Top Picks: The 'Black Panther' soundtrack, the NBC program 'Rise,' and more

New York’s Museum of Modern Art has created a YouTube series, 'How To See,' that features museum curators and sometimes the artists themselves delving into the work, Monitor movie critic Peter Rainer’s pick for best film of the year, 'The Florida Project,' is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and more top picks.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

March 9, 2018

Sounds of ‘Panther’

The strides taken in racial representation in Black Panther have made the film a cultural phenomenon, and the soundtrack, produced by rapper Kendrick Lamar, honors this legacy. The album tackles themes of power and authority; its pared-down beats provide a foundation for Lamar’s dizzying lyrical gymnastics. Joining him is a mix of celebrated artists, such as SZA and The Weeknd, and relative rookies, all of whom bring the spirit of Wakanda straight to your earbuds.

Seeing art

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Intimidated by the process of learning about the art at New York’s Museum of Modern Art? MoMA has created a YouTube series, How To See, that features museum curators and sometimes the artists themselves delving into the work. In one recent episode, artist Stephen Shore guides viewers through some of his images and how they were created. Check out the series at http://bit.ly/howtosee.

Rise to the top

NBC adapts the true story of a Pennsylvania teacher who transformed a high school drama program and its participants’ lives in the new program Rise, which premières March 13. Actor Josh Radnor and Auli’i Cravalho (“Moana”) star. 

AP

Sharing adventures

Whether you’re skiing or doing other activities such as cycling or running, the Mountain Hub Adventure Sharing app helps you keep track of how far you’ve gone and lets you check out other adventurers’ tips or warnings about the area. The app is free for iOS and Android.  

In the race to attract students, historically Black colleges sprint out front

AP

Remarkable ‘Florida’

Monitor movie critic Peter Rainer’s pick for best film of the year, The Florida Project, is available on DVD and Blu-ray. The film stars Brooklynn Kimberly Prince as Moonee, a young girl growing up in a motel near Disney World in Florida. Rainer writes that the movie is “astonishingly fine” and that Willem Dafoe, as the motel’s manager, gives “a masterly, fully lived-in performance.”