Ty Wants to Watch "Eddington"

Summer movies are going to be coming out every single weekend, and I'm here for it. This is the time I allow myself to watch trailers. In fact I seek them out this time of year. I want to know what is coming out and when. I also try to find indie movies because those tend to be more my style. But lately I have been going back and watching the trailer for Ari Aster's new movie "Eddington" a bunch.

Ari Aster isn't for everyone, but his work makes me think a ton. I still think about "Beau is Afraid" and "Midsommar" a lot. Those movies were incredibly challenging and long, but I cannot seem to shake them. That, for me, is a good sign. I like that his movies sit with you and, for lack of a better word, haunt my thoughts. There is some stuff in both "Midsommar" and "Beau is Afraid" that still scare me to this day when it pops into my brain. But there is just something about this new trailer for his new movie that makes me really, really want to see it.

I think, at least right now, "Eddington" is my most anticipated summer movie. Everything about it screams what I like in movies. The cast is incredible. We've got Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Austin Butler and Pedro Pascal, among others. Phoenix is a mad man, but his work has always been a pleasant surprise for me. Even in movies I may not like, if Phoenix is in it, I'll watch. I despise "Joker", but his performance is a good one. Stone continues to do kick ass work. I love that she is taking on challenging material time and time again. I loved "Poor Things". "Kinds of Kindness" was bizarre, but she was great. Now she is doing an Aster movie. Keep these coming from her. I have not seen "Elvis", and probably never will. But, Butler was kickass in "Dune: Part 2" and he has some new movie with Matt Smith coming out that looks rad. He is having a moment and I'm here for it. And Pedro Pascal is just awesome on and off screen. He is such a cool dude, seems like a good person and I really enjoy his tv and movie acting. He is the driving force in the trailer that makes me want to watch this movie. And then we have what I can glean of the plot in the trailer. This is clearly a movie set in early COVID times. It looks like there's political stuff going on. I have to imagine social media and influencers are going to play a big, big part. And it all seems to delve into some kind of mental break for the main character/characters. I'm all in on this movie. I am sure I will be pounding the pavement for others to see it after I see it. I believe it comes out July 18th and I'm going to do whatever I can to see it in the theaters on opening day.

Ari Aster keeps pushing limits and trying new things. With "Eddington" it looks like he is going to do that in a more mainstream movie, and that is awesome to me. And anytime I can watch a harrowing drama that takes place in the modern day, I don't know why but I find myself enthralled by that type of story and material. I can't wait to see 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 "Beau is Afraid"

After much thought, waiting for the movie to be on premium cable and four sittings, I have finally watched all of "Beau Is Afraid", and boy oh boy do I have some thoughts.

First and foremost, I think I liked this movie. I keep thinking about it. I cannot seem to shake what I watched. I truly loved Joaqin Phoenix's performance. This has to be one of his best performances that I have ever watched. I also enjoy Phoenix's acting for the most part. I like the movies he picks and he truly does give his all. He doesn't halfass anything he is committed to doing. I loved the imagery and the way the story was told. I liked the way it was broken down into different acts. I enjoyed the moments of silence that they have the viewer sit and wait in. All of that leads me to believe that I enjoyed what I saw. But there are some issues I have as well.

This is a long, long movie. It is one minute under three hours. The moments of silence are long and vast. There are some disturbing images that kind of freaked me out and took me out of the narrative of the movie. I feel like Ari Aster wanted to tell EVERYTHING he was thinking at the time of writing the movie. He should have, and could have, edited a good hour out of the movie. Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane could have been given a little more to work with in the script. Parker Posey is only in about three minutes of this movie, and Beau, Phoenix's character, is obsessed with her. Zoe Lister Jones, who I adore as an actor, seems to be chewing scenery. The first hour, which focuses on Beau's current living situation, is bleak and sad and disturbing and overly scary. I understand why it is shot and acted that way, but it feels like it may be a bit much.

Then we have Patti Lupone. Lupone is wonderful. I adore her. I love her outspoken nature. She is not afraid to speak her mind, and I think that is great. But in this movie she is severely underused until the last 30 minutes. In the finale she is great, they, for me, hit all the right notes with her character. And she absolutely shines. But leading up to all of this, she is a ghost. She lingers over the movie, but we don't get the breadth of her situation. We see her a lot in flashbacks, but not enough in the present day. There is her funeral, but that is just a ploy to get Beau back home. And when she returns, after one of the most uncomfortable sex scenes I've ever seen, she acts like everything is normal. It most certainly is not normal.

Looking back at this venn diagram of the good and the bad I found watching this movie, again, I liked it. Excuse me, I think I liked it. Lupone is amazing in the end. The whole scene in the forest, with the play, had me rapt to my screen. I couldn't look away. The creepy underlying stuff with Lane and Ryan had me on the edge of my seat. And Phoenix is incredible. This is a truly amazing performance from him. I like his work here almost as much as I did in one of my favorite movies ever, "Her". He is such a devoted and confident actor. He never takes things less than serious. He is all in. And in a movie like this, one that is this weird and deep, he was made for this. Phoenix is one of my favorite actors at this point. I don't know much about his personal life, but I do like his acting. I'm a fan of his acting, maybe not the person.

I'd recommend this movie with a big, big caveat. It is long, it is weird and you have to be all in while you watch. This is not a movie you can check in and out of. You have to be committed when you watch. Do that, and you will be rewarded. 

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.

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