Ty Watches "Poor Things"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "The Curse" Season One

Last week I finished season one of "The Curse". I kept thinking about it a lot since then. I was thinking about it so much that I went back and rewatched the finale last night.

I thought this finale was pretty remarkable. In fact, I found this whole season to be very weird and interesting and thought provoking and pretty solid. This show is very different. It is unlike pretty much anything that is on tv right now. The plot is fairly simple, but the execution was next level.

"The Curse" centers on Whitney and Asher, a married couple that host a HGTV show. They go to their hometown and build climate change friendly homes. They have squabbles with the network, the people who work for them and amongst themselves. Sounds simple enough. But the twists and turns happen galore. This show went to some of the cringiest places one could imagine. There were times where I felt uncomfortable watching. I would squirm on the couch. It was wild. The way these two take advantage of the people in their hometown, especially the indigenous people, is abhorrent. When they think they are doing something nice, it is only for their own benefit or to help the show. They are only out for themselves, so much so that they start to plot against one another.

Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder are dynamic here as well. I was totally blown away by Fielder's acting. He takes the uncomfortableness to a whole new level. If you thought he was awkward on "The Rehearsal" or "Nathan For You", this show makes those people look tame. He is clingy and needy and helpless here. It was a delight to watch. Emma Stone is wonderfully odd and plays a white savior so well. She has no qualms about the things she does as long as she thinks she is helping out the less fortunate. In most cases she is only out for herself. There is a scene in particular when she pokes fun at Fielder for trying to be tough and I was taken aback at how mean and nasty her character could be. It was a tour de force for her. I also appreciate the fact that she is doing stuff like this as opposed to taking on multiple rom coms or dumb coming of age movies. She is taking chances, nailing it and I'm here for it. Benny Safdie is also a revelation. I have always enjoyed his directing, but his acting here is pretty good. And while not as cringey as Fielder, he is right up there.

I think my favorite thing about this show is the long, silent moments. They really make you sit in it. The viewer is almost forced to sit and go back and think about what you just saw. They will have this super awkward scene or moment, and then they will cut to a long shot of a home or the face of the person in the aftermath. You just sit there and go over what you just saw until the silence breaks. It is pretty cool the way they do that. And the way they tell this story, and how they end it, it is one of the odder yet cooler things I've ever watched. They never poke fun at reality tv or home making shows. They never make these awful people seem like they have some good inside of them. They paint these overprigeled rich assholes in the proper light. And I love that.

"The Curse" is not the easiest watch, but if you let yourself get into it, the payoff is pretty exceptional. I loved it. If you are going to watch, and you are a Fielder fan, change your expectations. And if you are going in to watch Emma Stone, change your expectations. This show is unlike pretty much anything out there now, but it is well worth your time. 

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 Curse" Series Premier

Last night I was able to watch the pilot episode of "The Curse". This is Nathan Fielder's new show. He is also working with Benny Safdie, he is a co creator, and A24 is producing. Let’s discuss.

This is right up my alley. I adore Fielder's work. "Nathan For You" is one of the best, most original shows ever. He followed that up with a genius show, "Rehearsal". Fielder is in an incredible groove as of late, and Showtime giving him his own show was a genius move. Benny Safdie was in "Good Time" and he directed it with his brother. He and his brother also did "Uncut Gems" which is one of the better movies to have been released in the last couple of years. The Safdie brothers have a great eye for directing and they are on fire right now. Safdie was also excellent in his role in "Good Time". A24 is the best production company in the game. They are doing the best work in movies and tv right now. They also paid people and gave them what they asked for during the actors and writers strike. Whoever is running A24 is one of the smarter people in the game. A24 totally rules and they have a lifelong fan in me. So putting all three of these together, it is a recipe for a wild and entertaining tv show.

Now, this show is not really a comedy. There were comedic moments in the pilot, but they were few and far between and they were buttoned by something creepy or cringey. And I think that is the point of this show. Putting Fielder in charge may lead one to believe that this is going to be a straight forward comedy. But this show is a lot more like "The Rehearsal", or "Finding Frances". Fielder is doing something different and I'm here for it. There were moments in the pilot that were disturbing, creepy, cringey, uncomfortable and I was all in from start to finish. I wanted to see something different and weird from Fielder, and that is exactly what "The Curse" gives the viewer.

There was one scene in particular that really shook me seeing Fielder acting it out. He and his wife, Emma Stone, who is perfect here, are being interviewed by a local newscaster. The newscaster starts in on Stone's family and you can see it pisses Fielder off. He starts to go off on her, and at one point he snaps and tells her to "talk to me, not to my wife". My wife saw this and said she hates his character. I told her me too, but I think that is what Fielder is going for. He has other moments that really creeped me out, and he nails it, like the most squirm inducing sex scene I have seen in quite some time. Stone, as previously mentioned, totally nails it here. She is trying to do something good for her community, but she is also the poster child for gentrification, and she has no idea. She is tough and formidable, but she is also causing harm to her community. Benny Safdie is the creep of all creeps here. He is the director of their show, and from the moment he steps on screen he is despicable. He makes it look like a mom is crying when she is actually dying. He hits on Stone far too much. He gets footage without people's consent. He tries to make people uncomfortable when there is no reason for it. He shows his old content which is vile. He is so gross yet I cannot take my eyes off him when he is on screen. This show is very different and very creepy. They let you live in silence and they linger on shots longer than seems necessary. But it works. Fielder has an eye for this. Safdie knows what he is doing. And Stone is such a pro. This works.

“The Curse” may not be for everyone, but I'm in. I say check it out if you like any of the three main people, but go in knowing it is not a typical tv show. It takes chances and those chances worked for me in the pilot episode. I can't wait for more. 

Ty

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

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Better Late than Never on "The Favourite"

As I do around this time of year, I try to catch up on some award winning movies from the previous year. Most premium channels are now showing them, and the other day HBO was playing “The Favourite”. I recorded it, and I literally just finished it about 10 minutes ago. Needless to say, I have some thoughts.

First off, I wanted to see this movie because I really enjoyed the director’s previous movie, “The Lobster”. I wanted to see what he would do next. Now I have to say up top, I enjoyed “The Favourite”, but I also have about a million questions that I don’t know will ever get answered, but that’s okay. I like when a movie makes me think about it for a few days after I watch it. That is the sign of a good movie to me. That shows that the director, writers and actors all did their jobs, and did them well. That being said, it’s a super weird movie. It is even wilder, to me, than “The Lobster”.

“The Favourite” just kind of starts, and moves along from there. You get the idea that it’s about a queen, but it takes awhile to get to the real story of the movie. It did start a little slow for my taste, but when it picks up, it really picks up. The movie is about a sickly and petulant queen who basically chooses between 2 women to be her second in command. Olivia Colman is wonderful as the queen. She is petulant and moody and whiny and childish and paranoid. Colman nails this. She is really good in this role, especially when the story starts to pick up.

Now, I don’t want to take anything away from Colman, as I said, I thought she was great, but Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are far superior in their performances, for me. This is a total departure from what Stone usually does, and man is she wonderful. She is manipulative and willing to do anything to climb the social ladder and only cares about herself, no matter who gets hurt. I’m used to seeing Stone, who I really like as an actor, play the good person, the hero. She is very far from that in this movie, and she nails it. I was blown away by her performance. It makes me like her even more. I don’t know if she was nominated for this or not, but she definitely deserved to be either way. She is so good in this movie. But Rachel Weisz, to me, was the absolute star of this movie. She is so, so, so good. She is strong and powerful and commanding and righteous. She is the queen’s right hand person so much so that she essentially runs the country for me. She is a total badass too. She doesn’t take any crap from anyone, and she’s a fighter. At first I didn’t like her character, but as the movie went on, I grew to love her, and root for her. I couldn’t figure out who to root for for a bit. Then Weisz has this tremendous turn, and I totally bought in. Not only should she have been nominated for sure, she should have won many awards for this role. She was amazing.

There were some other smaller performances from some solid actors, but this was really a story about these 3 women, and it was very well told. The movie is haunting, yet beautiful to look at. The music is absolutely incredible. I found myself, saying aloud to no one, that the music in this movie rules. I would totally listen to this score just for fun. And the three main actors totally nailed their performances.

As I said, I still have a ton of questions, but “The Favourite” is a good movie, and it deserves all the accolades it got. I like the movie, and I recommend it. Just know that it is very strange, and will leave you scratching your head, in a good way.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty dislikes the Oscars so much he never pays attention to them. If he had, Ty would know that both Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz lost their shots at a second Oscar when Regina King won her goddamned deserved first Oscar.

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Ty Does not Watch the Dumb Oscars, but He still Has Some Thoughts

I said I'd have a follow up to RD's Oscars piece today, and I'm a man of my word. I'll get to other stuff later in the week.

First off, I totally agreed with pretty much all of RD's thoughts on all the categories. I don't really care about the sound stuff and the shorts. Don't get me wrong, those things are very important to movies, but I do not think the movie going public truly, really cares about those awards. I was very happy to see "Zootopia" win best animated movie. I very much liked the message and the animation and the story. It was a very well deserved win. I was so pumped that Masherala Ali won best supporting actor for "Moonlight". Ali is a wonderful actor, I loved him in "Luke Cage", and though I haven't watched "Moonlight" yet, I plan on seeing it tomorrow, I'm sure he is tremendous and well deserving. And "OJ: Made in America" is a must watch, and it won the award for documentary feature. These were my favorite things about the 2017 Oscars.

All the other stuff, save for Best Picture was predictable. The movie that won Best Foreign Language was a shoo in from what I read. Denzel Washington should have won Best Actor, but the academy gave it to a terrible, mean person, Casey Affleck. I felt real bad for Brie Larson, the presenter, because she does so much charity for victims of abuse, having to give him the award. Denzel is also a masterful actor. Viola Davis was more than deserving. This award was a long time coming.

Then we have "La La Land". As I said, I fully agreed with RD that the academy was going to reward a movie about white struggling jazz musicians, dancers and actors. That movie should have been called "Oscar Bait". And, for the most part, it won everything it was nominated for. I have no intention of watching this movie. I like the director, Damien Chazelle, I loved "Whiplash", but "La La Land" did nothing for me with the trailers. It's not my cup of tea. But, Chazelle won for directing, Emma Stone won for Best Actress and a few, not all, of the technical awards it was nominated in. I have nothing against this movie or the actors. I have made it wildly known my love for Ryan Gosling. I think Emma Stone is wonderful. I already said I love Chazelle's work with a movie like "Whiplash". But I was so excited when I read that "Moonlight" beat it out for Best Picture.

I've read and seen all the stuff that happened last night, with announcing the wrong winner. All that stuff just goes to show that EVERYONE expected "La La Land" to win, even Warren Beatty. But, for a movie like "Moonlight" to take the main prize, especially in this f'ed up political climate right now, makes me so in incredibly and irrationally happy. I haven't even watched it yet, but I'm so, so stoked that it won. This is a big deal for independent movies, which I love, and I'm filled with joy that "Moonlight" and Ali took home major prizes.

One more quick thing, screw the academy for not even nominating "Deadpool". The Golden Globes, and basically every other major awards show at least gave it a nod, but the academy decided movies like "Nocturnal Animals", "Arrival" (ed note: This film is is terrible) or "Hacksaw Ridge" were more deserving. Just give it a nod. You can nominate up to 10 movies, and "Deadpool" was most definitely one of the 10 best of 2016. The academy missed out on a big opportunity, but at least they cashed in a big opportunity with "Moonlight" last night.

Congrats to everyone involved with all the good movies and performances, it was a well deserved, great night for the people involved. Also, I heard that Jimmy Kimmel did a fine job as host, which I expected. Those are my takes on the 2017 Oscars.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He gave up on the Oscars when the best movie of the year, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" received a non-record zero nominations. The Oscars are dumb. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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SeedSing's Dumb Predictions for the Dumb Oscars: 2017 Edition

It is time for the 89th Academy Awards, and I have a few dumb things I need to get off my chest.

Last year we complained about how idiotic and pointless the Academy Awards have become. The night's top prize did not go to a movie beloved by audiences and critics alike (Mad Max: Fury Road). The Best Picture statue was given to Spotlight, a movie I bet 99 out of 100 people randomly surveyed would say they have never seen. That does not mean Spotlight is a bad movie, it is quite good actually, it just shows that the Academy Awards have no idea what movies are timeless, and truly the best films of the year. People remember Brokeback Mountain as a culturally important, and incredibly great film, while we all remember Crash as the terrible film the Oscars thought was a better movie than Brokeback Mountain. The Artist, The King's Speech, How Green Was My Valley, are forgotten footnotes who only come up in trivia questions, while classics like The Social Network, The Dark Knight, and Citizen Kane are films that get regularly listed as some of the greatest of all time. Even fairly good movies like Dances with Wolves, Shakespeare in Love, and Chicago are hated by people because those films "stole" Oscars that should have gone to Goodfellas, Saving Private Ryan, and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In short, the Oscars are dumb, and have been dumb for a very long time.

With that being said, why would SeedSing even do predictions for the Oscars. Because, dammit, we still love to watch movies. We also love to complain when our favorites are not honored. Complaining is awesome. The Oscars are the most watched awards show on television because movies represent the highest form of art in our American society. Movie stars are our royalty, movies are our mythology, and the Oscars bring it all together. 

Now presenting the SeedSing predictions for the 2017 Academy Awards.

Best Picture

When the Oscars expanded the field for Best Picture, the intent was to have more audience friendly mainstream movies make the filed. That has not happened. Deadpool should be in the list of 2017 Best Picture contenders, but it is not. The Academy decided that movies like Lion, Hacksaw Ridge, Manchester by the Sea, Fences and Hell or High Water could sit and lose and not excite any new viewers. 

Almost everyone thinks that La La Land will win the big prize, and why not. La La Land is a brave risk taking film that is about a white jazz musician, a white actress in LA, and uses classic Hollywood musicals as it's inspiration. How in the hell is that movie not going to win Best Picture. The producers should have just called the movie The 2017 Award Winner for Best Picture. There has never been a movie so focused grouped to what the Oscars award like La La Land. It exists to win the Oscar.

Some think that audience favorite Hidden Figures or indie success Moonlight may be an upset winner for the big statue, but that will not happen. The inclusion, and hope, for these films is just the Academy throwing a bone to the #OscarsSoWhite crowd. A win by either of these films would be justified, but La La Land is the brave tale of white people playing jazz and trying to make it Hollywood. The response to #OscarsSoWhite will be to give the whitest movie the biggest prize. La La Land is going to be 2017's Best Picture winner.

Personal note. My early pick for the Best Picture was going to be Arrival. Everything I heard about this movie made it sound like a better, modern, version of Contact. I was all in.

After I saw Arrival, I take any love back from that movie. It is terrible and incredibly stupid. Do not watch Arrival. 

Best Actor

Casey Affleck or Denzel Washington will win this award. The other contenders should practice their gracious clapping after they lose. Casey Affleck was a shoe in for Manchester by the Sea, and then some alleged disturbing allegations from his past started to make the news. The entertainment tried to keep it quite, but the reports kept on coming. Denzel Washington in Fences became the defacto safe pick for people who would not vote for Affleck. Denzel Washington will win.

Another personal thought. If Denzel was accused of what Affleck allegedly has done, Mr. Washington's career in movies would be over. Make your own conclusions to why this is.

Best Actress

Another two person race.

In one corner you have french actress Isabelle Huppert in Elle. She has already won a bunch of awards, is a legend in the business, and is almost universally considered to have given the best performance of the year.

Unfortunately in corner two we have young Emma Stone playing the struggling actress in La La Land. She wins the Oscar

Yet another personal thought. Elle is directed by Paul Verhoeven. I love Verhoeven films like Robocop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers. Elle is not like any of those movies. 

Best Supporting Actor

This is the only category where any of the nominees could win. Mahershala Ali from Moonlight has won most of the early awards, and this may be the best award the beloved Moonlight will win all night.

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis in Fences. No question.

Other Awards

Best Director - It would be awesome to see Barry Jenkins from Moonlight win and make history, but Damien Chazelle directed the film about the white hero of jazz in LA. Chazelle will win.

Best Original Screenplay - The Lobster is inspired insanity, but it is not about struggling attractive white people in LA. La La Land wins.  

Best Adapted Screenplay - Anything except Arrival. Please.

Best Animated Featured Film - Enjoyable remedial meditation on racism that is Zootopia will win. The Batman Lego Movie better damn well win this award next year. I know it will not and I am already irrationally pissed. 

The other categories, also known as the speeches you will fast forward through - La La Land will win any category it is in. Just please do not let Arrival win anything. It's sound, design, and cinematography was great, but the actual movie is so bad I do not want it to be an Oscar winner. Please.

Rant over. That is how the 89th Academy Awards are going to shake out from the SeedSing perspective. I will leave everyone with one more prediction. Jimmy Kimmell should do a good job, I hope. Enjoy the show.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Did you like Arrival? How could you, it is terrible. I mean what was the point? I can talk my way to time travel? Why is their gravity different? Do the heptapods ever wear pants?   Come tell us.

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