GRAPHIC: Graphic shows browser windows with different media selected for June 2019's edition of "Alyssa Curates the Internet." Images courtesy of respective media companies and the creative commons. Graphic by The Signal Online Editor Alyssa Shotwell. — Each browser window shows different media selected for this edition of "Alyssa Curates the Internet." This blog includes a curated list of interesting music, movies, must reads, and internet finds. Images courtesy of respective media companies and the creative commons. Graphic by The Signal Online Editor Alyssa Shotwell.

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BLOG: Rebelling with ‘Booksmart,’ ‘Barry’ and ‘The Bach Project’

By Alyssa Shotwell, Online Editor Last updated Sep 6, 2019 237 0

Here are some things across the internet that I found or recently rediscovered that are really freaking cool and interesting.

GRAPHIC: The "Indestructible" album cover features a porcelain white rose with gold accents centered over over an ornate gold circle. The gold text reads "Flor De Toloache" and "Indestructible" over an all black background. Graphic courtesy of artist Billie Elis. — Though there is no set number of women that are part of Flor De Toloache, they preform with at least four members and always with founders Mireya Ramos and Shae Fiol. Graphic courtesy of artist Billie Elis.

Music: “Indestructible” by Flor De Toloache – The Latin Grammy award winning all-female Mariachi group, Flor De Toloache, released their third album at the end of May. There are so many bops on this album, but my favorite tracks are the single “Besos De Mezcal,” “No Sigas” (a cover of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak”) and “Toloache.” If you, like me, listen to music mostly in English, you will be excited to hear that John Legend and Miguel both lend their voices in tracks on “Indestructible.”

“Old Town Road” remix with Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus with Tyrone Wilkins Jr. on fiddle – By now everyone and their mom has heard “Old Town Road” from memes, “Red Dead Redemption 2” or on the radio, but Tyrone Wilkins Jr. fiddle fire takes the cake. Wilkins plays fiddle over the remix and adds his own layer to the already popular songs.

His violin covers span across genres like R&B, Hip Hop and Pop from Outkast to Maroon 5. Wilkins has several tracks of his EP “Love Language” free on YouTube as well.

Must Watch:

“Outlander” – This Starz drama I have watched several times, but I am falling in love with it again as I have introduced it to another friend. This show follows a WW2 combat medic, Claire, who is transported to the 1700s Scotland a few years before the rebellion that would solidify its colonization under U.K. sovereignty. It almost feels like Scotland is a fictional world mirroring our own early history because not much has been portrayed accurately on screen. The first two seasons are on Netflix right now.

GRAPHIC: The film poster has the text " Getting Straight A's. Giving Zero F's." resting right above the larger text reading "booksmart." The background features both main characters played by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. Graphic courtesy of United Artists Releasing. — “Booksmart” has stellar casting, an amazing soundtrack and an all female writers room. Women writing real women characters and not archetypes made for an interesting ride along to the girls wild night. The film also had behind-the-scenes talent like Olivia Munn directing and both Will Ferrell and Adam McKay as executive producers. Graphic courtesy of United Artists Releasing.

“Booksmart” – This is possibly one of the best coming-of-age stories set in high school ever. A+ students Amy and Molly that following a strict regime to get into their dream college may not have been needed as the “slacker” students got into the same schools. Their plan is to have all of the “high school experiences” they missed in one night – and what a night it was. This movie has left most theaters, but is worth renting once it becomes available. Annapurna Pictures released the first six minutes on YouTube.

“Barry” – Going into “Barry” all I knew was that it starred Bill Hader, Henry Winkler and had several accolades. This story follows a vet turned assassin for hire that stumbles into an acting class and kind of likes it. Something that is so engaging about this dark comedy is it has influences like “Dexter” and “Breaking Bad,” but is funny and a more tight story with a run time of 30 minutes. If you still have HBO this is a must watch and if you don’t, it is worth another month-long subscription cost.

Must Reads:

“Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin – Until HBO releases the “Game of Thrones” prequels, there is no new content to watch, so this is the perfect time to read the books. I finished the first one and it was fantastic. The first season follows the book really closely, but there are lots of characters not portrayed in the first season that add to the rich world building. It is not as complicated as some other adult fantasy books and having references to the show makes the book’s large character roster more enjoyable. By the time you get through the five book, there might be another book out .. hopefully.. maybe..

“If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi” by Neel Patel – This book is 11 complicated short stories from the perspective of mostly first generation Indian Americans. Not complicated as in hard to read, but more like family drama complications. The kind you love to read, but loathe to be connected with, especially during the holidays. This is a must read for anyone, but as college students with expectations thrust upon us, we can find solace in knowing we have a lot of the same fears and anxieties about success and wanting to be loved with, even when the lives at first seem different from our own.

More Ya Know:

PHOTO: Photo reads " HALLELUJAH" next to dancers Guillaume Paquin and Arthur Morel Van Hyfte dancing in the front of the church. Photo couresty of Mathew Richardson — The former Cirque Du Soleil performer and director, Mathew Richardson , created this as a “response to anyone who uses their beliefs as a weapon. It’s meant to be a gentle reminder that no matter what we believe in, we can still choose kindness towards those we don’t understand.” Screenshot of video by Mathew Richardson.

“‘Hallelujah’ – A Circus/Queer Film” – Fun fact about me, I love listening to covers of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” I love over analyzing it and also just experiencing it. Filmed and choreographed by Mathew Richardson, this artistic interpretation is the latest moment of being awed by how someone used this song. This performance features two men dancing in the Church St. Pierre Apôtre in Montreal, Quebec. Dancers Guillaume Paquin’s and Arthur Morel Van Hyfte’s movements are so emotive and appears almost effortless. The simple clothing and human movement contrast so beautifully against the backdrop of the cathedral and there are moments in the performance that recreate famous compositions of Catholic art.

“The Bach Project” in Texas – Internationally recognized cellist Yo-Yo Ma bridges cultures together to explore boundaries through the power of music and performance. This project will change forms over the next two years, with one aspect has him playing at the U.S. Mexico border at Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico as part of the Day of Action. Like food, music is found every culture in the world and this is a special event to celebrate people.

NASA Sound and Music library – When thinking about space and music, I used to think about the theme to “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but that association has since expanded. I stumbled across a page on the NASA website that features links to their Soundcloud and their rock-alternative station Third Rock Radio as well as downloadable sound library. The audio library includes tons of free sounds that you can set as your phone alerts or use for a video project. If you like space puns and alternative rock, Third Rock Radio will replace any station you are listening to already.