Roundup Review | Top streaming recommendations for Nov. 1
Features and entertainment writer Josh Mandell breaks down his top music, TV and movie picks for the week: “The Shapes I’m In,” “Freakin’ out on the Interstate,” “The Social Network” and “The Last Dance.” Photo collage by ANGELINA HICKS, editor-in-chief
“The Shapes I’m In” | Stephen Day
It gives me great honor to write about this album and potentially bring it into your life. I wish I could say I discovered this, but my friends with much better music taste than mine introduced this project to me. This album comes with some of my highest recommendations.
I would describe this album as smooth and lovely with a little bit of rock. It starts with my favorite song by Stephen Day — “On Top of The World” — and from here, the whole album doesn’t skip a beat. “On Top of The World” makes you feel exactly what the title implies. It gives main character energy and is soothing to your ears when you need a pick me up.
This album is short and sweet. It has 10 songs coming in at just 34 minutes in length, but don’t let that deter you. Each song is unique in its own way and has beautiful stories, lyrics and sounds. If you don’t want to listen to the whole album, I recommend: “All This Space” and “My Golden Angel.”
Day has lots of other music, and I would suggest giving his discography a listen. I really hope you enjoy this album as it has gotten me through some really hard times and is very close to my heart.
“Freakin’ out on the Interstate” | Briston Maroney
I can probably listen to this song on a loop about 10 times. It is so unique, and I feel like I have not heard much like it. A friend randomly played this song one day, and I was shocked. It was just so good.
I haven’t listened to any of Briston Maroney’s other music yet, but this song just makes you really feel like you are driving at 2 a.m. with your windows down. It’s alternative, but it makes you feel like you’re floating.
The lyrics are deceivingly deep and has many lines which make you really reflect on life, including “Fear is just a part of love / and the one thing I’ve found / is love is what you deserve.” It makes me feel better and I hope you will give it a listen too.
“The Social Network”
This 2010 movie was written by arguably the best writer of all time and my favorite writer, Aaron Sorkin. He is a genius and has written many sensational movies.
"The Social Network" is about Mark Zuckerberg's journey to the creation of Facebook, but it is told in the most incredible form of storytelling I have ever seen. It explores the lawsuit between Zuckerburg and his partner Eduardo Saverin, interwoven with flashbacks to their time at Harvard University. The story is told from the future while the lawsuit is taking place, but incorporates the past in a flawless way.
I have probably seen this movie upwards of 10 times, that’s how enjoyable each watch is. Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield deliver absolutely killer performances and the fact that the actors did not win Oscars is beyond me. Between the dialogue and their deliveries, the actors do fantastic jobs.
The film manages to tell a somewhat slow, boring story in a very entertaining way. This movie comes with my highest recommendations and once you watch this, it will quickly leap into your top five favorites as well.
“The Last Dance”
This is a limited series 10-episode documentary that you can binge in one sitting. It is about the Chicago Bulls 1997-98 basketball season. If you don’t like basketball, don’t let that stop you from watching it, it's about so much more.
The series focuses on arguably the best basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, and his quest for a sixth NBA Championship. The best basketball player on the best basketball team should have been simple, but like all things, it doesn’t exactly play out that way.
Over the series, you learn about the players on the 1997-98 Bulls team, the management, the opponents they faced and everything they had to endure on their path to success. The way they frame it feels like Jordan vs. Jerry Krause — the general manager of the team— and that very much reigns true.
It is called “The Last Dance” because everyone on the team, from players to staff, all knew this was the last season together before management blew up the team. It is a wonderful watch. Give this a watch and enjoy, because it is a wild ride.