Ty Watches "The Rehearsal"

After returning home from vacation one thing my wife and I like to do is get caught up on some TV that we missed. We don't watch too much TV while on vacation. There is too much to do, we plan excursions, we go for dinner and then we are so tired that we crash at bedtime. The TV may come on from time to time, but it is not watched very closely. So arriving home, it becomes much easier to watch some shows that we didn't, or had to wait for.

One such show is "The Rehearsal". This is Nathan Fielder's new HBO show. I remember hearing about this show as much as two years ago. When "Nathan For You" was finished with its run, there were rumors swirling everywhere that Fielder wasn't done with TV, he just needed some time off to think of his next project. He also pretty much immediately signed a deal with HBO after "Nathan For You" was over. It was also rumored that HBO was going to give him carte blanche. He was going to be allowed to do what he wanted, when he wanted as long as he didn't go overboard. With "The Rehearsal" he has achieved something truly magical.

What I loved so much about "Nathan For You" was how uncomfortable it made me feel. The comedy was cringeworthy, but in the best possible way. Everything about that show worked for me as a comedy fan. It cemented Fielder as the modern day Andy Kaufman to me. "The Rehearsal" takes it five-ten steps further.

The premise of the show is to help people rehearse for real life events. The first episode was about a guy that wanted to tell his trivia teammates that he actually did not have a masters degree. The second episode was about a lady who wanted to simulate what it would be like to be a first time mom. But there is so, so, so much more to these episodes than just these baseline summaries. Fielder works with actors to not only help the person who contacted him, but also helps himself in dealing with the people. Fielder hires actors himself to portray the people he will be interacting with. It is wild to see. He has conversations with these people and the show will cut to him rehearsing with actors. He also tells the people all of this after he does the initial interview with him, and shockingly, the people are, for the most part, on board. Again, it is wild. But it gets even crazier. As Fielder is helping the people we see his full process. I'm talking notes, hiring other actors to help out, building extremely elaborate sets, using his own warehouse, having a computer constantly at the ready, having phone calls fully planned out. It is all there and it is all very comprehensive. There were many times I would say out loud, "wow", or, "oh my goodness", completely flabbergasted by what I was witnessing. But what really makes this show stand out is how well the cringe comedy works. I was so uncomfortable the whole time, yet I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. I wished there were more episodes when we watched the first two.

I am stoked to watch the new episode tonight, yet I know I will be bummed when the 30 minutes are over because I'll have to wait another week. I just can't get enough of this show. Yes it makes me uncomfortable, but I also realize that I am watching gold. This show is genius. I can see why it took so long for this to come out and why there are only six episodes. The amount of meticulous work that went into this show is the stuff of a mad scientist genius. It is truly masterful work.

Nathan Fielder has done it yet again. "The Rehearsal" is must watch TV for any comedy fan out there. Nathan Fielder is on a level only shared by Donald Glover. These people know how to make great TV.

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 Boys" Season Three Finale

I really want to talk about the season three finale of "The Boys", so I'm going to. That being said, this will be as spoiler free as possible for those of you that have not watched it yet.

"The Boys" is fast becoming one of my favorite TV shows. It is so well written, well acted, precisely directed and uses superhero culture the way I like to see it done. I'm a fan of when they show how violent these powers can be when they are used. That is why I love a movie like "Logan", and why I adore this show. It is the most violent and NSFW TV show I think I have seen. But, when it is done right, like "The Boys" does, it works.

This past season has been the most disturbing one for me to watch though. They take on the new world of politics we live in, they just add these wild, company created superheroes. The "heroes" represent two factions of politics we have in our country now. But since this show is "fantasy", they can take far more chances. They did that tenfold this past season. Homelander is the alt right conservative and Starlight represents the left. Both actors nail it too. But the fact that I grew to hate Homelander even more this season means that the actor is nailing his role. I despise him. I loathe his every move. I want them to kill him off, but he is the star of the show. I find it hilarious that real alt right conservatives were stunned when they found out that Homelander is the bad guy of the show. I cannot fathom how god damn dumb those mouth breathing alt right conservatives are that they had no idea that Homelander was the bad guy, and that they got all up in arms when it was revealed by the creators that Homelander is the bad guy. But the thing that threw me the most in this finale, and for the whole season for that matter, was how realistic it all felt. Homelander would say things that felt like they were lifted from alt right rallies. The stuff they did at these rallies looked horrifying because it felt so real. When Starlight's supporters came out, they were marginalized and looked at as less than by the right. They called them names and talked about how "weak" her supporters are. They would try to start actual fist fights. They would use violence as opposed to words or simply acting like an adult.

In the finale, especially in the final thing we saw this past season, I swear I got some kind of crazy PTSD. I was scared by what I saw because it wouldn't shock me if something similar happens in real life. The way Homelander's supporters responded to what he did had me horrified. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. I told my wife we had to watch something more upbeat before going to bed because I just couldn't seem to shake what we had just witnessed. She agreed. We had to cleanse our palette if you will. We were both shaken. It was terrifying to see what we saw and think about if something like this actually happened. It literally shook me to my core. I still cannot shake the image three days later. I have spoken at length with my wife and dad, he watches the show too, and we all feel the same way.

"The Boys" is a wonderful show that I really think most people would love and should watch. And the direction they went this season, the stories they told, were done so well. But it is almost too close to real life. And that is what scares me the most. Oof, I am still kind of messed up from this. Boy oh boy.

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 Bear”

Last night I started the show "The Bear". I had heard a ton of good things about it, some people I follow on social media were singing its praises.

I like what FX does in the world of TV and I am a sucker for cooking shows. In our house we watch a ton of cooking shows in fact. We like them all. Be it Ina Garten or some kind of competition show, we will usually watch. Hell, I even really enjoy a show like "Carnival Eats". That may be one of my favorites.

The problem with those shows, for the most part, is they are very nice. Even the reality competition ones. Sure they have their "villain", and there have been plenty of contestants I don't like, and my goodness do they take themselves far too seriously, but in the end it is all happiness and fun and games. "The Bear" is not like that, and I think that has been what has drawn me in so much.

Over the past day and a half I have watched the first four episodes. It was all I was thinking about watching this morning when I was out running errands. It stayed with me. To me that is a sign that this show works. This is what I am looking for in a show about food. The cast is amazing. It is an ensemble, but that ensemble is led by Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White. He is so good. He is a once in a generation chef, but he is back home working in a sandwich shop. We find out more and more about him as the series is going on, and I cannot wait to see where they take him. His "cousin", to whom there is much discontent, is skillfully played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. He is so good at being the hot headed "know it all" who doesn't want any change to his "system". Ayo Edebiri is so good as the new up and coming chef who wants to learn from Carmy. She is awesome in this role. She really gets to stretch and try some new things. She should get way more work after people watch her in this. The rest of the crew is great. Lionel Boyce is Marcus and he wants to be a pastry chef so bad. Liza Colon-Zayas is Tina and she has no time for nonsense and has been at the shop since day one. Edwin Lee Gibson is the old soul that likes having stuff to do. And the rest of the crew is there to crack a few jokes every now and then. We also get a nice turn from Abby Elliot as Carmy's sister. It is pretty cool to see her do drama. Oliver Platt has been in a few episodes and he does a low leverage gangster pretty well. And Joel McHale is there being a total dick, which he thrives at doing.

This show has me hooked. Outside the cast, the food looks amazing. They do long, slow motion shots of people cooking and the finished product, and I get hungry just watching. I love Italian Beef sandwiches, and the way they make them look on this show makes me want to travel to Chicago right now. They also have some of the best shots of donuts I have ever seen. They look better on this show than they do on some Food Network or Cooking Channel shows. The sandwich shop is old and dingy and perfect for what they do. The kitchen looks and feels real. The alleys are grimy. Some of the neighborhoods look sketchy. It all works.

This is the best cooking show on TV. It is also one of the better comedy/drama shows that are out there right now. It is also unique and new. It is not a reboot or a retread. It is a new idea that they are nailing. Go watch "The Bear". It is really for anyone that likes cooking shows and great TV. 

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 Northman"

My wife is out of town for work and when she leaves I tend to watch movies that she is not interested in when we do date night. I've seen some solid and not so solid movies during these work trips. I've also seen "Titane", and I'm still confused by it. Last night I watched "The Northman".

I've wanted to see this for quite some time. My dad is really into viking culture lately, the preview looked badass, I like Alexander Skarsgard and I have enjoyed every Robert Eggers directed movie I have seen, especially "The Lighthouse". I had high hopes going into this movie.

“The Northman” did not disappoint. Sure it was a bit too long and some stuff could have been cut out, but for the most part, this movie was very, very well made. I am not as into the viking stuff as my dad, but I do like the stories I have been told. I am also kind of enamored with their lifestyle back in the early 1000's. It is all intriguing to me. This movie, from what I've read and watched, has to be one of the more accurate portrayals of life back then. It was brutal. It looked old. It looked archaic. Eggers and the writers did not sugarcoat the awfulness that some vikings lived with. There was pillaging and murdering and assaults happening left and right. I appreciate the fact that they put it out there bare bones. I do not like when other movie makers glorify and deify these people. They were not the best. There is one battle scene in particular, right in the first 45 minutes, that is one of the best and most brutal things I have ever watched. This group of vikings pillages a town during the day. At one point a person throws a spear at Skarsgard's character, he catches it and throws it back, impaling someone else in the process. After that, Skarsgard proceeds to murder three or four people, and when he gets to the last person, he bites into their neck, as if he is a dog feeding on his prey. That was another thing. There are so many dog references in this movie. From start to finish, dogs are involved and it is gruesome. But I liked what I was seeing.

I liked how they made this movie. I was fully in on Skarsgard. I'm relatively new to him. My wife watched "True Blood", but I did not. And I loved when he was on the most recent season of "Atlanta". But this was a juicy leading role for him and he nailed it. He was magnetic. He put in a ton of work on his body and it showed. He played his character to perfection. He was the only viking I rooted for, but there were times when he was just as bad as the rest. As for the rest of the cast, they were up to the task. Anya Taylor Joy was great. She looked and acted like a viking queen. She was a total badass as well. I loved her in this. Ethan Hawke was dope. He is having a bit of a renaissance. Nicole Kidman was ruthless and evil and totally nailed it. Claes Bang was a bad, bad dude, but I kind of sided with him a little bit in the end. Willem Dafoe was as creepy as ever and it was so fitting for this movie. Bjork had a bit part and it was exactly what she thrives at doing, being weird and using her cool voice. It was just a perfect cast in a very good movie.

I mentioned that one fight scene at the top, but this movie was filled with some of the best, and most real, fight scenes I've watched in a movie. There was one where they were playing some kind of old game, and when Skarsgard goes to protect a child, oh my was that nuts. There was another one where he takes on multiple fighters and beats them, until he is contained and proceeds to get repeatedly punched in the face. When he was tied up it was the most real looking torture thing I have seen since "Zero Dark Thirty". When he gets Taylor Joy to feed the guards hallucinogenic mushrooms, and what happens next, it was wild. My favorite was when Skarsgard returned to the site of his capture and freed the people at night time. That was rad. And brutal. And gory. And kind of sad. But it was so well done. And the final battle scene, no spoilers, was totally worth the anticipation and build up. It ended on a perfect crescendo. I sat on my couch and just kind of stewed in what I had just watched. I really thought about it all. And I came away thinking this was one of the better movies I have watched in some time. It is beautiful to look at, well acted and directed, very well written and super interesting.

I definitely recommend the movie under the caveat that it is slow in certain parts and that the movie is very heavy with viking and Icelandic language. But Skarsgard, Taylor Joy and those battle scenes are totally worth it in the end. "The Northman" lived up to my personal hype.

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 World's Greatest Mixtape"

Last night I watched the 30 for 30 documentary "The World's Greatest Mixtape". This is a short movie about the sensation that was the And 1 Mixtape tour.

The And 1 Mixtape tour came around at the perfect time for me as a basketball fan. In my late teens I had become kind of disillusioned with basketball. I still played but barely watched. The early 2000's were not great as far as the NBA goes. There were great players, but I just wasn't into it at all. But then one day, while scrolling some channels, I happened upon the "And 1 Mixtape" on ESPN. I was instantly in love. This was the coolest. This was the most balletic basketball I had ever seen, and the trash talk was absolutely amazing. I was all in right away. I watched the 30 minute episodes every single day they were on. I followed the players. I bought And 1 clothes. I tried to do the stuff these guys did. I talked about it all with my friends that watched. It was the best. So I was primed for this documentary.

Tis doc was solid. I thought it was a good representation of the time. I loved how they told the story. It was fascinating to hear the backstory of how it started. I loved seeing the older players talk about how they came to be an And 1 athlete. I thought it was so cool how they got the music for the mixtapes. I liked hearing these guys find out that they were on the tapes and then finding a way to get paid. I loved hearing about Rafer Alston, the first real streetball legend. Then to see all the guys I watched regularly, to hear some of their stories, to hear about their time on the And 1 tour, it blew me away. It was so cool. I thought that whole part of the show was perfectly done. I also loved seeing NBA players talk about the And 1 players and mixtapes. It was cool to get their input. I liked hearing someone like Kemba Walker, a former all star, talk about the influence And 1 had on him. It was also dope to see guys like Iman Shumpert and Lou Williams talk about And 1. They may not be stars, but they were guys that stuck around in the league for a long time, did some nice things and even win a ring.

My absolute favorite part with the NBA guys was hearing them fervently state that And 1 players could not make it in the league. There is a reason that only one, Alston, stuck around. There is a famous And 1 guy, Hot Sauce, and the NBA guys clowned him in this doc. Shumpert said that he came into some tryouts as "Hot Sauce", and left being called "Ketchup". That line killed me. And it is so true. While the And 1 guys are incredible basketball players, and do things I can only dream of doing with a basketball, they are not NBA talents. They just do not have that in them. But they sure did try. And I respect that they found a way to get paid to play basketball the way they loved to play the game. That takes a whole lot to do.

I think my only criticism with this movie is that it is far too short. It is only about 45 minutes long. I could watch two hours of this easily. I want to know every single thing about this league, from formation to dissolution. I want the fully in depth story of everything And 1. That would be dope. But this movie will do for now. Maybe they will make more volumes a la the And 1 mixtapes. One can only hope. But for those of you that watched this back in the early 2000's, check out this movie. It is a great trip down memory lane.

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 Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"

The other movie I wanted to discuss this week was the date night pick coming from yours truly. It was on me and it was easy because "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is now on VOD and available to stream. I was close to seeing this movie in the theaters, that is how much I wanted to watch it. My wife was also completely on board, so that made it even easier.

This movie did not disappoint. It was so funny, so well made, so well acted and surprisingly touching. I enjoyed every single second of this movie. For the people that may not know, this movie is a meta version of Nicolas Cage. Nicolas Cage plays a version of himself named Nic Cage. He is a struggling actor, cannot stick with his family and decides to quit. Before he fully gives up his agent, played by Neil Patrick Harris, convinces him to go to Majorca, Spain and appear at a party for a million dollars. Cage reluctantly agrees. But when he gets there he realizes that the person who invited him to the party is part of a massive drug cartel. Cage also is found out by two CIA agents and he has to help them take down the cartel. From this point on the movie just gets better and better. And it stays funny and continues to be touching.

Speaking of the actors. Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish play the CIA agents. They are great. Barinholtz cannot deal with his nonsense and Haddish knows how to make him work, she just hates doing it. They do a wonderful job. Cage's ex wife and daughter are great additions. They make the story work more than it actually should. But this movie is truly all about Cage and Pedro Pascal, the super fan. Cage does a great job making fun of himself in this movie. The jokes about him working too much, being too self serious, going nuts at the drop of the hat, all of it works to perfection. They also have a CGI younger version of him that the current Cage talks to and that is great. My favorite part of the young Cage is when he kisses the old Cage and yells, "NIC CAGE IS GOOD AT SMOOCHING!". It is a wonderful joke that totally lands. It is great. Nicolas Cage seems more than up to the task in this role. I am so glad that he took it, ran with it and nailed it. He was tremendous. It shows that, given the right material, Cage can act very well. And Pedro Pascal, he is simply the best. He is funny. He is touching. He is derpy and goofy. He is fully in on the joke and he goes for it as hard as Cage does. The whole story line of him and Cage writing a movie together about their lives is perfect. Pascal is also great at playing this derpy, naive guy. He has too much money and does not know how to use it properly, so he just buys whatever he wants whenever he wants. But he is also touching and nice and you root for him. I was openly hoping he wasn't going to be the bad guy. I wanted there to be a twist where he was actually a good guy. Pascal was phenomenal in this movie. And he and Cage have tremendous chemistry. This movie works because the two of them work so well together. I loved it. Their friendship was the absolute best thing in this movie. Their adventures together were funny and moving. The two of them watching "Paddington 2" was gold.

I adore this movie. I was telling my dad about it all morning over coffee. Watch this movie please. It is so worth 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 "RRR"

Last week I watched two movies that I really want to tell you all about this week.

The first is "RRR". I had heard things from people that I listen to on podcasts about this movie. Then spoke glowingly of it. Then I went and read some reviews, and this movie was getting super gassed up by the critics. Then I saw the description of it on Netflix and I was in. The only thing that made me hesitate was the run time, three hours and five minutes. That is a very, very, very long movie. But I broke it up over three different viewings over two different days. Both were in a row so I wouldn't lose too much from the story. But none of that matters.

This movie is amazing. All three hours and five minutes are more than worth it. I loved every second of "RRR". The long and short synopsis of the movie is, it is about two Indian revolutionaries in the 1920's overthrowing the British Imperialists. And it rules. I have become kind of weary with all the superhero stuff and all the retread stuff. There are way more "Doctor Strange 2" movies than there are "Everything Everywhere All at Once". The movie landscape has become kind of dull. But then a movie like "RRR" comes along and I get all excited again. The version I watched was in Hindi with English subtitles and then some people spoke English. All of that did not matter. Sure it helped to follow the story, but what makes this movie so incredible was the action sequences, which seem to go on forever and I still want more. These action sequences are some of the most incredible scenes I have ever watched in a movie. The director shoots them perfectly. Slow motion is used better here than in any other movie I have ever seen. The fighting looks and feels real. The CGI animals are so well made and so believable. They make the two main guys act and feel like superheros, but they are also just regular dudes. I have never seen a Bollywood movie before, but I understand dancing is a big deal, and the dance numbers in this movie were amazing. I was never really bored watching "RRR". There were some slower moments that they maybe could have cut out of the movie, cut it down to two hours forty minutes maybe. But all of that would be followed by another incredible action scene that would immediately pull you right back in. I also really enjoyed the flashback scenes. Not only did they tell the full story, but they had some of the coolest training and fight scenes I have seen in a movie in quite some time. Oh, and the music was cheesy and weird and glorious. Everytime they broke into song, and the lyrics would appear on the subtitles, I would laugh and smile and find myself bouncing my foot up and down. I was all in.

I was also glad that, outside the few people and reviews I heard, I knew very little going in. I didn't know until it started that it was over three hours. I had no idea it was going to be superhero-esque. I was oblivious to the dance scenes. I did not know the story whatsoever. But after watching it, I want to tell everyone I know to watch this movie. "RRR" is so worth your time. It is so good. It is what I want Hollywood to make, but they don't have the guts. This is one of the coolest and most unique movies I have seen in quite some time.

Obviously I recommend "RRR". Please watch it so we can all talk about it. This is one of the coolest movies that has ever been made.

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 Boys" Season Three Premiere

For date night last week I had the choice. I had a good amount of movies I had in mind, but I kept finding myself going back to watching "The Boys". I have been trying to watch the third season for a few weeks now. But my wife has been working late with return to office stuff, my daughter and son have been playing a ton of baseball and softball games, with practices included, I have been playing late night softball and we are all exhausted when we get home. We just want to relax and watch mindless tv while we wind down before bed. But it was my turn to pick, and when I finally decided on watching "The Boys", my wife was stoked. She exclaimed "FINALLY!!!" and told me, "Great call!". She was excited, which made me excited.

We picked up this show during the start of the pandemic. RD told me that I should watch it. I was hesitant at first. I did not know how I felt about yet another superhero thing to watch. It just felt like too much. But at the start of the pandemic, what else could we really do but watch tv and go for walks and runs. So we decided to start after RD goaded me for what seemed like the millionth time. I'm glad he was persistent. I instantly fell in love with this show. It is gory and violent. It is sexual and crazy. It is full of swear words and every other bad thing you could think of. It is an anti hero show, and I'm all on board for that. I like when a genre is skewed in a much darker territory. I'm a big fan of bending genres. It also helps that the show is very well written, incredibly shot, had on point direction and every actor is down for whatever crazy stuff the show runners and writers throw at them. I understand that it is based on a graphic novel, but to actually see it on a tv screen, it is like "Sin City", except better and more violent. "The Boys" is willing to go there and push even further than you thought it could. I mean, the first scene with Hughie and his girlfriend is still with me. Homelander, more on him later, is a weirdo freak, especially for milk. I love the darkness within all the heroes. The Boys, the people who go after the superheroes, have all their own stuff to deal with. It is a truly terrific and original show. I love it. So watching the season 3 premiere was a long time coming and I knew I was going to love it.

We watched the first two episodes, and they did not disappoint. I don't want to spoil too much, but some spoilers may come out. Sorry. First off, I love the way they are dealing with Storm Front's death. It is too perfect. Homelander is going to do some real damage this season. He is off the hinges. The way the second episode ended has me terrified for what he is capable of doing. Hughie is realizing his life may not be as perfect as he thought it was at the end of season two. Starlight is climbing the ranks and she is scared of what may come. Hughie's boss has a terrible secret. Giancarlo Esposito, who may be the best one of the show, is a perfect human villain in this world. Mother' Milk is getting dragged back into this world he is trying to leave. The Deep has had some of the funniest moments so far. His movie looks hilarious. Frenchie and Kumiko meet a terrifying supe named Termite in the first episode, and that whole scene is nuts. And Butcher has a whole lot of shit to deal with, and he has taken some compound v that gives him superpowers for 24 hours. Add on the fact that we have Jensen Ackles character, Soldier Boy, coming, and this season is going to be a doozy. I cannot wait to watch more.

This is the first show I have seen this year, where they filmed it during this pandemic, that doesn't feel like it was filmed with all these useful restrictions. "The Boys" is in a class all its own. The show is incredible and original and one of the best things on any streaming device anywhere. Go watch this show. It is a gory work of art. And so far season three has ruled. Now I need to watch more.

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 "Hustle"

I finished "Hustle" last night. I have been wanting to watch this movie since I first heard about it. I am a sucker for movies like these. It is a genre I am quite fond of.

“Hustle” is about a down on his luck basketball scout that finds a diamond in the rough. It tugs at my heartstrings. Growing up I used to watch movies like "Blue Chips", "The Air Up There" and "Cool Runnings" constantly. I couldn't get enough of the whole underdog scenario. As I get older I still watch a very high number of sports movies. I used to devour "The Program". That is a terrible movie, but it is about college football and Michigan wins their game in it. "He Got Game" is still one of my all time favorites. I adore the original "Space Jam". I love a movie like "Major League". I will even get down with some of the sports movies people consider not so great. So "Hustle" is my type of movie. Add on the fact that Adam Sandler is the star and LeBron James is producing. That is icing on the cake. I was in before I even watched one second.

Fortunately, for me, the movie is very well made. Sandler is excellent. This is further proof that Sandler can do more than comedy. He has a few funny lines here and there, but this is way more of a drama, and he nails it. It is akin to "Uncut Gems", except he isn't so slimy, or "Punch Drunk Love", except he isn't a pushover in this. Sandler is in his pocket and doing great, great things here. I was so happy to see him acting so well. I could say the same for a number of the other actors. Robert Duvall brings an air of gravitas to his very small role. Queen Latifah is simply wonderful as Sandler's wife. Kenny Smith, in what I believe is his first fiction role, is magnetic and believable as a super agent. There are tons of NBA players playing themselves, and that is perfect for a movie like this. Ben Foster is a total scumbag and he pulls it off. Heidi Gardner is stretching her "SNL" legs and she does a formidable job. Jaleel White is in this and I did not see Urkel once in him. But, outside of Sandler there were two other standout roles. First off Anthony Edwards plays a young brash soon to be first round pick named Kermit in this movie. He is awesome. He was, quite possibly, my favorite part of the whole thing. He is cocky and can back it up. He talks shit. He has a line where he asks a player where he is from and the player says Spain. Edwards says to him, and I quote, "that shit sounds wack". It was the funniest and best line in the whole movie. Edwards was phenomenal. But this was Juancho Hernangomez's movie. He is the player that Sandler's character is trying to get to the NBA. I think it was a brilliant move by the people involved to get a non superstar in this role. He isn't a big name so not everyone knows who he is, but he is in the league so the training and game play stuff looked and felt real. It was wonderful. Seeing him go through drills and get better felt very, very real. When he plays with NBA stars in this movie you believe he has the skill. He can play with these guys because he actually does. When he goes up against Edwards' character part of me felt like the director just let the camera roll and this was real gameplay. It totally worked. I applaud the decision to cast a guy like Juancho Hernangomez. This movie is a true crowd pleaser. You will find yourself rooting for this young man. This is a movie that people who don't like basketball will enjoy. It helps to know who everyone is while watching, but even if you don't, this is a story about redemption and overcoming obstacles. I don't know too many people who dislike stuff like that. There is cliche stuff and the movie is paint by numbers, but dammit it works. They got it right.

I highly, highly recommend this movie. I have already watched it again with my son, who is obsessed with the NBA, and he loves it too. Check out "Hustle". It is well 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 "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"

I think we have reached the point of too many superhero movies. I still go to see them, but there’s a lot. When my wife and I went to the movies yesterday we got a preview for yet another “Thor” movie. It looks great, Taika Waititi is directing and I will see it. But damn, it feels like, at the very least, half the movies coming out are superhero based.

I say all this because my wife and I went to see “Doctor Strange 2”. We both wanted to see it, we like multiverse stuff and she took the day off for our anniversary. So we went to the movie before heading to a nice dinner, just the two of us. The movie was fine. It was very down the middle Marvel stuff. It was an interesting story with cool characters and solid actors. But it’s just too much to follow right now, for me at least. As I said, I found the movie enjoyable, but I also have some criticisms of it as well. I was stoked when I saw Sam Raimi was directing. He has made some of my favorite horror/comedy movies. He also did “Spider-Man 2”. But this movie felt old. It kind of looked old too. Raimi is a genius, but this movie felt like he was working in a different decade. There was a bit too much CGI. It felt like they were going to do as much as possible. It was overwhelming at times. The makeup also felt old. That could have been purposefully, but it looked rough to me. The direction also felt rushed at times. Almost like they were pushing to get this movie done. I also enjoy Benedict Cumberbatch. He’s a solid actor. He’s doing really cool stuff. I even like his interpretation of Stephen Strange. But he doesn’t seem like he can, or maybe doesn’t want, to be the star of a MCU movie. My wife made the point at dinner that Dr Strange is much better as an add on character. I couldn’t agree more. It’s great when he shows up in movies, but when he’s the star it is kind of dull and boring. I don’t think Dr Strange is a leading MCU guy. He was much more fun in the latest “Spider-Man” movie. Elizabeth Olsen was dynamite. I have no problem with any choice she made. I just didn’t buy her as the villain. I agreed with every choice she made as Wanda/Scarlet Witch. I was on her side and I don’t think that’s what they were going for. The actor who played America Chavez was good too, but I have zero idea how she’s involved in the MCU. I know nothing about her character, and they didn’t do the best job of explaining who she is and why she matters. The cameos were cool, no spoilers, but this is another case of too much too soon. It is almost as if Marvel is just throwing darts at a board and choosing what fits based on where the dart lands. It’s a bit slap dash. I also found the writing to be very cliche. There were lots of closeups and the actors saying cliche superhero lines. I half expected someone to say something about power and responsibility. Or bring up how it’s a curse to be a hero. It was truly that predictable. I did like the look of the movie. It reminded me of “Inception”. There was a neat fight scene between two Dr Strange’s where they used music notes. I already mentioned my love for Elizabeth Olsen. And Chiwetel Ejiofor chewed scenery in the best possible way. But this was a lower tier Marvel movie for me. I think my wife would agree. It is better than “Thor 2” and “Ironman 2”. I haven’t seen “Morbius”, but I’m sure this movie looks like “The Godfather” next to it. But “Thor 3”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Winter Soldier” and “Black Panther” are far, far superior movies.

Again, “Doctor Strange 2” was okay, but nowhere near what I was hoping or expecting. There’s just too much in that MCU right now. They need to slow the hell down and focus on making a few good movies as opposed to making a million movies all at once.

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 "Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers"

I used to watch "Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers" as a kid. It is one of the few shows, outside "The Simpsons", that I actually remember watching when I was young. I did not watch many cartoons as a kid. There were other shows, like "American Gladiators", "Sportscenter" and "Good Times" that appealed to me. I just liked real people as opposed to cartoons I guess. But "Rescue Rangers" was different. It was goofy and silly and fun. It was like a lighter "Pinky and the Brain", a show I got to later in life. And I loved "Pinky and the Brain".

When I heard that they were doing a reboot, and making it a movie, I was skeptical. I am usually not the biggest fan of remakes or reboots. Why rehash an old idea that they got right the first time? I just do not like it. Some stuff has worked, but it is few and far between. And fans will argue with other fans if the show or movie or miniseries or whatever is any good. Those people need to calm the hell down. Stop fighting about useless nonsense on the internet. That is for kids. Anyway, I was hesitant. But then I found out that Akiva Schaffer was directing it. I adore Schaffer. I have liked pretty much everything he has done. His group, The Lonely Island, does things that speak to me. I also found out, through Schaffer's internet presence, that Andy Samberg was going to be voicing a main character. This was when I was fully on board. Samberg is one of my all time favorite actors. The dude is funny. He gets it. He knows how to construct, write and deliver jokes. When he teams up with Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, the other Lonely Island member, they make magic. As I said, the three of them know how to get it done. Then I saw that John Mulaney was attached. I like his comedy, so I was happy about it. Then Tress MacNeille signed on. Then Eric Bana. Will Arnett was next. Then I started to see names like Dennis Haysbert, Flula Borg, Keegan Michael Key, Tim Robinson, Seth Rogen, JK Simmons and Rachel Bloom attached to voice characters. This was an even bigger selling point for me. I also saw that Kiki Layne, from "Coming 2 America", was cast as the human lead in this movie. She was great in that, so I figured she would be just fine here.

This movie really worked for me. I loved that they went the "Roger Rabbit" route with it. This movie mixes a bunch of different animation styles with real life situations. And it is from the jump. We meet Chip and Dale in elementary school where they go with all kinds of animated characters and humans. The movie continues this trend when they show them getting their show. This was a great walk down memory lane. And then when we find them away from the show in modern times, they keep up the "Roger Rabbit" aesthetic. The movie is even in the crime/noir/comedy genre. It mixes all three, but it is not as adult as "Roger Rabbit". This is a kids movie. This is made for the family to watch. My son watched it the day after my wife and I, and he thought it was fun. But being that it is a kids movie at heart, I told my wife while watching that I feel like this movie was made for us. This was made for people who are going to be 40, or already turned 40. This is like going back in time. It brings back all your favorite characters from the original, while taking some old classics and making them look not so great. I loved that about this movie. It was nostalgia for me, and I was all in.

I highly recommend “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers” for everyone, but mainly for people my age that used to watch the cartoon. It is a great walk down memory lane. It was a ton of fun.

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 "Atlanta" Season Three

I finally watched the season 3 finale of "Atlanta" yesterday. I have been waiting until the season was over to really talk about my feelings. Right off the bat, I loved this season. It was weird and stilted and didn't have the original cast in every episode, but I was still just as in as I was with the first two seasons.

For those that may not know, this review will be as spoiler free as possible, season 3 of "Atlanta" went in a totally different direction than it ever has. There were episodes that were completely devoid of any of the main cast. There were stories that did not involve Earn, Darius, Van or Paper Boi. They did separate stories from the main cast. And some of those were my favorites this season. The reparations episode was a thing of beauty. I have gone back and watched that ep a few times. The black and white episode, with college tuition, was a goddamn work of art. That ep was perfectly executed, and it had some of the funniest moments all season long. It also blended all sorts of genres. The first ep of the season was frightening. It was a horror show, and that is how they meant it to go. The story they told was horrifying. It showed me, from the start, that this season was going to be different. And the one with the babysitter and the kid was very odd and very interesting. Some seemed to dislike this episode, but I thought the story they were after was told very properly. So out of ten episodes this season, four did not feature the main cast. And it worked. It was an odd change of pace, but it was also done very well and the episodes were some of the best of the season.

When they did use the main cast, the eps were as good as ever. The second episode of the season was rad. Getting to see everyone again, this time on tour in Europe, was like seeing some old friends you haven't seen in awhile. It was great to see Earn rushing to get somewhere, to see Paper Boi getting in messed up situations, to see Darius high out of his mind and seeing Van just showing up, it was comforting. That ep was wild too, with the Tupac stuff and all the wild racism in Europe. The tour stuff they ended up doing with Paper Boi was interesting. I have to assume Glover took some real life experiences and put it into the show. He has toured all over the country, and I'm sure he has had some wild nights. A lot of the episodes dealt with being high and feeling out of control, and I think the creators of the show nailed how nuts and wild it can be in other countries. The "White Fashion" episode was amazing. I have never laughed or felt as awful after watching 40 minutes of TV. It was excellent. The ep with the party and the tree was really cool. That also gave us a new character, Socks, who left a mark. "Cancer Attack" was cool, and there was some damn good music in that 30 minutes. "New Jazz" was the best episode of the season, in my opinion. It did so many great things in a small amount of time. It also allowed Brian Tyree Henry to really shine. He is magnetic in this episode. There is also a Liam Neeson cameo, and it is nuts. For real. It was crazy. You have to see it. But the whole premise of the story, getting stoned, was done so well and executed expertly. It was a great watch. Second only, for me, to "Teddy Perkins". And the season finale, focusing on Van's journey, was another amazing work of art and let the actor fully shine. Zazie Beetz is electric in this episode. Seeing her journey throughout this season, and all the mental stuff, was done so well. Beetz really, really shined. It could garner some Emmy talk, hopefully. It was great.

All in all, I loved this season. Again, it was weird and different and tells a ton of other, non "Atlanta" stories we have become accustomed to. But it all worked. Everything comes together in the end. It has me excited for how they will close out the series. Season 4 is the last season. But this season of "Atlanta" has me even more all in on Glover and his creative process. He can truly do no wrong at the moment. This season of "Atlanta" further proves it. I liked it, and I liked it a lot. I know some people are divided, but I am not. I was all in and I'm still all in. Season 3 of "Atlanta" is must watch TV.

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 "A Quiet Place 2"

I finally saw "A Quiet Place 2" this past Friday. It was date night, my wife had the pick of the movie and we had both wanted to see this movie. We jumped on it. It was for rent on VOD and it was on sale. It was a true win win.

I adored the first movie. I thought it was a great idea that was perfectly executed. I think it is one of the better thrillers to come out in a long, long time. The way they dealt with the world they created was perfection. It was a movie that stunned me with how good it actually ended up being. But I was on the fence about a sequel. When it was announced I asked myself why. I just did not think they needed to do it. They ended the first one the right way, it was a tremendous hit and it seemed like it had closure. I did not want a sequel. I'm not a big fan of sequels to begin with, and when you get it right, I would not mess with a good thing. Sequels never help in my opinion. But, when this one raked it in at the box office, you could sense they were going to make, at the very least, one more. So going in my expectations were not very high for "Part 2".

Just like with the first one, I was pleased at how much I found myself enjoying the movie. I was fully in on the story. I liked the fact that they went back in time to show the first day that everything went down. It was nice to see John Krasinki in the movie. I appreciate that he wrote and directed this movie. Emily Blunt is tremendous. I feel like she is a criminally underrated actor. She seems to do mostly good work, picks good projects and is really good in whatever role she is given. The kids in this movie were badass. I liked that they made them heroic. The deaf girl rules and the anxious brother comes up big for the family. I thought bringing in Cillian Murphy and Djimon Honsu was a great choice. Those two are great actors, and they brought some gravitas to this franchise. I also love that a good portion of this movie was shot during daylight. You could really see the monsters. You got a good feeling of what they looked like, how scary they actually are. You also got to see how fast and ferocious they could be. I adored the way they used noise again in this one. That is the whole thing with the deaf child and the monsters, the use of noise, and this movie pulls it off yet again. There were tense, silent moments riddled throughout the story. It was perfect. I also appreciate that this movie leans into the horror aspect a bit more. The first movie is more of a family drama/thriller. The second movie, while still dealing with family things, leans much more into the horror aspect. There are tons of jump scares. I made audible gasps at different times while watching. My wife made a few mentions that certain things scared her. It was another in a long line of solid choices from the movie makers. And, like their other decisions, worked. I was genuinely scared. I found myself rooting for the family yet again. I cheered during the conclusion. And when it was all over, and my wife and I sat down and talked about it, I told her I really enjoyed it. It was well made, well acted, had great pacing and was just all and all well done. I had low expectations, and this movie exceeded them. I do hope they stop here. They do not need to make anymore. They did it.

So, if you saw the first movie, or are a fan of the horror genre and have a general idea of the story, I recommend "A Quiet Place 2". It is a solid 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 "On the Count of Three"

Yesterday I rented the movie "On the Count of Three". I saw a trailer for the movie a few weeks back and was enamored by it. I am a Jerrod Camrichael fan, I liked what I saw in the trailer, there were some other actors in it that I recognized and the story seemed like something I could get down with.

The movie, for those that may not know, is about two friends who decide they are going to kill themselves. They have reached a point in their lives where they simply do not want to go on. And for those of you thinking this has to be a depressing movie, it is a comedy. It is a very dark comedy, and there is a good amount of comedy, and you need to know going into this movie that it is very, very dark, but nonetheless, it is a comedy. There are hard jokes. There were parts that made me laugh out loud on my couch. But it is about suicide. The preview I saw even put the Suicide Prevention Hotline at the beginning. The premise is sad, but it was written by a few funny guys, and Carmichael directed it and he is a comedian by trade. So it had funny stuff in it.

First off, Carmichael was magnetic as the lead. He directed and starred and he nailed both jobs. He plays Val. Val has a ton going on, but he is done. His girlfriend is pregnant, he wants out of the relationship, Tiffany Haddish plays that role, he hates his job and he is over it all. Carmichael does a great job showing a guy that is at the end of his rope. He handles all the elements really well. He isn't spoiled, he is just bored. Christopher Abbot plays his best friend Kevin. Kevin has got some issues. When we first meet him he is in a mental institution because he had tried to kill himself three days earlier. Kevin is depressed, he was sexually harassed by his therapist as a child, the therapist was played by Henry Winkler, he is not in a good mental state, he is filled with problems. He has a great monologue about how maybe he isn't as important as the doctor's at the institution are trying to make him feel. Abbot handles the mental health issues with a deft hand. He does a great job.

This movie works because Carmichael and Abbot have such great chemistry. They also handle their characters with grace. They play them both so very well. The scene where we meet Val's dad, played by JB Smoove, was powerful. He deserved to get hit with that tire iron. The stuff with Kevin and his childhood bully was excellent. It was also oddly relatable. The importance of dirt bikes in this movie struck me. Lavell Crawford was awesome as the dirt bike shop owner. I saw other people say this, and I will repeat it today, this movie uses Papa Roach better than Papa Roach uses themselves. The music in this movie is the perfect tone.

Again, do not get it twisted, this is a depressing movie. Depressing stuff happens throughout. There were times where it felt relentless. But there were tons of jokes. There were some great deadpan line deliveries from Carmichael. The movie, at its heart, is a comedy, just an extremely dark comedy.

I hope more people search this movie out. Carmichael is finally getting a much deserved chance to make the type of movies he wants to make. This might be one of the better buddy movies to come out in quite some time. And even though it is about suicide, it is oddly uplifting at the end. Check out "On the Count of Three". It is a really good movie and it is one of the first true indie darlings, as much as I dislike that wording, of the year. A good movie indeed.

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 "Jackass Forever"

For date night last week my wife and I finally saw "Jackass Forever". And before you think it was all my pick, my wife enjoys a good prank and bodily harm movie. We both like wild movies like this. "Bad Trip" was a godsend for the two of us. We both also used to watch the show, we have recently watched the original movie, which we also showed our son in a moment of wonderful parenting, and we both really wanted to see this. We tried to go to the theater but we just couldn't find the time. Then when it went to streaming it was only on Paramount +, which we do not subscribe to. But it was finally on VOD and it was only six bucks.

We jumped at the chance and we loved the movie. It was so funny. It was so wild. It made me think about the first time I saw the show. I was transported back 20 years in time. I was cackling like a maniac. We even let our son sit in on a few moments of the movie. He loved it as well. I could not believe that these guys could, and were willing, to do these things to themselves. It was crazy. They did a cup check yet again. This was one of their original bits and they brought it back. But instead of Johnny Knoxville letting little kids kick him in the crotch this time they let real, legit athletes test a cup on Danger Ehren. It looked and sounded like it hurt. They had an MMA fighter punch him in the crotch. Ehren's eyes looked dead when he was hit. They had the world's fastest softball pitcher pitch one into the cup. She nailed it after a few tries and it was glorious. They had PK Subban slap shot a puck into it. And they even let another "Jackass" member, Dave England, use a metal pogo stick and jump into him. It was all brutal. Ehren even ruptured a testicle. It was wild. They played a prank on a bunch of the cast members by making them think they were in a blacked out room with a venomous snake. My wife and I were cracking up. They did some cool stuff with the biggest slip and slide I have ever seen in my life. It was nuts. The opening scene was gross and hilarious. The stuff with Eric Andre and the cold brew truck was awesome. They got a ton of people with that one in fact. The tap dancing scene with Tyler, the Creator was dope. I am a big fan of his, so to see him in this movie was rad. The new cast members were good too. They had four or five new people and they were all game. They were all willing to go for broke and that is needed in a show like this. I also love that one of the new cast members got his dad involved, an ex-con who is terrified of snakes and birds, but did hard time. He was great.

The main point of today's piece, I cannot believe that most of the main crew is still around and still doing these things. Steve O went full bore like he never left. I mentioned Danger Ehren and Dave England. They brought back some old bits and let other cast members take them to task. Preston Lacy and Wee Man went for broke. They did things I do not think they would have even done back in the day. And Johnny Knoxville went for it all. He did a ton. He let himself get shot out of a cannon. He was involved in the vast majority of the pranks and stunts. He is still the ring leader. And he even brought back the bull stunt. And that bull knocked him out. He was so knocked out that he was snoring. He broke his wrist, ribs, got a brain hemorrhage and a concussion. And he still came back for more. I hope for these guys that this is the last one of these movies they make. They looked older and rough. They still had the gall, but most of the guys in the crew are in their late 40's or early 50's. I do not think their bodies can handle the damage anymore. It is too much. But I am glad they made this one. I hope they leave us with this one.

I enjoyed “Jackass Forever” quite a bit. So did my wife. And the little bit my son saw. "Jackass Forever" is a great trip back in time, and I highly recommend watching 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 "Pam and Tommy"

I just finished watching "Pam and Tommy". I was putting it off because I thought my wife wanted to watch, but she was in Costa Rica last week and she told me to go ahead. So I did.

I thought it was pretty solid. I, and I am being totally truthful, have never seen the Pam and Tommy sextape. I know the story since I was born in the 80's and grew up in the 90's. I was 14 and 15 years old when all of this stuff went down. But I have never watched the tape. It feels like a violation of famous people's property. And that seemed to be the point that this show was trying to get across. Seth Rogen played a carpenter who felt like he was being abused by Tommy Lee. One day he decides he is going to rob him and he just happens upon the tape. He then finds a way to put it on the internet, and that is when all hell breaks loose. Most of us know the outcome of the story from there. In my piece today I want to really focus on the actors. I do want to say that I have read and fully get that Pamela Anderson did not give her consent, and she is seeing no money from this. There are many things to unpack with all of that, but I do not have the time nor the patience to sit here and detail to everyone why I went ahead and watched anyway. I get it, I understand and sympathize with people who chose not to watch it, I think that is great and awesome for sticking to your guns. But I wanted to watch it so I did. You can be mad at me all you want. That is totally fine and I'm okay with it. Now, back to the blog.

The show was fine. It was cool to take a little walk down memory lane. I liked hearing the songs from the 90's that were all over the radio. I liked seeing record stores selling CD's. It was cool to see acid washed jeans and wild shirts. The mullets were all in the frame. It was crazy. But what I liked most about this show was how hard all the actors committed to their roles. They all did a very, very good job. Rogen was great as the woebegone carpenter. He was down on his luck, at his wits end and wanted to change something about his life. To see him go through a ton of stuff was interesting. And Rogen handled the dramatic stuff really well. I am a big time Rogen fan, and he delivered. Taylor Schilling played his ex wife and confidant. She was so sweet but truthful. She said the stuff Rogen needed to hear, not wanted to hear. I did not like her much in "Orange is the New Black", but I thought she was tremendous on this show. Nick Offerman was so good and so sleazy. He embodied what I imagine a sleazy porn producer would be like. He was the worst. Andrew Dice Clay was solid as a mobster and money man. It was right in his wheelhouse.

But the two stars, the two best in this show, by a country mile, were Sebastian Stan and Lily James. Stan played Tommy Lee and he was a spitting image. He looked and talked and sounded and acted like Tommy Lee. He engrossed himself in this role. Everytime he said "PAMMY!!!!", I found myself annoyed, but when you hear the way the actual Tommy Lee said it, it was perfect. He was a bomb waiting to explode, just like Lee. Lee could never control his emotions. Stan nailed that part. But he also nailed his love for Anderson. He truly did love her and wanted to be with her. He did some messed up stuff, but in the end, he really did love Pamela Anderson. Stan is a very good actor and this was a good role to see him in. I know him most as the Winter Soldier, but after watching "I, Tonya" and now this, Stan is showing me that he can do many different things. He is a good actor.

The true star, the one that made this show work, was James. She became Pamela Anderson. She looked like her. She sounded like her. She embodied her life and, at that time, the anger and frustration she must have been going through. James was so, so good. She was the driving force in the show. She made Anderson look and feel like the strong one in the relationship. She was, and still is, a feminist. She worked her tail off to become an actor. She worked hard to become the model she became. She jumped on an opportunity after being spotted at a football game. She had her mom on her side and she went with it. She forced Tommy to do things he may have felt hurt his career, but she knew it would be beneficial in the long run. She walked away from a toxic relationship. She handled herself with determination and grit and fury. I thought it was a glowing portrayal of Anderson. I think Anderson might actually like it and be swayed if she were to ever watch James portrayal. I would hope James will get Emmy consideration, but who knows.

All in all this show is good because they have good people on it and behind the scenes. It is also short, only eight episodes, which makes it go down even easier. I think this is a fascinating watch for anyone that grew up during all of this, or even remembers a bit about the time. It is a decent peak back in time. I recommend 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 "Winning Time" Season One

I watched the season one finale of "Winning Time" on HBO yesterday. I wrote about this show when the season started. I was hyped for it. I was hoping it was going to work. I thought the casting was great. I, for the most part, like Adam McKay's stuff. I am fascinated by this era of professional basketball. It had everything on its side for me as a viewer.

For the most part the first season was solid. There was some good stuff in there. I enjoyed my time watching the show. I thought most stuff worked. I like the fleshing out of some of the side characters. But there were times when the show felt a little overdramatic. Hell, I'd even say melodramatic. The stuff with Jerry Buss and his womanizing, we all know that, at least those of us that follow the NBA. It was pretty cliche of Buss to ask his daughter which of her two brothers would best fit in for a front office job. We all know that she gets the job in the long run. The stuff with Magic Johnson and his girlfriend in college, Cookie, seemed forced a bit by the creators. So did the stuff with his teammates when he was first drafted. But the most egregious thing to me, as far as melodrama goes, was the whole Spencer Haywood storyline near the end of the season.

I adore Wood Harris. He is definitely up there as an actor whose work I seek out. He rules. But his portrayal of Haywood was a bit much. His monologues seemed lifted from soap operas. The whole calling a hit on the entire Lakers roster was so off base. Even the junkie stuff seemed forced. It just wasn't written well enough for an actor of his caliber. I could also say the same for the guy who played Larry Bird. Man I wish it had been Bo Burnham, but things happen. But this actor just seemed into the whole notion of Bird being a hick. And I know that him and Magic did not get along at first, but this seemed to be a bit overboard. They at least respected one another. I have to imagine that much.

Outside those little critiques, this show, as I said, worked. The basketball was real enough. The gameplay looked nice. The actors, minus the ones I mentioned, did good things with their roles. Adrien Brody shocked me. I do not like him, but I enjoyed him as Pat Riley. Quincy Isaiah was magnetic as Johnson. Solomon Hughes embodied this version of Kareem. Jason Clarke was solid as Jerry West. Gaby Hoffman was amazing. Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss was really good. The show works for the intended audience.

I think my favorite thing about this first season is how mad some of the real life people got. They took it personally. Hell, I'm sure I would too if my name was being thrown out there like some of these guys' names were. But this is a fictional show based on a book. This is not real life. The creators came out and said as much when West and Kareem and Magic all came out against the show. Again, they have that right, but them getting so upset made me want to watch even more. The fact that West was willing to ask the Supreme Court to get involved, that Kareem wrote a very good op ed about how off base the show is, that Magic won't even talk about it, that made me tune in every week as much as my want to actually watch the show. I know they are trying to keep their names clean, as they should, but them going off like that only made me itch for more.

"Winning Time" is a fine enough show. They get some things right and it is entertaining. Is it a bit of a soap opera? Sure. Is it too melodramatic at times? Definitely. But will I watch season two? You are god damn right I will. I hope they lose some of the stuff that I was personally not a fan of, but I will still record it and 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 Leon Bridges Live in Concert

Last night I went to a live concert for the first time since January of 2020. I had been staying away because I was nervous about getting sick. A large group of people in an enclosed area just seemed like not a good fit. But the show I went to last night was outdoors, in a smaller venue, and even though COVID is still very, very real, the numbers have not been as high as they have been before. I felt okay going to the show last night.

It was a total blast. I went to see Leon Bridges at St Louis Music Park. I am a fan of Bridges' music. I know he has not been doing the straight forward soul music on the last two records. But I still find myself enjoying the music on said records. And he still played some stuff off his first record. Bridges was wonderful. That dude can sing. I was blown away by how good his voice sounded. I do not know why I was on the fence about hearing him live because he is so good at what he does. His band was on point too. I went with a buddy of mine and we had seats. When the bass would kick in, you could feel it in the seats and hear it reverberating in the stands. It was rad. The guitar player was on point too. That guy was doing some great things last night. The keyboard player was not only on top of his game on the keyboard, he also shredded the saxophone. He was playing the hell out of that thing. The backup singers were great as well. When they would trade vocals with Bridges, it was a thing of beauty. I especially loved it when they got the crowd involved. And when Bridges closed the show he brought one of them out to sing with him and her voice was outstanding. I was blown away. It was a great show.

The venue was also really cool. It was an outdoor stage with a roof over the top. It is like a dome with an opening. The enclosed part really let the acoustics sing through the whole crowd. You could hear almost every note. I also liked the way the venue was laid out. They had the floor area, which was open and easy to spread out. The seating was comfortable and open and easy to find your spot. It was also very clean. I know that sounds weird, but the venue just had a clean feel to it. It looked nice and just felt good. I really like this spot. I will definitely be seeing more shows there.

I also had a blast with the person I went with. My wife has lots of friends from work, and she told me that one of them is a concert goer who's wife also does not like concerts. I have gotten to know him the past couple years and I thought he was going to be the perfect person to invite. I was right. He was great. I had a very good time hanging out with a new friend last night. It was awesome.

Finally, it was really, really cool to see a live show with a group of strangers. I was nervous beforehand. But when the music started, I just let all that slip away. I would look out over the crowd and see people vibing to the music and I was just happy. I had a smile on my face the whole time. The crowd ranged in age and it was just comfortable to see a group of people crowded together to see some live music. But, there was also enough space to spread out during the show. Besides the person I went with I do not think I was within six feet of anyone else for the majority of the night. This was also a perfect show to ease myself back into the world of live shows.

Leon Bridges is cool and calm, his crowd is respectable and everyone there was having a good time. There was one person that passed out and Bridges stopped the show to make sure the person got the proper help. I have never seen that before, and to see Bridges and his band take the time to make sure that person was okay was tremendous. I had a blast last night. Everything about the evening was awesome. It has made me excited to return to live shows, especially ones that are held outdoors. What a fun night. It was a blast.

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 Bad Guys"

We took our kids to the movies for the first time since the pandemic last night. They had not been to a theater in two years, our son had wanted to see the movie "The Bad Guys" since he heard it was coming out and we had some time that all four of us were together at the same time last night. So we pushed the button and bought tickets.

The theater was rad, there were only about seven other people in there and we were looking to have a good time. We bought some snacks, got the kids some drinks and took our seats. After the previews were done, both our kids made comments about how long the previews were, so we settled in our seats and watched the movie.

I have to say, "The Bad Guys" is a very fun, very funny and a very solid movie. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the movie. I was laughing. I was interested in the story. I liked the characters. I adored the animation. It all worked really well. Even the slow parts worked. They were needed to move the story along. And our kids were a delight. They followed the rules and were very well behaved throughout the runtime. Back to the movie.

I enjoy a good heist movie. I found this out about myself a few years back. I like the conniving and double crossing and misdirects. It is fun. I like trying to figure out who did it. That is exactly what "The Bad Guys" was. It was a heist movie through and through. Sure they used famous characters from old stories, but they updated them. The big bad wolf was hip and cool. He was the lead of the movie. The snake was slimy and mean, but he also liked push pops and Hawaiian shirts and funky hats. The shark was a master of disguise and lovable. The tarantula was a hacking genius. And the piranha was wild and crazy and could sing. It was cool. I enjoyed how they updated them and made them cool. I also liked the message of the movie. It was all about heists and getting away with robbery and all that cool movie stuff, but the movie was really about being nice to your friends and trusting one another. Oh, and also being good. I liked how they managed to make that the focal point in a movie like this. I mentioned the animation before. It was so cool. My son has read the books and he told us that that is how the characters look in the book too, if they were colored with crayons. I appreciate the attention to detail. And the fact that my kid recognized it speaks volumes to the animators. They did a top notch job. The voice acting was on point as well. Sam Rockwell was great as the wolf, Anthony Ramos crushed as the piranha, Marc Maron epitomized the snake, Awkwafina was hilarious and cool as the tarantula and Craig Robinson was perfectly cast as the shark. It all worked so very well. There was a point during the movie where I leaned over to my wife and told her that I was having a great time. That is what I look for in "kids" movies. I want my kids to like it, but I also want stuff that keeps me interested. "The Bad Guys" nailed it.

I highly recommend this movie for kids and parents everywhere. It was wonderful. I had a blast and I think you will too. What a fun, fun 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 2022 NFL Draft First Round

The first round of the NFL draft was last night, and there were some good picks, wild trades and some head scratching stuff. I wrote my preview a few days ago, and today I want to talk about a few things.

First off, the Lions nailed it. Hutchinson "fell" to them at 2. They traded up to get Jameson Williams who I think may be the best receiver in this class. The Lions made picks that should help them in the near future. Williams gives them an immediate deep threat. I know he is coming back from an ACL injury, but all the reports seem to say that he is rehabbing nicely and he should be good to go for the season. Also, teaming him up with Amon Ra Brown gives them a great, and young, receiving duo. Hutchinson is going to have a long and strong career. He is a day one starter, a fun dude in the locker room and has all the tools you want from a pass rusher. These two young guys were great, great picks by a moribound franchise. If I were a Lions fan I'd be happy today.

I could say the same thing for the Giants. They got Thibodeaux at 5. He is as good as Hutchinson. He has amazing burst and get off. He will wreak havoc in NFL backfields for a decade. And to get Evan Neal a few picks after that, that was a homerun. The Giants have done some wild stuff the past couple years. But this season, at least in the first round, they made smart picks that will benefit this team right away. That Neal pick was a genius, genius move. Saquon Barkley is probably pumped right now.

The Eagles made a humongous move, and it was not a pick. But it did happen on draft night. The Eagles acquired AJ Brown for some picks. Brown is an awesome receiver. He wanted out of Tennessee and was given his wish. Now Jalen Hurts has a real weapon on the outside, and Brown is stoked to be going there. That is a big deal. And, not to be outdone, the Eagles still saved a pick and took Jordan Davis out of Georgia for their defensive line. Davis is the biggest human being I have ever seen. He is a bigger and much, much faster Vince Wilfork and he is going to be a great run stopper and gap chewer for this d line. What a pick.

The Ravens will be here twice, but this is the good part. Getting Kyle Hamiltion at 14 was tremendous. He was a highly touted prospect out of Notre Dame, and for him to fall into Baltimore's lap was wild. The Ravens also got some assurance on their o line with Tyler Linderbaum at 25. He may have been the best o lineman in the Big 10 last season. Both guys should be day one starters.

I think the Bengals got a true steal at 31 with Dax Hill. He can cover, can tackle and plays some of the most sound football I have ever watched. That will only help them maintain this elite level of play they had last season.

Some stuff I was not so high on was, first off, the Packers draft. What were they doing? They traded Davante Adams, let a few other receivers go, and with two first round picks they took two studs from Georgia, both of which are defenders. Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt are both very, very good. But the Packers have decent players at both spots. The Packers defense got better last year. They needed offensive help. And I understand they can get that in later rounds. But I was hoping they would trade up to grab a receiver. They chose not to. They went for depth as opposed to need. That is not what the first round should be used for.

I also loathe the Kenny Pickett pick by the Steelers. If they were going to take a QB, why not take Malik Willis? He is clearly the best QB in this class. But the Steelers would rather have a one hit wonder in Pickett learn from Mitch Trubisky. Oof.

I also do not get the Patriots pick at all. What are they doing? I think Bill Belichek might actually be losing the luster of how he drafts after this. It was such a weird pick that Sean McVay openly laughed at it on camera. That was confusing.

I do not like the fact that the Ravens traded Hollywood Brown. That would bum me out if I were Lamar Jackson. I just do not get why they would trade away one of his favorite targets for some picks. That is rough stuff. The Ravens really toed the line of having a good or bad draft night.

I feel for Drake London going to the Falcons. He and Kyle Pitts should make for a good tandem, but they do not have a solid enough QB, and their o line is not the best. They may not get a lot of targets.

The first round was wild and as fun as a draft can be. I'll be curious to see how the rest of the draft goes. If it is anything like the first round, it should get pretty wild and possibly memorable. Time will tell.

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.