Top Picks: 'Merle Haggard 20 Greatest Hits,' the movie 'Son of Saul,' and more
The documentary 'Everything Is Copy' explores the life of Nora Ephron and the principles that guided her writing, the app Flyover Country tells you more about your airplane voyage, and more top picks.
HBO
Celebrating Merle Haggard
If you’re not all that familiar with the late boundary-pushing country singer/songwriter, then the best place to start might be with the Merle Haggard 20 Greatest Hits collection from his longtime label, Capitol Records. Among the remastered country chart-toppers are “Mama Tried,” “Sing Me Back Home,” “Okie from Muskogee,” “Silver Wings,” “Workin’ Man Blues,” and the touching “Today I Started Loving You Again.” They’re moving and memorable songs that transcend genre.
The life of Nora Ephron
If you’re a writer, how much of your life, if any, do you use in your work and how much do you keep to yourself? Writer Nora Ephron’s son Jacob Bernstein explores this question in his documentary Everything Is Copy, which details the life of his mother and how she based some of her work on her own experiences. “Copy” is available for streaming on HBO Now and HBO Go. Like some of Ephron’s romantic comedies, this one is meant for adult viewers.
The landscape below
What’s outside the window of the airplane in which you’re flying? The new app Flyover Country tells you what you’re soaring over and shares details of landmarks and natural sights. It uses off-line maps and other information, so no need to buy in-flight Wi-Fi or break any rules if you download flight data beforehand. Flyover Country is available free of charge for iOS and Android.
Harrowing drama
The Holocaust drama Son of Saul stars Géza Röhrig as a prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau who believes he sees his son. No movie on this subject can fail to move us, and this one has its share of powerful sequences. “Saul” is available on DVD and Blu-ray April 26.
Your lists, their lists
The List App, which was co-created by actor B.J. Novak, sounds like a simple concept: You can make a list. But the format is fun, with users also able to check out what their friends are thinking about. For some, the celebrity users are the biggest draw, with chef Anthony Bourdain, for example, posting a list of some favorite food from around the world and actress Lena Dunham musing about historical figures she’d like to play. The app is available free of charge for iOS.