Ty Watches "Barbie"

Now that I am done with the football talk I want to get to some things that I have seen or done or listened to the past couple weeks and have been waiting to tell you all about. The first thing I want to talk about is "Barbie".

Me, my wife and kids all finally went to see the movie two Sundays ago. I have been pestering my wife to see it and told her the kids should come. The movie is a phenomenon and I felt like it would benefit the kids to see it. They had typical reactions. My son, who is 11 and focused solely on sports said it was a "6 out of 10". My daughter loved the colors and seeing Barbieland, but when it got to the more serious stuff she was not interested. My wife and I absolutely loved the movie. I mentioned on the podcast last week how much I adore this movie. I fully believe it is going to go down as one of the best, and most impactful movies to ever come out.

"Barbie" tells a great story about acceptance and being okay with who you are and how it is fine to be sad sometimes and that everything is never going to be as perfect as one may want their lives to be. I was moved by this movie. I laughed harder at this movie than some of my favorite comedies of all time. The imagery was astounding and cool. They used old style techniques and made them modern day. It was highly impressive. And the acting was superb. Margot Robbie knocked it completely out of the park. She was fully engrossed in this role and gave it her all. She played funny and heartbroken to perfection. She blew me away. Ryan Gosling was what I imagine Ken would be like if the doll came to life. I fully believed he was Ken. It was terrific. He was the funniest person in this whole movie. America Ferrera spoke for all of us in our early 40's and how tough life can be with kids nowadays, especially kids with an opinion. Ferrera is wildly underrated and this role should push her to the fame she deserves. Even the smaller roles, those were nailed. Michael Cera as Allan was my favorite. Issa Rae as president Barbie was pitch perfect. Will Ferrell as Mattel CEO was spot on. Simu Liu as a rival Ken was the best foil you could want for Gosling's Ken. Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie was an example of how great a comedic actor McKinnon is. I was blown away by everyone. To see all the Barbies and Kens, that was quite a feat.

What got me most was Greta Gerwig's directing and her and Noah Baumbach's script. The directing was second to none. Gerwig controlled every aspect of these super talented actors and pulled the best out of them. To get drama and comedy the way she did, that work should not be overlooked. She should be the odds on favorite at the Oscars for best director. There should be no question. The script was even better than the directing. Gerwig and Baumbach told a relatable, real life story using Barbie and Ken dolls. They found a way to make a real life story out of dolls. There were moments in this script that were the best of the best. The way they tackled the stupidity of the patriarchy to Barbie dealing with an existential crisis to America Ferrera dealing with her daughter growing up and being over Barbie, it all worked. I bought it all and wanted more and more.

This is one of the rare perfect movies. I cannot find a flaw anywhere. Any early skepticism I had was instantly erased. I cannot recommend this movie enough. I think everyone should see it. It is a feat that will not be met for a very long time. "Barbie" is destined to become a classic and I am stoked that I saw it in a packed theater during week four of its release. What an accomplishment. 

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 "Vengeance"

Over the weekend my wife and I watched the movie "Vengeance" on our date night. I had heard about this movie a while back. I do not remember exactly where I heard about it, probably a podcast, but it intrigued me.

For those that may not know, "Vengeance" is a movie written and directed by BJ Novak, Ryan from the American "Office". His character is a podcaster who goes to a remote town in Texas to help investigate a possible murder. That is the Cliff's Notes version. The movie received pretty positive reviews, I like BJ Novak and I enjoy podcasts very much. It hit all the marks for me. And the movie delivered.

Again, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be, and that is a good thing. The movie constantly surprised me. I really liked the direction and sudden changes that they made throughout. BJ Novak took this personality, this famous podcaster personality, and flipped it on its head. He goes to this town because a girl he had a fling with suddenly died. Her family called him, thinking he was her boyfriend, and got him to come out to help investigate. At first it seems like she overdosed, but the family suspects foul play. Novak's character takes this story and flips it. He wants to do an episode of his show where a family won't accept things and give us other stories to justify a sudden death.

Outside of Novak the main cast is great. Issa Rae is his producer. She is wonderful. Rae is such a reliable actor and she always hits the mark. She was wonderful here. Boyd Holbrook plays a mourning brother and he is a delight. It may sound weird to call his character a "delight", but it is true. He is funny. He has a plan. He loves his family. He was very good here. Dove Cameron and Isabella Amara are the sisters and they are equally funny. They have little to do, but when they get time to shine, they own it. J Smith Cameron is the mom and she is perfect as a grieving mother trying to come to grips with her new reality. Eli Bickel is fascinating as the youngest brother that everyone dumps on all the time. He was fantastic. All the other bit parts, like a cartel leader, the brother's best friend, random town people, even Lio Tipton, who plays the deceased, do great with their small roles.

Surprisingly, it was Ashton Kutcher that really shined here. This is a role that is perfect for him. He got to play a music executive who has some dark secrets. He was so good. He was understated. But when he had a monologue to give, he really hit a home run. I was floored at how impressed I was with him in this movie. It gives me hope that he will continue to do stuff like this. This role proves to me why he is a professional actor.

I liked this movie a lot. It was a paint by colors murder mystery, but had more edge to it. The jokes were great. The story moved very well. Novak seemed to have a blast making this movie and it shows on screen. I love the route they took with podcasts and how they have gotten so big. But what I loved most was the way the finale unfolded. They could have gone one way but they chose, in my opinion, the right way to go. Even my wife said she liked the direction they took. They did it the right way, and the best way they could have finished the movie.

I definitely recommend this movie. It is on Peacock if you have that streaming service, and I'm sure you can rent it on VOD or Amazon. Go check this movie out. It is a good change of pace and totally worth your time. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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