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Pop Culture Picks

Here's a look at what Miami Student staffers have been obsessing over recently.

Album: The Internet, "Hive Mind"

Alt-R&B band The Internet, formerly part of popular collective Odd Future (Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, etc.), released their album "Hive Mind" earlier this year, which unfortunately flew under the radar. For anyone looking for a fresh sound from a sometimes stale genre, this may just be what you're looking for. Cloudy and soft instrumentals with relaxing and wonderful vocals from lead singer Syd Bennett fill this grossly under-appreciated thirteen-track album. Matt Martians, Steve Lacy, Patrick Paige II and Christopher Smith provide backing instrumentals and vocals throughout. Highlights include love ballads such as "Come Over" and "Hold On," some of the best songs in the group's discography. Whether you're just looking for new music or are familiar with other Odd Future acts, this album (and their other works, including the Grammy-nominated "Ego Death") is definitely worth a listen. (Omar Elghazawi)

TV: "Maniac"

I was pulled in by the image of Jonah Hill and Emma Stone illuminated by shades of purple and blue on Netflix's homescreen. It looked otherworldly. I went into the 10-episode limited series just hoping it would be something interesting. At face value, the show is about an experiment designed to cure mental illness. Each episode is its own movie, taking place in an alternate reality -- all inside the heads of Hill and Stone's characters. I ended up watching the show in two days because the moment an episode ended, I knew I had to start the next. When the final credits rolled, all I could think about was "Maniac's" provoking take on mental illness, showing how it feels inside the brain rather than what it looks like. It's unlike any other show that tries to tackle the subject. Plus, the soundtrack is phenomenal. (Audrey Davis)

Movie: "A Star Is Born"

In "A Star Is Born," Sam Elliot's character wisely says that music is the same 12 notes repeated between octaves: "It's the same story, told over and over, forever. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those twelve notes." This line is deeply profound when you consider that the 2018 movie is the story's fourth iteration. It's a classic narrative applicable across generations, but written this time with a deeper, more emotional meaning. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are perfect in their roles, offering the rawest performances I've seen in a long time (not to mention their musical abilities). Cooper shows extreme talent as a director, bringing cinematic intellect to a story that may have otherwise been written off as just another sappy musical. I could write an entire review, but it might turn into an analytical thesis on filmmaking, so it's probably best if you just go see it yourself. (Alison Perelman)

TV: "Sabrina the Teenage Witch"

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Netflix's new series, "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," is like the younger, goth cousin of the original sitcom "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" -- all seven seasons of which are now streaming on Amazon Prime. I needed a horror break after bingeing "The Haunting of Hill House" this weekend, so I turned to the original "Sabrina." I'm biased, because I'm nostalgic for watching it after school in 2003, but I truly think the zany sitcom holds up. It's self-aware of how absurdly 1990s its special effects are, the fashion is incredible and the show is genuinely still charming (pun intended). (Kirby Davis)