind spot that I wanted to correct. The start of the first episode is great too. It really hooks you and makes you want to watch more. We see this mom holding this gigantic baby. I mean this baby is a newborn, but it is bigger than anyone else. And then we see the newborn grow into a 19 year old in this small home where he lives with his aunt and uncle. Cootie, played by Jharrel Jerome, is the giant. He is naive to the world, but he wants to know more. He wants to explore. He wants to make friends and see what is outside his own little world, His aunt and uncle, played by Mike Epps and Carmen Ejogo, are doing their best to raise him and shelter him. He is so big though, they have to build him a separate area in their yard that is more suitable for his size. He breaks everything around him in his original home, so they all feel this is best for him. While living back in his own place, he sees things through a pipe that they installed for him. He sees kids hanging out. A local person comes by to chat with him. He reads comic books all the time and wants to see this world that "The Hero" has talked about in the books. One day he travels outside of his domicile disguised as a tree. One kid at a keg party goes to use the restroom in the woods and stumbles upon this moving tree. He tells everyone it's called the Thwamp Monster. This is how Cootie is introduced to the world. But he gains friends and fame and a girlfriend out of it. Flora, played by Olivia Washington, is his girlfriend. She works at Bing Bang Burgers. She is instantly into him and he likes her too. They do a solo episode explaining her past and it is heartbreaking and one of the best of the whole season. Flora rules. Cootie's main group of friends, Felix, Jones and Scat, played by Brett Gray, Kara Young and Allius Barnes, take to Cootie really quickly and they show him how to navigate the real world. They talk about making money, hooking up and fighting for a bigger cause. Jones was my favorite of the friends. She has a plan, she takes action, she basically saves the day and her "power" in the show is pretty neat. Scat plays a massive role as the season wears on. It's unfortunate why his role gets bigger, but I really enjoyed Barnes portrayal of this character, especially when he's denied entrance into a hospital. Felix is the coolest of the crew and he just wants to have a good time. But he is also willing to fight the fight and bang the drum for the cause. Walton Goggins plays The Hero, and he is a massive asshole, on purpose. The penultimate episode showing his story is important and Goggins brings it like he always does. The show starts off funny and like your basic coming of age story. But it morphs into so much more. We have capitalism, racism, brutality, standing up for what is right, getting people to help fight the powers that be, all of this is rolled up nicely into seven 30 minute episodes. I found myself very interested in what was going to happen next. It had that nice, odd Boots Riley feel to it. It was cool to see what he did with more time than he has on a movie set. I thought the actors and writers brought it as well.

"I'm A Virgo" is a cool, off the beaten path show. I feel it may be underrated at this point, but maybe more people will check it out now with the success that "I Love Boosters" is having. I'm glad I watched it and I think you should check it out too. I believe many people will find this to be a good time. 

Ty

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

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Better Never Than Late on "Vivarium"

After seeing, and quite thoroughly enjoying "Backrooms", I have been on the search for movies with a similar vibe. One movie that kept popping up on some lists related to my search was "Vivarium". I had never heard of it, but it had Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg. That was more than enough for me. But, if it was anything like "Backrooms", I figured I was in for a treat. I found it streaming on Vizion On Demand for free and turned it on yesterday.

Before I get fully into my review, the movie does have a similar feel as "Backrooms". It is creepy and sinister and dark and slow in certain parts. But that is pretty much where the similarities end. While this movie has a good idea and good actors attached, it is nowhere near the level of "Backrooms". I found the movie to be weird for the sake of weird, and way more boring than anything else. Eisenberg and Poots are up to the task in their roles, but the writing and direction feels slightly lacking in my opinion.

The whole idea of the movie centers around Poots and Eisenberg, a young couple, looking for a new place to live together. They want to start a life with one another and they figure the first step is getting an apartment together. They can't find anything until one day when they stumble into an office building that is selling homes in a new and upcoming developmental neighborhood. The person working at the office building is weird and pushy, but he is intent on getting this young couple to look at one of the homes. He gets them there, shows them around, mimics Poot's character very weirdly and all of the sudden disappears. The couple cannot find a way out of the development, and they keep ending up back at the home, number 9. Every house looks the same, the roads look the same and no one else seems to live there. They try to follow the sun to get out, they write on the roof of the home for help, they try to dig their way out, they even try to burn the home down. Nothing works, and all the worse, the home is unaffected by whatever they do to it. They wake up one day to a baby and a note. The note tells them to take care of the baby and they will be released. The kid is a nightmare and forces the couple to grow to resent one another. Eisenberg becomes obsessed with his hole, Poots tries to play mom and the kid just gets worse and worse.

This all feels like a well thought out idea, but the movie tends to go off the rails far too much. The kid is loud and obnoxious, but never really scary. Eisenberg and Poots do their best to show this couple growing apart, but it was easy to see this coming from the start. The effects and underworld they created for this movie are fine, but you can see this in any other sci-fi movie. And the biggest discrepancy for me, the movie is never all that scary. "Backrooms" did a great job of making us feel like we were living in the space created for the movie. It was creepy and unsettling. The music was perfect for the atmosphere they created. The actors knocked it out of the park. "Vivarium" tried their best to do this before "Backrooms", but it wasn't the same. I wonder if I had seen this before "Backrooms" would I have a different feeling? But that is not the case, and I'm going to be comparing a lot of sci-fi psychological thrillers to "Backrooms" from here on out. I would like to point out that I did think Imogen Poots did prove that she can be a leading actor in movies moving forward. She did a very good job with less than stellar direction and writing to work with in this movie. And sometimes, being weird just to be weird doesn't always work out. The movie just kind of ended and it felt hollow to me. I tried to read a bunch of stuff to wrap my head around it, but everyone has a different theory and they are all over the place.

If you liked "Backrooms" I'd say skip "Vivarium". It just didn't work all that well for me, and it is nowhere near the level of other really good sci-fi movies in my opinion.

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 Boys” Final Season

My wife and I finished the final season of "The Boys" yesterday. Let’s discuss.

We put it off for longer than we expected due to how depressing and real the show was becoming. I fully understand why the show went into that direction and why they were telling the stories they were, but it was exhausting. We live in a crazy and messed up world already, and tv was one way for me to unplug and move on. But I do appreciate that they were telling the stories because people need to know how messed up and awful things can get if we continue to trend the way we currently are in this country. Artists need to speak up and speak out and the team behind this show were doing just that. I like that. But we decided to finally start watching the final season about a month ago, and we wrapped it up yesterday.

All in all I thought the final season was solid and fitting. Sure, and this is going to be as spoiler free as possible moving forward, some people died that I didn't want to see go, but that is the nature of the show and the story they told to wrap it all up. I got emotional at one of the people that they killed off. Other people, it was almost euphoric to see them get their comeuppance. Some of the people turned into truly volatile and putrid people, and to see them get theirs in the end, that was a solid touch. Some of the episodes, they had eight in the final season, felt dragging at times but it was all for a purpose. The slower moments meant something to the overall ending in my opinion. It felt that they needed to let some people go and tell some more drawn out stories to get to the conclusion they landed on in the end.

I also like that they brought some people back and let them do their thing. The guestlist for this season was top notch as well. There's an episode with Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kumail Nanjiani, Seth Rogen and Will Forte all playing themselves. And it was my favorite episode of the whole season. My wife mentioned that they had some people from "Supernatural" on the show, and being that she was a fan of that show, this made me very happy. Jensen Ackles, who plays Soldier Boy, is the rudest, crudest and one of the more disgusting superheroes on the show, yet he was my favorite "villain" in the final season. He was funny, knew his messed up kid was up to no good and got out before it all got too crazy.

Homelander, played by Anthony Starr, was and always will be a despicable person. Starr nailed his role, especially this season, because I grew to hate him so very much by the end. Karl Urban, Butcher, had a solid final arc. Hughie and Starlight's story was fine and had what I deem to be a proper ending. I liked Sister Sage in the final two episodes of the season. Deep got his just desserts. And I feel like all the side characters had proper endings for their characters.

After we watched the finale I told my wife I didn't get all the hate it was receiving online. Granted, I never read the books the show is based on, but the finale felt fitting and satisfying for me. I watched all five seasons of the show and this felt like the best conclusion they could have come up with in the end. I do think people just want to be angry at stuff so they can try and go viral. But to be this upset over a tv show finale, get over it. It's like Bart told Comic Book guy, they gave us five seasons of a good show, what could they possibly owe us? I think they did a good job, gave a good ending and went out on a high note.

I don't plan on watching any spin offs or series moving forward involved with this universe, but that is just because I feel that the tv and movie market is oversaturated with superhero stuff. But, as far as superhero content goes, I think "The Boys" got it right and got out at the best time. I liked the series and enjoyed this final season. It ends on a high note and a hopeful note which is all I really wanted in the end.

Thank you to the actors and creators and writers of this show. We got five solid seasons and that is a sign of a job well done. 

Ty

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

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"Comedy Bang Bang!" Live Once Again Does Not Miss

For the third time in the past five years I was able to see "Comedy Bang! Bang!" live last night. This is my favorite podcast to listen to. It was one of the first ones I found when I dove into the world of podcasts, and it is the one I've stuck with for the longest time. I think it is hilarious. I love that it is pretty much all improvised. I have found new actors, improvisers and writers through this podcast that I adore. And Scott Aukerman is one of the best hosts to ever do it. So, when they announce a tour, and they come to Saint Louis, I'm going to do whatever I can to see it performed live.

I went back in 2022 the first time they came to Saint Louis. This was one of my first live outings during the pandemic. But I was determined to see the show live, and it did not disappoint. It was great to be out of the house back then, seeing a live show that made me laugh very hard. I saw the show again when they came back to Saint Louis two years ago. It was even better than the first time. They were looser and seemed to be having a bit more fun. They also have done the show so much that they are in a groove. Last night was no exception.

"Comedy Bang! Bang!" live is my favorite live podcast to watch. I know that it's going to make me laugh and put me in a good mood for the rest of the week. As the show started, Aukerman walked on stage, read the catchphrase submission and just fell right into his hosting duties. I like Aukerman's hosting so much. He is such a pro. He commands the stage and the audience. He did the catchphrase, we all cheered. He did the balcony report, we all cheered. He asked his question about any first timers in the crowd. We all laughed. And then he went right into the guestlist for the night and the show was officially underway.

His first guests were Hannah Pilkes, and tour mainstay, Paul F Tompkins. They were parents from some small town in Alabama. Putting these two out first was a perfect way to start the evening. I have never seen Pilkes live, and she was hilarious. She made me laugh harder than PFT I must say. She is very funny and very good at improv. What I liked most about her last night, she was game for any task that Aukerman or PFT gave her. They tried to mess with her, but she always had an answer. PFt is so reliable and so funny. He and Aukerman have a great rapport. The two of them have known each other forever, and it is so easy to see how much they like doing comedy with one another. And seeing PFT work with Pilkes was a fun new wrinkle for me. They did such a good job setting the table for the evening and they were on stage for a good long time. The first segment usually only goes about a half an hour. I believe Pilkes and PFT were on stage together for almost an hour. It was wonderful.

Then Mike Hanford came out playing a character he did over 10 years ago on the show, a hay salesman who is allergic to hay. But what makes this show so great is that they barely touched on that fact. Hanford was my favorite part of the whole evening. He made me laugh harder and longer than anyone else who took the stage last night, The bits he was able to come up with on the spot were uproarious. The whole thing with the wizard harassing him hurt my stomach because I was laughing so hard. I was first made aware of Hanford when IFC had "The Birthday Boys". I have been a fan ever since, and to see him do "CBB" last night was a bucket list thing I didn't even know I had. He was so good, so funny and his performance makes me want to see The Sloppy Boys perform live now.

The final guest for the night was Connor Ratliff. He was on the bill last time playing a Saint Louis specific character. He did that last night too, but he was a different character, obviously. He was Saint Louis, the namesake for this city. He did a French accent the whole time and based his character around what he has done since he has been in heaven. And like most Ratliff stuff, he talked a lot about movies. He and Aukerman had a running bit last night where they mentioned Martin Scorcese movies, but never the super popular ones. That made me laugh pretty hard. Ratliff also walked on stage with a small Imo's pizza and some Fitz's sodas, giving the crowd some local references. Ratliff has become a mainstay in Scott Aukerman's podcast world and that is a good thing.

The best part about the night, and my wife pointed this out after the show, was when all the performers were interacting with each other. They had their alone time, but when they all got involved on a bit, that was when the show would sing. It was the perfect amalgamation of all of their talents.

"Comedy Bang! Bang!" is an awesome and wonderful podcast. It makes me so happy that it is still so popular and big enough to tour all over the world. Obviously I'm a fan, but if you haven't seen a live performance yet, change that. And when they come to Saint Louis for a fourth time, you better believe I will be in attendance once again. 

Ty

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

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The New College Football Game Will Be More of the Same, and I'm Still Buying It

The trailer was revealed for the new College Football game, and even though it will be pretty similar to every other version, I've got to say, I'm pumped.

Ever since they announced the return of the game two years ago, I get more excited every year for this one and only video game. The college football game is the only video game that I have cared about and been any good at playing. I'm not much for role playing games. The newer versions of the Mario games don't appeal much to me. They have never made Crash Bandicoot right since the first version. There are moments few and far between where I get into other sports games, but it never lasts as long as it does with the college football game.

With NIL coming into the fold, and players being rightfully compensated for their image, the return of this game was inevitable. And when it came out for the first time in a while two years ago, it was perfect. I was right back into it all. I started my dynasty, I got back into recruiting, I play every game of the season, I want to win all the time. This has always been the case with this game, and with this new trailer for the 2027 version,

I'm as excited today as I was over two decades ago when this game first came out. The gameplay looks amazing during the trailer. The updates are right up my alley. You can create stadiums again, which hasn't been in the game for a good long time now. The mascot games are back. You can play multiple different positions on the road to glory now. I cannot wait to create a massive rush edge and run college football with the player. They have added NIL stuff in dynasty mode with the recruiting. The game play is becoming more and more real with each new version that comes out. That's how I want it to be. I want them to make this as close to the real thing as possible. That makes it all the more fun.

And my goodness, the game play in the trailer is down right insane looking to me. Each new version begins to look more and more like an actual college football game. This stuff is becoming more and more real every year. I swear that I think I'm watching a real game sometimes when I play. It is only when I look down at the screen and see a name I don't recognize that I realize I'm in the year 2030 with the dynasty I started over a year ago.

I'm also very interested to see what Michigan looks like in the new game. As you all know, Michigan had a bizarre offseason. They regrouped quite nicely, keeping a good amount of key players and hiring Kyle Whitingham, who kind of fortunately fell into their laps. He has what looks to be a good staff around him, they got Bryce Underwood a reliable QB coach, they retained Andrew Marsh and Jordan Marshall, kept their top recruits, and return some members of what could be a decent defense. I'm itching to see how these guys all look in real life, but also in the video game. I want to see what kind of plays the offense runs in the game under Jason Beck. I want to see if the defense is more coverage or attacking under the new defensive coordinator. It is going to show me a lot before the season starts. And boy oh boy am I glad they got Kyle Whitingham. What a relief that was. I'm sure this is how fans of their respective teams feel about this game. It gives us a bit of an early look at what our teams can possibly look like when the season starts in September.

I'm stoked for this game. I cannot wait to download it on my home system the day it is released to the public. I will start to build my dynasty with Michigan. EA's college football game is the best game that has ever existed in my opinion. And as long as they keep making it, I will keep being excited about it and buying it on opening day. 

Ty

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

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Ty Answers the "Is Russell Wilson a Hall of Famer" Question

Russell Wilson announced yesterday that he is retiring from the NFL. This seemed inevitable. He wasn't on a team, no one seemed interested, I don't think he was willing to be a backup and it was time to walk away. At first blush, after he announced his decision, I instantly thought, well he is a hall of fame QB. But, as I have been thinking more and more about it, is Russell Wilson a hall of fame player?

There are certain current QBs playing right now that I think are sure fire hall of fame players. I think Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are shoe-ins. They kind of helped usher in this new era of QBs. The dual threat QBs that are coveted by certain teams. Allen and Jackson, at least to me, have been the guys who ushered in this new era. Without them maybe we don't get Jalen Hurts or anyone else that plays like him. I believe Patrick Mahomes is a first ballot hall of fame QB. He is a winner, puts up tremendous numbers and led a dynastic team in the Chiefs. I do think, unfortunately, that Aaron Rodgers will be a first ballot hall of fame player. He has the numbers, has a ring, has multiple MVP awards and will most likely be inducted as soon as he is able. The jury is still out on guys like Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Matthew Stafford, amongst others.

I have also pondered other players who have been out of the game for a bit now, and are coming up on their possible induction. I don't think Eli Manning is a hall of fame QB, but I bet he gets in. He was the QB of the Giants when they beat those dominant Patriots teams in the mid 2000's. Drew Brees reminds me a ton of Rodgers, with better numbers. Brees is a surefire first ballot hall of fame QB. And then we have guys like Phillip Rivers and Alex Smith. Rivers had tremendous numbers and had a very long and fruitful career. But he never won a ring or an MVP. I don't know if he gets into the hall of fame or not. I do believe he has just as much a case as Eli Manning. Alex Smith is a good story, coming back from his horrific injury. But he doesn't have the numbers, the wins or the allure of the other QBs eligible or already in the hall of fame.

Which brings me to Russell Wilson. Wilson was kind of a surprise star in the NFL for a bit. The Seahawks took him in the later rounds to be Matt Flynn's backup. Flynn proved to be a flash in the pan, and Wilson started almost immediately in Seattle, and they had great success. They won a ring. They went to multiple Super Bowls. They crushed the Broncos when they had what was supposed to be one of the best offenses in the history of football. Wilson was the MVP of the game and looked like his success would continue for a while. They had the second Super Bowl won, until the team decided to throw the ball on the one yard line instead of just handing it to Marshawn Lynch and just letting him fall into the end zone. Wilson has the big game experience of a hall of fame QB, and even a ring. Wilson has the stats too. He put up some big numbers throughout his career. He has multiple 4,000 yard plus passing yards seasons. He has a 40 passing TD season and a 34 passing TD season. He always threw more TDs than interceptions. He had teams in playoff contention almost every season.

Then the trade to Denver happened. He really went downhill during his run in Denver. He couldn't move like he did before. He became a little too obsessed with his own fame. He wanted the limelight more and more it seemed. And that affected his play. He was replaced by, I believe, Jarrett Stidham during his final season in Denver, and made his way to Pittsburgh. He split time with Justin Fields there, due to injury, but he only lasted a season. Then he went to the Giants, and that was a pain to watch. He just wasn't the same. And without getting signed this offseason, he made the right choice to hang the cleats up for good.

In looking at his past stats, and his career as a whole, do I think he should be a hall of famer? No, I don't. He had a great career. He proved tons of doubters wrong. He won a ring. He became famous. But he benefited from having a generational defense with him in Seattle. They had Marshawn Lynch. They had a great o line. Wilson benefited from all of that, as he should have. But, in looking at those Seattle teams he played for, there are a few guys I'd put in the hall of fame before him. I'd put Marshawn Lynch in over anyone else on that team. I'd think much harder about Richard Sherman than I would Russell Wilson when it comes to the hall of fame. Earl Thomas has a better shot in my opinion too. Russell Wilson was a very good, very competent NFL QB. But is he a hall of famer?

I say no. 

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 "Backrooms"

I was able to go see "Backrooms" on Monday, and I have some thoughts about it.

I have wanted to see this movie since I first heard about it a few months back. I saw a trailer before some other A24 movie I went to see and it intrigued me. Then I heard some more things about it that stoked the fires even more for me.

I heard that it was directed by a 20 year old that was found on YouTube. I saw that they had cast Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve in the lead roles. I am a fan of A24 and will watch most of their stuff. And I heard it was creepy, but in more of a psychological way. Those are the kind of "horror" movies I tend to enjoy. I don't like gore porn or jump scare movies. I am also not the biggest fan of traditional horror movies. There's just something that fascinates me when it comes to psychological horror/drama movies. The underlying creepiness compels me. It is why I am able to watch stuff like "Hereditary" or "Bring Her Back". Sure, these movies are very creepy, and can be haunting, but they are more of a mind f than anything else, and I prefer those types of "horror" movies. "Backrooms" definitely falls into that territory for me as a movie goer. Don't get it twisted though, this movie is scary. But it is more in the details and the threat of what could happen in this scenario.

I have later learned that this movie is based on a YouTube series that I have yet to see. I plan on watching the series now that I've seen the movie, but that is for another day. I was happy to know only the very little that I told you all up top going into this movie. You should go in as blind as possible if you have not seen this movie yet, and my review will be spoiler free by the way. That's the ideal way to experience this movie in my opinion.

"Backrooms" was a fascinating watch for me. I was on edge the entire time, but in the best possible way. Watching it all unfold was at times scary, frustrating, compelling and overall exciting. I sat on my Letterboxd review for a while because I couldn't figure out how many stars to give it. In the end I settled on three and a half. That felt proper to me. There are moments, the movie is about an hour and 50 minutes long, that I thought could have been cut. I understand why these certain scenes were left in the movie, but I also think we would have been fine if they were a little shorter, or gone from the final cut completely. I don't know if we need all the flashbacks with Reinsve's character. And maybe they only needed one scene in the therapist's office. But that may just be me. But the rest of the movie was compelling. And scary. The opening sequence itself, which was tremendous table setting, had me on edge. It was spooky and left me wanting to see what was going to happen next. The use of sound was exceptional. It was loud and soft at the appropriate times. When I needed to be spooked by something, the music cues helped me out. I thought they did a wonderful job in that area. Ejiofor and Reinsve were up to the task. When they had to monologue, they crushed it. When they had to step back for the others to shine, they did well in that regard too. Those two are solid, seasoned actors, and they showed that tenfold in these roles. And Kane Parsons seemed to have a deft hand as a director. He may be young, but this kid has an up and coming career. My son asked if the direction was good, and I told him it felt like a real movie directed by a real director. There was nothing that stood out as bad or over the top. This kid knows what he is doing behind the camera and it showed on screen.

I recommend this movie to fans of the genre. If you want to be creeped out, but also have a mind f, go see "Backrooms". I'm very curious to see what Kane Parsons does next. But for now, he came out of the gate swinging and I thought he had a pretty solid first attempt. 

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 the AJ Brown and Myles Garrett Trades

The NFL had two big trades that occurred while I was at the movies yesterday. I have thoughts on both deals.

AJ Brown was moved from the Eagles to the Patriots for some picks. This was an expected trade. I feel like I have been hearing that Brown was going to be traded since last season, and it always seemed like New England was going to be the destination. He wanted out of Philly and it seemed like he wanted to go to the Patriots.

This does give the Patriots a legit number 1, but it doesn't move the needle as much as others may think, at least in my opinion. Brown is a very good wideout. He can get separation, he is fast for his size, and speaking of his size, he is a big dude. But he is older now. He may have given the Eagles his best playing days. His prime may be over with. And Drake Maye is not nearly as good as Jalen Hurts. I know Jalen Hurts has his detractors, but the dude has a ring, he is one of the better dual threat QBs in the NFL and the guy knows how to throw the long ball. I think we all saw the height of Drake Maye's ability last season. I don't think it will get any better than what he showed last season. And while he had a solid season, it went downhill by the end of the year. He became a game manager. The Patriots got to the Super Bowl due to their defense. They only scored 10 points in the AFC title game. The defense is their calling card.

While AJ Brown will add a new weapon to the Patriots offense, this move feels similar to Deebo Samuel joining the Commanders last offseason. It looks all shiny and nice on paper, but when it came to the games, he was essentially a nonfactor. I get that vibe from this move. The Patriots are going to win games by running the ball and playing suffocating defense. Adding AJ Brown probably feels nice right now, but when the season starts, I don't think it will really move the needle all that much. The Patriots are also a big bet to take a step back this season. That didn't change when they acquired AJ Brown yesterday either. Last season seemed more like a fluke than anything else.

Now to the big time trade that will actually make a humongous difference.

Myles Garrett is now a member of the Los Angeles Rams. This is a humongous deal. Garrett is the best defensive player in all of football. He is a one man wrecking crew. He can disrupt an entire offensive line's game plan. He is a sack machine. Offensive lines sometimes need three guys dedicated to  blocking only him. He is on a Bruce Smith/Reggie White level at this point. Hell, he may be better than both of them. Garrett has separated himself from every other pass rusher in football. This is such a bigger move than the Packers getting Micah Parsons last season, and I loved that move. This instantly makes the Rams Super Bowl favorites going into this season. They were in title contention last season, and they seemed to be missing something on the defensive side of the ball. They lacked a genuine pass rusher. They have the best one in the game now. Adding him to this defense is a big time deal. He's now the number one piece on a defense that includes guys like Trent McDuffie, Poona Ford and Kam Kitchens.

Sure, the Rams had to trade Jared Verse and a bunch of high draft picks to get him, but who cares. I know the Rams don't. Sean McVay has always been a "f them picks" type of coach. They did it when they acquired Matthew Stafford, and won a Super Bowl I might add. And now they have done it to get Myles Garrett. I also read that Aaron Donald is maybe thinking about coming out of retirement to return to the Rams. If he were to come back, the Rams defensive front could be one of the best ever assembled. I know that defensive players never win the MVP, but Myles Garrett could be the one guy to change that. He is that good and that important to his team's success. And he got out of a bad situation in Cleveland and is now playing for what a bunch of people feel is one of the best run organizations in all of pro sports. Garrett was already a star, but playing in LA will only amplify that, and he is going to ascend to some of the highest heights in professional sports.

This was a baller move made by a franchise who is all in. This was the trade of the offseason, and maybe of the past 10 years. What a day. 

Ty

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

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Ty's 2026 NBA Finals Preview

The NBA Finals are set. The Spurs slayed the Thunder, and the Knicks easily dispatched of the Cavs. Lets preview the finals.

The Spurs-Thunder game seven was pretty great. I will fully admit, I was very wrong about the Thunder. They looked unbeatable to me. They were rolling when they got to the West Finals. SGA won his second straight MVP. The sidekick players were hitting their shots. They were winning without free throws and their defense looked ferocious. And the Spurs paid no mind to any of that. I loved how free and loose they played. The Thunder could not get anything in the paint when Wemby was in the game. He neutralized Isaiah Hartenstein and, to an even bigger extent, Chet Holmgren. The Spurs played better defense. They got more steals and blocks. They got the loose balls. Julian Champangnie was hitting his threes. Stephon Castle played fearless and free. Dylan Harper announced himself as a future superstar. De'Aaron Fox, when he came back from injury, ran the offense to perfection. The Spurs played a better series than the Thunder and they got the coveted game seven win on the road. I thought that they were maybe a year or two away from this type of contention. They proved me very, very wrong, and I love it. This Spurs team is young and fun. They fly up and down the floor and play exquisite defense. And Wemby is the most unique basketball player I have ever had the joy to watch play. He is from another planet. He does things at his size that shouldn't be possible. He makes the games fun and he seems to really care. This kid is amazing.

The Knicks, after a minor threat in the first round, have been on an absolute roll. They have won 11 straight playoff games. And it's not like the games are all that close. The Knicks are blowing teams out. I know in game one of the East Finals the Cavs took them to overtime, but the Knicks overcame a 14 point deficit in the second half, and I think they won that game by 9 points. They have been playing some of the best basketball in the entire playoffs. They are making threes at an outrageous rate. Landry Shamet has been on absolute fire since being reinserted into the rotation. Jalen Brunson is doing what he does, quietly I might add, and I think he has somehow become underrated for what he brings to this team. OG Anunoby, coming off his own injury, has been remarkable on defense, which is to be expected, but he has been equally as good on offense. That is such a plus for this team. Mitchell Robinson, who does have a broken pinky, has been a beast on the boards and is rim running with the best of them right now. Karl; Anthony-Towns has gone to a whole other level. He is still scoring like he usually does, but he is also passing at a high level and he is playing the best defense he has ever played in the NBA. Mikal Bridges got out of his slump on offense and is now the two way threat he was when he was on the Suns. Miles McBride is playing crucial minutes, Jordan Clarkson has bought in on defense and Mike Brown was the right choice to coach this team. I may have been a little critical of it when he was hired, I was wrong. He was the missing piece the Knicks needed to be where they are right now.

Ever since game seven of the West Finals ended I have been sitting and trying to figure out who I think is going to win. The backcourts are so different. Brunson and Bridges are a unique blend. Bridges is long and tall. Brunson is short and stocky and can get anywhere on the floor on the offensive end. Fox, Castle and Harper are a wonderful trio in the backcourt. Fox is the level headed veteran here. He is also lightning quick and he seems to be fully healthy. Castle is wildly athletic and can get to the rim with ease. Harper is a similar build to Brunson, but he is younger and a little more reckless in a good way. The front court battle should be interesting. The Knicks have a two headed monster here. Mitchell Robinson will be able to beat up the Spurs big men. But he may not be healthy. He is going to be very important in  this series. The Knicks need him out there. Karl Anthony-Towns should make the Spurs big men work a ton. He can score from anywhere on the floor and he is playing, as previously stated, the best defense of his career. Josh Hart is more of a guard, but the way he crashes the boards and attacks the rim makes me see him more as a frontcourt guy in this series. He needs to make shots, but Josh Hart could be another decisive player for the Knicks.

The Spurs have Wemby. Wemby is amazing. He can do it all and he can do it all at a very high level. There was a moment in game 7 of the West Finals where he caused a deflection that turned into a steal, got a pass about three feet behind the three point line, pulled up and splashed it. I audibly guffawed when this happened. He is incredible. Luke Kornet is playing solid basketball right now. Julian Champengie, as said before, can stretch any defender, and he plays good defense. And Harrison Barnes is going to be needed in the Finals if the Spurs want to win it all this year.

I'm still struggling with who to pick. I genuinely like both of these teams. RD is a Knicks fan and my dad roots for the Spurs when the Bucks are out or no good. I like a bunch of players in this series. I like both coaches and  both coaching staffs. I'm so pumped to watch the Finals this year. And we will have a new NBA champ for the 8th straight year. That rules and shows that the NBA has true parity.

As for my pick, give me the Spurs in seven with Wemby bringing home Finals MVP. They slayed the biggest dragon on the road, they're young, they seem to have the it factor right now and they have Wemby. Sorry RD, but this feels like the Spurs ring this year. 

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.

Chet Holmgren is a Liability, Not an Asset, for the Thunder

I'm so excited that we are getting game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs and Thunder have been the two best teams in the NBA all year, so it only makes sense that they are going the distance to see which team will represent the West in the Finals. But that is not the crux of my piece today.

Chet Holmgren is a good basketball player. He has his limitations offensively, but he is a force on the defensive end of the floor. He proved that and then some in the Finals last season. He was an absolute menace. I was actually ready to eat crow after his defensive performance last season. I thought he was going to be more of a liability when he entered the NBA. I thought he was too skinny and too limited to be a real force. It didn't help that he missed all of his rookie year due to injury. I figured I had him pegged. But then he stayed healthy and played well. I believe he was in the all star conversation the past two years, and he has become a mainstay on the all defense teams.

In this series all of the stuff that had me worried when he was a prospect is coming back to haunt him. He has been an absolute nonfactor in this series. The Thunder won't even play him as the only big on the floor. Victor Webanyama has been absolutely eating his lunch all series. Wemby is on the fast track to being one of the top players in all of basketball. He is an alien unlike anything else we have ever seen. The things he does on the court should be impossible for someone his size. But he does it and he is doing it all against Holmgren. It is wild to me that people tried to compare the two of them when they were coming up in youth, high school and higher level basketball. There's no comparison, and Wemby is making sure we all know that. There's clearly some animosity from Wemby that people would even consider these two players on the same planet talent wise. I love that Wemby has taken that personally, and every time he faces Holmgren, he is making it a point to not just beat him, but humiliate him in the process. The modern NBA has too many friendships. We need more rivalries like I watched when I was growing up. And it looks like, at least from Wemby's point of view, that he does not care for Chet Holmgren.

The most glaring thing during this series, it's not just Wemby who is abusing Holmgren. Guards on the Spurs are going right at him. Devin Vassell, in the game last night, went right at him when he was the lone rim protector and scored an easy layup. Stephon Castle, who has no fear, doesn't think twice when rising up at the rim to meet Holmgren. Dylan Harper, who has been going hard at Lu Dort too, has zero fear when going to the rim against Holmgren. It has been a masterclass from the Spurs at attacking the guy who is supposedly on Wemby's level as a shot blocker or disruptor. That notion has to be gone now. Even the most loyal Chet Holmgren fan would have to agree that this is now the case. And maybe this is just a bad matchup for him. Maybe the Spurs have all the right answers to the things he is supposed to be elite at doing on a basketball court. But he has just not shown the capability to be anywhere near Wemby's level in this series. Wemby is, far and away, a better basketball player, on both ends, than Chet Holmgren. I like Isaiah Hartenstein,  but when he is the only big the Thunder trust against Wemby, what does that mean for Holmgren's future with this team.

These two teams are going to be at each other's throats for the next four or five years hopefully, and if Hartenstein is more reliable, maybe the Thunder need to look in a new direction for Holmgren. Maybe they can offload him to a team in need of a big center. The Thunder are going to have to make some hard decisions on key players soon, and maybe Holmgren will be at the top of that list now. He has not had a very good series. And maybe his luck changes, he hits some threes and blocks a few shots in game 7. But I would be looking into possible deals, which I'm sure Sam Presti is already doing, to see what the Thunder could get for Holmgren. He is simply not at the level he needs to be if he is going to be a formidable opponent to Wemby and the Spurs. And this series has shown us that tenfold. 

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 on "Triangle of Sadness"

I saw "Triangle of Sadness" yesterday and I have some thoughts.

I remember hearing about this movie during the pandemic. When things opened up a little more I would read things about this movie that were glowing. I believe it won the Palme D'Or the year it went to Cannes. I also know that it came from Neon Studios, and they have a track record that is on similar ground as A24. It has been on Netflix for a bit, I have come across it a bunch and yesterday I finally decided to hit play.

This was an interesting watch. First of all, the movie clocks in at right around two and a half hours. There's some stuff that could have been cut in my opinion. Some scenes seemed to go on a bit too long for my liking. But that is a personal preference thing for me. I read some stuff after watching the movie, and I guess that is a certain trademark of the director. To each their own, but this could have easily been a two hour movie. Other than that gripe, this was a pretty good movie.

The movie started off interesting with a modeling casting call. There's a bunch of hunky dudes sitting in a room being interviewed by a documentarian. He's asking funny questions and the guys are giving funny answers. This is one scene that felt a bit long, but I believe the director wanted the viewer to be uncomfortable watching them wait. And when they finally got called into the room it was quick and noncommittal. But this is where we are introduced to Carl, played by Harris Dickinson. He's integral to the whole movie. The very next scene we meet Carl's much more successful partner, YaYa, played by Charlbi Dean Kriek, who tragically passed away shortly after this movie's release. These two are always at each other's throats over money and fame. They fight and makeup, and this is when we land on the yacht. This is where the movie goes nuts. Everything you could imagine going wrong does.

The yacht is for the uber wealthy. YaYa and Carl are invited on due to YaYa's social media fame. We meet all kinds of odd birds on this yacht. Zlakto Buric plays Dimitri. He is a Russian fertilizer tycoon who loves to tie one on and has a wife and girlfriend with him. Woody Harrellson plays a drunken buffoon of a captain. Vicki Berlin plays the manager of the staff and she is a no nonsense go getter to a fault. We also have Therese, a mute woman due to a stroke, Winston and Camilla, a rich couple who made their money manufacturing weapons, Jarmo, a Swedish internet tycoon, and Abigail, head of the janitorial services on the yacht. There's plenty of other people, but these are the main people we see most on screen. The yacht is where all the shit goes down on this movie. Crazy and gross stuff happens in abundance. There's a scene, after one of the rich attendees of the yacht forces the entire staff to go swimming, and the head chef says that if his staff goes swimming, the food is going to go bad. We later see that come into full effect at the captain's dinner. There also happens to be a big storm, so the combination of spoiled food and seas sickness makes for one of the grossest, and longest, scenes I've ever seen in a movie. The amount of bodily fluids we are exposed to as the viewer seems to be overkill. But it is also highly effective. After a night of gross stuff, and Woody Harrellson and Dimitri going on a bender, some pirates emerge and the movie takes another turn. We end up with the survivors of the attack on an island. Things get bleak here. This is where the comedic elements seem to die down and the movie gets a little sinister. But, the island may not be as remote as we first think. Power dynamics shift, love triangles start, paranoia sets in and the movie comes to a rather upsetting conclusion.

My son asked me what I thought of the movie after watching it yesterday and I told him it was a fascinating watch, but I don't believe I'll ever revisit the movie. And that's not a diss on this movie. There are plenty of movies I have liked that I have only ever seen once. "Triangle of Sadness" has some solid elements, but it feels a bit too long. I'd say watch it once to get a feel for the type of movie it is and to see the twists and turns. But you don't have to revisit it unless you really want multiple viewings. 

Ty

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

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Can the Knicks Actually Win it All

The New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals. Let’s discuss.

This has been a long time coming. I remember the last time they made the Finals. I was 17 years old, the season was cut short by a strike, the Knicks were the 8th seed and they went on a magical run. It was awesome. I've bounced around being a fan of a few NBA teams. As a kid I was all in on the Seattle Supersonics. And the moment Seattle gets a new team, hopefully soon, I will be right back on the fan train. I'm all in for Seattle basketball. When they moved to OKC, I became a Thunder fan. It was easy enough to follow them there, and having a young Kevin Durant made it an easy transition. Then KD left and I was, again, looking for a new team. I toyed with the Suns, but Phoenix fans are an odd bunch. This was when I landed on the Memphis Grizzlies. They're close to Saint Louis and I liked what they were doing at the time. During all of this I have always quietly rooted for the Knicks. They're the one team from New York that I've always kind of liked.

I first fell in love with the Knicks when they had Patrick Ewing and John Starks. I had the famous John Starks poster on my wall when I was a kid. Patrick Ewing was one of my favorite players growing up. I was all in when they had Allan Houston and Larry Johnson. When they shifted to Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire, I still found it fun to root for them. There were some very lean years post Carmelo, but still, watching them play at Madison Square Garden was something to behold. Then they got Jalen Brunson. I was stoked to see him leave Dallas, and to go play on one of the biggest stages there is in professional sports, I found it easy to root for him. He took a chance on himself and it is paying off. I liked Mitchell Robinson the moment he declared for the draft. He is an old school NBA big man. He's mean and gruff and gets boards. He can also dunk a ball very hard. Mikal Bridges was one of the reasons I was contemplating being a Suns fan. Now that he is playing for the Knicks, it is so much easier to root for him. Acquiring OG Anunoby has been such a great deal for them and he is one of the best two way players in the game. I have always liked Karl Anthony-Towns. I liked him in college and when he was on the Timberwolves. I don't get the hate he gets on the internet. He is a very good offensive player, and it looks like he has finally learned how to play solid defense. Hell, I even enjoy the bench guys. Miles McBride is a bucket off the bench. I don't know if Landry Shamet has missed a three in the playoffs yet. Jordan Clarkson is getting minutes again and even he has bought in on the defensive end. This is a fun team to root for. And even the whole James Dolan of it all hasn't turned me off. Maybe it's due to him being less active or maybe it's due to Leon Rose being a bit more in charge. Dolan's awfulness hasn't hindered this team as of late. I thought they pulled the plug too soon on Tom Thibodeau. I was wrong. Mike Brown has been a perfect hire to get the best out of this team while also giving players proper rest during the season and playoffs. Josh Hart still seems like he could play 48 minutes every night this late in the year. That's due to Brown knowing when and where to give his players rest and to let them play.

Personally I like all three teams left in the playoffs. The Thunder are an absolute machine. They are well coached, have the two time MVP, have depth and play hellacious defense. I don't care about all the "foul baiting" and complaints. The Thunder are a legit dynasty in the making. The Spurs are young and fun and have an alien on their team that may be the best player in the world already. They're so unlike the Spurs of old, who I also liked, but still have that winning DNA. Stephon Castle is awesome, Dylan Harper has star written all over him, Julian Champenie can't miss and Wemby is amazing.

The Knicks are my personal favorite of the teams left. They're classic. They have the most iconic uniforms in the NBA. They have the best celebrity row. Nothing in the NBA makes me happier than seeing Spike Lee and Tracy Morgan courtside at a Knicks game. They are tried and true fans of that team. I like the guys on the team. They're playing beautiful basketball right now. It would be amazing if they could actually win the whole thing. They might have a good chance if the Thunder and Spurs keep beating each other up. The NBA is better when the Knicks are relevant. I remember when they hosted a first round playoff game in 2021, after not making it for years, and the Garden was rocking. Imagine how nuts it is going to be hosting a Finals game. I cannot wait.

I'm all in on the knicks for the Finals no matter who they end up playing. I want them to win it all now. 

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.

Ty Watches "I Love Boosters"

Over the weekend I went and saw "I Love Boosters". Let’s discuss.

I was primed and pumped for this showing. I'm a big Boots Riley fan. Ever since one of my older brothers introduced me to his music, he raps in a group called The Coup, I was on board. I have always liked how politically charged his lyrics were and still are. I like that he has something important to say. I like that he has some of the best guest features on their albums. I loved Pa the Funkstress, may she Rest in Peace. I then saw that he was making a movie before the pandemic. "Sorry To Bother you" is one of the most unique movies I've ever seen. I was instantly in love with that movie. I told everyone I know to go see it. I took my dad to watch and had my wife watch it with me as well. They had their opinions, but this was a movie I wanted to share with everyone I knew. I have heard from friends that I recommended it to, and they have said they liked it. It was such a good take on the ills of wealth and the lengths people will take to get there. I have not yet watched "But I'm a Virgo". I actually plan on starting that later this afternoon. And then we have "I Love Boosters". Boots Riley and crew have been promoting the hell out of it since they announced a release day. I watched all of that with bated breath. I saw early reviews, and thankfully they were praising the movie. It was widely released last Friday, and the internet was abuzz with people giving it its flowers. I tried to see it on Friday, but the timing didn't work. Fortunately for me my son's basketball game didn't start until 6pm on Sunday, so I was able to see it Sunday afternoon.

I loved this movie so much. It is so Boots Riley to an absolute T. From the jump I knew I was in for a ride. The Tune Yards are back doing the score for this movie, they also scored "Sorry to Bother You". The score for this movie was carnival-esque. I read after watching the movie that the members of the band decided to try instruments they had never played before, like a mouth harp or an accordion. That comes across tenfold when listening to the score. I also love that the Tune Yards sing during the score. They say simple stuff, like "Hi Ho", but man does it work for me. We then have the cast, and they crushed this movie. The Velvet Gang, these are the Boosters, more on that in a moment. Keke Palmer is the star and she nails it. I hung on her every moment. I loved every look she wore in the movie. I thought her plans were the best. She was dynamite. The rest of the gang is filled out with Naomi Ackie, killing it as a mom who is trying best to get the best for her kids, and Taylour Paige, who seems a little dimwitted, but when it comes down to it, she knows what she's doing. Poppy Liu shows up about halfway through the movie, and I loved her backstory and reasoning for why she was doing what she was doing. LaKeith Stanfield is so awesome as a love interest for Palmer, who may have a secret. Demi Moore plays a tremendous villain. I grew to despise her as the movie went on. She also has the wildest office I've seen in a movie. Don Cheadle is in this movie, but you would have to look it up to see who he plays. He is awesome in this role too. Jason Ritter and Jermaine Fowler have bit parts that are very memorable. And this movie has a great story to go along with the great cast. Boosting is stealing clothes from a store and selling it at a lesser price to the people who truly want the clothes. The Coup actually have a song about it on their excellent record "Pick A Bigger Weapon". But this movie has so much more to tell. We have the boosting, but we also have striking workers, poor work conditions, tons of comedy, some of the most vibrant and cool looking clothing in a movie, a great story about friendship and family and some wild stuff that happens, that I don't want to spoil, in the final act. The movie also has a hopeful tinge to it, and makes me feel good when I'm watching it.

I stood up and clapped when the movie was over. Others joined in with me. "I Love Boosters" is so good. I want Boots Riley to continue to make movies because he has the most unique voice in directing right now. Go see this movie and see it in a theater full of people if you are able. It is so good and so fresh. We need more movie makers like Boots Riley. 

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.