Better Late than Never on "Sleeping With the Enemy"

This Friday was my wife's pick for movie night and she showed me "Sleeping with the Enemy". I had never seen it, I liked it and I have some thoughts.

First off, I did not realize how much of a star Julia Roberts was in the 90's. I mean, I know of her, I know she is famous, I have seen her in a few movies. But when I looked up her IMDB page for this movie I was kind of stunned how many leading roles she had in the 90's in all different kinds of movies. She was a top of the line, big time marquee movie star. She was a legit upper tier famous person. My wife also told me she thinks Roberts took this role because this was her "damsel in distress" movie. And she totally knocked it out of the park. She was really great as the damsel, but I will get to it a little later on in my piece how she turned from damsel to hero in 90 plus minutes.

This movie was also a perfect snapshot of 90's fashion and hairstyles. Julia Roberts' hair is beautiful in this movie, but it is so long, so thick and so curly. And the big bows and scrunchies and all of that, they were front and center. The two main male characters, their looks were something else. The abusive husband looks like a villain. I mean, you look up a villain in the dictionary and this dude fits it to a T. He is menacing, he wears all black, he has a creepy mustache and he seems to always have a weapon on his person. The gentleman that Roberts meets when she leaves her abusive husband, his hair and clothes were insane. The amount of turtlenecks was wild. The colorful button up shirts were nuts and loud. And his hair, my goodness. He looked like he had a headband in his hair, but he didn't. It was like this weird hybrid of a mullet and a shaggy hair look. It was as 90's as 90's gets. In fact, the only person who didn't have a wild get up was Roberts' mom, but she was the old lady in a nursing home. She got to wear comfy clothes.

Shifting to the music, it was as cliche as a thriller in 1991 can get, and again, I liked this movie. But anytime there was a tense or nervous or uncomfortable scene, there was this loud twinge of music that filled the movie, and you knew something bad was going to happen. The music when the villain husband was on screen was almost hilarious to me. It was so loud and so ominous. It was a little too on the nose. There was also this weird tonal shift in the movie when Roberts and the new guy are trying on clothes, which becomes a montage scene, and this happy music underscores this very odd moment of an otherwise nice thriller. They also have a weird dance scene where they play the song "RunAround Sue", which seems to be a staple of 90's movies.

Outside of these few minor personal issues I had though, as I have stated so far, I did enjoy the movie. It was a good thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I was rooting for Roberts to be happy, to be the hero, which she gets to be. This movie could have followed along the same lines of most "damsel in distress" movies and let the guy be the hero, but this movie didn't. The villain husband, spoiler alert, tracks her down, and has her trapped in her home. It looks like he will win, but the new guy shows up and tries to stop him. The new guy gets knocked out, and it is just the villain and Roberts. I thought this was where they were going to have the new guy wake up and save Roberts. "Sleeping with the Enemy" had other ideas, and I loved it. Roberts grabbed the gun and pointed it at the villain. He tried to talk her down, tried to control her. And just when it looked like he might win her over, she called the police and said she had just shot an intruder. She hadn't yet, but I was pretty certain she was on that path. When she hung up the phone she fired four shots into his chest. All the while the new guy was knocked out on the floor oblivious to what was going on. Roberts took actions into her own hands, shot the bad guy and won. She defeated the villain. She saved herself and the new guy. She was able to exorcise this demon in her life, and she did it by herself.

I think that is a pretty powerful move by a movie from the 90's. As I have said, a lot of movies back then would have let the guy save the day. This one didn't, and I thought it was a great move on the writers and actors and directors part. I love that they let the "damsel" be the hero. It was great. I recommend this movie to anyone that is looking for a classic 90's thriller and to any Julia Roberts fan. I really enjoyed many things about this movie.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

I, like most of the rest of the country, watched "Borat 2" this past Friday.

Right off the bat, this was a solid sequel. It wasn't as good as the original, most sequels aren't, but it achieved its main goal. There are parts of the US that are as terrifying as anywhere else in the world, and Sacha Baron Cohen, as Borat, proved that yet again. In fact, while this movie is a comedy in genre, I view it almost like a horror film. The people not named Borat, Tutar and 3 other ladies, legitimately have me worried about the country I live in. This was as eye opening as the first "Borat" movie, but in so many different ways, and in a very new, very racist light.

The main plot of the movie is simple. Borat is in prison for the first movie, he is let out to give a present to the current "government", to get in their good graces, things go awry and we meet some truly awful, awful people. The "present" is supposed to be a very popular monkey from Kazakhstan that is a movie star. Unfortunately for Borat, his daughter hides away in the cargo, eats the monkey, and then she becomes the "present". It is as simple as that. But, it just got worse and worse and worse from there. Again, I liked the movie, but the people we meet in it, with three exceptions, are the worst people I can imagine. When Borat realizes he has to give his daughter as a gift, this is when things get nuts. The first person we meet that is horrendous is an Instagram "influencer". I never understood that "job", but this lady seems to make money off of it. But the way she talks to Tutar, Borat's daughter, it is so demeaning and so misogynistic. She tells Tutar, "women have to be more submissive", or, "we kind of have to let the men do everything". It is pretty demeaning. The actress that plays Tutar does a great job of egging her on, trying to get more from her, and the other stuff she says is truly embarrassing. That lady should be ashamed of herself, for real. There is a preacher they meet later on, and Borat tries to get him to "get a baby out of her", "that he put in her". The "baby" is a plastic toy from a cupcake, but they don't tell the religious guy that. They make it seem like he actually put a baby in her. They try to get this monster to help them out, but he refuses to do anything, and says something along the lines of, "it doesn't matter how the baby got there, now we are here". Again, when these words came out of his mouth, I was stunned that someone could be that ignorant and stupid and disgusting.

It only gets worse from there. Tutar leaves Borat to be a journalist. We then cut to the US when the pandemic first hit. This is when the movie gets truly scary. Borat finds a few guys that let him stay in their home during the beginning of quarantine. The stuff that comes out of these guys mouths, on film, is some of the most vile and hurtful and horrible things I have ever heard. They say they are "sad" that "unfortunately democrats have the same rights as us". I mean, we are all people. Jesus Christ why is it that hard for people to see. They read QAnon constantly. They call the pandemic and COVID a hoax. It is really bad. It gets even worse when they go to an anti mask rally. This was the second scariest moment in the movie. Borat changes his outfit because he has to hide out. He proceeds to sing a song that the crowd sings along with, which is one of the most heinous songs I have ever heard. The lyrics are truly, truly horrifying. I don't even want to repeat them on my blog because I fear it will put me on some weird list. While singing the song, the cameraman cuts to maskless people in the crowd standing too close to one another, people holding AR 15's for some unknown reason and racist assholes doing the Nazi heil sign. I was so upset it made my stomach hurt. And this wasn't the worst thing in the movie. T

he worst thing happened next. Tutar gets a job doing fake journalism for conservative nutjobs. She is so beloved by these maniacs that believe what she is doing is real, she gets a one on one interview with Rudy Guiliani. He is a real, real, real dirtbag. I don't know if anyone has had such a hard fall as he has. He was considered an okay person after 9/11, and now here we are. He starts the interview off calling Tutar "sweetie" and "honey". Tutar is supposed to be 15 years old by the way. From there Tutar kind of sees how far she can go. She keeps laughing and touching his knee. Meanwhile, Guiliani is drinking a scotch, not wearing a mask and openly coughing while stating that "we've done a great job containing this virus". There is so much wrong with everything that is going on in this short little segment. He's openly drinking hard alcohol with a 15 year old. If you are not in someone's bubble, please, please, please wear a mask. The coughing, to me, is a clear sign that he has some form of COVID. And the statement is patently false. We have lost far too many lives, and still counting, because of the current "government's" lack of doing anything, and thinking this virus would "just go away". It is all wrong. From there, Borat storms in, pretending to be a boom mic guy, and messes up the interview. Tutar takes him to the back, and tells him she is fine. Then Tutar escorts Guiliani to her room in the hotel to "have some drinks". Then, in a wildly disgusting, disturbing and telling moment, Guiliani lays on his back and looks to be unzipping his pants. Borat storms in in a thong and bikini underwear and tells him to take him instead. He says that Tutar is too old for him, again, she is 15, and tries to get him to take him. Of course Guiliani takes offense to this and tries to make Borat look like the bad guy. Borat is not. He saved the actress that plays Tutar, although I am sure she would have saved herself too. This is, by far, the most heinous and gross and disturbing thing I have seen in a movie in quite some time. If it weren't for the babysitter and the two Jewish ladies in the movie, there would be no redeeming characters. They are the soul of the movie.

I recommend watching this movie if only to see how truly terrifying some people in this country can be. It is startling and upsetting, but this is who we need to fight and vote out of office. These people are monsters and just outright awful, and "Borat 2" proves that tenfold. We live in a weird and scary world, and this movie shows that. Now is the time to revolt and vote. Please vote. 

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 "American Utopia"

Yesterday I had the chance to sit down, uninterrupted for two hours, and watch "American Utopia". This is the new concert movie from David Byrne and directed by Spike Lee. It was his short run Broadway show in fact, and it was absolutely amazing. I was totally blown away by the entire thing. I was excited to watch, and when it started, that excitement jumped to a 10.

The opening of “American Utopia”, with Byrne holding a fake brain and singing the song "Here", was pretty god damn cool. The song, and the prop, were a perfect way to open this show. From there on out, Byrne and his band went on to crush the entire set. The spectacle of it all, the band, the music, the message, the way the message was put out there, Byrne interacting with the audience, it all worked out to perfection. I used to attend many live shows, and I still did up until February of this year, and I have never seen something like this. This was so over the top, but in the best possible way. I absolutely loved the way they did the lights, the shadows, everything was done up so well. I loved hearing the songs I have gotten to know off of "American Utopia" in the recent months. As you all know, I am a late comer to David Byrne and Talking Heads. I am catching up during the pandemic, especially when I go running. So seeing this now, for me, was perfect timing. It has all these songs that I am growing to love, and understand more, on a daily basis. The version they play of "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", which is my current favorite Talking Heads song, was so cool. I was dancing on my couch while they played it. "I Zimbra" was rad. The way they performed it, it was so cool to hear all the isolated instruments. "I Should Watch TV" was quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen on TV, or in person for that matter, ever. That was done so well, and when Byrne crashes through the chains, and the stage goes to black, damn that was awesome. "I Dance Like This" was really well choreographed. The way the entire band moved in sync, and danced their hearts out, it was really neat. "Everyday is a Miracle" was pretty brilliant, and I was pretty moved by Byrne's performance. I really enjoyed when Byrne talked about the Detroit Choir doing a version of his song, "Everybody's Coming to My House", and making it a totally different song without changing anything. I also liked why his version is much sadder than the Detroit Choir's version. It was also great to hear the Choir's version during the end credits. "Once in a Lifetime" was really exceptional because Byrne recreated a lot of the dancing he did on "Stop Making Sense". I liked that. "Burning Down the House" sounded as full as ever, and when the whole band came together, my goodness was that amazing. The song that moved me to tear up, literally, was their version of the great Janelle Monae song "Hell You Talmbout". To listen to the full band play and sing the song, then say the names of the too many murdered African American people, with their pictures placed in the movie, was heartbreaking and moving and made me want to go and start a revolution. This was simply put, a perfect representation of this important song. And closing the show with "Road to Nowhere", walking into the crowd and singing and playing, it made me miss live shows.

"American Utopia" really had everything I wanted. It was great music. Byrne discussed important, pressing issues, like climate change and voting, amongst other things. The band was incredible, and to see them perform all these songs was truly exceptional. These people are amazing musicians and performers. And it made me miss live music, which is what I look for now when I watch concert movies. Spike Lee's directing was top notch also. Lee can do no wrong. If he doesn't win an Oscar this year, for this or "Da 5 Bloods", it would be very disappointing. I highly, highly recommend everyone watch this movie. It is great music, it is timely, it is important and it rules.

Seriously, go watch this immediately.

Ty

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

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"Not Another Teen Movie" is Still a Classic Spoof Movie

Lately I have found myself rewatching old comedies, or as Netflix puts it, "late night comedies". I like these type of movies because they are just dumb and fun and a breeze to watch. They are usually under 90 minutes too, which is a total bonus in my book. And by "old", I am not talking Chaplin, or "Dr. Strangelove", but stuff like "Dazed and Confused" or "Orgazmo" or "Half Baked". I'm talking about late 90's and early to mid 2000's movies.

One that I recently revisited I was hesitant on because I truly like this movie, and I was certain that it was going to be problematic and not hold up. The movie is "Not Another Teen Movie". I have revisited some of the movies they spoof, like "American Pie" and "She's All That", and those movies are problematic and do not hold up. I wrote a whole thing about how truly awful "American Pie" now is, seeing it with adult eyes.

I am here to say that "Not Another Teen Movie" totally holds up. It is funny, the movies they spoof, the spoofing is perfect and it is meant to be bad because the movies they make fun of are truly awful. When I turned it on the other day, I was immediately brought back to the first time I saw it, and laughing as hard this time as the first time. It is, for me, the best spoof movie since "Airplane". None of the other spoof movies, like the whole "Scary Movie" franchise, or movies like "Date Movie" or any of those hold a candle to "Not Another Teen Movie". What "NATM" does better than any of the other recent movies like it, they got good actors who had a good time and looked like they enjoyed what they were doing. This was Chris Evans first major movie role, and he is great. He is so perfect as the jock guy that turns it around. He spoofs that character, which is so prevalent in every teen movie. But what Evans does so well, he makes the jokes, and they all land. When he is walking through the hall and everyone is throwing underwear at him, and a guy throws a pair, this could have been such a bad and mean joke, but the way Evans played it, it totally lands. Outside Evans, the rest of the cast is really good too. Chyler Leigh, as the geeky girl with glasses that suddenly becomes cute when she takes her glasses off, she is pitch perfect. Jaime Pressly as the mean girl, she was born to play that role comedically. Eric Christian Olsen as the best friend of Evans, but also his foil, this kid is so perfect for these types of roles. He is funny and goofy and seems to love doing comedy. The side characters stand out too. Mia Kirshner as Evans' sister, playing the Sarah Michelle Gellar character from "Cruel Intentions", is so funny and so disgusting, on purpose. Deon Richmond as the lone black guy, simply pure and perfect. Damn he is funny in this movie. And Eric Jungman as the best friend in love with Janey, playing the Ducky role, awesome, Ron Lester reprising his role from "Varsity Blues", but playing it for laughs, perfect, and Cody McMains as the young high schooler who just wants to hook up with a girl, he is one of the best. "NATM" just works on every single level. It makes inappropriate jokes, but it is on purpose, and it works. The way they intertwine so many different teen movies, yet still make the story work, it is one of the best. The actors are really, really solid. The direction is good. And all the inside jokes, be it from calling the high school John Hughes High School to the cheerleaders ripping off the dance moves to all the football jokes, and everything else, it just works.

I love this movie, and I am happy that it holds up. If you haven't seen it, and are looking for something light and fun, I highly recommend checking out "Not Another Teen Movie". It is really good, thank goodness. 

Ty

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

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The Comedic Genius of Fred Willard

I mentioned last week how my wife and I have been on a Christopher Guest kick for our quarantine date movies. We have watched three the last three weeks. We watched "This is Spinal Tap", "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show". They all still hold up, they are all still very funny and they all make me want to watch his other movies.

On these re-watches, I noticed that it is Fred Willard usually being, or having one of the best parts or moments in the movie. He is only in "Spinal Tap" for one scene, but it has still stuck with me. He is the naval base guy when they play a veterans show, and he greets them. He calls them Spinal Tarp, he throws in some solid dry dad jokes and I was sitting there watching it and just laughing and laughing. It is supposed to be a forgettable role, but Willard made it great. And then in "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show", he steals each movie, at least for me. He is absolutely wonderful in both of these movies. He is, by far, in a cast filled with great humorists and comedians and improv people, the very best. In "A Mighty Wind" he is the manager of the New Main Street Singers, the cheesy Branson esque folk band, with a past in TV. He appeared on a TV show called, "Wha Happened", which according to the newspaper in the movie was "canceled due to total lack of interest". But Willard's performance makes it seem like he was a star. He was so funny, doing the "wha happened" line over and over again. And when he is talking about doing stand up and bombing, but throwing in lines that he thought worked, it was tremendous. He was a sad sack of a comedian and actor, but he had this happiness that he let wash over him all the time. He also had bleached blonde hair that he gelled up for this role, adding even more humor. I don't know if Guest asked him to do this, but I like to think it was his idea, he told no one and showed up to set the first day and rolled with it. He is so good in that movie.

Fred Willard, and I am not kidding, is Oscar worthy great in "Best in Show". He is a bumbling broadcaster for the dog show, who knows nothing about dogs. He goes off on these tangents and soliloquies, that are total nonsense, but coming from Willard, they are delivered to perfection. He is so funny. He is so memorable. He is the best thing about what I consider to be the best Christopher Guest movie. When he is talking about the dogs, then goes into questioning the co broadcaster how much he thinks he could bench in his prime, that is classic. When he calls Jane Lynch "one happy fellow", and is told that she is, in fact, a woman, hilarious. When he tells the proctologist joke, and the other broadcaster calls him out for using that last year, and he just moves on, it is majestic. Every single thing Willard does in "Best in Show" not only works, it is perfect. His portrayal of this buffoon is just perfect.

This got me thinking about some other things I have seen Willard in, and how he is pretty damn good in everything he did in his lifetime. Most recently he was on "Modern Family", and even though we stopped watching that show, I did see Willard, as Phil's dad, and he was great. He was in a sketch in one of my favorite shows from last year, "I Think You Should Leave", as an organist at a funeral, and his performance is riotous. He's the TV show manager at the news station in "Anchorman", and his cut away lines, when he is talking to the school about his kid, or his one interaction with Christina Applegate, those are some of my favorite quotable lines from that gem of a movie. He was in three episodes of "Space Force" as Steve Carrell's father who is clearly suffering from dementia, and he makes that funny. I will never, ever forget him in "Review". He was amazing as Jessica St Clair's dad, who Forrest tries to reconcile with, takes him to space, and he meets a very unfortunate and untimely death, again, played to humongous laughs.

The list for Willard goes on and on and on. IMDB has him as a credited actor in over 300 things. That is astounding. The fact that he isn't more appreciated, he barely ever comes up when people talk about all time great comedic and improv actors, is criminal. Willard is one of, if not, the best. He is always reliable. He was always funny. He never really had any outside problems, minus the being caught in an adult movie theater, but he found a way to make a joke out of that because he is a master. Fred Willard was a tremendous talent, and rewatching some of his older stuff, I have found myself missing him, and wishing I could see him in more. Willard was great, and I suggest people go and check out his work. It is a plethora of comedy classics, and he usually steals the show.

The fact is that Fred Willard was one of the all time greats. 

Ty

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

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The Genius of a Christopher Guest Movie

My wife and I have been watching "Schitt's Creek" the past couple weeks. We are taking it slower than other shows we have binged because we want to savor the show. We heard all the good reviews, my mother in law is a humongous fan, and we are in the midst of season three and the show is totally worth the hype, and more than lives up to it. It is an excellent show with tremendous acting and writing and likeable characters. It is truly a great TV show.

I am not here to review "Schitt's Creek" today. I will do that when we finish. In watching this show, my wife and I have been revisiting Christopher Guest's movies because Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are the stars of "Schitt's Creek", and they have been in all of Guest's movies. We plan on going through Guest's whole catalog in the next couple weeks. These movies have been our quarantine date night movies. Two weeks ago it was my pick, and I picked "This is Spinal Tap". Now, I know that Guest didn't direct this movie, Rob Reiner did, but "This is Spinal Tap" is where Michale McKean and Christopher Guest made their mark. They were writers and stars of this movie. Levy and O'Hara are not in this movie, but do our personal mission, we had to go to the beginning. And boy oh boy does "Spinal Tap" hold up. This is a perfect parody of an aging rock band. I watch this movie now, and all I see is the Metallica documentary, "Some Kind of Monster", but that was supposed to be a serious movie. "This is Spinal Tap" is a straight up comedy, and man does it hit a homerun. Guest, McKean and Shear play the main three guys in the band, and they are oblivious to their actual downfall. They think they are stars, even though they get poor reviews and shows get canceled at the drop of a hat. The on stage performance is just as ridiculous. "This is Spinal Tap" is the rock movie parody. I love a movie like "Walk Hard", but there would be no "Walk Hard" if not for "Spinal Tap".

This past Friday my wife had the pick, and she chose "A Mighty Wind". Two weeks, two musical parodies. "A Mighty Wind" is Guest at the top of his game. This one has all the people you have come to expect in one of his movies, and they are all tremendous. Guest, Shearer and McKean reunite, this time as the folk trio The Kingsman. They are so talented and so funny and so musical and it comes across great in both movies. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are in this movie, and they are the unequivocal stars. The movie hinges and rides on their story and relationship. It is crazy to watch this performance, then turn around and watch them on "Schitt's Creek". It is totally separate. But Levy is dynamite in "A Mighty Wind". He is Oscar worthy. He embodies the 60's folk singer, and where I would imagine one would have been in the early 2000's after going through what he did. O'Hara is almost equally as good. She loves him, but she has to move on. She needs to better herself. She needs to live a normal life. But she so desperately wants to be with him. It is opposite their dynamic in "Schitt's Creek". She is Levy's provider. He is lucky to be with her. It is not like that at all in "A Mighty Wind".

This all leads me to Christopher Guest. He is clearly a genius when it comes to making these "mockumentaries". He has a pitch perfect tone. The joke writing and improvising is perfect. The actors are professionals. Everyone seems to be having a great time making these movies. They are so much fun to watch. And that is why I think Guest is so great, but also underappreciated. He hasn't made a movie in awhile, with the last one being "Mascots" on Netflix I believe. I hope he decides to make more movies. I want to see these people work together again. It will be a bummer to not see Fred Willard in the movie, but Guest can still get most of the original crew back together at some point. I'm glad my wife and I started this new thing. I'm glad we added this to our date night. This week will be "Best in Show", and I am so stoked to revisit that one.

Bottom line, these movies are awesome, and Guest is a great actor, writer and director. He deserves all the accolades he has achieved and so much more. The dude is a genius. 

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 "Bill and Ted Face the Music"

For quarantine date night my wife let me choose the movie, it was my turn, and we watched "Bill and Ted Face the Music". First things first, I am a "Bill and Ted" fan. The first movie, the sequel, I truly love them both. I think they are great, they hold up and they are a ton of fun. And after a real tough week last week, I wanted to watch something that would put my mind at ease, and let me laugh for an hour and a half.

"Bill and Ted Face the Music" did just that. I truly enjoyed every single second of the movie. It was a good story, it moved with the time change pretty effortlessly, it was fun, it was funny and damn did I enjoy it. Bill and Ted may have grown up, but they are still teenage rockers at heart. They are speaking at Ted's little brother's wedding to start the movie, Ted's little brother is marrying Missy, who you may remember from the first movie, and they give a very odd speech, and then go into song. They are still searching for that one song that will save humanity, and at the wedding, they decide to play their latest chance at said song. I personally like the song, but everyone else at the wedding, except for their daughter's, is not feeling it. They think it is weird, and they all still don't believe that Bill and Ted traveled through time. Also, yes, they do each have a daughter. They are both married to the princesses from the first movie, again played by someone different, and they have had kids. The daughters are mini versions of their dad's, except they really know a ton about music. They have studied almost every form of music imaginable. The daughters are absolutely fantastic in the movie too. They are very important to the story as well. In fact, after they realize their latest song is not the song to save humanity, they are brought to the future to be told they have one day to write this epic song, that all humanity is in the palm of their hands. But, unlike "Excellent Adventure", Bill and Ted travel to the future to try and find the older versions that wrote this song. This is where a ton of hilarity ensues. The older Bill and Ted's they run into each have their own personal stuff, and every one of them they meet is worse off then the next. But, the daughters take the "Excellent Adventure" path, and they travel back in time to get together some of the greatest musicians ever to help their dad's write this song. They get Jimi Hendrix, Mozart and Louis Armstrong, among others. These actors also did a wonderful job in their portrayals. As we move through the movie, there are pieces of each of the first two movies, and they all work. We get to see the Grim Reaper again, I already talked about Missy, there is a hologram George Carlin, the phone booth is in there, and used plenty, this one has it all. They also added a few new characters, and they were awesome. Kristan Schall plays Carlin's daughter, basically playing his role. And we have a robot, who is supposed to be a killing machine, but gets a conscience somehow, and it is one of the funniest characters in the whole movie. When he reveals he has a name, and says it over and over again, it is great.

I do not want to spoil much because I think people should watch it. I also think you, if you can, see it at home and pay the premium rental price. No matter how good, or how much you want to see a movie, and you think you have to go to a theater, please don't, for your own safety. Watch this stuff at home if you can. Luckily for me, "Bill and Ted Face the Music" was, and I watched it happily and safely from the comfort of my own home. I suggest you do the same. 

Ty

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

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Remembering Chadwick Boseman

I have never been a "2020 has been a long decade", "or boy was the month of March a long year" type guy. I am not down with any of those cliche sayings about how crummy this year has been. But, when I received a text from RD on Friday night that Chadwick Boseman had passed away, I was stunned. Then I was shocked. Then I was angry. Then, I finally said to my wife, "2020 is truly the worst year". I became a cliched saying dad in that moment.

I was so in shock at the news. My wife and I were watching our quarantine date night movie when I got the text, and we both had to stop and see for ourselves if the news was true. It was, and that was when I went from upset, to angry and finally to sad. I couldn't believe it, or maybe even more so, I didn't want to believe it. Boseman was, if not already, becoming the new big star Hollywood star, yet he was an incredibly well liked, personable and charming young man. He did work with terminally ill children. He showed up at NBA events. He was always shown with a smile on his face.

Boseman kept his personal life personal, and that is why the news of his death was such a shock. I immediately checked to see if it was CoronaVirus related, because that is the world we live in now, but it was not that. Apparently he had been battling colon cancer for four years. That means he played his most iconic character, and played some other very important roles, all the while dealing with a horrific cancer diagnosis. He was shooting "Black Panther" while going through chemo and getting surgeries. Think about that for a minute. This movie, which was already incredible, will now go down in history as an all time great, had to be pretty hard to shoot and film. Boseman had to travel and fight and act all the while dealing with cancer. I mean, if that isn't the epitome of strength, I don't know what is.

I will admit that my first Boseman movie was "42". I am a humongous Jackie Robinson fan, I wore the number 42 all the way through my baseball career, and I wanted to see if this "new" actor to me could pull this role off. He did, and it was great. I was so blown away, I kept talking to people like I was the first person to discover Chadwick Boseman. I then watched him play James Brown in "Get On Up". I was skeptical because this was the second time he was portraying a famous person, but again, he was wonderful. His performance as Brown is right up there with Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles and Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, in fact, I'd say Boseman was better than Kilmer. I watched the movie "Draft Day" not even knowing he was in it. And when he showed up in a University of Ohio State uniform in the movie I was perturbed, but by the end, I was hoping he would be the number one overall pick. Boseman was such a great actor that he got me to root for a kid who went to the school I dislike the most, being a Michigan guy.

He did some movies in between those, most notably "Marshall" where he was excellent yet again as another famous historical figure, but then he became Black Panther. I first saw him as Black Panther in "Captain America: Civil War". He might have been the best part of that movie. I think it is a three way tie between him, Spiderman and Antman. But in "Civil War", we finally got to know Black Panther, and how awesome he is. While filming the movie he had already been diagnosed with cancer. Think about that the next time you watch it. Then came "Black Panther" two years later, even deeper into his treatment. That movie is amazing. RD and I did a whole podcast on its importance to pop culture. It is one of the most visually beautiful movies I've ever watched. We finally got a superhero who wasn't white. Women were given much bigger roles in that movie. It has the best villain to ever appear on screen. "Black Panther" is a classic, and Boseman was front and center and just being perfect in every single way in that movie. The same can be said for "Infinity War" and even more in "End Game". When he came out of that portal in "Endgame", the first one out, it was so enthralling as a movie goer. It still gives me chills. Black Panther pushed his way to the top of super heroes for me, behind only Wolverine. He is so cool. And the last movie I saw him in was "Da 5 Bloods". Again, RD and I talked about that movie as well on a different podcast, I even recall saying that Boseman needed a bigger role, but now knowing what I know, it makes sense why he took on the role of Stormin Norman. The man was fatally ill, yet he gave us some of the most moving movie moments in 2020 in that movie. His speeches and story in "Da 5 Bloods" is all the more riveting now. All in all though,

Boseman, while being a great actor, was a better person. I mentioned all the great things at the top that he did, but he also did so much more. He became that superhero that some kids never had but always wanted. The roles he took on near the end of his life make sense now. He never let the spotlight shine on his illness. He made movies that will go down in history while he was terminally ill. He did things for people that they will cherish and remember forever. The fact that he was who he was off screen makes this so much harder to digest. Why him? Why does someone who is so selfless, caring, fun, nice and talented have to be taken away from us so young? He was 43 years old. That is only six years older than me. He has a wife that he leaves behind. I don't know if he has any children, but again, that is because he was able to keep his personal life personal. He does have throws and throws of young kids, my son included, who look up to Black Panther, and will forever.

This isn't fair. Chadwick Boseman did not deserve this. He was too good a person. He was someone we need now more than ever. He would help unite us and bring us to a better place. This hurts, and it is going to hurt for a long time. I have already watched "Black Panther" twice, and I watched "42" the other day, and I still can't believe he is gone. I was a slobbering mess during the ABC special last night. This is devastating news in an already historically horrific year. I wish he were still here, I wish I could see him in another "Black Panther" movie, but he was so unfairly taken away from all of us so young, too young.

Rest in Peace Chadwick Boseman. You will be forever remembered, but this is going to hurt for some time. What a horrible tragedy. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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"Can't Hardly Wait" and "American Pie" Are Not the Classics We Remember

Before the NBA came back, which is basically all I watch now, I was watching a lot of movies. I still do. I mention my quarantine date nights, I watch random stuff on cable, I watched a few when I was on "vacation", so movies are about the only thing that will pull me away from the NBA right now.

One night recently I came across two movies, one I have seen and one I haven't, and my wife and I decided we would watch them both. They started early enough for us that the night would be over by 10 at the latest. Also, the kids were doing their thing, so we had the TV to ourselves. The two movies were "Can't Hardly Wait" and "American Pie". These are two movies that some mine and my wife's age would consider "classics". The first rated R movie I snuck into was "American Pie". My wife saw "Can't Hardly Wait", the one I hadn't seen, a few times with friends in theaters. These were movies of the time that, at least I know, felt like they would be remembered forever for only good reasons.

Welp, I couldn't have been more wrong. These movies are not very good, and quite frankly, both are fairly problematic. I'm not talking "Sweet Sixteen" and Long Duck Dong problematic, but still, these movies are not very flattering to women and non white people. Let's talk about "Can't Hardly Wait" first. This movie uses some of the most homophobic language I have heard this side of the "Entourage" movie. It was appalling to hear some of these actors, some who have had, and are still having, solid, well respected careers. I was shocked to hear these words come out of their mouths. My wife and I said it was a different time. Really though, it wasn't. These movies were made in the 21st century. They are not very old. They couldn't drink if they were a real person. It is wild. What was most upsetting to me was watching Seth Green, an actor I truly adore. He was written so offensively. Him and his friends were the worst caricature of wannabes. They spoke in the cliche "black guy" voice, and it was grating and so tough to watch. Green is a great, well respected actor, but I have to imagine he looks back on this role and cringes. It is so wrong on so many levels. I was offended watching it, and I am a middle aged white dude from the suburbs. I just can't fathom a world where this was approved, and more so, considered to be the "funny" guy in the movie. It was awful.

But, as bad as that was, "American Pie" was much worse. This movie is pitiful. This movie is so degrading to women. This movie makes guys look like suave sophisticated individuals in high school. This movie pokes fun at an athlete trying something non athletic. And to make it singing, you'd think he was the worst person in the world. And then we have Stifler. I love Sean William Scott. I think he has scrubbed this role from his memory. I think he has done a good job of not being pigeonholed. But, he was so offensive, mean, abusive and an outright dick in this movie. He said horribly offensive and homophobic things. He was a jerk. He was the prototypical "jock" caricature, and it was hard to watch. He is not nearly as funny as I thought he was when I was 16. As for the other guys in the core group, man do they stink. They are so focused on "getting laid", and we are supposed to view them as the "heroes" of this movie. We are made to root for them in their "quest". In reality, they are assholes who treat women terribly. They view women as objects and that they are only there to make them not virgins before they go to college. It's awful. And the female characters in this movie, they get nothing. Shannon Elizabeth is only there to be gawked at. Tara Reid is supposedly the "bad guy" because she wants her boyfriend to say he loves her before she sleeps with him. Mira Sorvino has moments, but they are all closed with her longing for Chris Klein. Natasha Lyonne is the only real strong female character in the movie, but it is revealed near the end that she is only nice when she wants something. They paint her as materialistic. It is so bad.

I was so thoroughly disappointed in both movies. I didn't fully know what I was getting into with "Can't Hardly Wait", but I left thinking that the people who wrote this have never met an African American person in their life. As for "American Pie", I was so so so so wrong about everything I used to "love" about this movie. It's a bummer that it took me growing up to realize how terribly this  movie treats women, and boy does it treat them bad. But everything that might have saved it was washed out by the offensive dialogue and the awful character arcs. These movies do not hold up and I wish I could wipe them from my memory. Man do they stink. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Stand By Me"

Teddy reviews "Stand by Me"

Ty Watches "Palm Springs"

On our quarantine date this weekend my wife and I sat and watched "Palm Springs".

This is the Lonely Island movie that won Sundance, and sold for a record amount of money, which was a record by 69 cents, and that is hilarious to me. But, the movie was obviously well received, and got good feedback. I am a sucker for a lot of stuff that comes out of Sundance, and is considered a "darling" movie, and "Palm Springs" got all that attention and then some. Add on the fact that Andy Samberg, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, is the star, and I am going to give it a very fair shot.

So after my wife watched the preview and said she'd love to see it, we turned it on, and the next ninety minutes were wonderful. I loved this movie. It more than lived up to the hype. I am not going to spoil much, if anything because I really want people to watch and support this movie, but I will give you a little outline. The movie is like a newer generation "Groundhog Day", except with much more cursing, and way more sexual situations("sexual situations", what am I a hundred?). Andy Samberg plays Nyles, a guest at a wedding, and he ends up reliving the same day over and over and over again. He doesn't exactly know how it happens, or does he, but he is just reliving the same day. Nothing changes, so he just decides to roll with it eventually, and he decides he doesn't care anymore. He has tried to find ways out, be it suicide, or other, but nothing has worked. So, instead of trying to leave, he simply gives in. He does the same thing, but changes up the situation from time to time. One day he'll fight with his girlfriend, the next he is nice to her. He hooks up with all different people, the best being when he claims to have hooked up with the bride's dad, played by Peter Gallagher. That scene is a riot. But there is one night where he sees someone new. He decides to give a speech to save her, and they go to hook up out in the desert. Only, the hookup doesn't end like they both want. Nyles is being hunted by Roy, who is played by JK Simmons, and man is he great, and the girl he is with, Sarah, played by Cristin Milioti, goes to try and help him, and then realizes she is trapped in this infinite loop. She goes to Nyles and finally gets him to explain what is happening but she doesn't buy it. She thinks he is crazy, and she decides to drive all the way home to Austin so she won't fall asleep there. Well, she wakes up in Palm Springs again, and from there on out the movie just becomes more and more hilarious. When Sarah finally starts to buy in and join Nyles on some crazy adventures, That's when I truly fell in love with the movie. They go out and constantly find ways to wreck the wedding. They do copious amounts of drugs. They get drunk everyday. They fight bar patrons. They even did a dance at said bar, and that was some of the funniest dancing I have ever witnessed. I cannot imagine how many takes that took to get that full shot. It was glorious. Throughout all this stuff, Sarah and Nyles start to realize they have feelings for one another. They have an intimate evening, but when they awake again, they both have different reactions. Sarah realizes she has done something wrong, and Nyles, well, he may or may not have been lying to Sarah this whole time. They have their argument, and Sarah disappears. She eventually comes back, and she has a plan that just might get them out of this loop. Nyles isn't so sure, he has grown accustomed to this life, and that is where I will leave this review because it gets so wild and crazy from there.

All in all, like I said above, I loved this movie. Samberg showed some real chops. He has always had the comedy, but in this movie he had to show other emotions, true emotions, and he nailed it. I already said how great Simmons was, and so were the other bit actors they got to be in this movie. But Milioti, she is the star of this. She owns this movie as much, if not more so, than Samberg. She is funny, dark, mysterious, quirky and excellent in everything she does in this movie. I was blown away by her performance, and I shouldn't have been. She was great in "30 Rock", and was totally awesome in her episode of "Black Mirror". She is a damn good actor. Check out "Palm Springs". It is on Hulu, it is short and it rules. This is definitely one of the best movies I have seen in 2020.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Back to the Future III"

Teddy reviews Back to the Future III

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Back to the Future II"

Teddy reviews Back to the Future II

Ty Watches "The Polka King"

On our recent mini vacation, every night after the kids went to bed, we would pick a movie to watch at the Airbnb we stayed in. Each person chose a different night. On the last night we were there it was my father's choice, and he picked a movie called "The Polka King". I remembered seeing stuff on Netflix for this movie. I believe I had it on my list to watch, it has Jack Black in it, so that makes me instantly in, and it was, deemed by critics, similar to another Jack Black movie I love called "Bernie", I guess it has the same feel to it. So I was down when my dad asked to watch this movie. My wife and mom didn't seem too crazy about it, but it was dad's choice, and we watched it.

“The Polka King” is a solid movie. In fact, I enjoyed it quite a bit. And while, for me, it isn't on the same level as "Bernie", that movie is criminally underrated, it was still a well told story with a great Jack Black performance. The movie is about a polish gentleman named Jan Lewan, who is a polka musician, moves to Pennsylvania and gets sent to jail for running a ponzi scheme that preyed on the elderly. It seems like a very by the book crime movie, but it took a different approach than others. The fact that Lewan was this polka musician, and spoke with a thick accent, it made him seem aloof to what he was doing. You almost felt like he was doing now wrong. He seemed to be a nice guy, that just dug himself into a hole that he couldn't get out of until too many things went wrong and he landed in jail. Black embodied the character. Seeing him go about his everyday life as Lewan was great. He crushed that. But the polka stuff, my goodness did he crush that. He was electric. I am not a polka fan, in fact the only person I know who truly liked polka music is my now passed away Grandpa. I have met no other people who list polka as a favorite genre of music. But dammit if I wasn't bouncing my leg and humming along to the music when Black performed it in the movie. It was fun. Black was through and through perfection in this movie. I totally bought him as Lewan, I loved his musical performances, I bought his earnestness and his downfall, I was all in. He was tremendous. So was every other big time actor cast in this movie. Jenny Slate played his wife, and she was great. She talked about how she fell for him because he seemed so sad. She then really loved him, but struggled with his fame over hers. I loved the stuff with the Miss Pennsylvania pageant involving Slate. She was awesome. Jacki Weaver was wonderful as Slate's mom, and Black's mother in law. She didn't like Lewan, always thought he was up to something, and let him know every chance she could. And when she stood up for him, that was a dynamite scene. Jason Schwartzmann as his band mate and friend, he is becoming one of these actors that you can always count on for a solid performance, no matter if the movie is good or bad. It definitely helps when it's a good movie like this. Even JB Smoove, in a very small role, with a full head of hair, he was excellent and stole his scenes.

I didn't know if I would like this movie when we started it, but I can say very loudly now that I truly enjoyed this story and this movie's way of telling it. It was also a quick 90 minutes, which I very much appreciate. So, if you are looking for a quirky, funny, real life crime story, I highly recommend "The Polka King". It is a very, very solid movie. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Back to the Future"

Teddy reviews "Back to the Future"

Ty Watches "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"

On a whim the other night my wife asked if I wanted to watch the new Will Ferrell movie on Netflix, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”.

I was taken aback for a few reasons. I didn’t know he had a new movie for one. I didn’t know both Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens were in it. I didn’t know that Pierce Brosnan played Ferrell’s father. And I had zero idea it was about a singing contest called Eurovision, which is a singing contest that invites bands and singers from all over the world, and it’s a real thing. I guess, according to some research, Ferrell became obsessed with this singing contest when his wife showed it to them on a trip. I think she’s of Swedish decent, and she thought he’d enjoy it. Well, it turned into an obsession, and he made a whole movie about it. And he sings and dances and acts and produces the whole damn thing.

While “Eurovision Song Contest” is a bit overlong, it is funny and sweet. Ferrell is hilarious as usual. He plays the lead character Lars. Lars is a dreamer ever since he saw ABBA on Eurovision as a young kid after his mother passed away. He got up and danced at the wake afterward at his home, and while all the adults laughed at him, he swore he’d win Eurovision one day. While at said wake, Sigrit, Rachel McAdams, got up and danced and sang with him. She was mute up to that point in her life. From that point we see them as grownups working in a new song for their band Fire Saga. It’s as European as it gets too. The song, the attached video, the costumes, it all screams European, and I loved it. It was silly, but fun. And while Ferrell is his usual funny self, McAdams matches him, and dare I say, surpasses him. She is so funny in this movie. She’s so quiet, yet naive. She loves Lars, but he loves Eurovision more. She sticks by his side no matter what, even if it’s to her detriment. McAdams really goes for it, and she absolutely crushes it. She is the star of this movie by far. I adored her performance. Dan Stevens plays Russian singer Alexander Lemtov. His performance is so over the top, but it’s supposed to be. He’s so full of himself and his music. He’s also hiding who he truly is. He may be the “bad guy”, but he’s really not. He just wants what’s best for his career and Sigrit’s. She has real talent that he sees, and Lars doesn’t. Also, the fight scene between Alexander and Lars near the end is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in awhile. Brosnan is great as the gruff dad. He doesn’t like the career path his son has chosen, and he lets him know it. Even when he eases up on him, he’s still kind of a jerk, as he’s supposed to be.

While the performances are great, I like that Ferrell is into this world, he invites real contestants to perform full on song and dance performances a few times in the movie. He really lets the singers shine, really gives them their moment, and it’s so cool and so much fun. Like I says before, the only thing I’d change is the length. It’s a hair over two hours, and that’s a little too long for a comedy like this. Other than that it’s a great, funny movie. Ferrell is good, but McAdams shines. I’d recommend it simply for her performance. But, it’s pretty great for everything else it does. Check it out if you haven’t, and if you enjoy Ferrell’s sense of humor. It’s uniquely him. I like that, and I think you will too.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Better Late than Never on "Logan Lucky"

During our quarantine date night last weekend it was my choice to pick the movie, and I chose “Logan Lucky”.

I had very fleeting memories of this movie when it came out in 2017. I saw a few trailers, saw the cast and saw it was directed by Steven Soderbergh. Those are winning elements for me. But I simply forgot about the movie. It seems like it was out of theaters pretty quick too. I thought it got decent reviews, it has Soderbergh’s name attached and the cast includes Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Riley Keough and Hilary Swank. I simply assumed it would be out for awhile, it may get award buzz and people would talk about it. None of that happened. In fact, the only way that I remembered it, and how my memory was jogged, was by searching for movies on On Demand, and seeing it there. I rewatched the trailer, with my wife, and we both decided we’d give it a try.

I’m glad we did. This was a very good, very fun movie. The cast is awesome. All the actors I mentioned were awesome. Keough, Tatum and Driver play siblings who devise a robbery plan. The catch, they’re, on the surface, bumbling idiots that can’t keep a job and are just kind of aimless. Tatum is divorced, likes to spend time with his daughter, blew out his knee which ruined his burgeoning football career and just jumps from job to job. But on one of his jobs is where he gets this idea to rob a very popular race in Charlotte. Driver is a one armed bartender, he lost his other arm in the war. He’s a vet, slow witted and believes his family is cursed. He only goes along with Tatum’s idea because he’s his little brother, and he owes him. Driver was superb in this role. Keough works at a salon, she helps with Tatum’s daughter and loves to drive. She’s such a good driver, she agrees to be the getaway driver. The three of them devise this plan after Tatum is laid off again, and he’s sick of his lot in life. They go over the plan, and they realize they need a safecracker. This is where Craig comes in, as Joe Bang. He’s the standout in this movie. He’s a jail bird, with bleach blonde hair and totally nails the southern accent. He’s so funny, so good at his skill and has some of the best moments in this whole movie. He made me laugh out loud many times. I love this route Craig is taking in his later career. He’s taking cool, fun and interesting roles and he’s nailing them. That’s exactly what he does as Joe Bang.

When the crew gets to the day to pull off the robbery, this is when the movie goes into hyperdrive, and I loved it. This is when we get all the heist movie stuff that I’ve grown to love. To see the plan unfold bit by bit is so much fun, and I love having it all laid out for me. And even when Tatum decides to go a different route, spoiler alert, and we get to see what he actually does with the money, it makes me love this movie that much more. And when Swank shows up, she’s only in the last third of this movie and she is awesome, she’s with the FBI trying to solve the robbery. She meets all kinds of dead ends, but she’s relentless. She wants to solve this so bad that even when they close the case, she goes out on her own to try and figure this out. The closing shot is of everyone at the bar that Driver works at, and Swank is seen flirting with Driver. It’s pretty cool.

I loved this movie. The acting, directing, style, everything about it works for me. It has that “Ocean’s 11” feel to it, so much so that the robbers are referred to as “Ocean’s 7-11”. That’s pretty wonderful. I can not recommend this movie enough. It is a true hidden gem that just happens to have legitimate movie stars in it. I wish it got more love when it was out in theaters, but now is a perfect time to check it out since we should all still be staying home as much as possible, or at the very least, not going to theaters or restaurants.

Check out “Logan Lucky” if you’re looking for a fun heist movie. I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

Let's Watch a Ten Year Old Review "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

Teddy reviews "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

Better Late than Never on "Shazam"

I haven't written about a quarantine date night movie in awhile, and yes, even though we have loosened a very little bit on who we see and where we will go, we are still, for all intents and purposes, quarantining, and everyone else should too. Anyway, my wife and I still have our Friday night "date" night where we order from a local restaurant and rent a movie online. This week we had some dynamite tacos from a small mexican restaurant, and we watched the movie "Shazam".

The tacos were great, but that isn't the point of my blog today. I want to talk about "Shazam". I do want to say that RD has been on this movie from the moment it was released. He has talked to me about it, he has raved about it on the pod, he loves this movie. And you know what, he is right. I have very similar movie tastes to RD, and even though he might not admit it, his taste mirrors mine. We like the same type of movies. We recommend movies to one another. When we lived together we showed each other many, many movies we would have never seen on our own. We like, mostly, the same stuff. But I was on the fence with "Shazam". I am not a DC guy. I'm Marvel all the way. DC movies are too moody and bleak and dark, both in tone and color. I'm not a fan. But "Shazam" is different. "Shazam" achieved what I think the "Harley Quinn" movie was trying to do, except more blue. "Shazam" is like a Marvel movie that just happens to have the DC logo. It is fun, funny, colorful, sweet, doesn't meander, has a funny and evil villain. Everything about the movie works. Sure it can get a little too sweet and gooey at times, and there are definitely moments where I cringed because it was so cliche, but that was few and far between.

First and foremost, the kids in this movie are wonderful. They are good actors who had good scripts and had a good time making the movie, at least it seemed that way to me. I don;t know much about any of the kid actors, but Shazam is a superhero that acquires his powers as a fourteen year old. This is essentially a kids superhero movie made with adults in mind. The kids are all foster kids that live in a home with parents that were fosters themselves. Each kid has a quirk too, and that is important to the plot and finale of the movie. Billy Baston, who is Shazam, is played by Asher Angel, and he is the prototype foster kid that has been getting in trouble since he was abandoned, but he has a heart of gold. And no matter how much he looked like Arya Stark, this kid did a solid job portraying that. Jack Dylan Grazer is Freddy, the foster kid who loves superhero lore and just happens to walk with a crutch. He is goofy, funny, gets picked on, but all in all, he is a fun loving kid that knows all about superhero lore. Faithe Herman is the precocious little sister, and she is sweet, smart and the heart of this movie. Grace Fulton is the college bound, older sister but kind of a mother figure to the other kids. She was great. Ian Chen, who I adore watching on "Fresh Off the Boat", is the nerdy video game kid, but he always wants to help. And Jovan Armand is the quiet kid that only speaks when it is needed. They all do a wonderful job. They never felt too cloying. They did their job, and they did it well. Angel and Grazer are essentially the main characters, and while they may not be brothers by blood, they sure do seem like real life brothers. They were great. As for the hero of the film, when Billy becomes Shazam, Zachary Levi embodies him, and he is awesome. He is so funny. He really acts like he is fourteen. This is as close to Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf, where an adult plays a child essentially and you buy it, that I have seen. He is great. I called him a low rent John Krasinki, but after seeing him in this role, he went up a whole other level for me. He was so perfectly cast, and he did such a great job in this role. There were many moments, especially when he first realized his powers, that made me laugh pretty hard. Mark Strong, who is an underrated, constantly working actor, was great as the villain too. He was menacing, but was also being controlled by beings greater than him. And the way he snarled and spoke and came across, he would be scary to kids, who he was after in this movie. He did great as well.

All in all, "Shazam" is a fun movie about a kid that unexpectedly becomes a superhero. There is good stuff all over this movie. There is also funny stuff all over this movie. It is light, quick, has cool fight scenes and introduced me to a superhero I knew little to nothing about. I liked it and I hope DC makes more, and uses this template to make more of their movies going forward. "Shazam" is more than worth your time. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Da 5 Bloods"

Yesterday, after five separate viewing experiences, I was able to finish the new Spike Lee movie "Da 5 Bloods".

Right off the bat, I liked this movie. I like it more than "Black Klansman". I think it is one of Lee's stronger, more recent movies. I like the way it was shot, more on that later. And the acting was top notch. This is a good movie.

Before I get into why I liked it, I want to point out my little critiques, the stuff I would have changed. I felt the movie was a bit overlong. It was 2 hours 35 minutes in fact. I feel like it could have been an hour less than that. Spike Lee could have cut a good chunk of some stuff out, mainly the love story stuff, and the movie would have been just as good. The movie also had a little too much cliche stuff in it. That could have been on purpose, or just a coincidence. Either way though, some of it felt a bit too heavy handed, and the way I watch movies, I would have cut that out. And there was a group of activists that were a bit too featured in the movie. They help move along the story when we get to the thick of it, but they could have been shown a little less for me. Look, I get that this is all personal stuff, and the way I watch movies, but I would have cut that stuff, or could have done without it, and this would have jumped from a B+ to an A+ movie for me.

All that stuff aside, this is a very, very good movie. The opening sequence is one of the more powerful, and intense things I have ever seen in a movie. The way Lee added it to the movie, showing everything, was very powerful, intense and made me flinch, all in a good way. Lee's direction was masterful, as it always is. He is one of these guys that has honed his craft, he is exceptional at it, and he just flat out knows what he is doing. The way he directed the "flashback" scenes, and I know I am being coy, that is because I don't want to spoil anything, was like nothing I have ever seen before. The movie looks like a modern movie, and then when he does the flashback stuff, it looks like a grainy war movie. It was so unique and interesting and cool. Also, the shots he got from the jungle in Vietnam, and the city at night time, that was rad. He really shows two different worlds in the same country. It was awesome.

The main thing that puts this movie over the top is the acting. It is so god damn good. Everyone, as far as the main characters go, did a very good job. In fact I felt that Chadwick Boseman was the "weakest" one in the movie, but he has a very small role, only seen in flashback and has very few lines. What he did was great, he just didn't have a ton to do. He is also part of the most moving scene in the movie. As for the rest of the "5 Bloods", the guys were great. Isiah Whitlock as the party going, fun loving guy that just happens to be a sharpshooter. He also has a hero's sendoff. Norm Lewis is great as the affluent former soldier who has lost it all, but wants to be true to their friend's memory and promise. His death is brutal and unexpected. Clark Duke, as the medic, is really good. He is quiet yet powerful. When he speaks, it holds weight. His words are important and the guys listen when he talks. Johnathan Majors is funny and moving. He has some great moments in this movie. He has intense moments as well. But it gets no better than Delroy Lindo. His performance is a masterclass in acting. He does things so perfectly in this role. You cannot take your eyes off him when he is on screen, which is a ton. His portrayal of PTSD and panic attacks is all too real. The way he treats his friends and family, he is an angry dude that needs to come to terms with his past, which he eventually does. If he doesn't win the Oscar for best actor this year, I'd be totally shocked. He is magnetic.

I like this movie. I recommend this movie. I think this movie is important given the current climate, and what is going on all over the world. "Da 5 Bloods" is definitely worth your time, just know it is a long watch. But, it is worth it. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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