Ty Watches "The Green Knight"

This afternoon I finally watched "The Green Knight". This movie has been on my list for some time. I am a big A24 fan, I like Dev Patel a lot and I had heard really good things about the movie before it was released. I didn't see it in the theaters, still a little leery of them, and I was finding it hard to find time to watch it at home. My wife had no interest in it which meant that quarantine date night was out of the question. But today I had time. I exercised early, I did the minimal chores I do every Wednesday after running. I waited until after watching it to write. Today was the perfect day.

I really liked the movie. But do not get it twisted, this movie is very weird. It is unlike many other movies I have ever seen. I know that it is a retelling of an old fairy tale, but I had never heard of it before. I had no idea that this was a very old story. A24 went way out on a limb with this movie too. It still has that indie feel that they do, but this movie was big in scale and production. This is them putting big money into a project they really believed in. This is them taking a chance on trying to become a more known brand. It worked on me.

“The Green Night” is quiet but also visually stunning. For someone that does not know the story it can be confusing at times, but it will also hold your attention. Dev Patel more than proves he is capable of being a leading man. This is unlike any other role he has done and he nailed it. I was constantly intrigued by every choice he made as this character. I could not take my eyes off of him. I loved the way he interacted with real and surreal things in the movie. The very first scene we see the Green Knight was incredible, and the Knight and Patel are the main reason why it works so well. He was tremendous as the lead. I have nothing but kudos for him. Alicia Vikander was also very good. She played two roles and they were two totally different people. I first saw her in "Ex Machina" and she was excellent in that movie. She is just as good here in "The Green Knight", again, playing two roles. Joel Edgerton did very well in his small part. He seems to be something of a regular now for A24 and I can see why. He is always reliable. Everyone in this movie did a very good job with the source material. But Patel and Vikander stood out the most.

Like I said before, the visuals in this movie are truly a sight to behold. There is a scene with a bunch of giant people that is wild, but beautiful to look at on screen. The fox, especially when it spoke, was amazing. The scenery, I believe the movie was shot in Ireland, makes me want to go visit. But the actual Green Knight, that was a work of art. I was as transfixed by the Green Knight as I was by Patel. The Green Knight is not in the movie too terribly much, but when it is there, you will remember every single detail. I was blown away by the costume and the makeup. The CGI of the whole movie was just as impressive.

Look, “The Green Knight” is weird and confusing at times, but that is what A24 does. A24 also makes really good, really intriguing movies that will make you think about them days after you've watched, That is exactly what "The Green Knight" achieves. The movie isn't for everyone. But if you like gory fairy tales shot in beautiful locations with excellent visuals and world class acting, this movie is for you. I definitely recommend 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 Other Two"

A show I really enjoy just wrapped up their second season, "The Other Two".

When this show premiered two years ago I was immediately on board. I'm a big Drew Tarver fan. I have followed him on all the podcasts he appears on, and he is always one of the funniest people. He has a true comedic gift and I was glad he was getting a shot to do that in a co-starring role. I didn't know who Helene Yorke was prior to this show, but I have since become a fan. She is funny, she has great timing, she can do dramatic stuff and she is my absolute favorite on the show. Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, Case Walker, Wanda Sykes and Josh Segarra all add great stuff, but this show is all about Yorke and Tarver.

The premise hasn't changed much since season one. Tarver and Yorke are still living in their little brother's shadow and now their mom is the biggest daytime talk show host. But things have gotten a bit better for them. Tarver hosts a lot of short internet talk shows. This is one of the best parts about this season. Seeing Tarver's character doing a job he hates is pretty hilarious, but also relatable. Yorke ended as Chase's, her little brother, manager in season one, and now this season she takes over as her mom's manager and she becomes a much wanted manager in TV. Both of the kids are doing better, but they are still not as big as their brother and mom. I really liked how they skewer Hollywood and acting and managing and everything that goes into a job like that. The managing stuff was great. Yorke is always working, always tired, always sick, but never stops working. She can't for one, but she also seems to like the responsibility. She also is looking out for herself. But she does have quite a few moments of realization that are perfect. When she buys a humongous apartment but is lonely, I loved that. Her feelings for her ex were excellently played by both actors. When she realizes she has pushed her mom too much, that was heartbreaking. Yorke is masterful in this role. She is perfectly cast. She does her job so well. I love her acting in this show.

Tarver's character has quite a leap this season. He has his first real boyfriend, who he eventually splits with in a very sad scene. He has the hosting jobs, but as I stated earlier, he wants more and he strives for more. He gets himself back into the dating scene pretty hilariously. He gets and loses and gets an acting job in a movie all within three episodes. The way he gets the role finally is so funny and so poignant to modern times and the internet. Tarver, much like Yorke, is simply perfect in this show. He gets to do more wildly comedic stuff, but he also shows depth and drama chops.

I love that these two young actors are finally getting a chance to really show what they've got, and they are crushing it right now. I was also very happy with the switch to HBO Max. The show used to be on Comedy Central, but for whatever reason they moved over to HBO Max. This has allowed them to be more blue. The comedy can be broader. They can use profane language. You can get real reactions to tough situations. And HBO does make and produce quality TV shows. It was a solid and smart move.

Look, I love this show and I highly recommend it. Watch it anyway you can. It is definitely worth watching. HBO Max also has both seasons on, so you can binge it whenever you want. Watch "The Other Two". It is the hidden gem you've been waiting for.

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 "Win it All"

I come to you today with yet another movie review and recommendation. Yesterday I watched another one that I have been putting off for a while, and I wish I hadn't. The movie is called "Win It All". It stars Jake Johnson, who also co-wrote the movie, and it is about an addictive gambler who tries to turn his life around but runs into some bad luck. Again, a cliché story, but this movie was so well made.

I think the reason why “Win it All” works is Johnsons' performance is magnetic. He is more known for comedy and being on "New Girl", but giving him a role like this, a little more drama and less comedy, and he shined. I have said it a lot on the site, and I will say it again, I love when actors and musicians take a chance. Johnson did just that and he crushed. He has become somewhat of Joe Swanmberg's muse as well. Swanberg co-wrote the movie with Johnson and he directed as well. Swanmberg is one of these "mumblecore" guys. That genre of movie can be dull and boring, but "Win It All" was not. This movie moved well and transitioned properly. It had comedy and drama. It was "Uncut Gems" very light. "Uncut Gems" is one of my all time favorite movies by the way, and that movie is super intense. It is a relief to watch a movie that deals with gambling that doesn't give me a panic attack. That is "Win It All".

As I was saying, Swanberg and Johnson have a great rapport now. They have done a few movies together, and they are all, at the very least, watchable. None of them are bad. Sure they can be a little blah, but they are fine. With "Win It All" they take it to another level. Johnson is superb. I cannot say enough great things about him in this role. He is the star, he owns the movie, you cannot take your eyes off of him and I was rooting for him to turn his life around. Swanberg does an excellent job of making a more mainstream style movie. There is still some of that "mumblecore" direction in there, but it doesn't take over. The rest of the cast is really good as well. Joe Lo Truglio plays Johnson's brother. He has his act together and all he wants is to help his brother. Truglio is a great comedic actor, and he does a lot of funny stuff in this movie. But his dramatic stuff really hit. He was solid. Aislinn Derbez was the love interest. I had never heard of her before watching this movie. She was outstanding. She was believable. She had a ton of chemistry with Johnson. She was great. Keegan Michael Key played his sponsor. It was nice to see Key not do any comedy. I love his comedic work, but I felt he was kind of falling in a trap of only doing broad comedy. So to see him do a role like this was refreshing. He did a very good job. And they had a bunch of real life poker players in the movie in scenes where they played real games of cards. This added a whole other level to the minimal stress in the movie. It made the games feel real. I found myself really into everything that was happening in this movie. I also really like that it was ninety minutes long.

I will say it again, Johnson was electric and I want to see more stuff like this out of him. And I like high stakes movies that find a way to not take itself so seriously. I also really enjoyed the final scene in the movie. It made me hopeful. If you have 90 minutes free and like redemption style movies, check out "Win It All". It is solid.

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 Long Dumb Road"

I've been watching a bunch of movies that I have wanted to see during the pandemic lately. I'm catching up I guess you could say. Some have been okay and some have been pretty blah. The other day I watched one, one that I have been putting off for about seventeen months now, and I found myself really enjoying it.

The movie is called "The Long Dumb Road". I am a big fan of Jason Mantzoukas. I try to watch everything he is in. I love his guest appearances most. He was great as Adrian Pimento on "Brooklyn 99". He was fantastic as Derek on "The Good Place". He was perfect as Rafi on "The League". His role as Kyle on the criminally underrated "I'm Sorry" was him playing a heightened version of himself and he crushed. Mantzoukas is so great at coming in and stealing every scene he is in on TV shows. He has had some solid movie roles, but the movies are not always the best. He's good in "The Dictator". He kept pace with Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler in "The House". He's decent in "Sleeping With Other People". And I still say "Tick Tock Mr Wick" when referencing him from "John Wick 3". With "The Long Dumb Road" he was given the chance to be a co star.

The movie is a road trip movie that is pretty much just him and Tony Revelori. Mantzoukas was excellent in this movie. So was Revelori. They both did a really, really good job. The movie is a cliché road trip movie, but when you get the chemistry that Mantzoukas and Revelori had, that is when it becomes a good movie. I remember watching it and kind of thinking it was ho hum, but as it got further into the movie, the more I found myself really enjoying it. I liked seeing these two actors play off one another. Revelori is a really solid young actor and he was more than up to the task to keep pace with Mantzoukas. Revelori was very believable as a kid heading out to art school in LA. He played the naive young kid to a T. Mantxoukas arrives in the movie with a bang and he is at a ten the whole time. He has so many different balls in the air. He is always doing something wild and crazy. He is always getting into some kind of wild situations. He is also a drunk and stuck in a big time rut. Only an actor like Mantzoukas could do this role and make it believable. His character did some totally off the wall stuff, but since it is Mantzoukas I was along for the ride. The scene between him and Casey Wilson, his old flame, was classic. When he is in the motel room with the girl he randomly meets at the bar, doing adult things, and pops up when Revelori opens the door and says, "either in or out buddy", I was rolling on the floor laughing. He also shows some depth. When he proposes to a girl he has just met, and she declines it thinking it is a joke, you can see the hurt and awkwardness in his eyes. When he fights with Revelori, you buy his side. When he talks to a driver that picks them up, you can see they get one another.

I was pleasantly surprised by "The Long Dumb Road". Revelori was really good, but Mantzoukas totally steals the show. I could watch him read a phone book and he would find a way to make me laugh. This is a good, short movie. I recommend it purely based on Mantzoukas' performance.

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 "Doctor Sleep" and Laments the Demise of Original Stories

On our quarantine date night this week my wife picked "Doctor Sleep" for us to watch. For those that may not know what this movie is, it is pretty much a sequel to "The Shining''. "The Shining'', in my opinion, is the scariest movie ever made. It still freaks me out. I can remember seeing it for the first time so vividly and how much it scared me back then. I have not watched it in my adult life because of how scared of it I truly am. So I was nervous watching "Doctor Sleep". But it was my wife’s turn, we made a rule where we cannot veto the other's choice and so we watched.

“Doctor Sleep” was a solid movie. I was scared. Not as scared as when I saw "The Shining", but there were moments when I jumped on the couch. I appreciated the story, how they developed it and the few tweaks they made. I liked how they went about saving the world that was created and how they showed a grown up Danny. The young lady that played Abra was really excellent, and the bad guys were as creepy as ever. And when they went back to the original hotel in the final scene, that was very cool. But I do not necessarily know that a movie like this needed to be made. Again, I thought it was good, but I think it was unnecessary.

I have been saying for a while now how there are not any really original ideas when it comes to the movie business lately. The studios are doing multiple sequels, giving franchises to almost anything, remakes are everywhere and "sequels" to classic movies are all the rage. That is why I get excited when I see a movie like "Sorry to Bother You" or watch a special like "Inside" or see a movie like "Uncut Gems". These are new ideas. These are fresh. These movies stay with you and make you think. "Sorry to Bother You" is one of the biggest mind f's I have ever watched, and I love that movie because of that reason. So I do not know that we really needed a "sequel" to such a classic horror movie. "The Shining" is right up there with "Night of the Living Dead" or "Misery" or "Carrie". These are the classics people think of when they think of horror movies. The biggest bummer, now that we have "Doctor Sleep", is that all of the movies I just mentioned have far inferior companion pieces to the original. I know they did a "Carrie" remake with Chloe Grace-Moretz that wasn't as good as the original. They've tried to do "Night of the Living Dead" a bunch of different ways but none have even come close to the greatness of the original. And now we have "Doctor Sleep". No one was going to be able to live up to what Jack Nicholson did in "The Shining". That was one of the best performances of all time. I know Stephen King may not be a fan, but most everyone else agrees that Nicholson crushed. Shelly Duval was excellent as well, even though she went crazy after making this movie. This may be Kubrick's best work as a director. I like "A Clockwork Orange" more, but his direction of "The Shining" is amazing. I think what makes a movie like "The Shining" so great is the performances. It is who you remember. And I know that the young kid that plays Danny in the original has a very big part, but I did not recall much from him other than the redrum scene and the scene where he is riding his tricycle through the hotel. "The Shining" was all about Duval and Nicholson. They were the stars. Their stories were what the audience cared about most. When they got to the hotel in "Doctor Sleep" my wife sat up and said, "this is what I have been waiting for". When the scene was over I asked what she thought, and she shrugged. I asked why she wasn't as excited and she said that it wasn't as good as what happens in "The Shining".

I do not want it to sound like I am dumping on "Doctor Sleep". I have said multiple times that I thought it was good. It is a solid B- movie. I think my biggest problem is just the lack of original ideas. I get the want from some people. I understand that some people want to see remakes or sequels to classic movies. I don't. Classic movies are classic for a reason. There doesn't need to be ten different versions of the same story. If you tell it right once, then you may only need a second if it is like "The Godfather Part 2"or "The Raid 2". Most movies do not need sequels or remakes. That is my thoughts on this whole new era of remakes or sequels. One classic movie is more than enough. Go watch the original movies and ignore the remakes and sequels.

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 "Brooklyn 99" Series Finale

Last night "Brooklyn 99" came to a close. I have loved this show from the start. I'm a big Andy Samberg fan, and when he is involved with something, I watch it. He is funny and charming and a very good comedic actor. Add on Mike Schur and I was sold. I also really enjoy Chelsea Peretti, so this show did not have to do much to win me over. Then to get me familiar with actors like Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Lo Truglio and Andre Braugher was a total plus. I now really like these actors, and have followed them since I first saw them on this show.

I was curious how they were going to end the series though. The final season has been very different from the rest of the series. This is due to many things. We have COVID, people being afraid and angry with the police and all these actors have grown up. I have enjoyed the final season, and the finale was a great way to close this all out.

For the finale they did a heist episode. Fans of the show know exactly what I am talking about. These are their best episodes in my opinion. So doing that, and making it a series finale was the absolute correct choice. I was enthralled the whole hour. I hung on every twist and turn that the episode gave us. I was also very happy to see Chelsea Peretti and Jason Mantzoukas and the guy who plays Bill and Fred Armisen all reprise their much loved characters. I also really enjoyed that Captain Holt and Jake and Terry all had these grand plans for the heist, but they were all sidetracked by one another. Holt, Jake and Amy were all leaving the 99, and with Rosa already gone, this was one of their last hurrahs as a group. This made the heist even more fun and funny. Everything they did in this episode was perfect. This is what a show like this should do to wrap everything up. I appreciated and liked that they touched on all the issues in the world that pertained to them on the show, but going out with a straight up goofy and wild episode was the thing to do.

“Brooklyn 99” has always been about jokes and relationships. They do touch on stuff in earlier seasons too, namely the episode where Terry gets racially profiled, but they always come back with a super funny follow up episode. That is what the "Grand Heist" was last night. It was just a blast to watch. They did tug at the heart strings too. Amy and Rosa have a very touching moment where they say I love you to one another. Gina does what she always does, but seems nicer about it. Terry is laughing and joking with everyone. But the ending moment between Holt and Jake was where they got my wife and I. This was great. Holt has always been Jake's father figure and to hear the words he says to him, I'm getting choked up as I write this just thinking about it. It was wonderful and poignant and brilliant and simply perfect.

"Brooklyn 99" is one of the best sitcoms that has been on TV in some time. It gets its due, but I feel like it deserves even more credit. I love this show, and the ending was the best possible way they could have closed it all out. I will miss you "Brooklyn 99". Thankfully I have Hulu so I can continue to watch this series over and over again.

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 "Dave" Season Two Finale

Earlier this week I wrote about the episode of "Dave" entitled "Enlightened Dave" that was a masterpiece. Last night I watched the season two finale, and while not on the level of "Enlightened Dave", this was such a perfect way to wrap up this bizarre season of TV. This finale also puts "Dave" in the upper echelon of great television during what seems to be a golden era of television.

This show is simply perfect. The way it has matured in twenty short episodes is absolutely fascinating and wonderful. I had a totally different idea of how this show was going to be, and I'm glad it has gone in this other direction. I, like most Lil Dicky fans, thought the show was going to be a full blasted comedy. There is comedy in it, but this is much more emotional and dramatic and a show about being an adult in the music business nowadays. The theme song from season one asks questions like, "don't you want to know who I am/don't you want to meet the guy behind the guy/do you want to know what the industry is like/what a strange life I have", that is what this show has become. "Dave" is a behind the scenes look at a egotistical, fanatical, workaholic, self destruction rapper. But the two seasons have shown him grow and accept things and come to terms with people in his life and be happy with where he is and it has been amazing to watch.

All of the plotlines came to a head in the season two finale. I'm not going to spoil too much because everyone, and I mean EVERYONE should be watching this show. We see this growth though. He is being a selfish asshole for much of the finale. He is only looking out for himself and blaming everyone around him. It is never his fault. He is not to blame. But then he and GaTa have this humongous verbal argument where GaTa shares all of this with Dave. He puts it all on the line. He lets him know what an asshole he is being to everyone around him, but especially him, who always has his back no matter what. GaTa is always there for Dave, and for a long time, Dave has not returned the favor. This enlightens him. I think Dave starts to realize what a dick he is being to all his people. We then see him prepping for his appearance at the VMA's, the whole episode kind of revolves around this performance, and we see the change. His ex texts him good luck. He wants to respond, but he just gives her text a thumbs up. I saw that as a sign of him letting go. Then he meets his manager and producer backstage and all three of them have a real heart to heart. There are some jokes in there, but there is also love and acceptance and tears. Then we see GaTa, we haven't seen him since their fight, and he is tearing up. Then it is revealed that he is at the show with Dave to perform with him. Dave is finally giving GaTa the shine he so rightfully deserves. It then shows them on tour together, and they both seem to be genuinely enjoying their time on stage. It ends on a happy note. It ends with Dave and GaTa hugging and smiling and seemingly on the up and up.

I felt a sense of relief and joy watching the finale. I loved it. I hope it comes back for a third season. As I said up top, "Dave" is one of the best shows currently on TV, and I think it can only get better. I love, love, love this show. I cannot recommend it enough. "Dave" is a masterpiece.

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 Suicide Squad"

My wife and I watched "The Suicide Squad" on Sunday. I wanted to sit with my thoughts on this movie for a few days before I decided to write a review.

First things first, I enjoyed this movie. I am more of a Marvel fan. I have made that very apparent on this site and on the podcast. Wolverine is my favorite superhero, I like the shows they make, I like most of the movies they make and Marvel was my gateway into the whole superhero universe. I just like them more than DC. DC does have some good stuff. The original "Superman" movies are good. I like the old school "Batman" show. I love Christopher Nolan's versions of "Batman". I also like Tim Burton's "Batman". I enjoyed "Shazam" and the first "Wonder Woman" movie was fantastic. But, for me, DC is usually too dark in tone and color. I find it to be their crutch. And that was my main problem with the first "Suicide Squad" movie. It took itself way too seriously, especially for the source material, and that movie fell flat. Again, for me.

Then I saw that James Gunn was directing this new "Suicide Squad", and I enjoy his movies. I love his take on "Guardians of the Galaxy". They are perfect. I also like his early stuff. The movie "Super", with Rainn Wilson, is awesome. I liked "Sliver" a lot. "LolliLove" is quirky and fun and an ode to my hometown. And his early Troma stuff was my entry way to that very bizarre and sometimes terrifying genre of movies. Gunn knows what he is doing. I also appreciate that the only returning characters from the first movie were Harley Quinn, Rick Flag and Amanda Waller. The rest of the people, for the most part, are better actors than the people who portrayed some of the DC characters in the first "Suicide Squad".

That was another thing I liked about this movie. The new "Suicide Squad" let it be known that there are many Suicide Squads. There is not just the one from the first movie. This movie had two squads in it, and alluded to more. As for the actual movie, like I said up top, I liked it. I did not like it as much as I thought, but I still liked it. The stuff I wasn't so crazy about is little nit picking things. I thought the movie was a bit too long. I did not want to hear all of the main characters' backstories. I could have done away with some of the slower stuff. But again, this is me nitpicking little, unimportant details.

For the most part though this movie works. I love that we are introduced to an entirely different squad at the top of the movie. I'm going to be as spoiler free as possible, but do not expect to see too much Nathan Fillion, Pete Davidson, Michael Rooker or Flula Borg. They are not long for this movie. Only after the opening ten minutes do we get to the main squad we will be with for the duration of this movie. When we do meet them, I really enjoyed that montage scene. And as much as I like some of the actors in the original, this cast is much better. Idris Elba is an upgrade over Will Smith, and I like Will Smith. Margot Robbie seems to be having much more fun in this movie than the first one. She nails it. John Cena was my favorite part of this whole movie. He can act. He was hilarious and terrible. Steve Agee not only plays a worker for Waller in the movie, but he also does the motion capture for King Shark, and he is great. Daniela Melchior is so good, and I had never heard of her until this movie. She is the heart of this thing. David Dastmalchian, as Polka Dot Man, was so good. And Peter Capaldi, as Thinker, was perfectly cast. I also liked that they took the most ridiculous baddie I could think of, Starro, and somehow made it work in this movie. I also like that they shot a ton of the fight scenes, including the big one, in daylight. You could see everything. I also appreciate when directors and writers get to show how violent and gory these powers can be, be it a good guy or a bad guy. This movie takes full advantage of the R rating, and it works.

My thoughts? I like this movie. I recommend this movie. I think fans of both comic book worlds will enjoy it. I wish it were shorter, but for the most part "The Suicide Squad" is a solid movie and I think people should check it out.

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 2020 Olympics

With the Olympics all wrapped up I want to talk about my experience watching this year.

I never pay too much attention to the Olympics if I am being honest with myself. I watch basketball in the summer games, I like gymnastics because the people are so athletic and more recently I have gotten into track and field, pretty much since I became a runner. It is the same with the winter Olympics. I watch very few sports with snowboarding and skiing being the lone exceptions. But this year I found myself super into the Olympics.

I turned it on from day one and it was on pretty much everyday until the games wrapped up. I found myself really into swimming early on. Then I was devouring skateboarding, which was rad. I watched fencing and table tennis on a different day. I got super into highboard and synchronized diving. I was watching water polo. I followed the men's and women's gymnastics teams. I watched more volleyball than I have ever seen. I watched basketball, more on that later, because I love it so much. I'd say I tuned in to about 85-90 percent of the competitions. I do not know why either. It wasn't the lack of fans because I saw that in the NBA bubble and most pro sports last year. I seemed to latch on early this year and that seemed to be the key.

I think another reason why this resonated so much was because I did not think it was going to happen. I thought that the organizers were going to pull the plug at the last minute because of rising COVID cases all over the world. But when they started, I watched and watched and watched. I think it hit me so well this year because of the lack of sports in summer. I like baseball, but not MLB. I'm not a soccer fan. And there are only so many articles I can read on college football teams opening their fall camps. So these Olympics hit me at the exact right time. We also got some really interesting and neat personal athlete stories. I followed Simone Biles every step. I side with her and I am so happy that she took care of mental state over everything else. The super young skateboarders were so cool and seemed so thrilled to be in the Olympics. The diver from Britain that also knits was one of my favorite people in the games. There was the Cambodia gentleman who was adopted by an American man who was a diver and that story was so heartwarming. Seeing Katie Ledecky do what she does and then laugh at reporters when they asked if she was going to retire was stupendous. Watching Team USA baseball and softball come so close to gold was pretty amazing. Table tennis has some wild competitors and they are as focused as any other athlete I have ever seen. There was that crazy last second wrestling move that won gold. The marathon was astounding to watch. Seeing Alyson Felix become the most decorated female track runner was super impressive. Seeing all the field events and being blown away by what the athletes did will always stay with me. I was hooked.

With all these sports it should be no surprise that basketball was my big time winner. The women's team dominated like they do. They are so much further ahead than any other country in basketball. The viral picture of Diana Taurasi holding the ball up high and laughing in the gold medal game is so pure and so cool. Seeing Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe embrace after Bird won her fourth gold medal was joyous. The women's basketball team rules. And so does the men's team. I was hard on them after France beat them in league play. I was worried. I did not think they had it in them to turn it around. I was getting annoyed at the complaints. Then they found their groove. When they came out and demolished Iran they looked like a different team. They were more confident and better coached. They started to coalesce. KD turned it on and became unstoppable. Bam Adebayp became a defensive force. Draymond Green looked more like himself. Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard started to hit big shots. Jrue Holiday was the backcourt stopper they needed. Devin Booker and Khris Middleton were knockdown shooters. It all started to groove. They still had moments of concern, mainly letting teams stay in games a bit too long, but in the end they always pulled away. After dismantling Iran they beat the Czech and cruised by Spain. I was nervous for Australia, but they made easy work of them. Then it was France again for gold. The game was tighter than I wanted it to be, but in the end they won. KD became the men's all time leading scorer and Team USA won gold for the fourth straight time. I was wrong to doubt them and I'm glad they got the gold.

This was a good Olympics. I liked the stuff I watched and was floored by how much of it I was into and willing to watch. My hat is off to the people who put it all together . This could have been a disaster, and it is not without its bad moments, but they were able to get it done and accomplish a major feat.

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 "FBOY Island"

You'd think I would have learned by now. You'd think I would know when to stop myself. You'd think I would know better. But yet I continue to expose myself to horrible reality dating television shows. My wife was out of town earlier this week and at nighttime, when we usually watch shows together, I found myself going back to older sitcoms I liked. I watched "The League" and "Workaholics" with regularity. But since she is home, and she is not that big a fan of those shows, I usually let her pick what we watch. Well last night that meant I watched a show called "FBoy Island" on HBO Max.

I had no idea what this show was. I have never heard of it. I figured I was done with any reality dating show after seeing "Too Hot to Handle". Hell, I figured most people were done with reality dating shows after reading reviews of "THTH" and "Sexy Beasts". That is clearly not the case. My wife said that some of her work friends had told her about this show and she wanted to check it out. I also read, after we watched, that HBO Max claimed this show had one of the highest streaming numbers since HBO Max has been in existence.

My simple one word question for this show, why it is on, why this was made, why is it being watched so much is, why? Why do we constantly let stuff like this keep getting made. I understand that reality TV is so much cheaper and easier to do, but at this point the people involved are just so goddamn lazy. I mean, "THTH" puts a bunch of idiots in a house and tries to entice them with money to not physically express their attraction to one another. "Sexy Beasts" is a rip off of a British dating show where they have people go on blind dates in movie makeup. At least these shows have some semblance of a narrative. It is a stupid narrative, but it is there nonetheless. But "FBoy Island" is just stupid and insidious and boring and unfunny and absurd and flat out dumb.

This is, by far, the worst of any of these new COVID era dating shows that I have seen. It bums me out that Nikki Glaser is involved with this show too. I like her. She is a very funny comedian. She has proven to be a solid actor. She even tried to be on "Dancing with the Stars". She is a Saint Louis native. This show, "FBoy Island", is so beneath her. She does not need to do this. I'm sure the pay is good and it let her go on a trip to the Cayman Islands during the ongoing pandemic, but she is way too talented to host a shit show like this. In the premiere episode she was making solid jokes, but the moronic contestants didn't get them, probably because they are not smart enough, and it was a waste. Then the show is 1 hour long. I mean come on. That is 59 minutes and 59 seconds too long. To sit there, and I watched the whole thing, for an hour and just watch these idiots be idiotic, it was such a slog. This show needs to be, at most, 20 minutes long.

Let’s talk about the contestants. They got what I would describe as the worst of the worst. These people are just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame. They have no substance. There is nothing to like about them. When they would flash their jobs next to their names things like "exotic dancer/realtor" or "influencer" or "cbd entrepreneur" or "childcare/tik tok" or "fridge delivery man" would pop up and I would constantly yell, "THAT ISN'T A JOB!!!!!!". I was so enraged by this. I was furious at this whole show. Everything about it is so dumb. It is the worst type of TV show in the country. These are truly awful people who should never be given a platform to have millions of people hear them talk.

I have to ask, have we learned nothing since 2016? Did we all just forget about the horribleness of 2016? When that horrific monster was somehow the "president"? Now that we have an actual good guy in the White House, why hasn't reality dating TV made the change? I know that is a detour, but come the hell on. This show is filled with people that probably voted for that monster, or did not vote at all. All these "F Boys"(fuck boys for those that do not know) are truly the douchiest of all the douchebags. As for the supposed "nice guys", they seem pretty terrible too.

"FBoy Island" is terrible. I do not recommend this show. I will not be watching anymore of it. I don't even care to know what "Limbro" is, which is where they dropped off the first F boy that was kicked off the show. This show is so, so, so, so bad. Don't waste 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 "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage"

Last night I watched the new HBO documentary "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage". I have some thoughts.

I watched a few of the trailers before it was released and was interested in watching based on those. Then I saw some of the people being interviewed and was even more inclined to watch. But then I saw Bill Simmons and his company The Ringer were the producers and that kind of threw me off. I do not like Bill Simmons, I think The Ringer is a toxic workplace and it hires toxic men to work there. I am not a fan. In spite of all that, I still watched the movie.

I was 17 when this festival happened, I remembered it being a trainwreck and I have always wanted to watch a documentary that talked about how bad it truly was for everyone involved. And the movie starts out fine. It is your typical doc, but they had some neat little music cues and I even learned some things I did not know about the original Woodstock. I was interested for sure. And when they got into the actual festival, doing stuff like showing the bands perform, showing the destruction early on, showing the heat and the lack of food and water, it all kept my attention. It was as bad as I remembered hearing. To see the stuff some of these people did in the first two days was disgusting. The amount of nudity was gratuitous. I'm no prude, but this was too much. The majority of the bands were trash. We are talking Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Moby, bands and artists like that that I never listened to. And when they got to some good bands, or even bands I listened to back then, they barely showed them. There was one clip of Wyclef Jean, who I used to love. I barely heard any of Rage perform. Jewel didn't even get her singing voice in the movie. Tragically Hip was just shown performing. It was a drag. This was where my taste for the movie started to wane. Between the crazy amount of male and female nudity and the bad music, I was kind of bored.

Then they started to show and talk about how the attendees started to trash the place. This made my stomach turn. Seeing all the trash littered everywhere was vile. When they talked about the septic tanks not working and the people trashing the porta potties, I literally got sick to my stomach. I was eating some ice cream at the time and I had to put it down when the festival goers started to slide and play in the sewage. It was awful. From there the movie just dove into a milquetoast retelling of Woodstock 99. They showed the rioting, talked about the massive amounts of unreported sexual assaults, talked about some of the attendees that died, showed the promoters being total assholes, but none of it felt resolved while I was watching. It was talked about and then moved on from. It felt kind of unfinished. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know why these white privileged dickheads did the horrific things that they did. Why did they feel fine doing this stuff? Why were they not afraid? One of the festival goers said that had this been a hip hop festival he thinks the police would have treated them differently. They could have talked about that for so much longer. They didn't even touch on it except for the one quote. I guess I just wanted them to dig a bit deeper into the real seediness of this whole ordeal.

All in all the documentary was okay but not without its flaws. I think my generation probably wanted to see a bit more, but maybe younger people, the Coachella and Lollapalooza crowds nowadays will see this movie differently. The movie was just fine. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I will not watch it again, but I do not feel like I wasted my time watching it now. It was a strong C movie for me.

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 "Space Jam: A New Legacy"

We watched "Space Jam: A New Legacy" last Friday. It was date night, it was my turn to pick, I loved the original movie, still do in fact and I was pumped to watch the new movie. I watched all the trailers, I saw some news stories prior to the movie that made me more excited and I like Lebron James. I also saw that Don Cheadle was the villain, and he is one of my favorite actors. Basically, I was predestined to love this movie.

Unfortunately I did not love this movie.

I am not going to go scorched Earth like some other notable critics have, but this movie is not very good. I do not buy Lebron as an overbearing parent, I didn't find any connection between this movie and the original, the cuts were choppy, the jokes were not great and it just did not have the nostalgia that I wanted. My wife felt the same. We both loved the original, but did not like this new one. I will give it up and say some of the jokes made me chuckle, I appreciated Don Cheadle totally hamming it up and chewing the scenery and the kid who plays Lebron's youngest son was pretty impressive. Other than that though it was pretty boring. I also wished they had done something with the Goon Squad like they did with the Monstars. I wanted to see the NBA and WNBA players get their powers taken from them. I know it didn't fit with the theme of the movie, but that was one of my favorite parts of the original.

Now that I have had an entire weekend to sit on the movie, I have made a revelation. This movie wasn't made for me and my wife. The original was made for us because we were kids at the time of its release. That is who this new "Space Jam" is made for. This is a kids movie through and through. This movie is made for kids under ten. They will love it. My son is stoked to watch. He is nine. One of his buddies keeps telling him how great it is. He watched it with his family last week, they were chatting on Fortnite, and apparently he would not stop talking about it. I have seen some friends posting about watching it and saying that they enjoyed it so much because their kids enjoyed it. My wife is going out of town and my son and I will watch it together when she is gone. I think my daughter wants to join us as well. I will be very curious to see how much they like it, if they do, and if it changes my view of the movie. I'm also certain my son is going to love it. He keeps talking about it and he still hasn't watched it. My daughter will be happy just to see a bunch of cartoon characters on screen, and she likes to watch basketball with me, which there is plenty of in this movie. I will probably do a follow up after watching with them to let you all know how that experience goes. But for my first viewing, I realize that it is not a good movie, that it has many, many flaws and that a ton of things could be changed. But I also realize that I am not the audience this movie is going after.

Long story short, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” is a total kids movie and that is who the producers want to watch. I am sure they understand that parents will be watching as well, but they most likely know that adults and parents are just there to start the movie and hang out. So while I did not think it was good, I am sure my kids will adore it. More to come.

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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Ty Watches "Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail" Season Premiere

The newest season of "Miracle Workers" premiered on TBS this past Tuesday. I love this show. I have sung its praises on the website. I think it is a super interesting and unique way to make a show. I like the subject material very much the first two seasons, and I like how they skewered said subjects. Simon Rich has proven himself very capable of broad humor, and "Miracle Workers" may be his best creation yet. The cast is dynamite, the writing is superb, the directing is top notch and I don't mind having to wait a year or two for each season. This show is so different from everything else on TV right now, so writing and filming it has to take a good amount of time. Add on the pandemic and that must have made it harder to get done. But the third season premiere was just as good as the first two, and it has me pumped for what is to come this third season.

This time around they tackle the Oregon trail. I remember playing this game on a computer when I was in elementary school. I loved it. I have tried to find that high again on my iPhone or Xbox, but it is not the same. I need that floppy disk and those super old school graphics. What "Miracle Workers" did in the premiere was give me that feel. The set was super old school. It looked like a western from the 50's. The clothes are very of the time. The actors actually look like the people in the game. I heard words like dysentery and plague and complaints about not enough crops. They mentioned all the walking that needs to be done. They talk about how long the journey will be and how they will lose people along the way. In the town in the beginning they are losing people to disease left and right and they even make a joke about being six feet apart. Someone in the town gets cholera and the reverend wants everyone to stand six feet apart at the funeral. They don't and another person dies during the service. It was timely, but also how it probably was back in Oregon trail times. I also appreciate that the writers and actors talk and act like modern people. They dress how people dressed back then, they use what people would have used, they live the life but they talk like people I know. They make funny modern jokes. Geraldine Viswanathan, who is awesome, portrays this the best of all the actors. She is really great on this show, and this should definitely lead to more starring roles for her. I think that this is my favorite part of the show. They are putting modern day people in crazy situations that actually happened in history. I always wonder how I would act during ancient times, they did that in season two, or how I would work if I worked in a "heaven" type of place, season one. And I would always talk about my strategy of how I would have done things had I been alive during the Oregon trail computer game.

I love this show. I cannot recommend it enough. I'm pumped it is back. People need to start watching this show so they can do more and more of this. "Miracle Workers" is a fresh Tv show that deserves so much more love than it is currently getting. Check it out. It is so 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 "Black Widow"

My wife and I watched "Black Widow" like most of the rest of the country this Friday. It was her turn to pick, but had it been my turn I would have picked it too. We have wanted to see this movie for two years now.

"Black Widow" was the first really big movie I remember being postponed due to COVID. I was bummed when it got pushed, but of course I understood. We also did not go to the theater to see it. We rented, or maybe bought it, on Disney+. I guess a lot of other people got it on Disney+ as well. Apparently they made something like 60 million plus dollars this weekend on people using Disney+.

Anyway, I kind of enjoyed this movie. I get some of the criticism that it is getting. It seems awkward to make a movie about a character whose outcome we already know, but it is a flashback in its essence. Scarlett Johansson was outshined by other people, but I like when other actors step up in movies that they are not the focus of. And the plot and twists were pretty easy to get, but it is a Marvel movie so the plot twists and whatnot are usually easy to follow. So the criticisms, while valid, I can find reasons to refute them. Otherwise, this movie is solid. One of my wife's friends at work said it was a spy thriller with "Mission Impossible" style action scenes. He was right on the money. Black Widow herself is a spy, and she comes from a family of spies, so that works. The action was rad, and had crazy stuff like helicopters and big planes falling from the sky. The fight scenes were also really well choreographed and expertly done by the actors.

As for the actors, they did good. Scarlett Johansonn was very solid as Black Widow. She played her like she has in all of the other MCU movies she has been in. We have come to know that character so well that any change would have been unnecessary. Rachel Weisz was very good as the surrogate mom who is a brilliant scientist. Weisz has had such a good and solid and sometimes exceptional career as an actor. She has seemingly played every role, and she usually does a very good job. The villain was cheeky and over the top and exactly what I want from my Marvel villains. I thought Taskmaster was cool. I liked the look of the suit and her never ending desire to do as informed by her father and creator. But the stars, by a wide margin, were David Harbour and Florence Pugh. Harbour was the father figure and Russia's version of Captain America. He was so funny. He was so goofy. He said the wrong thing at the wrong time. He was so fantastic in this role. This is such a great role for him. He looks like a regular dude and acts like one too. This was an exceptional performance from him. But Pugh was the absolute star. She was simply perfect. She was funny, but also very tough and a great spy. She had a great Russian accent. She acted the most like a child when being around Weisz and Harbour. She had the most moving moments in the movie. She made fun of all the stuff we have come to love about Black Widow, and it made me laugh. When she did Black Widow's pose and then scoffed, that was incredibly funny. I hope, and assume, that she is going to be around the MCU in this new phase, and I am here for it.

All in all I enjoyed myself while watching the movie. I recommend other people check it out too. Do not listen to the comic book nerds and misogynists that are bad mouthing this movie. They are punks and children. "Black Widow" is a good movie. It is a nice second step in the new MCU phase.

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 "I Think You Should Leave" Season Two

I have now watched season two of "I Think You Should Leave" twice now.

It is wonderful. I knew I was going to like it, but I did not know how it would hold up to the greatness of season one. I am done second guessing everyone involved with that show. They are in Donald Glover territory for me. They can do no wrong. They are at the top of the comedy sketch game, and it isn't even close at the moment.

This new season is darker than season one, but damn if it isn't as funny. I also appreciated that they did not bring back anything from season one. I know they took two years off, and they could write new stuff in that time, but on other shows they will bring back popular sketches in a new season. "ITYSL" season two did not do that, at all. This was all fresh, and it is all going to be as memorable. They could've easily brought back the baby showcase they had, with Barley Jarivs, but they didn't. Instead they had Sam Richardson dress in a gold suit and a wig and bring out some "buff boys". The sketch is just as funny and works just as well. They do bring Santa Claus back, but in a much, much darker scenario. That whole sketch involving Santa is fantastic and so well written. Those may be the only "crossovers" that people can point out, but they are very different from season one.

The rest of season two had me in stitches. From start to finish, it just works so well. I loved the sketch that opened episode three with the professor going out with some former students to a restaurant. Tim Heidecker is back, but in a different role, and that sketch takes some dark turns, but damn it if I wasn't cracking up. Bob Odenkirk shows up and that sketch is truly wonderful and uncomfortable. I want to go to Dan Fashes T Shirt store now so I can fight over some ugly button up shirts. I wonder if Jami Taco is still out there stealing lines in local plays in his home city. I wonder if Karl Havoc, who has the absolute best site gag in the whole season, has come to terms with what his show is going to be. I wonder if the guy with the fedora with flaps in the back still has his hat and dice. Also, the attorney reading the text thread in that scene is pure gold. I would buy the hot dog vac that Robinson's character is selling. I would watch "Coffin Flop" if it were on TV. I want to donate to the company that helps guys cover up dripping pee on their pants. It is all so wonderful.

I mentioned Richardson making his return, and he is dynamite. So is Connor O'Malley. He is in two sketches and they are wonderful. I mentioned the pee drip one, but his other sketch is fantastic, and he isn't the focal point. He and his wife are fighting, but Robinson tries to lighten the mood by doing the Blues Brothers dance. It is uproarious. I also really enjoyed the guy talking about how he used to be an asshole and eating sloppy steaks. John Early makes a great appearance in his one sketch. I could literally go on and on and on.

This show is really, truly one of the best things on TV right now. This season will be as quotable and memorable as season 1. There will be meme's if there aren't already. Robinson and Zach Kanin are in a total sweet spot and they are capitalizing on it right now. I saw someone else proclaim that Robinson was too good for "SNL", and they are right. Nothing on "SNL" right now is even remotely as funny as what "ITYSL" is giving us. This show is wonderful and I am so happy it is back for me to watch over and over again. I suggest you watch it too.

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 "Inside"

I will get to the NBA game 7's that happened this weekend later this week. But today I have to talk about the movie my wife and I watched on our quarantine date night this past Friday.

I know things are opening up, and more people are going back into the world, but not my wife and I. We are still staying at home most weekend nights, we have seen a few more friends, but they are all vaccinated, our kids do play sports, but I am masked and we still enjoy our new Friday date night routine. We still order from a local restaurant and we pick a movie to watch after our kids go to bed. This week was my turn and I picked the new Bo Burnham special "Inside". RD has told me to watch this. A friend of mine told me to watch this. I watched the trailer which made me want to watch this.

I will say, I am so happy RD and my buddy told me nothing about it, and the trailer is very vague. It is best to go into this thing not knowing what to expect. I absolutely adored this special. My wife wasn't as into it as I am, but she did like the music. My wife's problem, there wasn't enough comedy in it for her. I was absolutely blown away by what I witnessed. I keep calling it a "special", and not a "comedy special". My wife is right, it is not very comedic. There are jokes, some of the songs are funny, but this is more a piece of art posed as a comedy special.

When “Inside” starts we see Burnham in a room by himself. He goes on to explain that he is doing this special by himself. He wrote, directed, edited, arranged, he did everything on this project. He had one producer, but I have to assume that was after the fact. This is all Burnham. So to see the way he did this, how he did this, to see the background stuff, to see some of the outtakes, to see him going through a massive change in his emotions, I was floored. Seriously, I was moved by this special. The whole idea was to do a one hour comedy show, but with no audience and by himself. He does it with no audience and by himself, but it is so, so much more than comedy. At the beginning Burnham is unshaven and has shaggy hair. He then goes into his routine. His first song is a short and sweet pop groove called "Content". It is classic Burnham. He is hammy and jokey and pointing out everyday foibles. He then goes into some more songs and bits that follow his usual path. The song "Comedy" is such a great F U to people who think they are holier than thou. "Facetime with my Mom" is downright hilarious. It starts to get a little darker on "How the World Works", but I love that song. It is so true and so of the time and so needed. Socko is a genius. "White Woman's Instagram" kind of goes back to classic Burnham, but there is this moment of clarity when he talks about a girl posting a picture of her deceased mom and the caption accompanying it. It shows growth. "Unpaid Intern" is a hilarious bebop parody. He then shifts into a very of the time bit about doing a response video. My son watches stuff like this all the time, and Burnham nails it. When he plays it on that loop it is wild. The first "Bezos" song comes out of nowhere, and it is totally off the rails, but I loved it. Then we get "Sexting", and this is a very funny song about how people are intimate in modern times. It does end on a dreary note. Then we get "Problematic", and this is such a great song which shows Burnham is embarrassed and ashamed of some of his past bits. He is apologizing in his own way for what he has done. It is fantastic.

Then, right in the middle of the special we get a complete tonal shift. Burnham turns 30 during the special. He stops and talks about it and we even see a clock that reads 11:58. He talks about how he thought he would be done with this special before his birthday, but he is not. Then this gets dark. The whole thing changes, and it is amazing to watch. He performs the song "30", and it is such a perfect way of explaining how most of us accomplish almost nothing when we turn 30. Burnham says nearly everything I thought when I turned 30, but I did have a kid and married my wife prior to 30. At this point in the special Burnham's hair and beard are much longer and very unkempt. He is also wearing the same clothes day after day. He is clearly going through some stuff. And it is all on film. He does a great little tune called "Don't Wanna Know". It is all of his personal thoughts laid out. Then we get real depressing stuff, "Shit" and "All Time Low". These songs are about how he is feeling bad, how he is depressed and how he doesn't know if he will get out of this or not. The loneliness and solitude are clearly getting to him. Then there is this vaudeville esque song called "Welcome to the Internet". It is bleak and sad and gloomy and scary and 100 percent true. I do not know if a more apt lyric than "can I interest you in anything and everything all of the time" has ever been sung. We also get some bleak bits in this portion where Burnham pretends to stream a game that is just him crying and barely moving, him posing with a knife and doing a YouTube-esque subscribe video. He is also clearly losing it when he talks to the camera and cannot get the words out without punching his leg. He is frustrated and losing his grip. There is a second "Bezos" song that is more bizarre than the first, but again, it slaps. Then he plays an acoustic guitar and sings a song called "That Funny Feeling". If this were sung by someone like Father John Misty or Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes, people would call it genius. Burnham nails this impression, and the song is so good. He then breaks down on camera. He starts crying and it goes black. Then he performs "All Eyes on Me". This is the quintessential portion of this special. This is Burnham letting it all out, really going for it and really just letting his mental stuff take hold. Again, it is bleak and brutal, but it hits so many chords. It hits so many feelings that all of us have had during this pandemic. He then closes it out with "Goodbye" and "Any Day Now". Both songs touch on things from earlier in the special, and they kind of wrap it all up. We also see Burnham finally step outside and a fake audience is clapping and cheering for him. This turns into laughter and he is terrified by it. He wants back inside. But then we see him watching this bit and a shy smile comes across his face and it ends.

Look, I was completely and utterly blown away by this. I have never seen anything like it. I think it is the best representation of life during this pandemic. Burnham absolutely nails every aspect of it. He hits a homerun with every song and every bit. It is perfect. I have watched it twice now and been listening to the music on Spotify. This is one of the best pieces of art that I have been able to witness. I do not know what Burnham was trying to achieve or get out of this. but man did he do something that I will never forget. "Inside" is genius. Of course I think you should watch it.

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 "Dave" Season Two Premier

Season two of "Dave" premiered this past Wednesday. I watched the first two episodes yesterday. I'm here to tell you how great they are today.

Full disclosure, I am a fan of this show. I knew of Lil Dicky due to listening to rap music. So when the real Lil Dicky, Dave, announced he had a TV show coming out, I was intrigued. I figured the show was going to be goofy and silly like his rapping. I was wrong. There is silly and goofy stuff, but there is also serious and deep stuff on this show. The episode where he and his girlfriend break up is heart wrenching. Seeing him deal with what he perceives to be shortcoming in bed where eye opening. The episode with his hype man GaTa talking about his bi polar was one of the most moving things I've ever witnessed. This show has levels. It was one of my top five shows after its first season of the year. Obviously I was stoked for season two, and the first two episodes did not disappoint.

To kick off the season we find Dave in Korea shooting a K Pop music video for the first single off his upcoming album. He got a record deal during season one, and now we find him working on it. What I loved about this first ep so much was how stressed and nervous Dave and his crew were. The episode made me nervous. It was like watching "Uncut Gems". There is so much that happens, and it all happens so fast. I also like the fact that they talk about getting likes and posts on social media. The music industry, hell probably every industry, is so reliant on social media now, so for "Dave" to talk about that, it was a home run. Hell, he got his notoriety mostly due to the internet. I loved it when he had to get a selfie with a K Pop star. I loved it when his intern told Dave he didn't follow him and you could see the hurt in Dave's eye. I loved watching GaTa acting like his stuff was all top of the line on the internet, and then when they got off the phone we realized it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. I was so impressed with how they skewered the fascination and need of the internet and social media. It was fantastic. We also come to realize that Dave has some serious writer's block right now, and his album isn't even close to being done. Hence the stress involved in the episode.

In the second episode we see Dave reconnecting with his buddy Els who left to go on a major tour in season one. He is back in LA and he is having a party. Dave is still struggling making music, but he will not let on with his record company. He is also doing some serious procrastination and he is getting high constantly. Dave gets an invite to Els' party, and he is pumped. Once he gets there though he realizes how things have changed. GaTa is having a blast because he likes the party lifestyle. Els' ex girlfriend is happy to be at a club. Els is big time now, and he shows it right in front of Dave. And all Dave can do is grovel and feel sorry for himself. He eventually leaves the party, realizing he isn't as important as he once was, and hits on a younger girl that he brings back to his fancy new house. I loved the way this episode ended because it gave us two scenarios. It let us decide what we wanted the ending to be. In both endings he plays the autotune music he did in season one with his ex-girlfriend, obviously trying to recreate that moment in time, and it doesn't work how he hoped. In the first ending we see him send the girl off and go to get high and pleasure himself, only to be attacked by the ants he has in his house. He crashes through a window and we do not know if he is okay or not. The other ending shows him giving in and hooking up with the girl. That is where the show leaves us, the two of them going to his room. It was such a cool, unique way to end an episode. I'm still trying to figure out which one was the real ending.

"Dave" is a very good, very original show. I'm very excited to see where they go with the rest of this season, but I know it will be good. This show has more than earned the benefit of the doubt. Go watch this show. It's very good.

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 "Loki" Episode One

Last week my wife and I sat down and watched "Loki". I read some headlines that talked about how good the premiere was, that it was one of the better shows on TV, that the actors were all very committed to the material and that it is going to change the way Marvel does TV. I thought Marvel had already done that with "WandaVision", but hey, pretty much everything Marvel does, I like. I am a fan. There are very few Marvel properties that I do not like. I even think the second "Thor" movie gets too much hate. So all these headlines just made me want to watch "Loki" more. I have grown to enjoy his character in every iteration since "Infinity War". He has gotten more fun, he's funnier, he's wittier and Tom Hiddleston has made him a likeable villain.

When we watched the first episode we made sure we had it nice and quiet so we could really focus on what was happening. I really enjoyed how they premiered this show. They did so many things that I like. They gave us flashback scenes. When the episode opened with the scene from "Endgame" where they are trying to return the tesseract, that was rad. I liked seeing all of that go down through Loki's eyes. And he was every bit as mischievous as I hoped. He stole the tesseract, he used it and he traveled in time. From there the show takes quite a turn. Loki gets caught, he cannot use his powers and he is in what looks like a jail. We then meet Owen Wilson's character, who is some kind of time traveling detective. We find him in 16th century France investigating a crime. He then comes back to TVA, the jail-like facility and sits in on Loki's trial. It was pretty wild to see Loki continually trying to use his powers. He couldn't get them to work because this TVA place has stuff to stop people who have powers from using them. He is sentenced to be put to death, but Owen Wilson gets him out of it. They have a chat and this is where we learn what this season of this show is going to be about. Loki is shown images of his crimes. He clearly has some regrets. He is then told that his whole life is planned out for him by the people at TVA. They even show him how his loved ones die, either because of him or outside sources. He gets to a point where he gets away from the people controlling his powers only to see how he died in "Infinity War". At this moment he realizes there is not much he can do to change anything. He has pretty much accepted his fate. Wilson finds him and tells him why he kept him alive, what he needs from him. Spoiler alert, he needs Loki to capture other Loki's. There is what seems like an army of Loki's through time messing things up and trying to become king. It was pretty dope to see that final scene where the TVA police travel to Oklahoma in the 19th century, get caught by this timeline's Loki and to see a Loki in a cape walk away with one of their time traveling devices.

I'm pretty pumped to see where the show goes from here. Marvel has aced the whole TV thing with "WandaVision" and "Falcon and the Winter Soldier", and I am sure they will with "Loki" if the first episode is any indication of how the rest of the season will go. I have high hopes, but I am sure they will surpass them all. "Loki" is great. If you have Disney + I highly recommend checking it out.

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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Ty Watches "Nobody"

Date night this past Friday was my turn to pick the movie, and I decided on “Nobody”.

I have been wanting to watch "Nobody" since I first saw the trailer a few months back. I love Bob Oedenkirk, I love the "John Wick" movies, I'm not a violent person but I do love violent movies and I like short, 90 minute movies. The only problem was the fact that it only came out in theaters first. I am not ready for theaters, not yet, so this bummed me out. Then, while still living with my folks, I saw that it was going to be on On Demand very soon. When it finally made its appearance, I was more than ready to rent it, and we did.

Right away, I love this movie. I watched it both days we had it on rental. It wasn't because I missed anything, or because I wanted to find some easter eggs, I just wanted to see it again for the pure joy this movie gave me. It was exactly what I was hoping for too. When I heard about it first I was nervous that they were going to go full "John Wick '' and make it a serious violent gangster/assassin movie. And while it has a ton of violence in it, the body count has got to be in the triple digits, this movie was different in tone from "John Wick". This movie doesn't take itself as serious. There is humor. There are legitimate funny moments. I was chuckling at scenes here and there. Even the violent stuff, like the fight on the bus, has some great internal monologue that made me laugh. That is what I wanted from "Nobody". I wanted the violence, but I also wanted some laughs.

Then we have Bob Oedenkirk. Man, he was awesome. There were other solid performances, the RZA and Christopher Lloyd were great, and the villain was a bad, bad dude. But Oedenkirk absolutely owns this movie. In doing some online research, and confirmed by my wife's online research, Oedenkirk had an incident where there was a home invasion, and he thought how he would have acted if he were a badass. That is the movie. His family gets robbed, and he doesn't take action. We come to find out that was a good thing because he has a checkered past, where he is a bad dude. Well, he isn't a bad guy, he takes care of the bad guys that other people do not want to deal with. He tried to get away from that life, hence being a family man and working a crummy job. But when he cannot find his daughter's kitty cat bracelet, there is some of the humor for you, that is what pushes him over the edge. He then gets into this kick ass fight scene on a bus, and we find out one of the dudes he beat the hell out of is related to a real bad bad guy. This is the villain I mentioned before. This throws Oedenkirk, his name is Hutch Mansell in the movie, directly back into his old life, and we learn so much cool stuff about his past. The scene in the tattoo parlor rules. The bus scene, this is the third time I have mentioned it, is incredible. When the villain sends his goons to his home, that is awesome. And that final battle scene, that is one of the best fight scenes I have seen in a movie in sometime. I saw someone online say that that scene was like if "John Wick" married "Home Alone". There is crazy violence, crazy fight stuff, Lloyd and the RZA come to help him out and there are a ton of booby traps and self created weapons Hutch did at his place of work. It is awesome.

"Nobody" rules. It was exactly what I wanted. It more than lived up to the hype. This new career path Oedenkirk is on is not only earned, but so so awesome. I highly recommend this movie. It is tremendous.

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 "Last Chance U: Basketball"

As I said earlier this week I am catching up on shows and movies I have wanted to watch, but wanted to wait until I got home. One such show is the newest season of "Last Chance U". I have watched every season of this show. It is a very cliché sports show. It has all the usual drama, the big ups and downs, the messy stories and I love it all. It is my jam. When I watch a show or movie about sports that is what I have come to expect. What made this most recent season of "Last Chance U" even better was the fact that they switched from football to basketball.

I love basketball as you all very well know. The football seasons were fine and all, but having a basketball team as the story, that ruled. With a basketball team you can focus more on almost everyone on the team. At the very least you can focus on all the starters, not just the stars of the team. With the football version they really focused on QB's and skill receivers. There were very few defensive players, hardly any O or D lineman and almost no love for the assistant coaches. It was the "important" players and the head coach. With this basketball season we got multiple stories from about seven of the twelve players on the team, and we learned all about the head coach, but also his two assistants. They each had full episodes or big, big story arcs in multiple episodes. And as for the other five or six kids on the team, I knew at least one or two things about them. That was awesome. As for the "highlighted" players this season, their stories were even more compelling than any of the football players. In watching any season of "Last Chance U" you understand that most of the players on the team are at these community colleges because they couldn't make grades to go D-1, they transferred there, they got cut from their original choice, they lost their scholarship, all of those stories are at the forefront. That is why it is called "Last Chance U". This season is no different in that regard, but the stories are way, way better.

The stories involve a player losing both his parents and has to survive on his own or a five star recruit that has a real, real bad temper or a great player, the LA County's top player, who didn't get the grades or the quiet kid that couldn't cut it in high D-1 so he is returning to community college to bump up his stock. Even the kids that do not get all the shine, we get similar stories of why they are at this particular school. As for the coaches, this is the best, most relatable group that this show has ever had. These guys are not dopey cliché filled coaches that just curse and yell and scream at players. These guys actually care about these kids and care about moving them along in their college careers. The head coach is a weird dude, but with every episode I grew to like him more and more. He is a good guy who really, truly wants the best for these kids. He also feels like he is in the exact right place for him. He could have taken other jobs at some high level schools, but he likes where he is, and I feel like he will be there for the long haul. The assistants are great as well. He has his lead assistant that is the level headed one. He calms everything down. He is the voice of reason. He does the grunt work, but he never complains. He seems to really like this job and, much like the head coach, wants to stay. The other assistant, he is a great and relentless recruiter. His backstory was very intense as well. But he is still there, he is still doing it and he cares a lot.

This new season of "Last Chance U" is the best, by far, that they have done yet. I hope they stick with basketball. It is so much better because you really get to know the players and the coaches since there are less by the number of players allowed on the team. And the way this most recent season ended, with the pandemic coming into full effect right near the end, it was gut wrenching. I am so impressed by this season and I cannot wait for more. Hopefully they get to film another season. I don't know yet because community college basketball postponed the 2021 season, but maybe, just maybe they can get some kind of season in. That would be great. I sure hope so. "Last Chance U" took a chance with the switch, and boy did it pay off. This was a gem. Now I hope we get more.

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.