Better Late than Never on "Knives Out"

This past weekend was another quarantine date night for my wife and I, and while we very much enjoyed our local Greek takeout food we had, the movie was the highlight of the evening for me.

We chose to watch "Knives Out" after being told by pretty much everyone we knew to watch it. They were not wrong. This movie was great. It was nearly perfect on every single level. And even when I thought I had everything figured out, the movie would throw in a new twist that made it that much more fun. And my goodness was this cast stacked, and everyone involved did a tremendous job. The list of actors, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindholme, Toni Collette, Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer, Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Craig. That is a murderers row of actors, and they all played their parts great.

For those that may not know, "Knives Out" is a murder mystery. My wife and I likened it to a less goofy, more updated version of "Clue", another movie I adore. And while it isn't nearly as goofy, and cheesy in a good way, that "Clue" is, it still gave us those vibes. And while "Clue" is great, this movie was better. It was more fun, better acted, better directed and deserves all the accolades it got, of which I found out after watching the movie and reading trivia on IMDB.

In “Knives Out“, Christopher Plummer is the patriarch, and national best selling author of the family. He is the one that is "murdered", and we are taken on a great ride to find out what really happened. At the forefront of the investigation were Stanfield, his partner and Daniel Craig, who plays a PI. Stanfield was awesome, as he always is. He is one of the most reliable actors right now. His partner was also very goofy and funny. He was the comic relief. But it was Craig who stood head and shoulders above all the great names I listed before. He was a southern PI, and when he spoke with his accent I was taken aback at how spot on it was. He legit sounded like Foghorn Leghorn. It was that good. But the way he goes about finding out all the little details in the movie was spot on. He was just absolutely dynamite. I could not take my eyes off the screen when he was doing his thing. And that monologue at the end, where he breaks everything down, that was some the purest, and most exquisite acting I have seen in some time. It was phenomenal. Not to be outdone, Ana de Armas was almost as good as Craig. She plays the nurse, and she is heavily involved in all the beats of the movie. I am trying my best not to spoil anything people. That may be why this seems so blunt. But de Armas really put her stamp on this movie with her role. All those other names, they all gave spectacular performances. Collette, as a failed business lady mooching off her dad was out of her normal realm, but she nailed it. Don Johnson was scummy and sleazy, and by the end, I loathed his character, as I am sure they intended. Riki Lindholme was a stepford wife in the worst possible way, yet she nailed it. Michael Shannon wasn't as creepy as he is in most roles, but that dude can flat out perform. Chris Evans was swarmy and douchey and just when you think you can root for him, he does something that makes him the least likable person in a cast full of not so great people. And Jamie Lee Curtis was simply fantastic as the hard ass eldest daughter of Plummer. This is one of my favorite things that she has ever done. She was so good. As was Plummer. His little scenes int he movie were great, he is great and we should all know that because he is one of the greatest living actors.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. This ranks right up there with "Jo Jo Rabbit" as one of the best movies I have watched on quarantine. And it proves how awesome Rian Johnson is. Not only did he direct this, but he wrote it as well. This, for me, was on the same level as "Brick". I love "Knives Out", and I highly recommend that everyone check it out. It truly is a movie for anyone. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Guys, "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" Was Not That Great of a Movie

In an attempt to see a ton of movies that I missed while in theaters that I wanted to see, I watched "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" last night.

I do want to say, while I enjoy Quentin Tarantino for the most part, this was one movie that I wasn't rushing out the door to see. In fact, I didn't really even try to see it in the theaters. Then there was all the stuff from Bruce Lee's family, I don't think they like the way he was portrayed, and I'm a big time Bruce Lee guy, so that soured me even more. But, I saw it was on Starz the other night, and since we are all on quarantine, I figured I would record it and watch, and I did.

So, first things first, I think it is a fine movie. It isn't the usual bloody, racial epitaph flying violent movies I have come to associate with Tarantino. It is more of a love story to old time Hollywood. I also think, for the most part, the performances were solid. I loved Leonardo DiCaprio in this role. He was truly incredible, as he always is. His portrayal of an aging Western movie star was spot on. I also liked the look of the movie. It was like a neat flashback. But, outside of that, I wasn't super impressed with the movie overall.

As I said above, it is a love story to old Hollywood, and sorry mom, I know how much you like those stories, it just isn't my thing. I don't watch old westerns. I didn't watch good guys and bad guys cop shows. I am not all that in to stories from the late 60's early 70's. I am not, I don't know of it is a smart thing, or just my taste, but I'm not into movies form back then. They just aren't my thing. I mean, I love "The Godfather" parts one and two. And as you all know I love the original "Bad News Bears". But, take movies like "Easy Rider" or "Apocalypse Now" or "Annie Hall", movies people consider classics, I'm not into them. They are too long, and for me, boring. That is a personal opinion though., I'm taking nothing away from them, and their importance, hell, I get why "Citizen Kane" is so influential but I don't like that movie one bit. They're classics for a different generation I suppose. I feel like that is who Tarantino was aiming to please with "OUATIH". He wanted the boomer crowd, he wanted cinephiles like himself. That was the crowd he was going after. And that is fine, it just isn't for me.

The movie also felt very discombobulated. There was a ton of things going on, and I felt that the ending was unfulfilling. There were too many stories that didn't really connect for me. The whole first half focuses on DiCaprio and Pitt driving from lot to lot to do his crummy sitcom. The whole scene with Al Pacino at the beginning is out of nowhere, and doesn't come back until the movie is more than halfway over. Also, the Bruce Lee scene was, quite frankly, not that good. It was demeaning to Lee, and to see Pitt's character beat him up, Bruce Lee would have easily beat him in a fight. The stuff with Pitt as well, his backstory about killing his wife and getting away with it was barely even touched upon. We got one scene of them on a bat fighting, and he had some kind of weapon and we are meant to believe that is when it happened, but nothing is shown, or revealed. The Kurt Russell character felt tacked on as well. It would have been much better if he were just the narrator, for me. Also, that jump after the first hour, to 6 months later, was very jarring as I was watching. I didn't expect it, and there was a ton, too much I'd say, of information tacked on about Pitt, Pacino and DiCaprio's characters. I get it moved the story, but it could've been done better, or differently. We also saw very, very little of Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate in this movie. I like Robbie, and I thought they could have delved much deeper into her story. She barely had any lines. It was more to just show her life when she moved to LA, and how she dealt with the people around her. She could have been much more fleshed out.

I will say, the one thing I enjoyed, or thought was well done, was the ending. This movie posits a world where Charlie Manson's cronies never made it to Tate's house on the fateful night where she lost her life. Instead they end up at DiCaprio's house, and he, his wife and Pitt take care of them. I thought this was an interesting take, but I also thought they could have gone so much deeper with that as the story. I would have much rather seen the world with Sharon Tate still alive. I wonder what her career would have been like if she had lived. I feel like Tarantino could have done wonders with that story. Or, I would've liked a movie that was just about DiCaprio and Pitt's characters. Take us from their beginning to their ends. That would have been so much more fun.

I think "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" was too overstuffed and a ton of things could've been cut had Tarantino focused on one aspect of the story. But hey, this is all coming from the guy who liked "Star Wars 9", so take my opinion as you will. I just wasn't as wowed with this movie as critics and others were. DiCaprio was amazing, but that was the only true highlight 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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"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" Was Not That Bad.

Another Rise of Skywalker take?

This past Saturday on our quarantine date night my wife and I watched "Star Wars 9". That is what I am going to call it, I know it has an extended title, but from here on out, it will be known as "Star Wars 9" to me.

First off, I enjoyed the movie. Sure it isn't as good as "Star Wars" 4, 5, 7, 8 or "Rouge One". But, I still liked what I saw. There was cool action scenes, I liked the stuff with Kylo Ren and Rey, I liked how they got footage of General Leia in the movie, I enjoyed the relationship with Finn, Poe and Chewbacca. I liked it all pretty much. I am a novice as you all know. I only saw all the movies within the last four years, after my daughter was born. I liked the original three, I have enjoyed these last three and I do not like the prequels. That is my rating. Also, my favorite of any "Star Wars" movie has been "Rogue One". So, take that as you will. I watched these without the fanaticism, without a love for the characters, I knew who to root for and against, but that doesn't mean I didn't like some of the bad guys. I watched all of them because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I wanted to know why this is such a cultural phenomenon. I wanted to get a sense of why people love this as much as I love "The Simpsons". And I feel like "Star Wars 9" was one of the six straight up "Star Wars" movies that was good. Oh, another thing I liked too was the return of Lando. That was dope.

What I really want to talk about today, or ask for the day, why all the hate for "Star Wars 9". I have heard RD explain why he doesn't like this movie. He is a super fan, so the reasons he gives usually go over my head because I am not all in on the whole world of "Star Wars". RD had the toys, he adores Yoda, he has gone to the theaters to see most, if not all of the movies. He is a true fan. So when he gets deep into why he dislikes "SW 9", I am usually at a loss. I also listen to a lot of comedy podcasts that are hosted by self pronounced dorks. They are hosted by people who have openly talked about their love for this series of movies. Some of them even try and defend the prequels which is total nonsense. But while listening to these pods when this movie was out, and hearing RD crush it, I just don't get it honestly. Why is this one so much worse than the first two prequels? I think the third prequel is the worst of the bunch, but defenders will still say that one is better than any of the new three. What is the big deal? Are people mad that Rey, a female, is the strongest person in this made up universe? Are they ticked off because she was revealed to be a Palpatine? Do they not like the cameos and subservient nature to lifelong fans? Do they just want to be insufferable dorks that try and act hip and think that dissing the new "Star Wars" will make them seem popular? I don't really know.

Again, I thought this movie was fun. I liked it. I was intrigued by the story, and how it all unfolded. I was sad when Leia died. I really liked Kylo Ren realizing he was a good dude when he saw a vision of his dad. I thought the fight scene between him, Rey and Palpatine was kick ass. In fact, I really liked the last act of the movie. I thought it was a solid war/action sequence. I have no problem if people don't like the movie. There are plenty of movies the masses like that I am not a fan of. I don't like "Avatar" or either "Frozen" movie. But I also don't go online the very next day and trash the movie, saying things like "this ruined my childhood", or "I will never forgive George Lucas for letting JJ Abrams take over", which are real fan reviews on Flixster. I mean, it is just a movie. A movie that takes place in "a galaxy far far away", and, "a long long time ago". None of this is real. It is science fiction, and for me, it was done very well.

I like "Star Wars 9", and I feel like people going online and saying horrendous things about it are just nerds still living in their parents basements hiding behind screen names. "The Simpsons" said it best when Comic Book Guy trashes "Itchy and Scratchy" when they bring on Poochie, and Bart says to him, "what do they owe you? They have given you hours and hours and hours of free entertainment". Comic Book Guy's only response to Bart, after he is owned, is "worst episode ever". I just want all the people out there trashing this movie to know that when they go on a rant like this, all I see or hear is Comic Book Guy. "Star Wars 9" is good.

Enough said.

For another point of view from someone who only lives in the basement when his wife kicks him out of the bedroom for snoring, check out RD’s views on “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Better Late than Never on "Jojo Rabbit"

In my quest to watch as many movies as I can during quarantine that I have wanted to see again, or for the first time, my wife and I sat down on Saturday night, our quarantine date night, and watched "Jojo Rabbit".

Right away, this movie is incredible. It is funny, well shot, perfectly acted, colorful, sad and triumphant. It is a beautiful movie. I loved every single second of it. I am a very big Taika Waititi fan, as you all know, so when I first heard about this movie I wanted to see it strictly because it was being directed by Waititi. I then saw the trailer for it, and that made me want to see it even more. I was supposed to see it in theaters, but when I had the time, and my father had the time, he wanted to see it too, my wife and daughter unfortunately got sick, so I stayed home to care for them. I never got another real shot to see it while in the theaters. I knew that it won an Oscar, that a ton of my friends really liked, and I figured I would see it soon enough.

So while we were picking a movie, it was my turn, I scrolled through the available movies, and as soon as I saw "Jojo Rabbit", my mind was made up. We watched it, and as I said, I loved it. My wife liked it too, but she also spent a good amount of the movie in tears. I cried while watching it too. I am not afraid to admit that. For all the accolades, good reviews and trailers I had watched I was able to avoid all spoilers. All I knew going in was the basic story, and that Waititi was not only directing, but also playing Hitler. I assumed the movie was going to be a goofy, funny and interesting look at how stupid and asinine the Nazis were. That was my idea. And while the movie has all of that in it, there is some heavy, heavy things going in. There is crushing and devastating deaths. There is a harrowing story about the main kids father. There is the Jewish girl that hides out in the attic, who Jojo's mom is helping out. There's all this, and so much more. But, I like that Waititi is doing more stuff like this. That he is willing to make movies that aren't just straight up comedy, which he is a genius at, but that he is expanding his horizons. He made a great super hero movie, so why not try a war dramedy? He did, and he crushed it.

Yes, the movie is sad, there is very tough stuff to see and it made my wife and I cry, but it was also funny. I mean, Waititi plays Hitler! Now, he is Jojo's imaginary friend, and Waititi plays him like the idiot I imagine he was, but still, to see him with that hair, those clothes and that mustache, it was wild. He played him so hilariously inept though, every time he was on screen, I was laughing. The rest of the actors were very good as well. Scarlett Johannson is tremendous in her role. She is Jojo's mom, she is anti Nazi and anti war and she is simply splendid. It's a role like this, a performance like this, that reintroduces me to how great she is. Sam Rockwell and Alfie Allen are very good as well. They play Nazi lovers, but they have hearts of gold. Rockwell is one of those actors that I always enjoy when he is in a movie. Rebel Wilson was perfectly cast as the woman worker in the Nazi office. She was made for a comedic role like this, and she thrived. And even in a small role, Stephen Merchant shows why he is such a coveted character actor in comedies. He was great. But the kids in this movie were the true stars. Jojo was played by a kid named Roman Griffin Davis, and man is he wonderful. He is so good as the fanatic young kid, who thinks he is destined to fight in the German army, but he really is a good kid underneath it all. It just needs to be pried out of him by other people in his life. The scenes between him and Waititi are so god damn funny. But, the stuff between him and Johannson is so moving and beautiful and easy to relate to as a parent myself. He should have gotten an Oscar nomination. The girl that played the Jewish kid hiding out in the attic, Thomasin McKrnzie, was so so so good. She was tough and willing to fight for herself. She also was the one that really helped Jojo realize that he is a good kid. She also was a perfect big sister type character to Jojo. And the scene where they dance together was so pretty, it made me happy cry and I think about it quite often as one of the most heart warming things I have seen in a movie in some time. And then we have Archie Yates, who played Yorki, Jojo's best friend, who was the perfect comedic foil to Jojo. Seeing him in German Army gear was great. Hearing him chastise the German Army later on was hilarious. Him telling Jo Jo that he missed him mom so much because of the war, and that he needed to "go home and get some cuddles", was the best. Yorki was amazing. All these kids were amazing.

This movie was amazing. I cannot recommend it enough. I will say, know going into it that it will make you cry, but it will also make you laugh and you will be happy at the end. I love 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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Better Late than Never on "Booksmart"

Continuing with movies I wanted to see, and didn't have the time or will to go see them in the theater, my wife and I sat down on Saturday night, our self isolation/quarantine date night now, and we watched "Booksmart".

I had heard a ton, a ton of good things about the movie. People I read, and who's opinions I trust, said glowing things about the movie. And I wanted to go out and see it in the theaters. But, for whatever reason, or reasons, we just couldn't find the time. I had forgotten about the movie, but I just recently finished "Movies (And Other Things)", and there is a tremendous chapter about the greatness of this movie. This reinvigorated my interest. We were then looking for a movie to watch, and I saw it on Hulu.

We watched it, and man, this movie was more than worth the hype. It not only lived up to it, for me, it surpassed it. I know a lot of people have compared it to "Superbad", and that is fair, but "Booksmart" is a movie all on its own. It has its own story and characters and direction and the way everything unfolds. While it shares a similar plot to "Superbad", two high school seniors trying to party before graduation, "Booksmart" stands apart.

First off, the two leads, Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, have an tremendous chemistry. Jonah Hill, who is Feldstein's brother by the way, and Michael Cera had great chemistry, but not like these two. The way they interacted with one another was perfection. My wife and I both loved the scenes where they talked each other up after they got dressed to go to the party. Those two scenes were perfection. The way they went on, and the fact that Olivia Wilde just let them go on, was great. They would constantly compliment one another until it was almost too much. But, it never got to the feeling of too much. It was just right. Also, I truly believed that these two were best friends. I read somewhere that they roomed together for ten weeks or something, and that helped build a bond that totally shows up on screen. All the stuff, the dancing, the stresses to getting to the party, the ridiculous stuff that kids have to deal with in high school, the crushes, even the way they left, it all felt so real. I thought back to when I was in high school, and their relationship reminded me of some I had in high school with some of my closest friends. But, they seemed closer. Feldstein was dynamite in this movie too. She was the overachieving, laser focused, top student in school. But, she was also hilarious, took no shit and held her own. Dever played her best friend who is all about protesting, human rights, equality for all, but is also very, very scared to take any real big chances. For example, she has to be pushed to hit on the girl she has a crush on. She is terrified to do it, and when pushed, she finally does, but it does not go well. But, Feldstein does push a little too much, and when she goes past the limit, they have a humongous fight, and I loved the way this scene was shot. They start to argue, we hear them at first, but then it goes silent. They are still arguing, but Wilde pans the room, and all the kids are watching, with their phones on and recording, and you can tell it is over when Feldstein finally mouths, "F You". It was awesome, and kind of powerful in its own way.

Feldstein and Dever clearly make the movie, but everyone else in it was great. Will Forte and Lisa Kudrow as Dever's folks, they were wonderful. So polite and giving and supportive. Skyler Gisondo, as one of their classmates, was sweet and unassuming and dorky in his own way, but thought he was cool. That kid is about to blow up. Billie Lourd was hilarious, and one of the true standouts of the movie. She just showed up everywhere, gave the girls drugs without their knowledge, seemed to have a screw loose, but was just outstanding. She stole the scenes she was in. The rest of the high school kids were perfectly cast. It all worked. As far as the faculty, they focused on two people, the principal, played by Jason Sudeikis, and a teacher, played by Jessica Williams, and they ruled. Sudeikis clearly hated his job, and had a second job as a Lyft driver, which resulted in a fantastically hilarious scene. Williams was the teacher that the two girls loved, and she totally pulled off the cool teacher vibes. She was great. Even someone like Mike O'Brien, in a very small role, was memorable, especially near the end. But when it comes down to it, Feldstein and Dever totally owned this movie. They were so fantastic. I cannot get over how funny and how real everything they did felt.

This is a movie I should have seen much, much sooner. But, I am glad that I have watched it, and now I can sing its praises. Check out "Booksmart". It is one of the better comedies to come out in a long, long 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 Rewatches "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

The other day I mentioned that I was rewatching some movies that I haven't seen in awhile, and that I enjoyed, but it has been so long, I wanted to see if I still like them. Last night I stumbled across one such movie that, when I saw it in the theaters 13 years ago I loved.

The movie is "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story", and let me tell you, this movie more than holds up. I found myself laughing just as much as when I first saw it. I saw some things that I may have missed. I appreciated John C Reilly's performance about a thousand times more than the first time I watched it. Same thing with Jenna Fischer. In fact, I even found that the side characters were way, way funnier than I first thought. And the story, my goodness, was it was very perfectly crafted.

"Walk Hard" is the story of a fictional musician, Dewey Cox, and it tells of his rise to fame, his problems, his misfortunes,  the way up to his death while performing at an event that was held for him. This is all done to comedic perfection. "Walk Hard" came out a little bit after a ton of fictional movies about musicians were being made. I, and many other people say, this movie is basically a parody of "Walk the Line", the Johnny Cash movie. It is nearly a remake, with comedy tones, at the beginning. But then the movie goes in a million different directions, and it all works and it is all so funny. Like I said before, Reilly is so great. He, for one, is a trained singer and musician, so I give him a ton of credit for playing and singing all the songs in the movie. And the way he goes from genre to genre, from year to year, it is great. He starts out as a church/gospel singer, then does some groovy, funky music, then does country, then punk rock, then classic rock, then Bob Dylan esque folk music, then trippy psychedelic music, to variety show music, then back to his roots for his final, "masterpiece", song. And he does them all so well. When he is doing the country stuff, the songs are so hilarious and catchy. "Walk Hard", his hit is great. Then when he starts working with Darlene, Jenna Fischer, he totally embodies Cash, but the songs lyrics are goofy as hell. When he does the psychedelic stuff, and meets The Beatles, played by Jack Black(Paul McCartney), Paul Rudd(John Lennon), Jason Schwartzmann(Ringo Starr) and Justin Long(George Harrison), all of that is so, so wonderful. Seeing those guys play The Beatles, getting into fights and tripping acid with Dewey, it all works. When he gets clean, after being arrested for drugs, we meet his grown up brother, who died by being cut in half by a sword when he and Dewey were young and playing, and he is expertly played by Jonah Hill. Hill is wonderful. After getting clean, he does the variety show stuff, and it is a perfect sendup of that era of TV. When he tries to make amends with his dad, and his dad meets the same demise as his brother, he finally reconnects with his family, his wife and his many, many kids, which lead up to his lifetime achievement award ceremony. This is where he plays his "masterpiece", and like I said, when he finishes the song, he collapses and dies on stage, and it is comedy gold.

Look, all of this is to say, as far as parody movies go, "Walk Hard" is one of the better ones that not many people bring up anymore. It does all the classic tropes of those type of music movies, but putting comedic, improvising style actors makes this movie that much better. While watching it last night with my wife, we both kept saying how great this movie was, and asking why no one else talks about it anymore. I have listened to the soundtrack a few times already today.

"Walk Hard", which falls into my favorite category of TV show and movie right now, lets me escape what is going on in the world right now. I get to forget for a couple of hours, and I am extremely grateful for that. "Walk Hard" is definitely worth another watch, and maybe more and more people will do that now, and we can get this movie the credit that is deserves. Go watch it when you get a chance. We all have the time now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Rewatches "Super"

During this self isolation/quarantine/social distancing, besides catching up on book and TV shows, spending time with my family, playing games and being a teacher, I am also reconnecting myself with new and old movies. It may be something I saw, and was on the fence about, or it could be something I wanted to see, and now I have more than enough time to watch. One movie I have seen, kind of remember liking, but wanting to revisit was "Super", and luck be it, Showtime, or some movie channel, had it on the other night. I recorded it, and finished it over the weekend.

For those that may not know, "Super" is like the predecessor to a movie like "Kick Ass". It has a down on his luck guy, played excellently by Rainn Wilson I have to say, who decides he wants to be a real life super hero. But, unlike a super hero movie, he doesn't have any powers. He is a regular dude that works in a diner. He is a cook. He has no real fighting prowess or skill. He loses his wife to a drug dealer, and her getting back on drugs, was watching a TV show with a religious super hero, played by Nathan Fillion, has a vision that Jesus is telling him to be a crime fighter, and he pursues it from there.

Now, one of the first things I noticed on this re-watch, the movie wastes no time getting to the origin story, and how Rainn Wilson becomes Crimson Bolt. I liked that. No pomp and circumstance. Just one scene that was about five minutes long then boom, he's a "super hero". Another thing I noticed was how violent, and how real, the violence was in this movie. Since he doesn't have super powers, or much money, he sews together his own suit, and, at first, uses a pipe wrench to ward off criminals. And when he hits someone with the wrench, director James Gunn just lets you see in how violent that act can be. There is one particular scene where the Crimson Bolt decides to punish a guy for cutting in line, and when he whacks him across the face with the wrench, I flinched. I do want to say, I appreciate that though. It is why I like a movie like this, or a movie like "Logan" so much. They show you how much this type of action would really, truly hurt someone.

I also realized that Gunn directed this before he became the guy he is today. This was well before any "Guardians of the Galaxy", or "Brightburn", or when he could put his name on something as a producer, and people jumped. He was still relatively green when he directed this. I feel like "Super" really showed that he had the chops for the movies he is doing now.

As for the performances, Wilson was tremendous. This was during his "The Office" days, and he is still so ingrained in our minds as Dwight Schrute. But, in this movie, I forgot about that, and all I saw was Crimson Bolt. Ellen Page plays his sidekick, and she is wild and spontaneous and crazy and meets a grim end. Kevin Bacon, as the drug lord, was goofy and menacing, and I was pleased at how much I enjoyed him in this the second go round. Even people in smaller roles, like Liv Tyler, the ex wife of Wilson. She was believable in her role, and I thought she did great. Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn were really good as lower level thugs that work for Bacon. They both meet pretty grim demises as well. And Andre Royo, who was barely in it, as Wilson's co worker. He was funny and quippy and memorable.

I do want to point out again, this movie is incredibly violent. I forgot from the first time I saw. But, for this second viewing, it was at the forefront of my mind. I need you to know that going in if you are going to check it out. Gunn holds nothing back. He shows it all. And all the actors are in on it too. It is gruesome.

I definitely think this is a good movie to check out. I wish it hadn't taken a pandemic to get me to rewatch it. But still, silver lining, it did, and I enjoyed it so much more this time around. So, if you want to see Rainn Wilson do something different than Dwight, see James Gunn before he became an uber famous director, see Ellen Page going wild and see some real life seeming violence, I recommend "Super". 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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Better Late Than Never on "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part"

This past Friday my son's school had a movie night. We took him because a buddy of his was going, and they wanted to hang out. I didn't know what movie they were showing, but I figured it was going to be a kids movie. It was, and it was "The Lego Movie 2".

Early on I wanted to see this movie because I adore the original. I then kind of forgot about it, and I feel like the theaters did too. It seemed like the movie came out, then about two weeks later, it was gone. Since it left the theaters so quick, like I said, I had simply forgotten about it. Then my son was at my folks house about a month ago, and he was watching the end of it, and I thought, the little bit that I saw, was solid. So, when they announced at the school that they were going to show "The Lego Movie 2", I was pumped. I was finally going to see it, and I felt like I was seeing it with the correct crowd. Going to kids movies is so much fun when there are a ton of kids who really want to see the movie.

We took out seats, and for the next 90 or so minutes, I was really into the movie. Look, it isn't as good as the original, or even "The Lego Batman Movie", but I feel like it may be the third best of the LEGO movie franchise. I have seen the "Lego Ninjago" movie, I have seen a ton of offshoots on streaming devices, but "The Lego Movie 2" ranks right behind the original and "The Lego Batman Movie". In fact, I think "Lego Batman" is the best, and the two LEGO movies are next. This sequel though, I like the way they went about telling another new story. I loved the references to modern and older movies. The "Mad Max" apocalyptic landscape was wonderful. I loved the new "Jurassic Park" stuff. In fact, I liked what this movie did better than what the new "Jurassic Park" movies do. And it is always nice in kids movies when they put jokes in there for adults. I also, since I am a parent to a boy and a girl, loved the moral of this particular story. The mom, a wonderfully small role for the great Maya Rudolph, was fed up that the two siblings wouldn't play together, so she makes them pack up all their LEGO's. But, spoiler alert, the older son realizes that his sister likes the same type of stuff he does, and they end up playing with the LEGOS outside together at the end. It was sweet and nice and happy. I also enjoyed that pretty much everyone from the original were back. I loved the new voice additions, especially Richard Ayode and Tiffany Haddish. They were great. The music was just as catchy and fun as the original. I feel like the music in this sequel is so much better than the stuff in "Frozen 2". But, I like this style of music more. The animation is incredible considering the fact that they are animating LEGOS, building these humongous sets and doing, what I can only assume, is akin to stop motion. I also like when the LEGOS become real LEGOS in the movie, and they try to make them move and emote. It is quite funny.

"The LEGO Movie 2" was fun, maybe unnecessary, but all in all, an enjoyable movie. I feel like it may be a little under appreciated too. Like I said, it seems like it came and went without much fanfare, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. This movie is good, watch it with your family and you will not be disappointed. I really liked this movie, and I think it is awesome that my son's school showed it for a pretty big audience. This was a fun night with 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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The Oscars Do it Right By Giving "Parasite" The Big Awards

I did not watch the Oscars last night, no reason to, but when I woke up this morning I was pleasantly surprised at the news I saw.

A little preamble before I get into why I was happy. My wife has been sick the past two days, a smallish fever, and we were lounging in bed together watching TV. She asked me who was winning the awards because I was checking some news out on my phone. I told her I wasn't sure, as I had forgotten that the Oscars were on last night. So I googled the winners, and wasn't shocked at who had won at that point. Brad Pitt and Laura Dern won as expected. I am not too interested in the technical stuff. "Toy Story 4" won the animated feature award, but I haven't heard of the other four nominees. It was pretty much going as planned. I then saw that "Parasite", a movie you all know I am very high on, won original screenplay. I thought this was great. I wanted this movie to win every award, and am still a little annoyed none of the actors got nominated, so to see that it already won a pretty big award made me happy.

I then checked the major awards, and none of best actor, actress, director or movie had been given out. I thought this was weird because it was right around 2 and a half hours into the show. After seeing that "Parasite" won original screenplay, I then saw that it won best foreign film. This was when I told my wife that I would bet a good amount of money that this was the Academy's way of giving this great movie enough of their praise, and that they would fall into their normal habits. I assumed that Tarentino was going to get the director award because his movie is porn nostalgia for the boomer culture. I was pretty sure that Renee Zellwegger was going to get actress, and that DiCaprio was going to get actor, and truth be told, I still am unsure of who won each of those awards (editor’s note: Renee Zelwegger did win Best Actress, Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor). And I was so certain that they would give "1917" best picture. For some weird reason the Academy is obsessed with war movies, and even though I haven't seen it, I'm sure "1917" is a solid war movie. I assumed "Parasite" was done winning awards.

This is where I get to why I was shockingly, and pleasantly, surprised when I woke up. First off, Bong Joon Ho won best director. This is amazing to me. He is one of my favorites, I have loved every movie of his I have seen, and I still think "Snowpiercer" was robbed when it got zero nominations. The fact that he won this award over guys like Sam Mendes, Tarentino, and stupid ass Todd Phillips, makes me so very, very, very happy. Of all the nominated movies I have seen, "Parasite" was far and away the best directed movies. Joon Ho has almost perfected his craft. He is becoming the Michael Jordan of directors. He and Jordan Peele are directing better than anyone out there right now. There, I said it. After seeing that Joon Ho won, I was even more amazed when I saw that "Parasite" won best picture.

This is astounding for so many reasons. First off, it is the first foreign language movie to win best picture. It is pissing off all the hipster movie fans who claim they "don't get it", or "what was with the third act" crowd. I adore Neal Brennan, and will be forever grateful that he co created "Chapelle's Show", but his little Twitter rant about this movie is why hipster people who claim to not like very, very good, award winning movies, are so pointless and dumb. It makes people who say this movie is no good sound dumb. "Parasite" is a god damn achievement.

Which brings me to my next point. This movie, as I wrote after I saw it, is not only great, but it is very important, and will be remembered and studied. It's not simply just a great movie, it is so, so, so much more. It is vital. It points out our obsession with material things. It tackles people's relentless drive to be wealthy. It is an important movie. I also love that the Academy is making up for last year, when they gave best picture to "Greenbook". That is the cliché movie, with the "white savior" character, that the Academy goes ape for. This year, they picked a foreign language film, with no real good or bad guys, and chose the movie with the best story that was told to perfection. They rarely do this, but this year, they got it 100 percent right.

Finally, I am also glad that the Academy strayed from the war movie, and the clown going insane movie and the nostalgia boomer porn and whatever other clichéd movie was nominated. They picked the right movie last night, and when they do the correct thing, I will sing their praises. I am thrilled that "Parasite" won the majority of the important awards last night. I'm glad it pisses off hipsters who claim they don't like, or don't get, the movie. I'm glad that someone other than a white person won the directing award. This was all good, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Maybe next year we can get some females and non white people nominated in the major categories as well.

Congrats to the Academy for doing the right thing last night, but importantly, congrats and thank you to Bong Joon Ho, and everyone that worked on the masterpiece that is "Parasite". All of these awards were well deserved.

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 "Parasite"

I just finished the movie "Parasite".

Literally, I just got done watching it. I waited to write because I wanted to see this movie and give my instant reaction. I usually like to wait a day or so before talking about movies, but "Parasite" is on a whole other level from most movies I have watched. I think, and this isn't being a prisoner of the moment type thing, that this is one of the most important, and essential movies of the 21st century.

The way this “Parasite” breaks down class, society, the rich and the poor, how obsessed we have become with objects, it all rings true with the modern age. This was like a really, really, really good, and important, episode of "Black Mirror", except Bong Joon Ho, who is easily one of my favorite directors, told, and directed, this story so well. I have, and I don't know how, been able to not be spoiled by anything from this movie by the internet or friends that have already seen it. I stayed away from all the chatter because I wanted to watch with as little knowledge as possible. I knew the basic stuff, how the movie was about the upper and lower class people in Korea, but that was it.

So, when my father came over today, and we watched, it was, in all honesty, like I was seeing it for the first. It was exactly that case in fact. For the next two plus hours I was enamored with what I watched. I thought the directing, the acting and the script were pitch perfect. Side note, I don't mind reading movies, but for those that still don't know, the movie is in Korean with English subtitles. I don't feel that having to read what they were saying took anything away from the experience.

Another thing in the film’s favor, the acting, it was top notch. I loved how the movie started with the lower class family struggling to get wifi, getting off other people, taking very odd jobs just to make a little money and letting the fumigation going on outside come into their home to get rid of stinkbugs. I also found that, once the brother of the main family got into the wealthy house, that they wealthy family was very well acted, especially the mom. She played a simpleton, who was easy to fool fantastically. She was tremendous. I know the movie itself has gotten a ton of awards, and nominations, but if she doesn't have a best actress nod, I don't know what the hell is wrong with people. The same thing can be said for the dad of the lower class family. He was incredible as well.

As the movie progressed, and you saw how this family manipulated the rich family to get into their lives and make money, it was unsettling, unnerving and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The way they treated that mom, how they convinced her that none of them knew each other, it was great, and slimy. And while I am not going to spoil anything, but lets be honest, I think I may be the last person who wanted to see this movie that hadn't yet, the twist near the end was way out of left field, and it is what I have come to expect from Joon Ho. I thought it was pitch perfect. It was as unsettling as everything else that was in this masterpiece.

There is no other movie like "Parasite" out there right now. It is a totally original story told so very well. As I said, I feel like this is so important for right now. The obsession with wealth and an online presence and getting out of the lower class, "Parasite" tells this story perfectly. I am still in shock, and still amazed at what I just saw. I liked this movie slightly more than "Uncut Gems", and you all know how I felt about that movie. I still think "Us" is the best movie of 2019, but "Parasite" pushes "Uncut Gems" to three, and takes over the two spot for me. This movie is why I need to start seeing as many of these movies as I can while they are still in the theater. And since "Us" got zero Oscar love, which is so god damn stupid, I am going to be pulling big time for "Parasite" to win all of the awards. It is a different movie, but this ranks right up there with "Mad Max: Fury Road" for me. I will be talking about, and thinking about this movie for a very, very long time.

What 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 Lighthouse"

I finally watched “The Lighthouse”, and I have some thoughts.

First off, I really wanted to see this movie. This was one of the movies in 2019, after I saw the first trailer, that I was totally in on. I thought the trailer was great, and I enjoy both Willem Defoe and Robert Pattinson. I tried to see it in the theaters, but timing never worked out. I did have time yesterday, so I rented it on Amazon.

I want to say, at the beginning, I enjoyed this movie. I was captivated, it kept my attention, and I’m still thinking about it today. I even had a dream last night where I was in a light house myself. Also, Defoe and Pattinson are exceptional in this movie. The movie is, for the most part, just the two of them, and they nailed it. Each has moments of monologues that are near perfection. Defoe has a few that should be studied in acting classes. When Pattinson’s character reveals his true self, that monologue was tremendous. Their performances were absolute powerhouse performances. I was amazed at their acting, and the direction from Robert Eggers.

I also really enjoyed the black and white, shockingly. I am not a huge fan of modern movies choosing this route, but for a movie like this, it was almost needed. The movie takes place in a light house and a cottage on a small remote island in the 1890’s. I think black and white was the correct way to go. I also liked how real the sound was in the movie. The fog horns, the inside of the house, the water crashing from the ocean, the bad weather, it was all heightened by the sound put into the movie. Even the super loud moments, I enjoyed. I also liked the old timey sailor speak, especially from Defoe. He sounded like he was straight out of “Moby Dick”. All the “aye sir”, “lad”, “hark” and “triton”, I liked with that accent. I also thought the story, of Pattinson’s character literally going insane, was well written, acted and directed. I was on board for it all.

Yet, there were some things that I was befuddled by. The whole “mermaid” thing was really weird. It seemed almost unnecessarily weird. I get that Pattinson is going nuts, but this “mermaid” was odd. Also, her screech laugh was the only time the loudness bugged me. Her, and I cringe writing this, the whole thing with her genitalia was just weird for the sake of weird. I also could’ve done without the whole seagull scene. Those who’ve seen the movie know what I’m talking about. Those that haven’t, it was incredibly brutal and seemed like it lasted forever. It reminded me of “The Simpsons” when Homer is Krusty, he’s at Krustyburger and the hamburglar character shows up and Homer pummels him and the little kid says, “stop, he’s already dead”. That was how the seagull scene hit me. I also could’ve gone without watching Pattinson act like he’s masturbating. It was too up close and personal. Again, I felt that it’s supposed to symbolize his insanity, but still, too up close and personal. And, as much as I liked the sailor speak, it was difficult to understand at times. But, those are my only really gripes with an otherwise very well made movie.

To me A24 is making some of the coolest, and most innovative movies at the moment. They seem to like to take chances, and let their directors and actors push themselves to the limit, and see how far they can go. All in all, I’m glad that I watched this movie. I don’t think that I’ll ever watch it again, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Also, to see Defoe and Pattinson’s performances was more than worth the rental price. If you like weird stuff, shot in black and white that really pushes the limits of a psychological thriller, I 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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Better Late Than Never on "Brittany Runs a Marathon"

Yesterday I finished watching “Brittany Runs a Marathon”. It took me two days, but it’s not because I was bored by it, and figured I should finish it. Quite the opposite. I loved this movie. I felt like it was very relatable, especially the running stuff, to my experience. The only reason it took me two days, I have two kids, and they had zero interest in watching with me. If it doesn’t have super heroes, Pokémon, Minecraft, Barbie or Ryan from “Ryan’s Mystery Play Date”, my kids could care less.

As I said, was super impressed by every part of this movie. This was another one that I wanted to see in theaters, but couldn’t find the time. I was also intrigued because my buddy that I run with said he liked it, and thought I would to. He had good taste, and I usually watch most of what he recommends. When I turned the movie on it was already in my head that is was going to be good, so I’m glad that it hit, and exceeded, my personal expectations.

Jillian Bell is a great comedic actress, so to see her in a role that was more dramatic, I was pleasantly surprised at how good she was. She truly embodies the character of Brittany. From her partying days, to trying to get fit, to struggling personally and athletically, to getting her life together, I was in for all of it. I do want to point out how realistic, and how relatable, her running journey was in the movie. I am a person who was, at one time, a pretty big dude. I’m still big, but not as big as I was about 7 years ago. I took up running because it is a free sport, as long as you have shoes, and you can do it all year round. My favorite line in the movie, Brittany is at a gym, the trainer says something to her about the pricing for a membership, and she says, “you know I can just go outside and run for free, right?”. My running friends, my friends and myself, we say this all the time. It’s such a true statement. Sure, I’m part of a gym, but when given the option, I choose running nearly 100 percent of the time. When that line was spoken, I was completely on board. To see her go from that point, to starting running, again, easily relatable. When she tells herself just to make it a few blocks, and it’s a struggle, I had the same thing. It was so hard that first time I decided to run as well. From there, everything was relatable. The first time she runs two miles, and feels that joy and endorphin rush, same here. When she decides to run the NYC marathon, and starts her training, I did the same, only for a half marathon. When she runs and converses with her new friends, that’s one of my favorite things to do when I run with other people. When she starts to lose weight and feel good about herself, I went through the exact same thing with my family and friends. The injury portion from the movie, I’m currently learning how to pace myself and not re injure a minor knee injury I currently have. When she is told she can’t run for 8 weeks, I felt so bad for her, and Bell played that perfectly. The only thing I didn’t do that she does in the movie, I’ve never neglected myself from friends. I’ve never retreated into myself that much. But, again, Bell does it great in the movie. And when she’s finally healthy, and runs the NYC marathon a year later, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I choked up a bit, and some tears may have been shed.

Look, for where I’m at in my life right now as a runner, and yes, I am a runner, this movie came at the perfect time for me personally. I know I’ve only talked about Bell, but that’s rightfully so. This is one hundred percent her movie. Everyone else is good, but Bell shines. Also, I say again, I totally related to her journey. I feel like anyone could watch this movie and enjoy it, but I feel like runners will appreciate it a bit more. I don’t know if that sounds weird, or if I’m saying that you have to be a runner to like it, which you don’t. But I think if you are a runner, or a person simply trying to better yourself, you will get much more out of this movie.

I cannot recommend “Brittany Runs a Marathon” more. I think it’s a great movie, and will really speak to the runner in everyone. Go seek this movie out. 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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Better Late Than Never on "Captain Marvel"

Continuing to get caught up with movies that I have wanted to see, but didn't have time while they were in the theaters, my wife and I finally watched "Captain Marvel" the other night.

We both wanted to see it while in theaters, didn't have the time, realized that we are Disney + subscribers and decided it was time to finally watch it, and I have to say, I enjoyed this movie. While it is not "Black Panther" or "Endgame", "Captain Marvel" was a fun and entertaining movie. Sure, there were some parts that felt a little tacked on, or they could have cut it, but that is small nit picking stuff. All in all, I found this movie to be good.

First off, Brie Larson is a great, great actor. She has been in some of the best independent movies I have seen, won Oscars for them, been in comedies that were hilarious, and now, she got to try her hand at a Marvel movie, playing the most powerful Marvel hero. And to no ones surprise, she was excellent. I bought every second of her performance. I like how literal she took everything. I believed all the heart felt moments. Her stunts were kick ass. She was kick ass. When she realizes her full potential, that was an amazing scene. The fight between her and Annette Benning, who was great, was totally awesome. Her final battle scene was incredible. The back and forth between her and Nick Fury was tremendous. She was really, really good in this role. I don't know why I wouldn't expect that at this time, but she was great.

As was the rest of the cast. Sam Jackson as young Nick Fury was perfect. Seeing a young Agent Coulson was great. Captain Marvel's friend, Rambo I believe her name was, was super believable as the best friend who thought she lost her best friend. She was also a kick ass pilot as well. Jude Law as the bad guy, I mean, he is really crushing most of his roles lately. He is even good in movies that aren't so good. So, when I get to see him act well in a good movie, that is a treat. Ben Mendelsonn, who is super underrated as an actor, was so good as the main Skrull guy. I fully expected him to be the main villain, and spoiler alert, when he isn't, that was a shock, and it totally got me. He is a good guy. He is just looking for a safe place for his family and friends to live. I loved the misdirection.

As for the color and way the movie was shot, it was awesome. I like when Marvel does these fun and super bright movies. It reminded me a ton of "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2", except a little less bright. But, it worked. The special effects were amazing. I mentioned the fight scene between Larson and Benning, that was cool as hell. The way she bends her body into a wall that is made of silver, that was so cool. Oh, and the music, it was wonderful. The movie takes place in the mid 90's, so I got to hear a ton of songs that I remember listening to when I was a teenager. And the way they set them to battle scenes, it was pure perfection.

While I may like the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies a little more, or acknowledge how important a movie like "Black Panther" is, or how final "Endgame" was, I still see the importance of a movie like "Captain Marvel". It introduces us to a very important, very powerful superhero, and it is a great origin story. I put this one right up there with the original "Ironman". It is giving us the story of the new most important Marvel hero, and it tells it with a fun, and good, attitude. Marvel does good superhero movies, and "Captain Marvel" is one of the better ones out there tight now.

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 "Dolemite is My Name"

Yesterday I sat down and watched "Dolemite is My Name", and I have to say, this is one of the funniest, and most heartfelt movies that I have seen in some time. I watched the preview for it about a month ago, and I knew then that I was going to enjoy it, I just had to find the time. I had an open afternoon, and watched it while I folded laundry.

This movie totally delivered as well. I am an Eddie Murphy fan, but some of his stuff lately isn't that great. It is funny because he is in it, but it just doesn't hit like "Beverly Hills Cop" or "48 Hours" did. "Dolemite is My Name" hit, and hit a god damn homerun. When Murphy is given range to be filthy, use a ton of 4 letter words and act like a comedian, he crushes his roles. That was what made him so great in a movie like "Dream Girls". He got to act like a hyper version of himself. Casting him as famed vulgar comic Rudy Ray Moore was perfect. It was almost as if he was born to play this role. He embodied it as well. I fully believed he was Rudy Ray Moore resurrected. He was just as filthy and funny and hard working and a hustler and a perfectionist, just like Moore aimed to be. To see Murphy play him from his lowest point was exceptional. To see him play him as he makes his rise, well that was even better. Murphy was astounding. The fact that he didn't even get a sniff from the Academy for the Oscars shows how unimportant that awards show has become. To pass him up for Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is so stupid. To pass him up for anyone playing a real life person, which I thought the Academy loved, is asinine. He should have been, at the very least, nominated. I think his snub is even bigger than Adam Sandler getting nothing for "Uncut Gems". Watching this movie made me remember that Murphy is a star. He was exquisite.

But it wasn't just him. Everyone involved with this movie was great. Wesley Snipes should have also gotten awards consideration. His character was so holier than thou and high and mighty and acted like he was too good for all of this, and Snipes absolutely nailed it. Just like with Murphy, it made me remember that Snipes is a really, really good actor. Titus Burgess is wonderful as Moore's record store buddy and friend. To see him in a role like this, outside of "Kimmy Schmidt", was great for a fan like me. Burgess was funny, but he was also grounded. It was great. Da'Vine Joy Randolph, as his comedy partner, was wonderful. She was tough, beautiful, funny and I loved every second she was in this movie. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen when she was there. Even actors in smaller roles, like Craig Robinson as the singer in a band and Mike Epps as a friend of Moore's, they both shined when they were on screen. Robinson is a great singer as well, and getting to hear him do the Dolemite theme was dynamite. Keegan Michael Key, as the writer of the movie, was wonderful as well. It also helped that we got cameos from both Chris Rock and Bob Oedenkirk.

As I said, the movie is a riot, but it also has some heart in it. I feel like it is a true journey, filled with all the ups and downs, about becoming a Hollywood star, and how hard that can be. But Murphy's portrayal as Moore had me rooting for him all the way. And he was never really mean to those that helped him. He didn't treat them like lesser than him. There was no scene that shows him acting like he is better than everyone else. He was a dude that worked hard, and appreciated all those that helped him get to where he got. Rudy Ray Moore became a star, but it wasn't all him. He had help from a ton of people, and I feel like this movie did a great job of showing that.

I highly, highly recommend checking this movie out. I feel like we are getting an Eddie Murphy renaissance at the moment, and this movie is the catalyst to all of that. What a winner.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Better Never Than Late on "Vox Lux"

Yesterday I wrote about a movie starring Natalie Portman that I really liked. Today, I’m going in the opposite direction.

I really wanted to see the movie “Vox Lux” when I first saw the preview, about 2 years back. I thought it had an interesting premise, girl is involved in a school shooting, gets hurt, writes a song about the event, becomes a pop star and has many mental problems stemming from the incident in school. It also starred Portman as the grown up version of the kid, the pop star version.

The movie started out strong enough to keep my attention. The school shooting was a little bit too real, which made me emotional, and I felt for this young kid, dealing with the aftermath. It was upsetting and a struggle and, at least I thought, portrayed tragedy through the eyes of a teen very well. But, when the music starts in the movie, that’s where they lost me. As I said, the main character writes a song about the event, someone is filming it on local news, a record exec hears it and decides they want to record it. That is when the movie shifts tones and kind of goes off the rails. The girl, while dealing with record people, and people in the music industry, kind of becomes a satirical version of a young person breaking into the pop music scene. She has to learn how to do choreographed dances, but can’t really dance after the shooting. She goes away overseas and starts to get heavily involved in drugs and sex. She constantly derides herself for making pop music. She has weird monologues that seem pointless and endless. She walks in on her sister sleeping with her manager and that strains their close relationship. She is then late for a plane, but she’s told that she is going to make a video because her song is so popular.

What I gleaned from all of this, pop musicians can do whatever they want if they’re good. She shoots the music video, but that scene felt forced and pointless. We then flash forward about 15 years, and we see Portman as the adult version. And surprise surprise, she has all kinds of mental problems, she’s a head case, she’s an addict and she has no real redeeming qualities.

I’m a humongous Portman fan, but I did not find her very good in this movie. She talks way too fast, and her New York accent is trifling. She’s also over dramatic far too often. As is Jude Law, who plays her manager. In fact, everyone is a bit over dramatic in this movie. They also have a scene, twice in fact, where some bad dudes dressed as the people in her video, shoot up a beach, and they only broach that topic once. I feel like they could’ve done a ton with that, using her past, fame, religion, a ton of stuff, that they barely touched on, if at all. And when you think there’s going to be some big, revealing ending, there’s not. Spoiler alert, Portman sings the song from the beginning, they scan the characters in the audience all smiling, and when the song is over, credits roll. It was very unfulfilling.

This movie had all the makings of things I like, original songs from Sia, Natalie Portman, talking about modern pop music, and a tragic story that could have ended with revelations. None of that, except Sia’s music, worked at all. I wish this movie was better. Unfortunately it is not. Oh well, at least Portman crushes in pretty much everything else she’s in. Watch “Annihilation” instead of this movie. You’ll be happy you did.

Also, on a positive note, happy birthday mom! Love you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Better Late Than Never on the Movie "Annihilation"

With all the streaming options available now I have been catching up on a ton of movies that I have wanted to watch, and now have the time. I will be writing about two of them the next two days, and I want to do the good one today.

So, I recently watched the movie "Annihilation" and boy oh boy did I love this movie. I remember seeing the preview awhile back, probably over a year ago, and thinking that it looked pretty good. I then saw that it was directed by the same guy that did "Ex Machina", and that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I also heard some people talk about it, mainly RD, and they all seemed to find something to enjoy about the movie. I had a free afternoon on Tuesday and I decided that it was the perfect time to check it out. I was blown away.

The simple synopsis of the movie is that a group of women, some soldiers, some with wild pasts, decide to enter this weird, alternate universe called "The Shimmer" to see what is going on. Natalie Portman is the main character, and her husband, played by Oscar Issac, went to "The Shimmer", and came back a totally different person. Portman plays a biologist, and she wants to know what happened to her husband. She wanted to find out why he was so different. To find out what happened. She joined a group headed by Jennifer Jason Leigh, and it included Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson. They enter this "Shimmer", and things are not what they seem. There is wild vegetation. The animals are weird hybrids. The days seem short but are actually months long. Compasses don't work. Timing is all odd. It is nuts.

I loved every second of it. I like weird sci fi movies that stay with you days and days after watching it. I have not stopped thinking about this movie since I finished it. I texted RD immediately to tell him how much I loved it. I told my wife all about it. I did the same with my parents. And when they asked me what was so good, or why I liked it so much, I have a plethora of answers.

First off, the story is really good, and fairly easy to follow. The imagery is some of the coolest and most unique stuff I have ever seen in a movie. The monster, the hybrid animals, are cool and scary and wild and memorable. The acting is top notch. The direction is cool. The colors are as colorful as "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2". And I dig this director. I was blown away at everything in this movie. When you see some vegetation that looks like people, I was blown away. When the crazy stuff starts to happen, I'm trying my best to not spoil anything because this movie needs to be seen by everyone, I was stunned and shocked and pleased in all the right ways. The alien in this movie was one of the coolest things I have seen in quite some time. Everything that happened in "The Shimmer" was totally cool and fresh and like nothing I have ever seen before. Natalie Portman is so good in this movie, and when she has a solid script, she really knocks it out of the park. Also, I want to shout out Gina Rodriguez. I have only ever seen her do comedic stuff, but in this movie she is rough and gruff and I was on board. Also, shout out to the people who let women be the guiding force, the strong people in this movie. That doesn't happen enough, and when it does, it works.

I really think "Annihilation" is going to be fondly remembered as a very solid movie. This is another step in a good direction for director Alex Garland. To follow up "Ex Machina" with this, I am stoked for the future. "Annihilation" is a great movie that I highly recommend. Also, go into it knowing as little as possible like I did. The movie will blow you away.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Watches "Uncut Gems"

Hello all. I am back from my week off, and I do have some very solid ideas for pieces I will be writing this week, and today I want to start off with something I have wanted to write since my birthday. I couldn't write it then because the movie wasn't released in Saint Louis yet. But, the movie came out here on Xmas eve, and I finally went to see "Uncut Gems" yesterday.

I tried to wait to write all of my "Best Of" because I wanted to see this movie because I assumed it would be on my list. Had I waited a bit longer, it would have been either number 1 or 2. I loved every single second of this movie. I read some audience reviews the day before seeing it because I was interested, and the people who gave it bad reviews were upset by the "vulgarity", "people talking over one another" and how "violent" the movie was. I guess the people who saw this movie expected a typical Adam Sandler movie. Well, it is nothing like a typical Sandler movie.

First off, this is an A24 movie. This movie was not from Happy Madison, so he had no producing credit, and pretty much no say as to how the movie was made. Also, the movie is rated R, they state that it is due to violence, language and sexual situations. So, seeing that, the people that may not have expected that, or liked it, should have known better. Finally, the "talking over everyone", a big part of the movie takes place in a busy jewelry shop in downtown NYC. The talking loudly over one another is exactly what I think it is in downtown NYC.

So, I am glad that I pushed those reviews out of mind, and went anyway. "Uncut Gems" was also, probably, my most anticipated movie of the year. I am a big time Adam Sandler fan, and when he does stuff like this, dramatic and sinister stuff, I am all in for it. I like it when actors try something out of their comfort zones, and Sandler absolutely crushes in this movie. He is exactly what I think a degenerate, cheating, scummy and down on his luck compulsive gambler is really like. He has zero redeeming qualities, and I think that is the point. I don't feel like we are supposed to root for him, or anyone for that matter, in this movie. There is no hero, no bad guys, just scummy people. And Sandler was king of them all. He was so good in this movie. I cannot overstate that enough. I hope he gets awards recognition, because he 100 percent deserves it. He should get all the accolades. I would love to see him get an Oscar nomination of this role. He is that good.

And he wasn't the only person that was great. Everyone did a splendid job. Kevin Garnett, in his acting debut, was incredible. He is such a charismatic dude, and that comes across tenfold. Julia Fox, who is relatively new, at least to me, was great. She is Sandler's girlfriend, on the side, and she is just as slimy as him. Lakeith Stanfield is quickly turning into one of my favorite actors. His scenes with Sandler in this movie are perfection. Also, his orange hooded sweatshirt at The Weekend's show, that is a beautifully shot scene. Idina Menzel, Sandler's wife in the movie, is so good as the woman who is fed up with her husband. The scene where she tells him off at his folks house during Passover is amazing. Judd Hirsch is solid in his minor role. The Weekend is one hell of a singer. The guys that play Sandler's brother's bodyguards are perfectly cast as the type of dudes that would do that job for a living. The kids in the movie were good. The acting was great across the board.

I also really dug the way the Safdie Brothers directed the movie, and had the movie scored. The while thing is frantic and fast paced and doesn't let you take a breath. I feel like they want you to be pushed to the brink with this movie, and they nail it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and that ending, no spoilers, took me by complete surprise. All the stuff leading up to that, it was perfectly directed. I heard some say the score was odd, I disagree. I truly enjoyed it, and felt it added another cool feel to the movie. It was different and pushed my anxiety to the brink just like the scenes in the movie did.

I was predisposed to enjoy this movie. I really like what the Safdie Brothers do, "Good Time" is great, I am a big time Sandler fan, I like movies like this and was highly anticipating it. It met my expectations and then some. I took my dad to the movie with me, and was curious how he felt. He said it started a little slow for him, but once it picked up, he was fully on board. That is high praise coming from my father. So, the fact that "Uncut Gems" won him over as well, that is another feather in its cap. I think this movie will find a huge audience when it hits streaming, but I will say, I went to a 9:40 am showing on a Sunday morning, and the theater was about 60 percent full. That also made me happy.

Go see "Uncut Gems", in the theaters if you can. This is a very good movie, it proves that the Safdie's are legit filmmakers and that Adam Sandler is more than just a Netflix, goofy movie making actor. Given solid direction, and the right material, he can be a very, very good actor. He was awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Sin of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

Oh great, another hot Rise of Skywalker take

This Article Contains Spoilers for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

What is the point?

That is the question I asked once the credits started to roll on “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”.

That is not the question I wanted to ask.

I love Star Wars and would never let any group of critics dissuade me from enjoying a few hours in a galaxy far far away. I have defended “The Phantom Menace” for over twenty years now. I have watched all of “The Clone Wars”, even the awful feature film, I watched “Rebels”, I have started “Resistance”, and I am currently loving “The Mandalorian”. At 44 years old I am just a bit older than the Star Wars franchise, and my love has never wavered. These are my Star Wars fan credentials.

I stay with Star Wars because it tells new and interesting stories, stories I want to see. I like the characters, and I like to watch them fail and grow. Luke, Han, and Leia learned through failure and triumph. Obi Wan and the rest of the Jedi failed Anakin because of their absolute belief in their views being the only correct way. Ahsoka Tano became the most interesting Star Wars creation ever due to her questioning of what was the core of the Jedi and the Sith. Kanan, Ezra, and the rest of the Ghost crew found a family and challenged an empire. What did Rey, Poe, Finn, and Ben Solo do that was new and interesting?

That is The Rise of Skywalker’s greatest failure, it did nothing new. The Force Awakens was a retread, but there was hope for some new stories with these new characters. They were defined by the past but could forge their own futures. The Last Jedi started the trio on their path to individuality. Rey could be the balance that Anakin and Luke could never achieve. Poe could be the selfless hero by learning to fail. Finn could be the spark that allows those in the Empire, I mean First Order, to see the folly of the militaristic organization, and create a rebellion from within. 

None of that happened.

Rey was Luke but better. She defeated the Emperor on her own. Poe was Han Solo but better. His smuggling days were in the past, he was already the hero when The Force Awakens begins. And Finn, well Finn grew and understood the Rebellion, I mean Resistance, in The Last Jedi, he learned from Rose that they defeat the Empire, I mean First Order, together, and then he became a background character in The Rise of Skywalker. No growth, no forward storytelling, just a rehash of what we saw in Return of the Jedi. Pointless.

What is particularly frustrating about “The Rise of Skywalker” is that the movie had some great character moments surrounding Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. All of the actors do a great job, but this new trio of films belong to Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley. Unfortunately for Daisy, Adam was given the most nuanced material. The moment Kylo Ren becomes Ben Solo is touching and meaningful. His lost boy who regains his humanity through the parents who abbondoned him is great story telling. His rush to save Rey is inspired. I just wish a better, more original, movie was built around the Ben Solo story.

That is how this new sequel trilogy should have played out, make Ben Solo your main character. George Lucas tried to show the fall of Anakin in the prequels, and it did not quite work until the very end. “The Clone Wars” cartoon told the story of Anakin’s fall much better than the prequels. JJ Abrams and Disney could have taken a new stab on showing a good persons fall to the dark side, and his redemption, instead of retelling Star Wars 4 and 6. The only original film in the new trilogy was The Last Jedi because it focused on new ideas, mainly Ben Solo’s fall. That is why The Last Jedi will be remembered more fondly than The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. 

The fact is that any new Star Wars is going to be worth my time. I have already seen the movie two times because I am that guy, i.e. Comic Book Guy. The issue I have with the Rise of Skywalker, and to a lesser extent The Force Awakens, is how pointless the storytelling was. I saw this story in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. I enjoyed the hell out of the story. I celebrated for decades the victory of Luke, Han, and Leia. I went all in on the problematic prequel movies because I loved experience new parts of a galaxy far far away. I walked into each of the sequel trilogy films with a smile on my face and high anticipation. I walked out of The Rise of Skywalker feeling like the story was pointless and a waste of time. That is the biggest sin of The Rise of Skywalker.

At least I have The Mandalorian to feed the appetite for new and exciting stories in the Star Wars world I love so much.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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

Best of 2019: Best of Everything Else

Super writer/critic extraordinaire Ty has already covered the best albums, the best movies, the best television shows, the best podcasts, and the best sports moments of 2019. Today I am going to give the rest of the stuff of 2019 some love. We will cover books, tech, video games, and a few other corners of society not given the top five/ten treatment by our publications. Let’s get started.

Best Video Game of 2019

Untitled Goose Game is the game we needed in our lives at this very moment in history. It appeals to young and old alike, and for very different reasons. I talked with a nine year old about the game, and then spun the game as an allegory for President Trump.

As for the game itself? You are a goose, and you are here to terrify a small village. You get from place to place by solving puzzles that involve your goose stealing things, scaring kids, and causing general mayhem.

It is awesome.

Best Movie Trailer for a Movie Released in 2019

This should have been the first trailer for Joker, but then Cats came along. A movie trailer needs to be memorable, and oh boy was the Cats trailer memorable for all the wrong reasons. The movie looked horrifying and stupid at the same time. I spent most of my time watching and rewatching the trailer asking myslef why would such an such actor be in this thing. My answers never came. Cats shows us that the best of us need to be told every now and then. The trailer was our first warning.

Best Movie trailer for a Movie Released after 2019

In 2019, the DC movie Universe started to catch up with Marvel. Aquaman came out in late 2018, but was the top movie in the early months of 2019. Shazam was a modest hit, and well like by the critics and the audience. Joker was a megahit and the most talked about movie of the year. Then around Thanksgiving we were given our first look at Wonder Woman 1984. The setting was spot on, the music was incredible, and the movie itself looks amazing. June 5th, 2020 cannot get here soon enough.

Best Book of 2019

Great new books come out every year. What is truly the best is usually left up to a person’s personal preference. Many times the best book we read in a given year came out in a previous year. The best book for 2019, or the most important to read book, is George Orwell’s 1948 novel 1984.

In 1948, George Orwell understood the dangers of screaming fake news and blind loyalty to a government that has an agenda counter to the benefit of the people they serve. In 2019 we live in 1984’s world, and we do not care. It could never happen to us is what we said when we first read Orwell’s dystopic story. In 2019 we need to read 1984 to acknowledge the fact we live in this society.

Best Tech of 2019

It is hard to judge new technology until we have seen it in action for a year or more. All the big tech sites with praise anything Apple, and then quietly say how bad the tech was years later, see the Apple Pencil and Macbook keyboard.

Apple is not alone in the blind praises bestowed by the tech media on the companies and personalities the writers so desperately want to have access to. That is why the Tesla Cybertruck is the best tech of the year.

The cybertruck look stupid, it will be grotesquely overpriced, and it will be bested by a real car company in the not so distant future, but the Cybertruck will be considered the first heavy duty pickup to normalize the idea of an all electric truck for the masses. In the not so distant future when Tesla is gone, the tech media will continue to remind us that the Cybertruck was “first”. They will not be totally wrong.

Best Written Thing on the Internet

In 2019 the website Deadspin.com entered a death spiral. The owners decided to lay down the law on the creators, and the creators revolted. The end of one of the most important internet sites had dawned. Before the true endgame, former editor Megan Greenwell wrote an insightful and scathing piece about the current state of internet journalism. We live in a world where traditional journalism, i.e. newspapers, radio, and televsion, has been sacrificed on the alter of capitalism. The internet was where real journalism was still breathing it’s survival breaths. Then the corporate raiders came for the internet. Clicks, likes, and trash were valued more than the talents of creators. Megan Greenwell saw this, was fired, and then left the last parting shot. Forget about all the “traditional” media think pieces on the world around us. Megan Greenwell gave us a true look into the future we are moving towards. Read her words and be wary.

Best Visual Thing on the Internet

The Peloton is stupid. Exercise is good, but the cult like, false view of wealth, that the Peloton sells is poisonous. The company/cult’s newest ad reflects the toxic image the overpriced spin bike is selling.

Enter a hero. Ryan Reynold’s owns a gin called Aviator and he sought out the woman in the Peloton ad. Together they made the greatest ad of the year. Who knew that gin was more progressive, and respectful, than an exercise device. Now we know.

These are just a few of the things I saw in 2019 that made an impact. While companies like Peloton and any trust fund idiot that owns a website tried to push society backwards, we had heroes like Megan Greenwell, Ryan Reynolds, and an untitled goose to give us the catharsis we need. In 2019 we were also gifted with the reminder of what was warned in 1948, and we were able to observe pop culture’s hubris with Cats. All in all there were scares and hope in the year 2019 of the common era.

Bring on the 20’s.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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

Best of 2019: Top Five Movies

Continuing my Best of 2019 lists, today I come to you with my top 5 movies of the year. Now, I do not get out to see as many movies as I would like, more on that when I get to my disappointments of the year, but I still see more than enough to put together a best of. The rare occasion I do get to go to the theater, I usually pick a movie that I am nearly certain I will like. I don't want to waste money. I have started to take advantage of On Demand and renting movies on Amazon, which has become a big help. Anyway, lets get to the list.

At number 5 I have "Between Two Ferns: The Movie". I had the most fun watching this movie over any other movie I saw this year. It was funny, goofy, well improvised, well acted and an all around good time. The fact that it was on Netflix was an added bonus. I have watched the movie several times because of that fact. Also, I like that they took this awkward concept and turned it into a feature length movie. "Between Two Ferns" was funny enough on its own, and then making it a movie made it that much better. Sure, the story was weird and pointless, but I don't come to this for the story. I want to see the awkward interviews, and they are a plenty in the movie, and they are great. Every person that was interviewed was game, and it showed. I laughed harder at this movie than any other comedy I have seen in quite some time. And Zach Galifinakis is truly awesome. His interview style is so funny. I love this movie.

At number 4 I have "Avengers: Endgame". This movie could have been a real problem, could have felt overstuffed and was already on thin ice with me because I am growing weary of the MCU. But, they did everything absolutely right in this movie, and they closed a chapter better than any big budget, multi universe movie has done in probably forever. "Endgame" was filled with action and drama and made me ugly cry a few times. When, spoiler alert, Ironman dies and has a funeral, I was sobbing so hard that the teen sitting next to me asked if I was going to be okay. I also teared up when Captain America told the Avengers to assemble when they all came back. "Endgame" is the way a super filled cast superhero movie should be done. The movie was over 3 hours long, well over it, but it never felt that long. The movie flowed to perfection. "Endgame" made me appreciate "Infinity War" more, and that in and of itself is an achievement. I am once again excited to see where Marvel goes from here, and that is because "Endgame" was so well done.

At number 3 I have "John Wick Chapter 3; Parabellum". I am a humongous John Wick fan. I was all in on the franchise from the start. I love the action and how nonstop and relentless it is. And "Parabellum" is that for nearly 2 hours. This one picks up right where chapter 2 left off, with Wick now on the run and all the assassins ready to take him out. It is nonstop fro there. The opening scene, where he beats up and kills pro basketball player Boban Marajonivic with a book was unexpected and it ruled. When he fights a group of bad guys with a horse that he whips to kick them in the face, amazing. Being on the run constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. The fight he has with the host of "Iron Chef America", in a smallish room with a ton of stairs, was brilliantly choreographed and a thing of beauty to watch. This movie starts fast, gets faster in the middle and ends on an unnerving note that this may not be the end of the franchise, and that is great news. I hope they continue to make these movies because I will keep giving it my money. John Wick is one of the quintessential characters of the past decade.

At number 2 I have "Yesterday". Look, I was predisposed to like this movie, and I ended up loving it. The movie is filled with the music of The Beatles, who I have called the greatest band of all time, and was directed by Danny Boyle, who doesn't make bad movies. The premise, a guy gets hit by a bus during a worldwide power outage, wakes up in the hospital, and is only one of three people left that remembers The Beatles music, that hooked me in the first preview. The fact that they were able to make a cohesive, beautiful and fun movie out of it, that is icing on the cake. The cast is great as well, led by Himesh Patel, who is simply wonderful in this movie. His version of Beatles songs is reminiscent of the sound from "The Royal Tenebaums" soundtrack, and I thought that was a great choice. I know some called it too sweet, or didn't like his version of Beatles songs, or trashed the premise. I couldn't disagree more. I adore this movie. I will fight for this movie. I legitimately think Patel should be talked about more during awards season. "Yesterday" is a sweet love story to the importance of the music of The Beatles. How could one not like that?

At number 1 I have "Us". Jordan Peele is the best modern day horror director. I don't usually go for horror movies, but "Get Out", and now "Us", has me totally rethinking that stance. He has made two perfect movies that are not only scary, but have solid messages, crazy twists and his sense of humor sprinkled in. The story of "Us", how there is a whole society of doppelgangers that live beneath us on Earth is trippy and it works. I fully bought in from the jump. Oh, and the acting in this movie is top notch. Going back to Patel and awards season, how in the hell is Lupita Nyong’o not up for any awards?! The two characters she plays in "Us" were totally different, yet she absolutely nailed them both. She is amazing in this movie. So is Winston Duke, Tim Heidecker and Elisabeth Moss. Oh, and the kids, they are just as good. But Nyong’o stands taller than all of them. She is astounding. Also, the way Peele puts scares in his movies, not jump scares, more of the psychological kind, it stays with you so much longer. I find myself just sitting around on a random Tuesday and asking myself, what would I do if I ran into my "tethered"? That is the sign of a great movie to me. "Us" is going to go down as one of the best horror movies of all time. I guarantee it.

As far as disappointments for me in 2019, one is "Joker". I had such high expectations of this movie, and after seeing the first trailer, they only got higher. I took my father to see it on its second weekend, and I walked out of that movie more frustrated than anything else. I don't like when movies are complicated just to be complicated. I know this is my problem, and how I consume movies, but "Joker" is one of the more frustrating movies I can remember seeing in a long time. The same thing can be said for "Midsommar". I begged my wife to see this in the theaters, and when we couldn't find a time that worked for both of us, we finally had a weekend open where we could rent it On Demand. We sat down, watched the whole two and a half hours in silence and, when it was done, both said, "what the hell was that?". Now, the movie was beautifully shot, looked tremendous and had some solid acting in it. But, there was so much silence, some of the wildest shit I have seen on screen and the ending was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. This movie stayed with me for a few days afterward, but not in a good way. Again, I was confused and frustrated by what I saw. I don't know if taking psychedelics would have helped, I have seen people online say that it does, but I don't do drugs or drink. I know that "Midsommar" has a fan base, and I so wanted to be part of it, but the movie just didn't work for me. Finally, and this is more of a time thing, I am upset that I have seen "Parasite", "The Lighthouse" or "Uncut Gems" yet. I want to see these movies in the theaters really bad, especially "Uncut Gems", but I just have the time. I have a full time job as an at home dad, my wife works 40 plus hours a week and we do things with our kids on the weekends. I will see all three of them eventually, and I am sure I will like, maybe even love, them all, but they will have to wait for now. I will try my best over my kids winter breaks from school to see all three of them in the theater, but that may be wishful thinking.

Okay, that does it for movies in 2019. Come back tomorrow for my TV picks of 2019.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty wrote his list before the biggest movie of the year has been released. What oh what will Ty think of “Cats”?

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