Roundup Review | Top streaming recommendations for Feb. 6

Features and entertainment writer Josh Mandell breaks down his top music, TV and movie picks for the week: “Malibu Nights,” “Starting Line,” “Wildcat” and “The Last of Us.” Photo collage by ANGELINA HICKS, editor-in-chief

“Malibu Nights” |  LANY

This is a short, nine song, 30-minute album of pure bliss and wonderfulness, except for the fact of course that it’s a break up album and actually very sad. LANY is the band behind this brilliant project, and I strongly suggest listening to it, because even though it is very somber, it is truly a pleasure to listen to. 

The album was produced in just 50 days and was released in 2018. The lead singer, Paul Jason Klein, wrote the album after his breakup with Dua Lipa… So the very obvious rumor is that the album is about her. 

It is impossible for me to pick a favorite for this album, because they are all very good. It’s only 30 minutes, so I recommend everyone listen from start to finish. The album is clearly about Paul grappling with the end of the relationship and reflecting on all the downfalls. 

The most meaningful song to me is “I Don’t Wanna Love You Anymore.” It is about Paul having trouble understanding the breakup. With lyrics like  “Sick of staring up at the ceiling / How’d you change your mind just like that? / The only way to get past this feeling / Is to tell myself you’re not coming back,” it is so clear what heartbreaking feelings he is talking about.

The main reason I love this album so much is because it is unlike any breakup album I have ever heard before. It is not a “look how much better I am without you” album. It is full of real and raw emotion. 

The album feels like a story from start to finish, being unsure of what to do with yourself and the stages of grief you go through as time progresses. It goes from wanting the other person back and missing them, to trying and struggling to get over them and then just being sad as it’s over.

This is a beautiful and very vulnerable album, and it is an absolutely wonderful listen.   

“Starting Line” | Luke Hemmings 

Yes, this is the Luke Hemmings from 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS). Yes, 5SOS is still amazing. “Starting Line” is the intro song from Luke Hemming’s first solo project away from 5SOS, and it’s delightful. While the album was released in June 2021, this song has remained timeless for me. The takeaway I get from this song is about feeling like you are behind in life and about the anxieties that come with it. 

“I feel the walls are closing, I’m running out of time / I think I missed the gun at the starting line” are some of the lyrics that really confirm that meaning for me. I have often felt like I’ve been falling behind and that time is moving super fast, so this song has really helped clear some of my anxieties that come with that feeling. 

I often find myself attracted to media with existential themes, and I feel like this song could be in that category. The song explores the concept of time, how little of it we have, and the idea that it is constantly slipping away.

Luke Hemmings talked about the song in an interview with ABC and said, “You’re reflecting on your youth and all of the madness and craziness… A lot of the album deals with the idea that time is slipping away from you.”

I feel as if this song is unique because most songs don’t have super deep and thoughtful meanings to them, whereas this song does. The upbeat tone definitely doesn’t match the lyrics, but it’s a fun song and worth a listen.

“Wildcat”

This is by far the best thing I have watched in years. I was crying throughout the entire film and I would put myself back through the trauma to watch it again for the first time. 

The film, which was released in Dec. 2022, is about a young military veteran with PTSD and depression who is trying to reintroduce a wild ocelot — a medium-sized spotted wild cat — back into the jungles of Peru. This is an hour and 45 minute documentary that can be found on Amazon Prime, so please go find it. 

We follow a man named Harry, the military veteran, who works in the jungles of Peru with another woman named Sam. They get a baby ocelot who lost its mother and take on the never-before-done task of raising a predator and teaching it to be wild. Harry must spend 18 months with the ocelot before he can release it into the wild, but the film is all about Harry teaching this wild cat how to be a wild cat. 

The film talks about their struggles with the animal, Harry and Sam’s relationship and Harry’s past and his battle with depression. It is an absolutely beautiful documentary, and while it may have some potentially  triggering and traumatizing moments, it is worth the watch. 

“The Last of Us”

This show is every video game player’s dream come true. The perfect adaptation. I played both the first and second “The Last of Us” video game, and I couldn’t be happier than I am with this show… so far. The first three episodes are perfect. Episode three had some slight deviation from the game, but very obviously for the better. Sorry, no spoilers.  

Pedro Pascal plays Joel and Bella Ramsey plays Ellie, in quite possibly the most perfect pairing for the two possible. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with the infected, zombie-like humans that have been driven mad due to an infectious fungus. 

The creators are staying very true to the story and are honoring practically everything: Joel and Ellie’s relationship, the infected and the overall story. 

At the end of every episode the creator talks about the episode and what was different and challenging. It is truly brilliant. Their philosophy was essentially to stay true to the game unless they can make it better. Luckily, the creator of the video game is working closely with the creator of the show. 

I really want to talk about episode three, but to avoid spoilers, all I’ll say is that it is the best episode of television I have seen possibly ever. 

The show is just barely in its infancy so far, but it is quickly becoming the next big thing before our eyes. Start the show before it gets spoiled for you, because I think this show has the potential to be the best zombie show ever created.