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Top Picks: The app Aurora, NBC's 'Maya and Marty,' and more

On the Parquet Courts' album 'Human Performance,' the band oozes ironic cool, photographer Richard Nicholson's 'The Projectionists' gives viewers a glimpse into a hidden world, and more top picks.

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HBO
  • By Staff

Bryan Cranston as L.B.J.

Acclaimed actor Bryan Cranston’s Tony-winning performance as President Lyndon B. Johnson comes to the small screen with All the Way,an HBO film based on the play of the same name. The movie depicts important events and figures of Johnson’s presidency such as Martin Luther King Jr. (Anthony Mackie) and J. Edgar Hoover (Stephen Root), but the highlight is Cranston’s impressive performance. The film is streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now. Warning: There’s strong language and adult content.

The people behind the movies

When you go to a movie theater, how often do you consider the person who’s making the movie happen? Photographer Richard Nicholson gives viewers a glimpse into a hidden world with his series The Projectionists, which depicts the people who hold that job and where they do it – an area tucked away from moviegoers. Nicholson’s images show walls papered with movie posters and rooms filled with intriguing equipment. Check them out at bit.ly/projectionistsphotos.

Podcast suggestions

Looking for a new podcast for your commute? The app Aurora will help you find new ones, with editors submitting their top picks. The app also suggests podcasts based on what you’ve listened to in the past. Aurora just may have your new favorite program. It’s available free of charge for iOS.

Variety on NBC

The variety TV genre makes another return with the NBC program Maya and Marty, starring comedians Maya Rudolph and Martin Short. Modern takes on this genre haven’t always succeeded, but the proven talents of Rudolph and Short, both of whom starred on “Saturday Night Live,” inspire confidence. “Maya and Marty” debuts May 31 on NBC at 10 p.m.

Parquet Courts’ ironic cool

It’s hard to resist a band as comfortable in their own quirky skin as Parquet Courts. The Brooklyn indie quartet oozes ironic cool on their new album, Human Performance, as the brave, in-your-face vocals of frontman Andrew Savage suck you into their off-kilter worldview. The spaghetti western guitar of “Berlin Got Blurry” and romantic paranoia of the album’s title song illustrate the band’s newfound depth.

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