"A Real Pain": Exploring Heritage, Humor, and Heartache

Sometimes the best movie-going experiences come from taking a chance. That’s exactly how my kids and I ended up watching Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain. Instead of picking the movie first, we started by choosing the Hi Pointe Theatre, a local gem with a classic charm that reminds me of simpler times. Known for its mix of older films and thoughtfully selected new releases, it’s always a pleasure to visit. Once we settled on the Hi Pointe, we scanned the listings and landed on A Real Pain. A quick read of the synopsis sparked our interest, and the movie’s connection to Polish heritage gave it even more appeal for us. As someone who is 1/4 Polish (making my kids at least 1/8), I was curious to see how the film would handle themes tied to family roots. 

The story follows cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) as they travel to Poland to honor their grandmother. What starts as a somewhat comical road trip evolves into a poignant exploration of family, identity, and the unresolved tensions that shape who we are. I found myself relating deeply to David, particularly his frustration with Benji. On the surface, Benji comes across as the “cool guy,” exuding charm and charisma. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that beneath his empathetic façade lie selfish motives and trauma-induced instability. This dynamic felt strikingly familiar, highlighting the challenges of navigating relationships with people who can be both magnetic and overwhelming. 

Kieran Culkin delivers a standout performance, capturing the raw vulnerability of Benji’s character. Watching his interactions with Eisenberg’s David was a rollercoaster—hilarious in one moment and emotionally intense the next. Their dynamic reminded me of the complexity of family relationships, where love and exasperation often go hand in hand. 

One of the film’s strengths is its ability to weave humor and heartfelt moments seamlessly. It had us laughing one minute and reflecting on family bonds the next. The Polish backdrop added another layer of depth for me. Seeing the characters confront their heritage and shared history made me think about my own roots and the connections that tie us to the past. 

The intimate, nostalgic setting of the Hi Pointe Theatre made the experience even more special. Watching a film with this kind of emotional weight in a theater steeped in history enhanced its impact. It reminded me of the simple joy of sitting down with my kids and getting lost in a story together. 

Final Thoughts: 

A Real Pain is a film that resonates on multiple levels. From its humor to its heartfelt exploration of family and heritage, it offers something meaningful for everyone. For those who enjoy stories that dig into the complexities of relationships while still finding moments of levity, this movie is a 

must-watch. And if you’re lucky enough to catch it at a theater like the Hi Pointe, you’ll find the experience even more memorable.

Kirk Aug

Kirk is a writer, beekeeper and a fellow traveller on spaceship Earth. Follow Kirk on instagram @kirkaug

The SeedSing (half) Year in Pop Culture: The Top Five Movies of 2015

Time to fire up the projector

Being that the new year is coming up on Friday, I'll be doing my best of 2015 all week. Today, I'm going to start the week off with my top five movies of the year. Everyday I'll do a different top five and today I want to start with movies.

I see a lot of movies. Some I see in the theaters and others, I watch at home. I love movies and this has been a pretty good year for movies. So good in fact, movies like "Inside Out" and "Me and Earl and The Dying Girl" and "The Wolfpack" didn't make my top five and I really, really liked those movies quite a bit. So, on with the countdown.

Coming in at number five, we have a tie. My number five movies are "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service". These are both blockbustery type movies, "Avengers" way more so. "Avengers" was fantastic. Go back and read my review. This was an absolutely breath taking super hero movie. There was action, adventure and even a bit of a love story. We also got Hawkeye's back story, and that made me like a character I once never really cared for. My favorite scene was when the Avengers were fighting Ultron and his army of robots and everything was in slow motion and we got to see each hero fight in super slow motion, it was excellent. "Avengers" Age of Ultron" is one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. "Kingsman", on the other hand, was a gory, action heavy, hand to hand and weaponry combat movie for the ages. This movie was criminally under the radar. I heard almost nothing about it while it was in the theaters and I didn't watch it on DVD for about five months. But, I'm so glad that I took the time to watch because this movie was incredible. My review was put up fairly recently. I loved pretty much everything about this movie. The opening fight scene with Colin Firth and the bar patrons was phenomenal. The fight scene in the church, once again featuring Firth, was one of the coolest things I've seen in a long, long time. The tests given to the future Kingsman were heart racing and incredible to watch. The main character, Eggsy, was expertly played. Samuel L Jackson was excellent as the villain. "Kingsman: The Secret Service" is the perfect summer action movie. Go check it out if you haven't seen it and I promise you, you'll love it.

My number four movie is "The End of the Tour". This is one of the most quiet, yet most poignant movies I've seen. Jesse Einsenberg is great as Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky. He plays the jealous, yet enthralled writer perfectly. I cannot picture anyone else in this role. Jason Segel, as David Foster Wallace, is absolutely phenomenal. He plays Wallace so realistically, it's almost like watching a documentary. He shows vulnerability, anger, sadness and genius all very, very expertly. He one hundred percent deserves an Oscar nomination for this role. This movie is basically just these two talking for two hours, but it never seems boring or dull. I was into the story and the movie the whole time. "The End of the Tour" is great.

Coming in at number three, I have "Ex Machina". This movie was so creepy and eerie because something like this could very well happen in the very near future. I mean, honestly, how far away are we from having robots walking amongst us? It's going to happen. Some rich, eccentric genius is going to create a humanoid robot and it will only grow bigger and bigger from there. Oscar Issac plays that eccentric genius billionaire so well. He is every bit creepy as he is lonely in this movie. He has his own lush home in the woods and he invites an employee, played by Domhnall Gleeson, to come out for what seems to be a vacation. It couldn't be more different. He is thrown into a type of lab project to see how he interacts with a female robot played so well by Alicia Vikander. This is another movie small in structure, but huge in story. As I said, something like this is going to happen very soon and this movie made me terrified for that future. It was haunting and terrifying and I'm not looking forward to the robots taking over. The final scene, I won't spoil it, was one of the scariest things I've seen in a movie in a very long time. It still aunts me. "Ex Machina" was the best horror movie of 2015, even though it's categorized as science fiction.

My number two movie is "What We Do in the Shadows". This was the funniest movie of the year by far. "WWDITS" follows the lives of vampires living together in a flat in New Zealand. Being that it was made by Taika Waititi, one of the "Flight of the Conchords" primary directors, it was so funny. It was done mockumentary style and it was perfect. Jermaine Clement, playing Vlad the Poker, was so great. A once powerful vampire, he now was not so powerful after his break up with "The Beast". He was excellent in this movie. Taika Waititi played Viago, the pretty boy vampire, and he was great as well. He was worried about keeping the flat clean and he longed for his lost love that was now in her mid to late 80's. The scene where he lays paper down to keep the blood of a victim off the couch, then hits a vein and bloods spills everywhere, is hilarious. The star of this movie, to me, was Johnny Brugh who plays Deacon. Deacon was a German vampire during the reign of the Nazis and he fled to New Zealand after stating, "if you are a Nazi, people hate you. If you're a vampire, people hate you. If you're a Nazi vampire, forget about it. I had to get out of there and flee to someplace safe". His character had me in stiches the whole movie. "WWDITS" is the best comedy of the year by far.

My number one movie should come as no surprise to anyone, "Mad Max: Fury Road". What else is there to say about this movie that hasn't been said already? It's the best action movie ever. It has the best social commentary. It lets a female be the lead badass. It has the best imagery in a movie in about 30 years. I mean, this movie is perfect from start to finish. Tom Hardy is excellent as Max. He's just as understated and hard core as Mel Gibson was in the original "Mad Max". Hugh Keys-Byrne was so creepy and so good as the ultimate bad guy, Immortan Joe. His breathing apparatus he wore still scares me when I watch the movie. Nicolas Hoult, playing war boy Nux, was surprisingly badass and totally cool. All the young ladies that played Joe's wives were awesome for many different reasons. But, Charlize Theron as Furiosa was absolutely phenomenal. She was the biggest badass, the toughest fighter and the smartest person in the whole movie. She was so great. Much like Segel for "The End of the Tour", Theron one hundred percent deserves not only an Oscar nomination, but she deserves to win. She was so perfect in this role. She beat so much ass and won at the end of the day. Theron was incredible. "Mad Max; Fury Road" is not only the best movie of 2015, it's probably the best movie I've ever seen. It's that good.

So, there you have it, my top five movies of 2015. Tell me what I left out in the comment section and come back tomorrow for my top five albums of the year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He is lover of movies and a passionate lover of good movies. Feel Ty's love by following him on twitter @tykulik. 

Do not count "The End of the Tour" out as one of the best movies of the year

Ty's VCR is ready for all the great movies of 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, I've been catching up on all the big time movies that I couldn't see in the theaters. One such movie I just watched was "The End of The Tour" and man, this movie is incredible.

The movie is about a Rolling Stone writer, David Lipsky(Jesse Eisenberg) interviewing author, David Foster Wallace(Jason Segel). At least, the synopsis of the movie states that it's about the interview, but the movie is more about the relationship between the two men leading up to the interview in Rolling Stone. The movie opens with an older Lipsky receiving a phone call from a former colleague saying that David Foster Wallace has committed suicide. Lipsky is stunned and upset at this news. He immediately goes to his storage and grabs his old Walkman and a box of cassette tapes. He plays one of the tapes and you hear David Foster Wallace talking. We then cut back to 1996 where a younger Lipsky is giving a reading of his newly published book. He has also just landed a job at Rolling Stone. He's high on what he assumes will be his newfound fame, but all the people at the party, including his girlfriend, are only talking about this new book called "Infinite Jest" , and how it may be the greatest book ever written. Lipsky is annoyed, but then he goes home and on the urging from his girlfriend, he reads "Infinite Jest" and is enthralled. He can't help but admit that this is one of, if not the, greatest book he's ever read. He persuades his editor to let him go on the end of Wallace's book tour and interview him. Rolling Stone has never interviewed a writer before, so why not start with the biggest fish in the pond. He agrees and Lipsky is off to Bloomington, Indiana.

When he first arrives at Wallace's house, he's met by two large black Labradors and Wallace emerges from the front door. At first sight, Wallace is very stand offish and hard to crack. He doesn't seem to want to say too much. It doesn't help that Lipsky is always turning on his recorder so he can capture every moment. Wallace, at least at first, seems like an introvert. He doesn't seem to like the fame. He almost begrudges the fact that he has become this big time author. But, the more he gets to know Lipsky, the more a friendship evolves. They opine over food, TV and girls. Wallace loves his junk food, be it candy, fast food or any type of sweets. He also claims to be addicted to TV. He doesn't own one because he says that he'd constantly have it on. He wouldn't watch it, but it would always be on just to have noise in the background. He also says that he would want a wife and kids someday, just not now. He becomes very open with Lipsky. He has let his guard down right before they go out for the final leg of his book tour. The two of them have very long, very deep conversations involving everything from food to writing. They are becoming legitimate friends. This angers Lipsky's editor. He wants him to get the story and come home to write it. He specifically tells him to "not become friends" with Wallace. Lipsky ignores this and continues recording their conversations and continues to be friendly. They pack their bags and fly to Minneapolis, the last leg of Wallace's tour. At first, everything is going great. Not only is Wallace being open with Lipsky, but he's being open with everyone. Interviewers, fans and even his driver. He's nice to everyone. At one point though, Wallace sees Lipsky getting some love from his fans and he looks a bit miffed. Even later, while hanging out with some of Wallace's college friends, one which he briefly dated, Wallace becomes even more angry and annoyed with Lipsky. He feels that Lipsky is openly flirting with his ex girlfriend right in front of his face. This causes a big bone of contention between the two and Wallace completely shuts down. He won't talk to Lipsky anymore and he's back to his introverted self. They fly back to Indiana and get their rental. On the ride back to Wallace's house, the two men air their grievances and get it all out. This fight actually brings these two closer. The day before Lipsky is set to return home, the two of them just hang out. They're eating McDonalds, talking about life and Wallace's phone rings. He gets a call from a friend to go out dancing. As much as he wants to stay, Lipsky has to catch his flight home. Before he leaves, there's a moment when Wallace is outside cleaning the snow off his car, Lipsky has a few minutes to look over his house and he takes it all in, recording everything he sees. By the time he reaches his basement, he's amazed at everything he's seen, but the writing room takes the cake. It's totally dark and has only a single computer. Lipsky is shocked that such a great writer lives so minimalist. Wallace doesn't need the fanciest computer, desk or office, he just needs his computer. When leaving, Lipksy gives him his book, begrudgingly, and asks him to give him some notes. Wallace says he will, but with most people in his life, he doesn't follow through. We then cut to Lipsky giving a reading at Wallace's "funeral". It's moving and heart breaking at the same time.

This movie has all the potential to be a classic. And, Jason Segel is absolutely phenomenal as David Foster Wallace. Segel usually plays the over the top goofy guy, but in "The End of The Tour", he's a revelation. He inherits all of Wallace's mannerisms and the way he carries himself and how he talks. It's as if Wallace has come back to life. Eisenberg was very good too, but Segel is the true star of this movie. I would be shocked if he doesn't get an Oscar nomination for this movie. I love this movie, but, by no means am I going to read "Infinite Jest". I don't have the time to read an 1,100 page book. This movie had all the information on David Foster Wallace that I could ever ask for. If you want, read "Infinite Jest", but a better way to spend your time, in my opinion, and learn about David Foster Wallace, watch "The End of The Tour'. It's less than two hours and told me what "Infinite Jest" was about. I love this movie and I can't recommend it enough.

Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He does not have time to read a 1000+ page book because he needs his hours to watch good movies. Urge him to read "Infinte Jest" by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.