Nicole’s Back: Psychopathic Gurus & More
This week, we're getting into Oh Mary!, HBO Max recs, streaming movies, and Nicole Kidman is back as your favorite psychopath wellness guru. Plus: take care of your heart bb.
It’s been a minute, dear reader. Last month was a whirlwind of saying yes to events and invites despite the rain and gloomy weather. I laughed my ass off at Tony Award Winner Cole Escola’s performance in Oh Mary, lost my voice at Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour, took myself on many an artist date including to the “Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers” exhibit at the Guggenheim, got a sunburn at a Brooklyn Cyclones game, and pulled off a surprise 40th birthday weekend for Adam that he called - and I quote - “One of the best weekends of [his] life.”
Now its June and while I’m happy its Pride, its been hard to navigate the strong emotional responses I’ve had in the midst of recent news coming out of LA, the flotilla in Gaza, rising hate crimes towards LGBTQ+ people, and the general state of our country. There are far smarter people than me writing and reporting on current events so I’ll just say this: Anytime a minority group is threatened, it threatens us all. Do what you can to help, to speak up and out. Some orgs that are great to get involved with are The Trevor Project and the ACLU, as well as your local community run organizations. Teen Vogue also has a great article on how to start an ICE watch group.
Community and creativity are my go to spaces in times of uncertainty, and I’ll be leaning into both this month to maintain my sanity. I wish the same support and love to you, dear reader.
This week we’re getting into Oh Mary!, some of my recent watches on HBO Max, a couple of stream worthy movies, and the return of Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu.
Oh Mary!
Oh Mary! is an 80-minute one act play that examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln, through the lens of the Tony Award winning idiotic genius Cole Escola. Raunchy, side splitting, and hilarious are words that come to mind when describing this ridiculous play that effectively asks “What if Mary Todd Lincoln was an absolute cunt?” You can tell it’s written for and by queer people, and that Cole Escola poured their heart and soul into it. The subtle nuances garnered raucous laughter from the audience, the actors are spectacularly animated, and the show itself is delightfully brilliant.
If you’re in NYC, get your butt in a seat to see this queer theater gem that’s playing through September 28th.
What I’m Watching (on HBO Max)
The HBO brand has become synonymous with high quality television: Succession, Game of Thrones, Euphoria - the list goes on and on. It’s because of top tier content that fans have forgiven the on demand streaming service changing names multiple times over the years from HBO Now to HBO Go, to HBO Max.
But when the “HBO” brand was dropped from its streaming service in 2023, everyone rightfully criticized the poor decision. This summer streaming service Max will once again be called HBO Max because everyone decided it was generally a bad idea to undo decades of branding (duh).
In celebration of the HBO logo returning to our screens, here are a few shows I’ve been streaming lately.
Hacks: The show recently finished its fourth season (and was renewed for a fifth), showcasing the unhealthy but hilarious relationship between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comic, and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) an entitled 25 year-old comedy writer.
Rome: This short-lived series follows the historical events that saw the birth of the Roman Empire. There are only two seasons, and the story moves a bit slow, but the acting and writing are good; costumes and sets fantastical.
Last of Us: The video game turned hit show Last of Us has recently ended its second season bringing us more heartbreak and heartfelt connection. The show follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey)1 as they survive the harsh aftermath of post-outbreak America.
Conan O’Brian Must Go: In this travel show spinoff of his podcast, Conan surprises fans with visits to their home/country while also taking in local culture, cuisine, and sights. There are few people who can make me laugh as hard as Conan, and watching him be absolutely off his rocker has brought me some much-needed levity lately. There are two seasons, the second of which has recently started.
Stream-Worthy Movies
Joy Ride (Starz/Prime Video): A raunchy girl trip movie about a group of Asian American women who travel to China in search of their friend’s birth mother. A hilarious, heartfelt, and bold movie that celebrates the power of friendship and identity.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Starz): Guy Ritchie directs a heavily fictionalized version of Winston Churchill’s special operations during WWII. A fun and wild action comedy war film full of strapping handsome men.
The Bitch Is Back: Season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers | Hulu
WARNING Spoilers Ahead:
Nicole Kidman is back as out-of-her-mind wellness guru Masha, only this time we find her in Bavaria with an eerie straight shoulder-length bob, and a new group of victims participants including Christine Baranski, Murray Bartlett, Annie Murphy, Henry Golding, King Princess, and Mark Strong.
Posted up in Germany in a renovated infamous sanitarium turned wellness retreat called Zauberwald, Masha finds herself haunted by her daughter and eager to deflect her issues onto nine new guests.
Last season there was lots of innuendo that terrible things would happen, but everyone was fine in the end. Personally, I’d love for the show to raise the stakes and get a little bit darker. The first four episodes of Season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers was released this week and while I’ve only gotten through one episode, I’m already head over heels in love with Christine Baranski and Murray Bartlett’s performances.
My notes watching Episode 1:
This woman went from a hippie messy-bitch top bun to a mathematically precise shoulder-length bob that is in direct opposition to her chaotic passion to improvise. I’m not buying the rebrand Masha! You’re still a hot mess and there isn’t a straightening iron in the world that can change that.
Nothing says rich entitled white people like renovating a sanitarium into a wellness retreat hotel. Something tells me we’re going to get a tour of Zauberwald’s dark history at some point, but I’d love to see the sanitarium/hotel as its own character.
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have Murray Bartlett and Christine Baranski on my screen right now. Dear universe: please put them in an epic scene together, let it be catty and camp, and everything I could ever dream it to be.
Watching this first episode made me miss Fall of The House of Usher and how absolutely queer and dark it was, so I’ve started a rewatch.
Pascal and Ramsey’s chemistry on screen is beautiful, natural, and powerful. Fingers crossed they get all the accolades come award season.