I'm Tired of Rumors Starting
NEW Nicstalgia, Challengers, summer bucket list, LiLo movie ranking, Lily Pulitzer's eccentric backstory ☀️
I made my summer bucket list! Suburban Legend is the overarching theme. Here are some of the leisurely activities I’m looking forward to:
🌹 Take a stroll in the rose garden
🖼 Have lunch at the art cafe
🪴 Garden hop between private gardens, botanical center, and arboretum
📚 Attend silent book club
🎤 Live my best life at karaoke
🦞 Dine dockside
♦️ Play (and win!) music bingo
🍦Enjoy soft serve ice cream with sprinkles
💃🏻 Teach dance class
🪡 Practice sewing
🌷 Pick tulips
⛳️ Go mini golfing
📹 Record outings on family’s vintage camcorder
What are you doing this summer??? Anything fun? Email me or leave a comment!
In this issue:
🍒 This week on Nicstalgia [NEW EPISODE]
👩🏻🦰 Yes there is a specific section dedicated to Lindsay Lohan today!
🎾 Challengers was…challenging
📲 Links: Friendly’s, Lily Pulitzer, Brat Pack, Nigel Thornberry
ICYMI, last week’s issue included lots of fun links, including my interview on Soundtrack Your Life where we talk about the Charlie’s Angels (2000) soundtrack. If you like Charli XCX, Hannah Montana, Mariah Carey, the fashion trends of 2007, or hyper-specific playlists from 2000s mall stores, you will not want to miss this.
Support Nicstalgia with a paid subscription. FYI — there is no paywall on my content and there never has been. You don’t have to pay to access anything, but you can 😇 This newsletter is also public, so feel free to take screenshots, share on social, send to a friend, etc. I will roll out referral rewards once I figure out what the reward can be. Merch? Feel free to share thoughts. TY LY! xx
Huge thank you to Nicstalgia supporters who I will love forever: Janine, Marie, Liv, Mitra, CY, and Aleena! 💐💐💐
🍒 This week on Nicstalgia
We have a show and tell of select pieces Adryan’s awesome physical media collection, featuring Lindsay Lohan covers from Cosmopolitan (2022), Playboy (2012), Nylon (2009), Maxim (2007), Fangoria (2007) featuring possibly the only favorable review of I Know Who Killed Me (2007), and Interview (2004). We talk about how Lindsay’s personal life overshadowed and informed the perception of IKWKM and the parallel between how her public struggles with substance abuse mirrors how society views drug and mental health crises. How we treat It Girls affects the treatment of girls everywhere.
Ultimately, I pose the question – How can we as the general public, media, internet, and cultural critics do better going forward have more compassion for the people around us? We dive into the consumption of public figures, the price of pursuing fame, and the right to privacy. Even reality TV stars have boundaries! Despite what’s shown (and sold) to the public, celebrities are people and have nuance…but so does everyone else. Social media has democratized access to celebrities - we can contact them – AND celebrity – we can become them ourselves. We close out with a Britney Spears oracle card reading! Moral of the story: Pop culture matters!
Watch on YouTube ☆ Listen on Spotify ⟡ Subscribe to
♡👩🏻🦰 That girl was a one-time teenage drama queen
My fav [Lindsay Lohan-related] things from the internet rn:
To complement the Lindsay Lohan Physical Media Show and Tell in this week’s Nicstalgia episode, my Drama Queen (That Girl) artwork – the one in WordArt style that I custom made to hang in my living room – is now available on Zora! (Btw if you want to collect but haven’t navigated the site before, send me a message and I can walk you through it.) Though Lola was very delulu, I do love Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.
I’d like to bring your attention to this extremely important ranking of every Lindsay Lohan movie up to 2013 (apart from Liz & Dick) from
, who wrote a Lindsay chapter in her excellent book Toxic (which is being adapted into a docuseries!) Adryan would be proud that I Know Who Killed Me made the top 10!!!Polyester Magazine recently came out with a piece about the Lohanissance and speaks to the problematic profitability of Lindsay’s ‘comebacks’. I’ve thought a lot about the commodification of celebrity struggle and how unsettling it is that you can buy mugs, prints, t-shirts, etc. of celebs’ mugshots on Etsy. The worst time in someone’s life – battles with mental health, addition, the legal system, etc. – is forever memorialized, mocked, and worst of all, sold for profit.
🎾 Challengers was…challenging
The purpose of this review is to serve as productive cultural criticism that explores nuance and inspires thought. This is not mindless consensus reality where we all pretend this movie is amazing (I don’t think it is), and it’s also not unfoundedly cruel and mean, like how people on the internet often talk about things.
Let me preface by saying I’m not a big movie person. I’m constantly reading the actors’ Personal Life section of their Wikipedia page while watching a movie. It was kinda wild to fully devote my attention to the big screen for an entire 2.5 hours. I wanted to take out my phone to take notes so I didn’t forget anything, but Nicole Kidman said that was not proper AMC Theater etiquette. (It’s driving me insane that she says the entire commercial in her native Australian accent and then the last word she says – “are” – is in an American accent.)
These thoughts are an amalgamation of what I could remember from after the movie, a convo with my friend who I saw the movie with, and Reddit comments (which are in quotations). TLDR it was fine. Music was the best part. Not particularly impressed.
Structure
“Movie felt bloated and definitely could've lost 20-30 minutes.” Hard agree. I got BORED. I don’t particularly like when there’s no falling action after the climax of the movie, but I did really enjoy the ending.
I don’t think it being non-chronological made it more interesting. The incessant flashbacks started getting confusing after a while and had me doing math in my head.
Positioning
The only other Luca Guadagnino movie I’ve seen is Call Me By Your Name, which feels like a gentle breeze or a windswept kiss in the sun next to a lake. It was poetic, erotic, and serenely beautiful in a way that Challengers was not. I do think it has to do with the time frame in which the movie was set.
This feels strange being a major film. Like it would’ve been cooler if it was an indie film. Even the fact that Zendaya is super mainstream is weird to me? Idk I know she’s a Disney kid, but I think she’s so talented, these roles are too boring for her. I have no idea who either of the guy actors are, but everyone just keeps questioning whether or not they are hot LOL.
They made the ENTIRE marketing of this movie around a threesome that didn’t actually even happen. I find that extremely odd!!!! This movie is sexy for people who don’t have sex. Like how the media says Gen Z hates sex scenes. I think this has to do with the lack of family-friendly programming (and less people watching censored cable TV rather than Netflix) nowadays.
Characters
“when Patrick asks who Lily is, she says “our daughter,” not “mine and Art’s daughter.”” idk what do you guys think???? I think Lily could be Tashi and Patrick’s lovechild from Atlanta.
It was incredibly uncomfortable how they tried to play seemingly much older than they are. Like we get it, you have a lob, but I’m still not buying it.
I also thought it was super strange that Tashi was a mom, especially at ~25. However, my friend brought up the fact that Tashi having a child is the ONLY thing that humanizes her. Being a mother implies that she is empathetic, selfless, self-sacrificing, and kind. It’s what makes her “acceptable” as a woman. Otherwise she would just look like a sociopathic serial cheater who was ruthlessly competitive and obsessed with winning.
Themes
I think the real threesome is between the life unlived, control, and power. Tashi tries to control Art and live vicariously through him due to her own career being cut short. She knows she can manipulate him professionally and personally so that she “wins”. On the other hand, Patrick knows he has Tashi in the bag – she cheats with him literally every chance she gets. He loves the chase knows she’s the real villain of this story, and she knows he knows it too.
Love!!!! Well, dysfunctional love. It’s not even really a love triangle; it’s more of an oblong shape. Art loves Tashi (and perhaps also Patrick), Patrick loves the chase (both of Tashi and of a professional tennis career that never quite comes to fruition), and Tashi just straight up loves tennis.
“i can’t believe nobody is talking about the OTHER score. the present day match - each set represented where they ranked for tashi. patrick up 6-2 in the first set / act when they dated, then reversing after her injury, then the third set representing present day where she has utter contempt for both of them for different reasons and she has to weigh her own values relative to what each man represents / will give to her or achieve for her. that was brilliant. the whole movie was brilliant but as a tennis freak i was gagged” Very interesting observation that I would never have made myself as someone who is not a self-proclaimed tennis freak.
“It’s about power, sex, secrets, and winning. Made me think the movie should have been set in the 90s and not 2010s, but I digress.” Agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The costumes would’ve been SO much better. Not enough time has elapsed to make the 2000s and 2010s period pieces. (You already heard me talk about the many continuity lapses in Saltburn, another movie that I thought was totally overhyped. However, I am extremely happy for Sophie Ellis-Bextor of “Murder on the Dancefloor” fame.)
Visuals
I absolutely hated the CGI effects. The flying papers were so lame. Traveling at a fast speed from the perspective of the tennis ball was so disturbing to my equilibrium; I almost needed a Dramamine.
There is incessant product placement – Uniqlo, On sneakers, Wilson, Dasani, Taco Bell, Dunkin, Coke, etc. – but it’s realistic to everyday life. Product placement has been around forever, but people notice [and complain about] it more now because the role that products play in our lives has evolved. They ARE everywhere and we ARE constantly consuming them.
Music
People said the music was too loud at parts. I was wearing ear plugs LOL. For the most part, I loved the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross! The techno intensity was very cool, but the scenes with the kids’ choir immediately killed the buzz for me.
I did love the 2000 songs featured at length: “Hot in Here” by Nelly and “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” by Blu Cantrell. (I hope she got a check for that. I actually think about her every so often and wonder how she’s doing.)
Fashion
Who cares about the Jonathan Anderson/Loewe fits – was not at all wowed by the outfitting – when Tashi wore those Chanel flats in 2019????? Now THAT was a perfect costuming choice! I was also extremely excited to see a striped rugby polo, pageboy hat, and chain belt in the 2000s flashbacks.
Overall, I’ll give it a 3/5. Wouldn’t recommend or not recommend. I’m glad that I went to the matinee and the ticket was $10. Did you see it? What’d you think? I’m actually more excited to see I Saw The TV Glow in theaters soon.
📲 I’m just a simple girl in a high-tech digital world
My fav things from the internet rn:
I generally find brands very cringe on social media, however, an Instagram post from Friendly’s came up on my feed recently, and I was absolutely delighted! Although I thought most of their food was disgusting, I was obsessed with the salad with chicken and different colored tortilla strips. (Seemed like a groundbreaking concept at the time.) It wasn’t until I had Kate Steinberg on Nicstalgia that I realized the Americana diner chain – which is more Norman Rockwell painting meets S Club 7 Back to the 50s TV special, less Lana Del Rey at Waffle House – is a New England (now Northeast/East Coast) thing. Every suburban town has a chain restaurant where all the band and theater kids go after concerts – Denny’s for straight-edge kids, if you will. Cone Head® + Monster Mash® 4eva!!!!!
Ahhhh, summertime is almost here. Time to break out the Lily Pulitzer dresses. Do you know Lily Pulitzer – the woman behind the brand’s – story? It's quite fascinating. “Because she was born into wealth, she had the luxury of being eccentric...She was incredibly liberal and progressive, and I think she struggled fitting into [old money society].” Lily was in a psych ward, for what would likely be recognized now as postpartum depression, and the doctor was like “There’s nothing wrong with you; you just need something to do.” So she opened a juice stand, and while she was squeezing oranges, she came up for the idea of a dress that would 1. hide juice stains 2. be thick enough to go commando in. This woman loved cocktails and not wearing underwear!!!!! She also had a pet monkey. It’s so offbeat and fabulous that her surname is now associated with her clothing brand even more so than the prestigious literary award.
You already know that anything with a Gen X Ensemble Cast is my ultimate comfort watch. While some of them are technically Baby Boomers, I’m a sucker for literally anything that has to do with The Brat Pack. Luckily for me, there is a new Andrew McCarthy-produced documentary coming out next month. He goes to their [extremely nice] houses and catches up with them. Funny how everyone is so resistant to labels, when the association with an “it” group is exactly what made them rich and famous. I will be seated with popcorn for this!!!!
I am so intrigued by this video re: Nigel Thornberry. Why is it somehow true???? I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation.
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I love movies and I love Luca's work usually, but-- yeah, couldn't agree with you more on Challengers. I think you're onto something about it being mainstream. CMBYN escaped that fate by being a festival darling for a year first. I also don't mind Zendaya in general but I think she was miscast in this.
Thank you so much for having me on and making noise! My edition this afternoon is about I Saw the TV Glow!!!