Better Never Than Late on "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania"

I'm about to go on another vacation, but this one will be a full, real vacation for me. I am going to Mexico, to an adults only resort, with my wife. That means no writing from Tuesday to Friday. But I did want to leave you all with one more movie review before flying off for a week. I'm sure RD will do stuff, I told him to put up some of my older stuff if he wanted to, but I wanted to do one more before taking some time away.

Over the weekend we did date night and it was my wife's turn to pick the movie. She is very much into Marvel and superhero movies, so she picked "Ant-Man: Quantamania". She was trying to decide between a few, and this one was next in order for how we have watched the MCU movies. I had heard some reviews for this prior to watching. Some were okay, some were not so okay. I figured it was going to be good because I am a big Paul Rudd fan, and the first "Ant-Man" movie was shockingly great. Hell, I even enjoyed the sequel.

Unfortunately this one did not meet my expectations. I was pretty bummed out with this viewing. I expected so much more, but the movie did not fully deliver, at least for me. The movie was almost devoid of the humor that the first one put out there so expertly. The second one even had humorous elements. But this one, outside of MODOK, was not very funny. I felt like they totally underused Paul Rudd's excellent comedic timing. Michael Pena and TI were not even in the movie. The villain was completely humorous. His family was not funny at all. This movie took itself way, way too seriously. Except MODOK. I actually enjoyed MODOK the most in this movie. He was the only one who seemed to realize they were making a multiverse movie within the Ant-Man world. All of these superhero movies are wild, but Ant-Man may be the oddest of them all. MODOK got it, no one else did though. Paul Rudd seemed like he had very little to do in this movie that he is supposed to be the star of. He had moments, he got to show his skills, but it was few and far between. His acting missed the mark. Wasp was barely used as well. She didn't do much and wasn't asked to do much. Bill Murray showed up for one scene. It was fine, but there could have been more. Michael Douglass and Michelle Pfieffer had bigger parts, especially Pfieffer, but they seemed aloof. Pfieffer seemed more like the main character, but she held little weight. They did use Ant-Man's daughter more in this movie, but it felt like a not as good "Hawkeye" passing of the torch. The "Hawkeye" tv series did a much better job going from Jeremey Renner to Hailee Steinfeld than this movie did with Rudd and the actor playing his daughter. It felt rushed.

Then we have Johnathan Majors as Kang. For as great as he was in "Loki", he was chewing scenery far too much here. I think he was undercut by his own horrific offscreen allegations that came out after this movie, but his performance would have been too much even if that never came out. He was too big and over acting. It felt like every scene was a monologue and Majors was trying to show how great of an actor he can be. It did not fit in this movie for me. At all.

I will say, the scenery was cool. I liked the way it looked. But the acting, the dialogue, the story, it was a miss for me. I found myself bored and annoyed at the same time. I wanted this movie to be as fun as other Marvel movies I truly like. That never happened. I think the whole idea of multiverses is already over done and overplayed. It is too much. There are too many things they can simply bring back just by saying they were in a different universe. That was what they did with MODOK. It felt cheap.

Oh well, they cannot all be winners for me I guess. But "Quantamania" really missed the mark in my opinion. I'd recommend skipping it, unless you're a completionist. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Paul Reubens

Yesterday Paul Reubens passed away at 70 years old. Apparently he had cancer for six years and was able to keep that out of the news. This sucks.

People may know Paul Reubens better as Pee Wee Herman. I was a very, very big Pee Wee Herman fan as a kid and even into adulthood. I was obsessed though with "Pee Wee's Playhouse" as a kid. That was my jam. There were three things I was super into as a kid, one was baseball, two were dinosaurs and three was Pee Wee. This show grabbed me tight and I never wanted it to let me go. I would watch with tons of intrigue at each new episode. I devoured it. It was the best, and one of the funniest and unique shows I had ever watched. I think it was my intro to alternative comedy without knowing what alternative comedy at the time. Pee Wee was different. He spoke with a wild voice, which I instantly connected with. He had weird friends on his show, namely a chair. The skits and bits were different from what I saw on what was considered other kids' shows. They were funnier and a little more out there. They let Pee Wee take chances and I was fully in with every chance he took. "Pee Wee's Playhouse" did it and did it better than anyone else could. I adored this show.

I then went and watched "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" when it came out in theaters. I'm sure my folks took me and I loved every bit of that movie. But, it also scared me. When he got in the truck with Large Marge, that was terrifying when I was younger. I revisited the movie as a teen and then in my 20's, and I got it. But as a kid, that frightened me. But the movie also stayed with me almost as much as the tv show. I was all in on Pee Wee.

Then as I got a bit older I kind of forgot about him. The show ended, he didn't make any big movies and I kind of moved on. He then got arrested for being nude in public. He was at an adult theater and did what I assume most people do in adult theaters. But since he had a big name, the news blew this whole story out of proportion. I didn't care what he did on his own time as a grown adult. That stuff never mattered to me. So when people tried to make this a bigger deal than it actually was, I shut them out and went back and watched his show and movie even more. He then showed up in the movie "Blow". I don't like that movie all that much, but seeing him do something completely different, my respect for him only grew. He was very good in that movie and his performance stayed with me. I then saw him in "30 Rock", and his role in that was amazing. It felt like an even odder version of Pee Wee. He got to really go for the comedy and he totally nailed it. I love his one episode in that fantastic series. He also ended up making another Pee Wee movie, which is very solid. He was also on shows like "CBB", both the tv show and podcast, and it was always nice when I would see him pop up on a show I was watching. He was also always funny. I think about him being on "CBB The TV Show" during a Halloween episode and him making me laugh very, very hard. Pee Wee was such a great character that he created.

From what I have read since I learned of his passing is that Paul Reubens was a very good person. He helped those around him. He made strangers and friends alike laugh at a moment's notice. He cared for the people in his life, be it family or friends. He seemed like a genuinely good person who had a very big and full heart.

This really bums me out that he passed. I know he was sick, but he was still young. Seventy years old is not that old. And the fact that he had cancer, seemingly bad cancer, and was able to hide it from the general public, that is brutal. This has hit me as hard as Chadwick Boseman's passing. I didn't know either was sick, and when I learned of their passing, it made me very sad. Pee Wee was a vital figure in my life even though I never met or knew him. He introduced me to a different style of comedy and helped shape my taste in it today.

Rest In Peace Paul Reubens. You are very, very missed. 

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 "Class Action Park"

I finally watched a documentary I’ve been putting off for a bit this weekend. The movie was “Class Action Park”. Let’s discuss.

This documentary tells the story of a water/speed park in New Jersey called Action Park. The whole deal with Action Park was that it was a thrill ride park where you made your own rules essentially. The water slides were dangerous, but to the kids it was fun. The speedway, with the go karts and such, were not very well regulated, but could not go fast. The workers were teenagers who kind of had free rein to do what they pleased and were never really told to enforce any park rules. And the owner of the park, well he was a real piece of work.

What I appreciated about the interviews for the movie is they focused mainly on the former workers. They had some notable people, Chris Gethard and Alison Becker, who had some great stories about their misadventures at the park. They were very insightful about the park and what it meant to them as teenagers getting to go to this wild theme park. But to hear the workers stories, that was the best way to do this movie. Hearing them talk about how dangerous everything was was insightful. Listening to them explain having to be “guina pigs” for some slides and rides was downright terrifying. To see them go back to that time in their lives and the look of horror they sometimes had in their eyes and faces, working there and doing that job really left a lasting impression in their lives.

The scariest part was the owner and “creator” of Action Park. He was a crook. He only cared about money. His workers may have liked him, but I cannot imagine they respected him at all. He also never paid out in a lawsuit. Kids were killed due to his negligence, and instead of showing remorse, he made excuses to their families and barely ever paid a dime. They did a very sad story about a 19 year old who died due to injuries from one of the rides and this owner came off as a real scum bag. I felt so very bad for the family and cheered with them when this awful man passed away.

I’m glad I finally watched this movie. I really enjoyed it. It was funny, a good flashback to the 80’s, reminded me of water parks I used to go to and it had some real journalism stuff bear the end. I definitely recommend watching “Class Action Park”. It’s solid.

Ty

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

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Gene Wilder is the One True Willy Wonka

My daughter read and watched the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" to close out first grade last school year. Let’s discuss.

She was instantly in. She loves the story. She would tell me all about it everyday after school. I love the book and the original movie, so this info was not new to me but I loved hearing her talk about something I have a special place for in my heart. We have been watching "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" a bunch this summer. We watched it at home, we watched it on vacation and we are watching it right now as I type this. She cannot get enough. I have been loving the rewatches. I'm fully back in. We have also tried to watch "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", with Johnny Depp, but that one hasn't stayed with us as much. It is not as good, in my opinion, and my daughter said she thinks it is creepy. We all have watched the trailer for the new movie coming out starring Timothee Chamalete as Willy Wonka. It looks good, and I will see it, but there is something that makes it, again, for me, carry as much weight as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". I think I finally know why, I think I cracked it.

Gene Wilder is the only actor that I can see playing Willy Wonka. He does it the best. He is closest to what I envisioned of the character when I first read the book. He has a perfect way of portraying this odd chocolate factory owner. He is childish, but still has adult tendencies. He is an excellent singer and dancer. He plays the pratfalls and fakeouts better than most carnival actors could dream. He never truly raises his voice, until it is absolutely needed. He plays this carefree adult with some dark knowledge of what his factory beholds. The quietness with which he plays Wonka at the start is almost menacing. You can see in his eyes that he may have ulterior motives with the kids who act bratty, spoiled, better than Charlie. He also puts Charlie to task. He questions him as much as the other children. You can tell he has it out for the grownups who have allowed their kids to act with such poor behavior. I talked to a buddy of mine about this role and he said that it feels like Wilder's version of Wonka is a kid who had a tough childhood. I fully agree and the tour of the factory is his way of getting back at kids who may have wronged him when he was young. That is dark, but that is the story of this first movie. As Wonka Wilder hits a homerun at every turn. He is not as creepy as Depp. He is just creepy enough. He is older than Chamalete, and when I pictured this character as a kid, he was an older adult. Wilder was one of the better actors to ever grace our screens, and when he took on this role, it feels like he took it very seriously, and that was the only way to go about this role. He had fun, but also understood the assignment. He may have better roles, "Young Frankenstein" and "Blazing Saddles" come to mind for me. But his performance as Willy Wonka is as good as it gets. This may be his defining role of all time. I can't envision anyone doing what he did as well as he did.

Gene Wilder is the only true Willy Wonka in my eyes. 

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 Outlaws"

Since my daughter had her sleepover on Friday night we pushed our date night to Saturday. It was my wife's turn to pick the movie and she chose "The Outlaws".

This is a newer movie on Netflix. I had heard of it because I am a big "Workaholics" fan and I listen to "This Is Important" every week. Adam Devine, as expected, was promoting the hell out of the movie. I read some reviews that weren't too kind, but that stuff doesn't really push me either way. If I want to watch a movie, or my wife wants to watch a movie, we usually watch it together. We will decide for ourselves if it is a good movie or not, but more importantly, if we like it or not.

On the surface "The Outlaws" wasn't the best movie I have ever seen, nor was it the worst. I felt the critics' reviews that I read were a little too harsh. This wasn't a movie trying to send a message or give you hope or optimism or make a statement. The movie was clearly made to have fun and hopefully make a little money. Adam Devine is the lead and I feel like critics simply like to slam him. He seems like an easy mark for critics. But the guy is clearly having a great time making this movie and this role is in his wheelhouse. He is really good at playing these put upon dudes that just want to have fun in life. He really embraces that part and that is not different here. Nina Dobrev, while not the best actor, does a fine job in this movie. She doesn't get to do much, but she does just fine with the little bit she is given. Blake Anderson is in here for a minute and he is very funny. Richard Kind and Julie Hagerty play Devine's parents and they are both hilarious. They made me laugh more than anyone in this movie. Lil Rel Howery and Laci Mosley are Devine's co workers and they both play very well off one another and they are making jokes seemingly every second. Some land some don't, but you never know what works if you don't take the chance. Dean Winters has a bit part and is okay. Lauren Lapkus would have been better served with a bigger role, but she nails the comedy in her few scenes.

The best part of this okay movie was Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan. They are Dobrev's folks. They don't come around much. But they want to be at the wedding. Or so they say. They are really big deal bank robbers and they rob the bank that Devine is the manager for. They do this to help their daughter, but they also owe a debt to the villain, very well played by Poorna Jagannathan. She was probably the best part of the movie if I sit and think about it. Brosnan and Barkin really nail the comedy, the action and the puts and falls of being lifetime criminals. Brosnan is a pro. I expect nothing less from him. I haven't seen Barkin in a while, but she was more than up to task for this role.

"The Outlaws" isn't going to win any awards. I don't think that was the goal. But this is an entertaining enough 90 minutes. I was never bored. I laughed. Sure there were some clear issues, but I was never taken out of the moment by said issues. It is a fine movie that is kind of perfect to have on in the background. It did the job. 

Ty

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

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Ty (and His Kids) Watches "Elemental"

Over the weekend my daughter had a sleepover and we took her and her friend to see "Elemental". My wife and son joined us as well. Let’s discuss.

All in all I thought the movie was a decent allegory to the life of an immigrant. The writer of the movie pretty much said that was the story of his folks coming to America. I really liked the animation. The fire looked very cool. I loved how the water could shape into whatever form it needed. The forest people were very neat. It was a very well done, straight down the middle fastball from Pixar. There was some stuff I would have liked to see a bit more of, like the forest people, or get a more in depth view of the city they built, but nonetheless, it was a well made movie. I enjoyed it. But what I want to do today, for a longer review of this movie, is get my kids, one 11, a boy, and the other 7, a girl, to tell me what they thought and I will transcribe it as best I can from a kids point of view.

I'll start with my son.

I gave him the simple task of giving me a few sentences on what he liked and disliked about the movie. He isn't much for words if it isn't involving sports, so let's see where this takes us. First off he told me that he thinks kids will enjoy this movie much more than adults. I pushed and asked why. He told me that the story is much more geared towards kids. I kind of disagree though. I think the whole idea of immigration knows no age or class or society types. But this is his opinion. He said the characters are good. I pushed some more. He said they acted like adults, like it wasn't kids trying to take over business and continue the family legacy. He thought that was the best way to represent his idea of what this movie was supposed to be about. Finally he said, the ending was good. This will be spoiler free. He liked that it ended a movie he liked very well. He enjoyed what they did with the characters. He liked the way the story concluded. That I fully agree with.

Now for my daughter.

I gave her the same task, two or three sentences about the movie. She said she liked it a decent amount. It isn't the best she's seen, but not the worst either. She said it was a funny movie. She thought the water guy, when he squeezed himself out of a drain, looked all muscular, but that was wrong. He looked like a regular guy when he was back to his normal self. I agree that was a very funny part. I know I laughed. She did not like the sad parts of the movie. This is a typical thing in Pixar movies. They do stuff that really pulls at the heartstrings. I think they do this for adults, but kids are intuitive and my daughter picked up on that quickly. She did not cry, neither did her friend or my son, but my wife cried and I got choked up. I get they kind of have to do this, but it doesn't make it any less sad. She did however find it funny that the water family was always crying. This was another solid joke in the movie. The water people always had water flowing everywhere, and the eyes were a prime area for the animators. It was a well done joke throughout, and it worked with the sad parts too. T

hat is what my kids thought, in a very short, general way. I think it is good to get perspective from the age these movies are really trying to win over. I don't know that I will watch this movie again, I did enjoy it, but I bet my kids will watch it again, especially my 7 year old. I think this is a movie she will dig for a long while. We might just have to fast forward the sad parts. I'm cool with that. 

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 "Renfield"

Over the weekend my wife and I watched "Renfield". I had wanted to see this movie in the theater, but never made it out. I also saw that the reviews were kind of tepid and that kept me home. I figured it would be streaming sometime soon, and lucky for me, Peacock had it exclusively. I guess I could have gotten it on Prime, but I would have had to pay. So I am glad that we have Peacock for reasons like this. When I told my wife what we were going to watch, she got excited as well. We both wanted to watch it, so we used our date night.

I have to say, I loved this movie. It was gory, funny, has an excellent cast and was a blast. I enjoyed every minute of this movie. I was on board from the start and that never wavered for me. I believe my wife felt the same. For people that may not know, "Renfield" stars Nicolas Cage as Dracula, a role he was born to play, and Nicolaus Holt is his familiar, Renfield.

The short synopsis is, the movie takes place from Renfield's point of view. It shows what he has to do, how he became a familiar and how he is in a codependent, toxic relationship. They even go as far as to put Renfield in a support group for people in his position. The movie uses that plot line and then goes kind of nuts with all the other stuff. I appreciated the fact that they used a different tact to show the relationship of Dracula and a familiar. I was on board with the telling. And Cage and Holt were fully bought in. They were giving it their all. Holt was exceptional. He plays this put upon, dorky, quiet guy very well. I bought him. I rooted for him. I wanted him to get out of this toxic relationship. It was a fine acting job. Cage, as I stated before, felt born to play this role. We all know Cage as the guy he is now. He is over the top and he doesn't hide that. He goes for it in any role he takes on. And he seems to be having the time of his life here. I read about all the research and people he based his character off of and it makes me like his performance even more. This is perfect for him.

The cast outside these two is pretty wonderful. Ben Schwartz plays a mob kid and he goes for it. I'm used to seeing him play odd, funny people. Here he gets to do goofy stuff, but he also has some more action style moments, and he does a good job. Shohreh Aghdashloo plays the mob boss. She is Schwartz' mom and she has one of the coolest voices I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. Awkwafina is a cop who is out there fighting for what is right. I mentioned during the movie that I love this career arc for her. She is a very solid actor and I like that she is doing movies like this, then doing a great tv show and then showing up in Marvel movies. She's more than earned this. Brandon Scott Jones, who is having a moment as well, is the leader of the support group and he is funny and uplifting in this role. They did a great job of casting this movie.

The movie is also very gory, but it is almost cartoonish gore. It didn't make me queasy or anything. It actually made me laugh. And, outside of the toxic relationship stuff, I liked learning about Renfield's past. Awkwafina had a good backstory and I bought why she was so frustrated. Cage crushed. Schwartz did a good job being this, essentially, a nepo baby. The writers had fun. The director did a fine job. They didn't take themselves too seriously, and that is why this movie works for me.

While not as good at telling a vampire story like "What We Do in the Shadows" does, I'd much rather watch "Renfield" before I turn on a "Twilight" movie or watch one of those brooding vampire shows or movies. "Renfield" is a well done horror comedy that I will definitely watch again. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "The Super Mario Bros Movie"

Yesterday I watched "The Super Mario Bros Movie" with my son. He had already seen it, but he said he would watch it with me again. He liked it the first time around, but he did have some critiques. I think he wanted a second viewing to get a good grip on how he felt. He loved it this time around. I thought the movie was fine, but I was lost from time to time.

I'm not a gamer, as you all know. I used to try and play "Mario", but being the youngest of four boys I barely got to touch our Nintendo. I would go to my friends' houses who had Nintendo's, but we barely ever played. We would play "NBA Jam" or go outside and play sports. I even tried "Mario Odyssey" when my son first got his Switch, but I am no good at role player games and I gave up on it quickly. I say all this to say, there are a TON of inside jokes in this movie that flew way over my head. My son is 11 and he knew what they were talking about. That was good for me because if a joke flew over my head, he would explain it to me. It was a reverse of how we usually watch shows and movies. But it was nice to have most of this stuff explained to me. While asking all these questions, I would miss plot points or seemingly important story arcs in the movie. I was finding myself confused at times. I would have to rewind, which frustrated my son. After about 30 minutes I promised him no more messing with the movie. I was just going to go with the flow. A lot of stuff cruised right by me. But I did find myself enjoying bits and pieces.

The movie looks cool. Illumination did the movie, and it has that "Minions" look. I enjoy the little I have seen of "The Minions", so this animation was nice and familiar for me. I also thought it was very colorful and pretty. The mushroom kingdom looked spectacular. Bowser's spot was as creepy as it should be for a kids movie. Even the world before they go into the game looked good. I also liked the whole plot of Mario getting sucked into the mushroom kingdom and Luigi going into Bowser's spot. That made for a fast paced movie. That was also great. This movie is 88 minutes long. That is perfect. I very much like it when modern movies are 90 minutes or less. That is the best amount of time. I also thought the voice actors did a fine job. I know people were up in arms about Chris Pratt being cast as Mario. I'm not a fan of his generally, but he was solid here. Anna Taylor Joy was excellent as Princess Peach. Charlie Day crushed as Luigi. Keegan Michael-Key was great as one of the Toads. But they all paled in comparison to Jack Black. Casting him as Bowser was a stroke of genius. He was more than game and he was the best part about this movie by a wide margin. And "Peaches" is a legit good song. The two times they played it in the movie I found myself humming along.

I do think not knowing the lore took away a bit. Me not picking up on certain jokes and missing story points hurt a bit. Having to constantly ask my son who or what certain stuff was hurt a bit. And me not being a gamer definitely took away. The movie is fine though. I texted a buddy of mine who was curious of my thoughts and I told him what I am telling you all right now. He went so far as to say he didn't think it would move me. He was right. I think fans of the video game will really enjoy this movie. It feels like it was made specifically for them. And kids will enjoy it too. I'd go ahead and recommend it, but it is a soft recommendation from me.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Over the weekend I took my kids to see “Across the Spider-Verse”. It was the only movie the three of us could agree on and my wife had a friend over so we wanted to go out.

I loved the first movie in this series. I think it’s the best “Spider Man” movie to date. The way they shot it was so cool and unique. It was filmed to look like a moving comic book. It was amazing to see. That happened with this movie as well, and they even pushed a little further. This movie had saturating colors within scenes. There was more writing of movement. You’d see stuff like “ZIP” on the screen when they were slinging webs. It was like the old “Batman” show, but way, way, way cooler. There were even moments of what looked like comic book panels in this movie. I was sitting in my chair in the theater and thinking how cool the whole thing looked. It is a moving work of art. It’s astounding.

The first movie has great voice acting. It’s quite the cast. This movie adds on to that, and then some. We have actors like Issa Rae, Oscar Isaac, Jason Schwartzman, Daniel Kaluuya, Jack Quaid, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and so many more. Some of these people appeared in very minor role. You add all that to the first movie’s cast, people like Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Mahershala Ali, Luna Lauren Velez and Shameik Moore, this is a real stellar cast. And they all crush their roles. You fully buy into the voice acting.

The first movie does a great job of giving us another origin story, but in a cool, interesting and different way. This movie adds on to that while adding seemingly endless Spider People. There are a ton of Spider People in this movie, and we get quick backstories with the important ones. And the first movie gave us some excellent villains, a great story and even a possible love story. Again, this movie pushes all of that further. Miles Morales and Spider Gwen clearly like one another. They have a web slinging type of date in this one. Schwartzman was excellent as The Spot, who looks to be a terrifying villain. Oscar Isaac brings a certain gravitas to his character, and I don’t know if I like him at all.

What makes this movie work, what makes it so enjoyable, besides the way it’s filmed, I am fully in on the main story. I’m invested. I cannot wait to see the third installment. This movie ends on a massive cliffhanger, but I’m not mad about it. I simply cannot wait to see where they go from here.

These “Spider Man” movies work because they’re so cool to look at. It helps that the writing is amazing. It helps that the animation is next level. It helps that the cast is giving their all. And it helps that the movie is good, and cool. “Across the Spider-Verse” may be the best movie of the year. It’s incredible and fun and a total work of art. I cannot recommend this movie enough. My son and I were thrilled. It kept my daughter’s attention. This movie rules. Go see it.


Ty

Better Late than Never on "Young Frankenstein"

Along the same lines of my blog yesterday, I recently watched, from start to finish for the first time, "Young Frankenstein".

I am a big time Mel Brooks fan, but seeing this movie in its entirety in one sitting has somehow eluded me. I guess I had opportunities and just passed them up. Or maybe I just assumed I had seen it because I know the big beats from the movie. But I was watching a clip from this movie on the internet and it was then I had realized I had never fully watched the movie. The clip is of a pretty famous scene too. It is Dr Frankenstein speaking with Igor about who's brain they used. Igor explains it was not the person they agreed upon, but someone named "Abbie Normal". Dr Frankenstein proceeds to choke him out and I was cracking up watching the clip. I happened to see the clip on the week where I got to pick the movie we watched for date night. My choice was made for me right then and there. I picked Dr Frankenstein and sat back and watched and discovered why this movie is so revered.

"Young Frankenstein" is one of the greatest comedies of all time. This movie was made in 1974 but it still felt as fresh as ever. Gene Wilder was an amazing comedic actor. The way he played the title role in this movie was different though. He took the role seriously, but when it was time for him to go big, his wheelhouse, he went as big as ever and absolutely destroyed. He was one of the best actors ever. The fact that he didn't get any awards consideration for this role is criminal. Not to be outdone, Peter Boyle was a revelation for me in this watch. I have only known him from "Everybody Loves Raymond", a show I only sparingly saw when walking through my home I grew up in as my folks watched. In this movie he was hilarious as The Monster. When he did the dance scene, he was incredible. When he finds love, that was great. When he is chained and runs away, hilarious. Boyle was perfect for this role. Marty Feldman as Igor was the perfect sidekick to Wilder. He was silly, big, funny and more than held his own. His look was so unique and so well crafted in this role. He made me laugh harder than Wilder at some points. Terri Garr, as Frankenstein's assistant, did a masterful job. She is a beauty, but she also was right there with all the stars matching the comedy. She had some excellent comedic timing here and really nailed it. Cloris Leachman was the consummate pro. She had a small role here, but she was so memorable. Whenever I hear her name from this movie being said, all I will think about is horses neighing uncontrollably. Kenneth Mars had some great moments as the Inspector. Gene Hackman, in an uncredited role, made me crack up. And Mel Brooks, in only one scene, did his thing as usual and was hilarious.

This movie is a classic for a reason. It is funny, well written, well acted and very well shot. I love the black and white aspect. I loved the "scary" music. But most of all, the chemistry between Garr and Wilder was unprecedented.

"Young Frankenstein" rules. I never had any doubts, but to finally see it from beginning to end, that only confirmed how truly wonderful it is. I loved 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 "They Live"

After a good amount of nudging from a bunch of people, I finally watched "They Live". I have been hearing about this movie for quite some time now, and after listening to an old episode of "Blank Check", and hearing them all say how great of a movie it is, the time felt right. My kids had one final full day of school yesterday, so I rented and watched before picking them up.

This movie more than lived up to the hype that was being built around me for years. This movie rips. It is one of the coolest movies I have ever watched. The fight scene between Roddy Piper and Keith David is one of the best fight scenes I have ever seen. I get why so many people have done their own interpretation of it. It is a master class in fake fighting. Those dudes keep going at each other, but it also shows how tiring and painful something like that could be. To see them both take breaks, get their breath and proceed to go back at it, it was pretty rad.

The story of the movie was pretty ahead of its time as well. To posit a world where hybrid robots/aliens are beginning to take over is genius. This movie had this idea 35 years ago. To use sunglasses as the only way humans could see the hybrids was smart and cost effective. To show the class struggle during Reagan's presidency, what a pile of garbage he was, was near perfect. I mean, John Carpenter and his crew had a great vision and they executed it to perfection.

Roddy Piper wasn't the biggest wrestler back then, but he fit this drifter role so well. Keith David was in "The Thing", another perfect movie, but he was still relatively unknown and he was an excellent sidekick. They were both believable as down on their luck unhoused construction workers. But what got the best was the hybrids and the sunglasses. When Piper starts to get curious and investigate this movie goes from good to great. When he first puts the glasses on he plays stunned so very well. He also plays a guy that people would think was a drunk, but is actually telling the truth. The aftermath of Piper and David's fight, when David's character finally puts on the sunglasses, felt real. He was so opposed to doing anything out of the ordinary, but when he did, he was ready to help the good guys. The rest of the cast is full of Carpenter's people, and they were excellent.

This movie was about class and a possible overthrow of Earth. The way they portrayed the rich was spot on. All the talk of selling out and doing whatever you could to be rich felt real. To see the people trying to overthrow whatever was happening was good. It also seemed like something that would have gone on back then, and could still happen now. But the way it took down Reagan's idea of America was superb. It was the best. Carpenter and his crew did a masterful job of showing why the rich should be the enemy. They showed how ruthless and unforgiving they could be in society. He and his crew called them out and did so the best way possible. Sure, the fight scenes were rad, the effects for 1988 were top notch, the acting was stellar, but what I took away most from this movie was the accurate, and evil portrayal of the so-called upper class.

"They Live" is rad. It is one of the better, older movies I have watched in some time. I was giddy when Piper said his famous line from this movie. If you have not seen the movie yet, stop what you are doing and watch. It is well worth the 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 "Sisu"

Last week, or maybe a few weeks ago, I wrote about the trailer to the movie "Sisu" and how excited I was to watch it. Well, I watched it on Saturday and I'm here today with a review.

The trailer more than lived up to the hype. This movie is awesome. I could watch it over and over and over again. I was fully in from the moment the voiceover started right after the opening credits. The voiceover guy got on mic, told us what we were about to watch and had this cool, gravely voice that instantly hooked me. From there on out it was about as good as an action movie can get. I could definitely see the "John Wick" influence on this movie. The producers produced this as well, and their fingerprints were all over the movie.

For those that may not know, "Sisu" is about a former Finnish soldier who abandoned the war, World War II, and went to live in the countryside as a gold miner. One day he finds a ton of gold and decides he needs to cash in. His family is gone, he is on his own, besides his dog, and he wants to start a new life. On his way to cash in the gold he is confronted by Nazi's. They are losing the war so they are doing childish things to try and recoup. When he first sees them he tries to go without any conflict. Nazis, who stink, won't let that happen and that is when the action begins. This Finnish soldier is a total badass. He is known as one of the best soldiers ever. People who have come across him think he is immortal. At one point it is mentioned that he himself has killed over 300 Russian soldiers alone. He is the man. But, again, he wants to leave that life behind. The Nazis will not let him though, and he has to take matters into his own hands. There are knives through heads, Nazis stepping on landmines, gun shots galore. It is all there and it is all gory. I mean, some of the kill shots in this movie gave me visceral reactions. I was yelping so much my dad asked if I was okay, he watched with me. The landmine scene is especially awesome. After he loses his horse, he starts to throw landmines at the incoming bad guys. He uses his shield to protect from the many gunshots aimed at him. He continues to mow them down left and right. I loved it. I really enjoy these violent action movies. Add on the fact that he was killing Nazis, who are portrayed as bad as they were in real life, it makes it that much more okay to watch what he does to them. From the landmine scene we go to an underwater scene that is equally as gory and cool. There is another scene where it looks like our hero might get defeated, twice, but he makes it. We then have the final scene wherein our hero saves some women the Nazis have captured and gets them to help. They are more than willing. Our hero then gets on a plane, oh, pardon me, he uses his pickaxe to hang on to the plane as it takes off and then digs a hole to enter said plane after it is in the air. In this scene there is a fistfight that turns into strapping the final Nazi he has encountered onto a nuke and sets that free, to which a humongous explosion happens, The plane then proceeds to have a direct crash, face first, into the ground. Not to worry, he survives and walks away relatively unscathed, except for the bruises and cuts from the fight. We then see the women walking directly into some Russian guards with a gun, tank and a Nazi strapped to the shooter of the tank. You can guess what happens. The movie ends with our hero walking to the bank and saying his first lines of the entire movie, which are Finnish.

This movie rips. I want to watch it over and over again. I loved the backdrop, the story, the gore, the violence, it all worked for me. This is the type of action movie I crave. Everything about it worked for me. I have no notes. Seek this movie out, it is well worth your time. I may go watch it again today. 

Ty

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

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We Did Not Need A New "White Man Can't Jump"

Last week I was scrolling through Hulu and saw that the new "White Men Can't Jump" movie was streaming. I decided to watch.

First off, I love the original movie. I have been a fan since I was a kid. I saw it when I was 13 or 14 and have revisited it multiple times a year since then. Woody Harrellson and Wesley Snipes have tremendous chemistry, the story is good enough and the basketball in the movie was real looking and kept my attention. The whole idea that Harrellson couldn't dunk paid off in the end when he finally did. I also liked the double crossing coming from both Snipes and Harrellson. Rosie Perez was amazing in the movie as well. And the other actors who showed up during the pickup games, some former college and professional basketball players, did a wonderful job. The original worked its charm on me and it has never left.

The new one or remake or re imagining or whatever it is, is not very good. At all. I didn't think it was going to be good, but I thought it would be fun. Hell, I hoped it would even give me some kind of nostalgia vibes. None of that happened. This new version was very scattered and not well acted. The only actor I appreciated was Lance Reddick, but he was almost a total ripoff of Denzel Washing in "He Got Game", but was more timid. He also didn’t have a bunch of screen time as well. It bums me out that this was one of his last movies. The leads were not 1/10 on the level of Harrellson or Snipes. Jack Harlow was not very good at all. He was trying, I will give him that, but he doesn't seem to have it as an actor. He happened to be on an episode of "Dave" that I watched the day before, playing himself, and he could barely even pull that off. To make him a former Gonzaga player who was into holistic medicine and a vegan was puzzling. Harrellson was a gambling addict who was a former pro overseas. They never mentioned his food intake or what he was selling. He was all about basketball and Rosie Perez. Harlow did not come close to pulling off what Harrellson did. Oh, and they never mention the fact that he cannot dunk. He just all of the sudden dunks during a tournament they are playing in, and I guess that is supposed to be an homage or something. It fell totally flat for me. Sinqua Walls, in the Snipes role, was kind of dull. He didn’t really do much. His basketball ability was nowhere near Snipes. And I know they did stuff to help Snipes, but at least he tried and succeeded. Walls just kind of sleep walked throughout the movie. He never really got to show range, and when they gave him a chance, it was not great. He was supposed to be some superstar high school player, but none of that helped the story. Also, Snipes was no high school star or anything. He was a streetball legend. That was his deal. He also happened to be a salesman, but basketball was the intrigue. Everyone else in this movie was the opposite of the outside characters in the original.

This new "White Men Can't Jump" lacked all of the charm of the original. The new movie was not very fun, funny or cool to watch. I found myself bored and kind of gazing off in the distance. I didn't really care to see what happened. I didn't like the new direction. I didn't buy the two leads. It was a miss for me, and due to my love for the original, that bummed me out. You can skip this movie. You will not miss a thing. 

Ty

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

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I'm Psyched to Go Discover the New Film "Sisu"

Every year RD and I do a podcast about looking forward to pop culture in the upcoming year. We cover it all. One of my favorite parts of that pod is when we get to the movies, especially now with theaters reopened. I love going to the movies and searching out new and interesting stories I have never even thought of before.

On social media I have seen a good amount of people I like talking about this movie called "Sisu". This is one of those rare instances when the internet does good and helps me find something I am truly interested in seeing. I always state during those podcast recordings that there will be a movie or movies coming out that I do not know about, but will want to see. "Sisu" falls into this category. All of the social media stuff piqued my interest, but it was a post from Paul F Tompkins that pushed me to watch the trailer. That is the basis for my post today, this trailer. PFT simply stated that people needed to see this movie because it is crazy and awesome. That was all I needed to watch the trailer.

This movie looks absolutely incredible. I watched the trailer multiple times after the initial viewing. I told my dad about it, and after he watched it, I told him we need to see this movie together. For those that may not know, "Sisu" is about a gold miner during World War 2 who finds a big hunk of gold one day during work. It is then revealed that, in order to keep this gold, he has to cross Nazi troops to bring it home to help his family. This is where the trailer starts to go wild, and I loved every single second of it. This main character, this actor, does some wild stuff to these Nazis, and I cannot get enough. It is so wonderful to see awful people get their comeuppance. The guy in the trailer, during his first encounter with a bad guy. takes out a knife and stabs this asshole through the head. I was shocked. I said, "OH MY!" when I saw it for the first time. Then this guy proceeds to destroy these jerks in a plethora of ultra violent ways. There are landmines and bombs and other hand to hand and gun play in this movie. I despise, loathe, guns. But the movies are my way of escaping these things. It is all fake, so I can dissociate easily. It may not be great, but it is better than the alternative. I got crazy "John Wick" vibes from the trailer, and not a second later did a title card come up saying, "From the studio that brought you John Wick". It was only fitting after all the carnage I saw during the two minute trailer.

I simply cannot wait to see this movie. It looks like it is a perfect compliment to "John Wick". It is also 90 minutes long, which makes me even happier. I am trying to find a way to watch it this weekend. I want to see it, but I also want to wait to watch it with my dad. I feel like we share the "John Wick" universe, so why not share "Sisu". But I will soon be watching this movie and I will have a full review.

This is one of the best, and coolest trailers I have seen in quite some time. Search this trailer out, and then go see this movie. It looks like it is going to rule. 

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 Trailer for "Dune Part 2"

Yesterday I watched the trailer for "Dune Part 2".

I'm pumped. I loved the first movie. Let me clarify, I loved the first new one that Denis Villenuve directed. I was fully on board from the jump. I like the book. I have seen the David Lynch directed "Dune" a few times. I find that watchable. And I am a Villenuve fan. I know RD doesn't like "Arrival", and I haven't seen that one yet, but I like the other Villenuve directed movies I've seen. So seeing "Part 2" was not a bridge I had to cross or conclusion I had to come to. I'm in. I want to see it on the opening weekend, preferably on opening day.

I know I talk a lot about not watching trailers, but that was out of the question here. I was going to watch the trailer as soon as the official first one came out. So I did. And it rips. I'm so on board with the direction they are going in with this second movie. I know some people complained that the first one was too slow, well "Part 2" looks to be mostly action. Zendaya and Chamelet are back and they are ready to fight. Paul, Chamelet, is with the fighters, led by Javier Bardem, and they look like they are on a singular mission. Paul also rides a sandworm in the trailer. He also is trying to find and save his mom. I'm so in for all of this. Zendaya looks like she is going to kick some ass. And her fans should be happy to know that she will be in this sequel a whole lot more. A bunch of her fans were upset she was barely in the first one. Well no need to worry anymore. She looks to be a co-star in this one. Josh Brolin is back and looks badass. There is a scene where some people are burning Oscar Issac's character's painting, he was the king of his province, and that seems to set people off. Stellan Skarsgaard is back and looking as gross as ever. He is also up and moving, so that should be interesting. Austin Butler looks totally odd and painted all white. Dave Bautista looks scary and badass. Florence Pugh is here and ready to go to war. I mean, how can you not want to see this movie?

I am so stoked. I read that the writers, I stand with the WGA by the way, and Vilenuve have said that this is going to be more of a war epic, which is awesome. I love a good war movie. My favorite "Star Wars" is "Rogue One". I like movies like "Saving Private Ryan", "Platoon", "Apocalypse Now" and "The Hurt Locker". I'm here for war movies. Add on the fact that this particular war movie is taking place in a science fiction world that the creators of "Dune" made up. That is just icing on the cake for me.

I watched the trailer a few times yesterday after the first watch. My kids watched it with me. I kept telling my wife about it. My family are all good sports because they indulge me. Now you all have to do the same. But I know there are some readers who are just as excited as me about this trailer and movie. I cannot wait and I hope to see a lot of you out there on opening day. I am pumped. 

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 "Cocaine Bear"

I finally watched "Cocaine Bear" this weekend and it was everything I wanted it to be. The movie was violent, funny, silly, ridiculous and cool to see. I did not expect to see the best movie I have ever watched. I also did not expect to see the worst movie. It is what it is.

I saw what some critics had to say about the movie, but with certain critics you do not tend to take them seriously when they are talking about a movie like "Cocaine Bear". The movie is "based on a true story". Yes, a bear did ingest cocaine in the forest in the 80's, but not much is known about how that certain bear acted after ingesting said cocaine. This movie tries to give us a glimpse into what could happen if a bear were to ingest cocaine and go on a rampage. Elizabeth Banks did an exceptional job directing this odd, B movie. She knew exactly what she wanted and she gave it to us. I could say the same for the writers. I have to imagine, when asked to write a script about a bear ingesting cocaine, you kind of know what you are getting into. This movie didn't do any cliche stuff. Sure, there were good guys and bad guys. There were monologues. There was gore. But it was all done in fun and jest. I do not think anyone involved was taking this movie seriously.

Having said all of that, the actors did a tremendous job with the material they were given. And this cast is stacked with some very, very good actors. Matthew Rhys is in the very first scene and doesn't say a thing. But you see that he is doing something wrong and he is the reason why the cocaine ends up in the forest. Keri Russell is rocking the 80's clothing and doing a very good job of playing a distressed mother worried about her daughter. Her daughter, played by Brooklyn Prince is precocious, but not in a bad way. I enjoyed her journey. Her friend, played by Christian Convery, is goofy and funny and looks to be having a blast. He also has some great line reads. Margo Martindale is crushing it again as she does in every role she takes. She is so good as the park ranger. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is barely noticeable, but he is hilarious and his death scene is gruesome. The three punks who terrorize the ranger and the park are excellently cast and nail the job. And then we have O'Shea Jackson, Alden Ehrenreich and Ray Liotta. They are the drug guys in the movie. I do not know that anyone plays a better gangster than Liotta, may he rest in peace. Jackson has proven time and again how good of an actor he is, and he is excellent here. And Ehrenreich is the funniest part of the whole thing. His backstory and relationship with Liotta, who plays his dad, was hilarious. Isiah Whitlock Jr is great at playing a cop, and when he reads the line, "an apex predator on a whole lot of cocaine", I was in tears laughing. And Ayoola Smart, who was new to me, did a good job of being a good person gone bad. And then we have the bear. I mean, you could tell it was CGI, but it didn't matter. I loved how they made it seem like the bear knew exactly what it was doing. It felt like the bear had a plan. I was in for the fact that the bear wanted to continue to eat as much cocaine as it could get its hands on. The same can be said for the bear's cubs. They found some too and couldn't get enough. And the kills in this movie were gruesome and gross and, at times, hilarious. The music and mood of this movie, it takes place in the 80's, was pretty spot on.

I couldn't be happier with my decision to watch this movie. It was so perfect for what they were trying to do. My hat is off to Elizabeth Banks because she did a hell of a job directing something this wild. I whole heartedly recommend this movie. I may watch it again this week. 

Ty

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

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The Austin Powers Movies are Comedy Classics

I was listening to some people discuss "Austin Powers" earlier today and it got me thinking. I loved those movies. I even kind of liked the third movie a little bit. I was instantly in on the movies, the characters and goofiness of the whole thing. I was also a big time "SNL" fan back in the day, so to see Mike Myers doing a skit based movie was all I needed. I get that Austin Powers was never on "SNL" also, but it would have worked had it been done on the show.

Hearing the people discuss it on the podcast really got me thinking. They asked each other if they had shown the movies to their kids yet. They hadn't and that got me thinking if I would show it to my kids. I think I would. The jokes would fly over their heads, and they may not be as into it as I would hope, but I think they might have fun with it. My son would probably be a bit more on board with it. He likes goofier stuff, just like me.

But that is not the point of my blog today. I think, since it has been nearly 30 years since the first movie was released, that the "Austin Powers" trilogy might be a tad underrated. This was the first time I heard other people around my age talking about the movie in probably a decade. I snuck into the first movie because I was so hyped to see it. I went to the second one on opening day and took my dad and brother to see the third when it came out. I was fully in on this franchise. I loved everything they did and were doing at the time. I thought that those movies were going to stand the test of time. And they have for me. But I don't think that is the case for everyone else. I also do not think this movie gets the recognition it rightfully deserves. There have always been parody movies. "Airplane", "Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Spaceballs" were out before "Austin Powers" came out. And I adore those movies. I am a fan. But "Austin Powers" really hammered home my love for these parody movies. It was joke after joke after joke and they were all hitting. I still refer to "Austin Powers" when I have to back out of a tight space in my car. People are still saying his lines to this day. I think these movies are just as memorable as "Borat" as far as quoting lines. I can turn on a random podcast and hear people say one of Austin's lines and it will make me laugh. But no one ever seems to mention the movie, or the fact that a bunch of parody movies came after people saw the success of "Austin Powers". "Austin Powers" also introduced me to a bunch of stars. I never knew who Elizabeth Hurley was before the first one. Heather Graham was in my consciousness, but this is far and away my favorite performance from here in the second movie. Beyonce was big, but not as big as she is now when she starred in the third movie. And then we have the guest stars. People like Rob Lowe, Mimi Rogers, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Will Ferrell, Seth Green, Vern Troyer, Mindy Sterling, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Caine and Scott Aukermann just to name a few. That is quite the list if you ask me.

These movies work on every level. They are so good, so fun, so funny and perfect parody movies. They really opened my eyes to how good a true parody movie could be. I wish more people would recognize that these are some of the best comedies to ever be released. Go rewatch the movies and see for yourself. They are 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 "Air"

Yesterday I went to see the movie "Air". This movie is very new to me. I didn't even know that this was being made. I had zero idea that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were together again, I definitely didn't know they were making a movie about Nike and I sure as hell had no idea it was about Nike signing Michael Jordan. This is all in my wheelhouse. I love movies like this. I read "Shoe Dog". I like when Affleck and Damon work together. And I am a Nike guy, even though I cannot wear their shoes anymore. So when I found a time that worked for me, I went to the theater to watch.

I loved this movie. Again, it is right in my zone. This is what I am into. I liked "Moneyball", and this movie reminds me so much of how that one was made. There is hardly any basketball in this movie. My son wants to see it. I had to explain to him that Michael Jordan is barely in this movie and you only ever hear him say "hello". This movie is all about the pursuit and eventual signing og Jordan. This movie is about the making of the first Air Jordan's. This movie is about the people behind the scenes and all the hard work and loops they had to go through to sign Jordan.

Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro. Say what you will about Vaccaro, but he was a revolutionary in the shoe game and he is a person I respect. Damon nailed it. From the opening scene to him gambling all the way through his endless pursuit to sign Jordan was pitch perfect. I bought him. I was in. I want to see more of this character, although Vaccaro is a real person. Affleck plays Phil Knight. Say what you will about Knight, and he has done a lot of wild stuff, the dude built an empire. Affleck played the newly minted millionaire version of Knight. He answered to the board. He was hesitant to take chances. He did a wonderful job playing this role in that time of Knight's life. I also bought into him giving in to Vaccaro's obsession near the end. Jason Bateman was incredible in this movie. He played Phil Strasser, who was one of the first bigwig basketball guys at Nike. Bateman played Strasser as a little more stated and quiet than he actually was, but it was needed to play off of Vaccaro. Bateman had his moments. He had some nice speeches. He has a great head of hair. All in all though, he was very good in his very understated role. He was the comic relief in this movie and he nailed it. Matthew Maher played Peter Moore. He is the creator of the first Air Jordan's. He also created the symbol that we now always see when you buy Jordan Brand products. He was a genius and he was portrayed as such here. Chris Tucker played Howard White, one of Jordan's best friends and close confidants. Tucker was so good. He embodied the person he was playing. I watched some videos of the guy he was and he nailed it. Marlon Wayans was only in one scene, as George Raveling, and the story about the "I Have a Dream" speech he gave was moving. Chris Messina was tremendous as Jordan's agent, David Falk. The back and forth between him and Vaccaro was spectacular. And then we have Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan. She was the absolute star in this movie. She and Damon were amazing, but Davis' portrayal of Jordan's smart, savvy and brilliant mom was exquisite. I can see why Jordan said he wanted only her to play his mom. This cast is the only cast I feel could pull off a movie like this. They were all tremendous.

"Air" was great. I can watch movies like this all the time and never get bored of them. I like to see how the sausage is made if you will. I also like to see where everyone in the movie ended up. I know of Vaccaro, Jordan, his mom and Knight. But to read about Strasser, Falk, White and Moore, that is what I am here for. I am a sucker for biopics featuring a topic I love. I love basketball. MJ is the GOAT. Air Jordan's are the coolest basketball shoes ever. I am a Sonny Vaccaro fan. This movie had more than enough to keep my full attention.

Go check this movie out. It 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 "John Wick: Chapter 4"

I have just returned home from seeing "John Wick Chapter 4". The movie was wonderful. I loved every single minute of it. I could have watched another three hours and been even more satisfied. I thought thKeis was a perfect way to wrap this up, if that is indeed the plan. I will go forth with no spoilers, or at least I will try.

I have now seen all four movies in the theaters within their opening week. Each movie has gotten bigger and better. They have leaned into what they are doing and they are having an absolute blast while doing it. At one point during the movie today my dad leaned over to me and said, "I have lost count of the bodies", I nodded in agreement. This movie is the biggest of them all. This movie has to have the highest body count by a wide margin. This movie has a clear cut villain. This movie has the easiest story to follow, not that the others were hard. And this movie introduces some dope new characters that I hope will make their path in this world they have created. Donnie Yen's character, Caine, was my absolute favorite. He is a total badass. He is an expert with a sword. He is as capable as John Wick himself. And he's blind. That is not a spoiler, it is shown as soon as he appears. Hiroyuki Sanada is the Japanese version of Ian Mcshane. He is the Manager of the Continental in Osaka. He takes care of things and people he cares about. His fight scenes are rad. He was an excellent addition. Aimee Kwan is excellent as Mia, Sanada's daughter. She has less screen time than other people, but she could definitely carry her own movie if they do that. And Shamier Anderson, as The Tracker, was excellent. He reminded me of John Wick in the first movie. He has a companion dog. He is ruthless. He helps those who help him. And he is only in this game for one reason.

Outside the new characters, the setting and the fight scenes are amazing. This movie has sets in Berlin, Paris and New York, among other spots. Some of the shots they got in Paris alone were amazing. It made me really want to visit someday. I was floored. The fight scenes, and I have said this before, are like a violent ballet. They are amazing to watch. There is a scene shot totally from the top of a building and it is masterful. The way the camera moved and swayed and showed everything going on in each room was so cool. I was in awe while I watched. They have a scene at the Arc of Triumph that is so chaotic and wild and has an extremely high body count, and I loved every second of that. The scene near the end at the 222 steps was so incredible. That is the way to film a fight scene. The first big battle takes place at The Continental in Osaka in a back room with a ton of artifacts. It was dope. The use of nunchucks was cool as hell. It was awesome to see Keanu Reeves do what he did with those nunchucks.

I was impressed. "John Wick Chapter 4" was worth the wait. I did not know how they could top themselves but they sure as hell did. I am very curious to see where the series goes from here. There are many options. But again, if this is the end of it all, what a way to go. Go see this movie. It is right up there with "Mad Max: Fury Road" for me. It is an action movie masterpiece. Check it out. 

Ty

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

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You Better Believe I will Go See Tommy Wiseau's "Big Shark"

I am a fan of Tommy Wiseau. He is an odd dude, but "The Room" is endlessly watchable, for how truly awful it is, and he has made quite the name for himself in the midnight movie circuit. He has built a following, his followers are loyal and people come out in waves when he is attending a midnight screening of his first movie. I have been at one of these screenings that he attended, and he made us wait and wait, but it was worth it in the end to hear him spew utter nonsense and watch the movie with us all. I am such a fan that I even watched his two part movie he made with Greg Sestero called "Best F(R)iends". That was a movie that kind of worked because there was an actual story to follow and Wiseau played a weirdo. It was kind of perfect for him.

When I checked on social media today, just doing some scrolling, and saw that he has a full trailer for a new movie, you better believe I was going to watch it asap. I have now watched it multiple times and I have some thoughts.

His new movie is called "Big Shark". The title says it all. The trailer is only about two minutes, but from it I can tell that he has some friends acting in it, he is going back to his "hometown" of New Orleans, this shark will let you run and even hide but will find you and that the effects are very, very, very bad. I'm not joking. The effects make "Sharknado" look good. They make "Army of Darkness" look good, and that movie was all about how old looking the effects are supposed to show on screen. Hell, it makes the old school movies my dad saw in the late 50's and early 60's look good. When you see the big shark near the end of the trailer it is the worst effect I have bared eyes on. It looks like a poor screen saver from the late 90's. The shark kind of looks like a great whale if I am being 100 percent honest. And it comes barrelling out the side of the road and it looks as if it is swimming in a shallow puddle while it attacks people. The trailer also starts with two dudes, the aforementioned friends, boxing each other, with no fans in attendance. It is almost like they are just fighting to fight. And the shark isn't even chasing those dudes when it appears in the trailer. There are two other random people it is chasing. I don't know what the boxers have to do with the plot, but I'm sure I'll find out when I see it.

That is the thing, I will see this movie to see how bad it can get. It feels like Wiseau has given in trying to make a real movie that critics and fans will like. I think he is just making movies for his fans now. I think that is the lane he has chosen and he is okay with that. As am I. But don't get it twisted, "Big Shark" looks like it is going to be even worse than any movie the SyFy Channel has put out. And those movies are very bad.

The thing that got me most with this trailer is the button on the end. The trailer, as mentioned above, is about two minutes long. Forty-five seconds of this trailer are an underwear ad. Anyone who has seen "The Room" at a midnight screening knows the commercial I am speaking of. But for those that don't, this is an odd turn to have at the end of your trailer. There are two dudes fake playing basketball. There is no rim within sight and no one is on a court of any kind. The guys also have jeans on, and that is a no no in the unwritten rules of pickup basketball. Then Wiseau shows up with a blonde wig and talks about love. Then some random lady pops up and says the same thing Wiseau does. Then Wiseau shows up yet again, saying the same thing. The commercial ends with a website to buy said underwear, which is www.thunderwear.com. I'm being totally serious. This is how nuts Wiseau gets with things. This commercial is unnecessary and not needed, yet I watched the whole thing and said "that Tommy is a wacko". To no one mind you.

Go check out this trailer. You will not be disappointed. And you are damn right I will see this movie, hopefully at a midnight screening that Wiseau himself attends. Fingers crossed. 

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.