by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
We all have that feeling. You know the one: you finish watching a movie and something about it hits you in just the right spot. Whether it was the theme, the story, or even the characters, there was a quality about it that almost makes you want to turn around and go back a second, third, or even fourth time!
Bar the reality of living in the movie theater for the rest of your days, you turn to the rest of pop culture and start to look for other avenues where you can find that same feeling.
Well I’m here to make this plight easier for all. Each month, I will take a piece of pop culture that was prevalent in the social consciousness — whether it is a movie, tv show, or something else — and then recommend other forms of media for those who want to stay in that world a little bit longer.
Welcome to your One Stop Pop, internet!
This month we finally saw Lin Manuel Miranda’s original musical on the big screen — In the Heights. Set in one of the outer boroughs of New York, this is a semi-autobiographical story of a young Hispanic man who imagines a better life for himself in his home nation of the Dominican Republic.
Now once you’ve seen this delightful two-plus hour movie musical, it’s possible that there’s a couple of itches that are needing to be scratched. There’s a part of you that wants to keep experiencing certain elements of the movie, and I’m here to help satiate that desire.
So without further ado, lets get started!
TV Show: His Dark Materials
The number one thing to consider here is the unadulterated love for Lin Manuel Miranda that many are still housing to this day. Once you’ve seen and listened to this soundtrack half a million times, and done the same with Hamilton, where do you go?
Well, if it’s just more Miranda you’re wanting, then may I direct you to a truly underrated fantastical series titled, His Dark Materials? Based on the iconic book trilogy of the same name, the show follows Dafne Keen’s Lyra as she realizes her destiny as “The Chosen One” in a world where people’s souls are manifested outside of their bodies in animal form (also known as daemons).
If you’re not already a book lover, you might recognize this story from the unlucky previous attempt at this franchise in the early 2000’s — The Golden Compass. But rest assured that the TV iteration of this story is head and shoulders above it in quality.
So where does Miranda come in, you may ask? Well he plays the very integral and wily character of traveling aeronaut Lee Scoresby, who has been tasked with the quest to help Lyra travel to where she needs to, in order to achieve her goal, as well as protect her at any cost. He’s a fun, dastardly, and unique character who many pinpoint as one of the favorites, both in the books and the show.
This show is a great way to see Miranda doing something completely new and different (with not a musical number in place!) and really have a chance to see his acting chops take front and center. I truly recommend it for any true Miranda stans out there.
If you think you’d like to give it a go, head over to HBO Max and experience the first two seasons with the third season coming soon!
Book: “Never Look Back” by Lilliam Rivera
Now, if what really grabbed you during In the Heights was the sweet love story with a Hispanic cultural backdrop, then Never Look Back is the next step for you.
A #OwnVoices retelling of the seminal Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, the story follows haunted Eury and golden voiced Pheus in an otherworldly Bronx, N.Y. As Eury travels to America to escape horrors she experienced in her home of Puerto Rico, she begins to set her tragic past behind when she meets Pheus and begins to experience true happiness and love for the first time. However, her demons have followed her to this new life, and now the couple must fight against them and prove the strength of their love, or risk losing their lives.
Graceful, tragic, and progressive, this is a story that takes a well known tale and twists it in a modern and powerful way. Both lead characters are fully realized and have something that any reader would be able to grab onto throughout its 320 pages.
Moreover, the beauty of this story is really in how it explores the way in which trauma can truly haunt a person, and how finally finding someone who sees and accepts you — warts and all — can help open the path towards healing. Plus, there’s also some really cool fantastical, and mythological elements that is sure to get your imagination neurons firing.
If this seems like the sort of reading that would hit you in just that right spot, then head over to your nearest library or bookseller and check it out, or pick it up as an e-book on your favourite Kindle!
Music: The Good and the Bad by Anthony Ramos
If instead what caught your eye about In the Heights was the enigmatic main actor, Anthony Ramos, and you just can’t get his magical voice out of your head, then his debut album from 2019 is the ticket for you.
Titled, The Good and the Bad, and along the same lines as In the Heights, this is an autobiographical album that tells Ramos’ story. From his origins in Puerto Rico to big Broadway role in Hamilton, this is the album that follows his trajectory through unfiltered emotion and radical songwriting.
Unique to most artists’ debuts, this album doesn’t only tell the story of Ramos, but also of his whole team — the people who helped get him to where he is today — including voicemail excerpts from his nearest and dearest like his mum. It’s truly a unique experience where you as the listener get to feel what it is to live within the in-betweens of an artist’s heart, as he puts his entire being on the line for possibly millions of people. It’s a truly human story that is told through expertly produced music.
A mini-Miranda in the making, taking the more classical singer/songwriter route rather than musical creator, this album is a great way to see a new edge to the film’s protagonist in a form that only gives the film itself more dimension than you could have ever hoped.
Listen for yourself on your favourite music player such as Spotify or Apple Music.
Youtube Channel: Epic Rap Battles of History
For my final recommendation, if what you’ve been itching for is more rap genius that you can really vibe to, then let me point you to a Youtube channel of musical goodness: Epic Rap Battles of History – or ERB for short.
Whether it’s more obvious match ups, such as Donald Trump v. Joe Biden, fun fictional musings like Goku v. Superman, or totally insane group fights like Eastern Philosophers v. Western Philosophers, I guarantee this channel has something that’ll hit you right in your particular interests. That’s not even an exaggeration! If you can think of it, they’ve probably done it, and they’ve done it with high production value and truly ingenious lyrical rhymes.
If you haven’t heard of them before, ERB is a place where its two key creators, NicePeter and EpicLloyd, pit historical figures against each other in an epic rap battle. Yup, it really is that simple, and while it might have started out as simply historical figures, it’s now pretty much become any major public figure whether they’re real, fictional or even conceptual.
With each video sitting comfortably between a two and six minute runtime, it’s a great way to experience some truly unadulterated fun in a vibrant, dynamic and unexpected way. I have spent many a weekend just binging through all their creations and hoping that my favourite is the one who wins the ultimate battle, as ultimately you (the audience) decide that in the comments.
So if that sounds like a good time to you, then head on over to their Youtube channel now and start your ERB journey.
And there we have it, another — albeit slightly late — series of recommendations for all of you who are wanting to live their hispanic, musical, Lin Manuel Miranda life for a little bit longer. Whether you’re in the mood for a magical read, exciting rap battle, or to listen to some of Anthony Ramos’ dulcet tones, then I’ve got you covered.
This should hopefully keep you occupied for a couple of weeks, upon when I will return with a whole new host of suggestions based on what hit the pop culture stratosphere hardest in July.
Until then, thank you for visiting SiftPop’s One Stop Pop. We hope to see you again soon!
You can follow Alice-Ginevra Micheli on Instagram
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