Tales of the City, Pose and Wig

My Top Three This Week - PRIDE  Edition

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. It is that time of year again. Pride season. And this special edition will highlight some of my favorites for 2019. Happy Pride everyone! Remember that it is not all rainbows and glitter. Many of us have lived through horrific decimation of our gay logical families and understand that everything we have been given can be taken away at any time. So as you are out there celebrating take a moment of those that are no longer with us. 

1) Armistead' Maupin's Tales of the City  screening on Netflix is a beautiful continuation of a most beloved series of books (and a personal favorite of mine) and the mini series that started it all on PBS. Mary Ann Singleton ( national treasure Laura Linney) is back at Barbary Lane for the 90th birthday celebration of Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis). New characters are introduced and our favorites are brought back as Michael Mouse and Mary Ann and Brian and Shawna try to reconnect. And of course there is a mystery (there is always something mysterious surrounding Anna Madrigal! ) One of the most interesting is how Anna arrived at Barbary Lane and the beginnings of the first trans woman introduced into main stream tv.The San Francisco we see at that time was not an accepting place for trans folks and the Compton's Cafeteria Riot that preceded Stonewall by three years. Ellen Page as Shawna Hawkins is fantastic and Murray Bartlett as the newest incarnation of Michael seems to be the perfect fit. Watch them all and then watch this to see the perfect Tales of the City.

 2) Pose on FX should be considered the biggest jewel in Ryan Murphy's crown. This is the must see series for every community. Now in its second season it still soars when it portrays the lives and loves of the beautiful community in the underground balls in New York's bars. The separate houses vie for trophies for realness and all the categories of the lives they are unable to live out in the real world. Season two brings world of balls to a somewhat mainstream society via Madonna's smash hit Vogue. Embraced by everyone in straight bars and gay bars alike , Madonna owned it and it opened up doors for this dance sensation. The cast  ( Billy Porter, MJ Rodriquez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore and a host of others are the heart and soul  of this show. The real surprise should be no surprise is that Sandra Bernhard is stealing scenes as  Nurse Judy. Category Is : Family Realness.

3) Wig on HBO is the perfect documentary for the summer of a 50th anniversary of Pride. Based on the annual celebration of Wigstock which ran for 20 years. The legendary Lady Bunny started it all with a friend in 1984 and it ran for years. Look for all the footage of a very young Rupaul and a baby faced Bunny. It is a great snapshot of wonderful drag community and New York. And Bunny is bringing it back  for Wigstock 2.0 with a lot of the contemporary queens out today who have brought life into the New York scene . Lady Bunny has always been the heart of Wigstock and of New York in my opinion. I was lucky enough to dance with her when she deejayed at the Monster for Tea Dance recently. Watch closely and you sill see Varla Jean, Bianca Del Rio and all of your favs.

Pride Bonus: Euphoria on HBO is a darkly twisted story of a young Rue Bennett (Zendaya ) fresh out of rehab who befriends a young trans girl (Hunter Shafer) as they both grapple with their demons and the real hell of high school. The cast is all excellent including a young Maude Apatow, Eric Dane, Jacob Elordi and Angus Cloud. It ffeels like a darker more twisted 13 Reasons Why without a morality side tale. The characters just are they are with no apologies. It is hard to watch sometimes and hard to turn away.

Ma, NOS4R2 and Greta

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers! This going to be a great summer and a lot of favorites are returning and there is going to be some highly anticipated horror as well with IT and Midsommar. But until then i have a few of my new favs to share.

1) A crazy Octavia Spencer ! I am there! A crazy Octavia Spencer out for revenge - I am there with a bucket of popcorn! Ma out in theaters now has all the ingredients of a fast paced unpredictable thriller. The backstory can be a bit murky but I never minded one bit. A group of high school kids looking to buy liquor connect with a kindred spirit Sue Ann (Spencer) who not only supplies them with booze but offers her basement as party central. And they even call her Ma.The only big restriction is they must never go upstairs. Sounds too good to be true? It is. The terror builds as Ma starts stalking the kids and their parents for reasons that are slowly revealed. Great casting includes Allison Janney , Juliette Lewis and Missi Pyle. Jump scares and some true hand over the eyes moments make this the most satisfying film.

2) NOS4R2 a weekly series on AMC is already creeping me out and it has just started.Based on the fantastic book  of horror by Joe Hill ( who just happens to be Stephen King's son). The story begins with a young Vic McQueen ( Ashleigh Cummings) is struggling with her embattled parents. Her only way to deal is to hop on her motorbike and ride. During her rides she discovers a mysterious covered bridge. As she enters it she comes out in a different place each time and and in one instance,  she tries to find her dad's lost watch the bridge shows her where it is. A sort of interdimensional shortcut. Each outing leaves her weak and disturbed by her new powers. In this same time zone children are disappearing in many different towns and their parents are being murdered. Zachary Quinto is the elderly evil Charlie Manx who lures the missing children into his 1933 Rolls-Royce Wraith filled with Christmas presents and like our young Vic he crosses the shortcuts into other dimensions into place he stores the children called Christmasland where the children turn into  frightening creatures an Charlie Manx gets younger and younger looking with each kidnapped child.  He somehow senses that there is another traveler inhabiting his strange byways and that is how our story really takes off as young Vic and Charlie begin the battle. There is

nothing more frightening than turning the most sacred children's holiday into a horror story.

3) Greta yet another evil being is available for rent A young woman Frances ( Chloe Grace Moretz ) finds a purse on the subway train and delivers it to its owner- a lonely widow ( Greta) played perfectly by Isabelle Huppert. The two seem to form a mother daughter bond much to the chagrin of France's flatmate. She starts spending all her time with Greta , cooking and watching movies and as she becomes closer she starts to feel uneasy and discovers a cabinet full of identical purses to the one she found. She tries to sever ties with Greta. But SHE WILL NOT BE IGNORED ( sound like another famous stalker?)  The suspense builds as Greta quickly unravels . Such a taut thriller with a satisfying ending.

Dead to Me, What/If and Chambers

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. It is the ending of  an  era ( GOT) and the beginning of a yet undecided new one. Yet one thing remains constant and that is change. These may not change your life but a few hours of entertainment is worth a lot.

1) Dead to Me  screening on Netflix is probably one of the best series I have seen in months and  a dramatic side of Christina Applegate that we have yet to see. A recently widowed Jan Harding ( Applegate ) still mourning the death of her husband from a hit and run driver meets a friendly face at a grief support group ( Linda Cardellini) who breaks down her barriers and befriends her. All is not what it seems and neither are these two terrific leads as the story peels layers . James Marsden is also terrific as the smarmy ex fiance. #DeadtoMe

2) What/If is also a Netflix bingeworthy offering from the wonderful folks who brought us Revenge. Starring Renee Zellweger as the sinister investor of a young startup company in the medical stratosphere let by Lisa Donovan ( Jane Levy). The only caveat for this investment is for Donovan's young husband Sean ( Blake Jenner) to spend a night with The investor Anne Montgomery. Part Revenge and part Indecent Proposal this soapy thriller is a fun watch for the summer. #What/If

3) Chambers is another guilty pleasure. Netflix keeps churning them out. A young girl Sasha has a heart attack while having sex for the first time with her boyfriend and miraculously receives a heart transplant from a young girl miles away who dies under mysterious circumstances.The girl's parents played by Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn take Sasha under their wing with a scholarship and a car because they see a way to be closer to their daughter Becky. But along with all these gifts Sasha discovers she is developing some new personality traits. The eerie Arizona dust storms, Navaho mysticism and a sinister organization called The Annex run by the talented Lili Taylor seems to control the residents of Crystal Valley. Great actors in this surprisingly original series include Sivan Alyra as Sasha  and Marcus LaVoi as her uncle Big Frank and Kyanna Simone Simpson as her best friend Yvonne. #Chambers

Bonus : Wine Country on Netflix as well  is a dream cast and music soundtrack that could be the Summer of 2019 mixtape. Not the best use of the talent but I would watch anything that includes this supreme comedy troupe. #WineCountry

Fosse/Verdon, Game of Thrones and Special

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. It has been a bit of a dry spell for entertainment but it seems the weather has changed and lots of good stuff coming in the pipeline. Here are a few highlights.

1) Fosse/Verdon on FX is a master class of acting with Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon and Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse as they take us through their very tumultuous  working and personal relationship, while making some of the classic films we know and love such as Cabaret. This series is influenced in part by executive producer  and their daughter Nicole Fosse . This gives an insider's view of the pain of creating art on film and theater. The genius of Bob Fosse the choreographer seems to have been greatly assisted by famed dancer Verdon during the filming and editing of Cabaret yet she remains uncredited while he goes on to win an Oscar. 

2) Game of Thrones. Final Season on HBO. I am savoring each episode like the tasty morsel that it is. I am on a GOT Fantasy League and I am anxious to see how it all ends. It is great as the first couple of episodes bring the characters together at Winterfell. One of the highlights is Jon finding his true birthright , Brienne of Tarth being knighted and Arya ... welll lets just say that she is no longer a virgin...

3) Special is not like anything else on Netflix. A semi-autobiographical series  written by and starring Ryan O'Connell as a young gay man with Cerebral Palsy as he finds a new job writing for an online publication and initiating his independence from his mother poignantly portrayed by the extremely talented Jessica Hect. O'Connell is hilarious and heartfelt often in the same scene. Shout out on of my favorites Punam Patel as his best friend and the most annoying boss ever Marla Mindelle.

Bonus: Bonding on Netflix is not for the feint of heart. The story of two best friends Tiff and Pete (Zoe Levin and Brendan Scannell) a post graduate who is moonlighting as a dominatrix who makes her shy broke best friend as her assistant. The results and the clients are hilarious and cringe worthy at the same time. a binge watch.

The Act, Shrill and The Twilight Zone

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. Spring still feels like Winter and Us is still dominating at the box office . However a have some smaller screen treats in store for you.

1) The Act a Hulu Original featuring the amazing Patricia Arquette as the picture of evil incarnate wrapped in motherly love. Based on a true crime story this is the story of Dee Dee Blanchard and her disabled daughter Gypsy Rose ( chillingly played by the incredibly talented Joey King). Dee Dee moves into a new neighborhood in a new house built especially for her by Habitat For Humanity. Caring for a disabled child is hard thankless work for the  overworked Dee Dee and she needs several pills of her own to cope. Gypsy Rose has a multitude of ailments- Epilepsy, Leukemia, MS, vision and hearing impairment and an allergy to sugar. Confined to a wheelchair , Gypsy Rose seemed the unluckiest of children except for her loving tireless mother. Except she wasn't really sick... Dee Dee was a perpetrator of Munchausen  by proxy. ( Look it up- I don't want to spoil it for you. This unbelievable story is true. Special shout out to one of my favorite actresses  Chloe Sevigny as the suspicious next door neighbor Mel. #TheAct

2) Shrill streaming now on Hulu is the perfect vehicle for the superbly comedic Aidy Bryant as Annie Easton a young journalist trying to find her voice while not getting tripped up on the body shaming she endures on almost a daily basis including her jerk of a boss played by John Cameron Mitchell .  A fresh voice in comedy for anyone who has  been told they did not meet the standards set by society. Shout out for Lolly Adefope as Fran her lesbian roommate and the fabulous Julia Sweeney as her mom. #Shrill

3) The Twilight Zone   produced by the wunderkind Jordan Peele ( who also narrates) now streaming on CBS All Access looks promising so far with two really impressive episodes that are eerily reminiscent of the original series while retaining their own uniqueness. The first episode features a comic (Kumail Nanjiani) who meets a famous comic played by a creepy Tracy Morgan  and asks what the secret to making people laugh- hint. it will cost you everything in .... The Twilight Zone. The second episode is  Nightmare at 30,000 Feet featuring Adam Scott as a nervous passenger with PTSD who finds himself on a flight to Tel Aviv where he discovers listening to a podcast about a lost flight and is directly describing in detail the flight he is on. Needless to say this is my favorite as it is loosely based on the original episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet which aired back in 1963. Look for the Easter Egg on the scene on the beach for extra points. #TheTwilightZone

I am the Night, The Other Two and Black Monday

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. Winter has been a rainy and cold one and now the awards season is over it is the perfect time to cuddle up and binge or hit films on the big screen.

1)  I am the Night has just finished up the last episode on TNT and now is the perfect time to binge watch this chilling series . This fantastic limited series follows a young girl Fauna  Hodel ( the amazing India Eisley) as she begins her search for her birth mother set among the 1950's Hollywood and discovers the grisly secrets of murder and incest that reside in her family. With the help of a washed up journalist perfectly cast Chris Pine , she begins the journey down the rabbit hole of mob ties, back street abortions, torture and perhaps the most famous murder of all time - The Black Dahlia. Based on true events - this story is captivating, color rich and full of disturbing imagery, Best of all it is inspired by true events .

2) The Other Two is probably the funniest program on television. Executive Producer is Lorne Michaels who has a history of hits along with writers  from SNL. The story line follows the siblings Brooke and Cary Dubek as they struggle to find their place amidst the breakout of their rising star younger brother Chase Dreams . Momager Pat Dubek ( the hilarious Molly Shannon with a mom haircut) and Ken Marino again as his inept manager make this funny tale of a Justin Beiberish singer and his ascent to world wide fame and the comedy and heart this cast brings to this show.

3) Andrew Rannells, Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, Casey Wilson and Ken Marino are just a few reasons to watch Black Monday on Showtime. Another one is Paul Scheer who is a comedy genius and heartbreakingly sweet during his journey out of the closet. Well written and whip smart ,this series follows the days leading up the worst stock market crash in 1987 where a group of bad boys lead by Cheadle take on traditional old guard Wall Street. This comedy has everything including a red Lamborghini limo , lots of cocaine and a robot butler.