Seek Out and Watch "Wyrm"

I recently finished a movie that caught my attention simply due to the poster. While looking at streaming services for a movie to watch, I came across this movie called "Wyrm" on plex. The poster is a younger kid with a 90's background, akin to a JC Penny photo shoot, and after the title of the movie, the tagline reads, "simply looking for love". This was all I really needed. It had the odd vibe that I enjoy in indie movies and I was all in. After my buddy explained it a bit to me, that gave me the final push I needed.

Right off the bat, I really enjoyed this movie. It was weird and simplistic, in the best ways. It was funny and surprisingly heartfelt. The performances were pretty damn impressive. As I was watching the movie, I got vibes of "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Welcome to the Dollhouse". The movie, in its lead roles, has smaller name actors that I hadn't heard of. When you look at the cast in the opening credits there are recognizable names, but those actors play small roles. Names like Rhea Seehorn, Paula Pell, Jenna Ortega, Lukas Gage, Natasha Rothwell, Rosemarie DeWitt and Dan Bakedahl pepper the cast. But the lead roles are from Theo Taplitz, as Wyrm, Lulu Wilson, as Izzy, Sosie Bacon, as Lindsay and Azure Brandi, as Myrcella. These actors are tremendous in this movie. Azure Brandi plays Wyrm's sister, and she is mean and bossy and loving in her role. Sosie Bacon is terrific as the other person in the car accident that led to Myrcella and Wyrm's brother's death. Lulu Wilson is weird and wonderful as Izzy. She has two dance sequences that are rad. And Taplitz absolutely steals the show as the title character. He is mousey and quiet. He is your typical introvert. He is a quieter Napoleon Dynamite. He has more feelings that he's struggling to deal with as a young teen. Taplitz was a revelation to me, and I will be looking to see more of his work.

The movie's plot is an interesting one too. This movie takes place in an alternate reality in the 90's. Kids who have never been kissed wear a big collar around their necks. When they get that first kiss, their "collars pop". That leads to bracelets and other contraptions as you get older and experiment more. But this isn't a typical movie about young kids trying to "score". There's the death in the family. Wyrm and Myrcella's parents are dealing with grief in their own ways. The kids live with their uncle and his girlfriend. School is a whole other monster that they have to deal with, by which I am referring to the collars. Everyone is very straightforward and no nonsense. And while the first half has its funny moments and got some big laughs from me, the more they dive into the dramatic stuff, the more I liked this movie. As I said before, this movie has heart. This movie is telling a story. This movie is a true coming of age movie that we haven't seen in quite some time.

I highly recommend checking this movie out if you come across it somewhere. It's different and unique. While it may have vibes of other movies, this is its own telling of a funny and, at times, a very sad one. Go and watch this. You won't be disappointed. 

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.

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

Ty Watches "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"

I have just returned home from seeing "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice". This is a movie that has been on my radar since it was announced. I love the original movie, and getting the band back together, as it were, only made me more excited for this movie. I am not the biggest fan of decades long sequels, but this is one exception that I will happily make. I enjoy, for the most part, the work that Tim Burton does, especially when it comes to weird ghost/goth type stuff. He has a good mind for stories like these. So, my expectations were pretty high going into this movie.

My expectations were met. This is a good example of how to make a sequel in the 2020's, without going over the top with fan lip service. Sure, most of the original cast is back to reprise their roles, but they do so much more and yet they were able to keep it light, goofy and damn near whimsical. The joy of the first "Beetlejuice" movie is how much fun it looked like everyone was having. That shows up in the sequel as well. The heavy hitters that come back are great. Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton reprise these famous roles and build on them. O'Hara is a delight as Delia Deetz. She is just as funny and oblivious as she was in the original. And there may be some "Schitt's Creek" Easter eggs in there for fans of that show. Ryder as Lydia Deetz is just as wacky and smart as before. She has a TV show now, but the sight of Beetlejuice makes her even more paranoid. And Keaton as Beetlejuice is one of the great movie characters of all time. He's gross and mean and manipulative. He is also funny, and damn if I don’t root for him from time to time in this movie, just like I did for the original. The newcomers are welcome surprises. Monica Belluci is terrifying and menacing as Beetlejuice's ex. She barely has any lines, but the story of her, as told by Beetlejuice, is quite funny and informative. Jenna Ortega is killing it as the new goth kid in movies and shows. She has the look and can really pull it off. She is also wonderful in this role. I have not yet watched "Wednesday", but I feel like she gets to build as Astrid, Lydia's daughter, a different type role in a movie like this. She has layers. Willem Defoe, as an actor who died on set, is hilarious. He has a catchphrase. He is always being handed coffee that he never drinks. He is clearly having the best time of any actor on set. He is one of my favorite working actors, and anytime he is in something I'm about to watch, it makes me smile. And then we have Justin Theorux. I'm always a little lukewarm on him, but he is starting to grow on me in roles like this. He is funny and douchey and just a cliche of a hanger on. But Theroux makes it work. My wife and I kept saying to each other that we thought he was the funniest one in the whole movie. Outside of the actors, the set was great. They kept the old time look. The effects look like they do in the original. There isn't a big time CGI budget for this movie. That made me like it even more. And the jokes and call backs went just far enough. They were never overkill. They were a nod to the fans. They did the right amount.

I loved this movie. I was smiling the whole time. There wasn't a scene that felt unnecessary. They used what they needed and they used it correctly. We also saw the movie on one of those new Ultramax screens, and that was cool too. I love this movie and I highly recommend 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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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