Ty Watches "Clipped"

I started to watch the hulu miniseries "Clipped" the other day. I have been looking forward to this since I listened to the podcast miniseries, "The Sterling Affairs", that it is based on. I followed along with the casting, the writers they hired and when it would be released. Then I went on vacation and forgot about it. That is until my cousin messaged me to ask if I had seen any of it yet. That jogged my memory and I fired it up the other day.

Now I truly cannot decide if I like it or not. This is a wild, widl story. For people who may not know, "Clipped" is centered around Donald Sterling, the former owner of the Clippers, and his relationship with his assistant V Stiviano. He said some horribly deplorable things about other races, Stiviano taped it all, and when she felt like she was being pushed out of his life, she released the tapes for all to hear. I have never listened to the tapes, but from what I have read about them, they are abhorrent. Sterling is a racist through and through. He also seems like a real crummy person to be around. He is an awful person who deserves all the hate he is rightfully getting right now. Ed O'Neil plays him in this show, and I have to give him credit because he is creepy as ever. Everytime he is onscreen portraying this monster my skin crawls. I cannot stand this person and O'Neil hammers that feeling home for me. Stiviano is played by Cleopatra Coleman, and she does a very good job of portraying someone that is just out to be famous. She doesn't seem to care how she gathers said fame, she just wants to be famous. Jacki Weaver plays Shelly Sterling, and she is delivering as she always does. The final main character of this story is Doc Rivers, played by Laurence Fishburne. He is, far and away, the best actor in this whole thing. He has totally embodied Rivers. He sounds, moves and reacts just like Rivers. It is uncanny.

So, with this main cast being a bunch of homerun hitters, and this story being juicy as hell, that should make for an easy 1-2 punch to make this whole show sing. But, it seems very different and odd at times while watching. I told my wife that I don't know if these people are really this shallow, or that was the direction the actors were given. At times the show seems very much like a melodramatic soap opera that "Talk Soup" would have made fun of in its heyday. Other times they try to be very serious, but it feels like they go over the top with it. When I was watching the second episode the other day it felt very much like a Spanish telenovela. I don't know if that is the vibe this show is going for, but that was the feeling I took away the other day. And the casting team did no favors to the actors they got to play the players. None of these actors resemble any former Clipper. During a basketball scene when they are playing the Warriors, the guy they got to play Steph Curry is the bottom of the bargain barrel version of Curry. But, with all these criticisms I may have, I find myself going back for more. It is like a trainwreck that I simply cannot look away from. I will laugh hysterically at something that I have to assume they were going for drama and not comedy. There are other times that I will exclaim, to no one in the room, "WHAT!!!!????!!!". I cringe consistently at some of the basketball stuff they do. There is a scene where they do the roll call song, and it made me squirm on my couch.

All in all, this show is inconsistent, and at times very dumb. But, I want more. I think because I was so interested and I devoured the podcast miniseries, I will finish this. But, I'd be wrong if I said it was actually good. It is a soap opera and that is how I will watch it going forward. 

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 "Megalopolis" Trailer

RD texted me last night and asked if I had watched the trailer for "Megalopolis" yet. I had not seen it yet. I had actually forgotten about this movie. I feel like it has been shelved for a while, and I thought it may not ever be released. But RD saw the trailer, and the fact that he texted me about it, meant I had to watch this trailer as soon as I could. I had a bunch of stuff going on yesterday, but after my kids went to bed, I went to Google and checked this trailer out.

I cannot wait to give this movie all of my money. The few trailers that I watch, when they get me hyped up, that is a sign of a movie I will remember, be it good or bad. Before checking out the trailer, I asked RD what he thought. He told me that this movie was either going to be awesome, or be so bad that it is awesome. He compared it to a movie we both talk about a lot, "Southland Tales". Those that know that movie get the comparison. "Southland Tales" is a movie that I know is not well made. There are far too many stories going on, and they gave that director too much money and he went wild. But, it is a movie that I think about often. I have gone back and watched it multiple times. This is a movie close to three hours by the way. I have invested a ton of time into a movie that, as I said, I know is bad, but it is often on my mind. If "Megalopolis" gives me this, it will be more than worth the price of admission.

The trailer I watched was barely less than two minutes, but it has so much packed in it. Adam Driver is the star of the movie, and forgiving his wild hair do, look it up, he usually does a pretty damn good job in every movie he decides to do. This looks no different. I get excited when I see him in a movie, and for him to do something this odd and different, I'm there. I also saw that Shia LaBeouf is in this movie, and he has seemingly no eyebrows for some reason. LaBeouf has his personal issues, he needs real therapy, he has problems he needs to deal with, but in this trailer he is going for it. He looks like the anti-hero of this movie, and when LaBeouf goes for it, and is given proper direction, he does good work. Outside of those two people, I could not tell you who else is in this movie. I know there are a bunch of people, and they all seem to be doing their best, but their names escape me right now.

It also needs to be said, Francis Ford Coppola directs this movie. He is one of the greatest directors to ever sit behind a camera. He is a legend. His work speaks for itself. He has earned the right to make a movie this big and weird and interesting. I don't know what he last directed, but he appears to let it all hang out in the trailer for "Megalopolis".

I am being honest when I say this is one of the wilder trailers I've ever watched. "Megalopolis" starts with some people in a limo, a shot of the Statue of Liberty with fire in the background, other statues removing themselves, as if they have gained sentience, and sitting down. Then, as if you think the world may be ending, it shows people in what looks like an underground society living it up. And there are people who look worse off, trying to overthrow these other people. Oh, and Laurence Fishburne, I remembered another actor from the movie, giving us a voiceover that is very coy. This all takes place within the first 30 seconds of the trailer. It only gets crazier from there.

Go watch this trailer. Prepare yourself so you can go see it on opening day like I am planning on doing. I cannot wait to watch this movie and then have many conversations about it afterward. I am excited about this craziness. And either way, be it good or bad, we all win. 

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.