Welcome to HNGN's biweekly top picks, where we gather the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, beauty, tech and pop culture. Come back every other week for more of-the-moment goodness. - Edited by Michael Lello.
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MUSIC
By Michael Lello
Coldplay: A Head Full Of Dreams (Parlaphone/Atlantic)
Anthemic and emotional British rockers Coldplay have said that "A Head Full Of Dreams," the Chris Martin-fronted group's seventh studio album, will offer a sharp contrast from its predecessor, 2014's "Ghost Stories" thanks to a brighter, more uplifting sound. That's clear as day in the jubilant lead single, "Adventure Of A Lifetime," which borrows equally from African music and the dancefloor – and bears practically no resemblance to the band's more downcast early work. Hear for yourself below in the song's official video, which stars CGI gorillas.
Rihanna Anti: a tour announced last week
Check out the video for "American Oxygen" below.
Bruce Springsteen: The Ties That Bind - The River Collection (Columbia)
In 1980, Bruce Springsteen released "The River," a transitional album featuring songs like the buoyant "Hungry Heart" alongside the brooding title track, an album that in recent years he called "a gateway to a lot of my future writing." Thirty-five years later, "The River" gets another look thanks to "The Ties That Bind," an expansive box set boasting 52 tracks, including a treasure trove of previously unreleased material. And that's just the audio; the DVD/Blu-ray component includes a new hour-long documentary about the making of the album, the 24-song, 2-hour-40-minute Nov. 5, 1980 concert at Arizona State University and 20 minutes of tour rehearsals.
Check out the trailer for the box set below:
MOVIES
By Cal Setar
Creed (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Rocky Balboa is back. Almost four decades removed from finding himself the underdog in the biggest fight of his boxing life against then-World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed, Balboa returns to the ring – only this time, he isn't the one ducking jabs as he circles his opponent. Instead, Balboa serves as trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of Balboa's late friend, Creed, and a man, like Balboa before him, searching for the fight of his life.
The Good Dinosaur (Disney-Pixar)
What if the asteroid that struck the planet millions of years ago and wiped the dinosaurs from the face of the Earth forever never passed through our universe? And what if man and dinosaur shared a world that we've only ever known as our own? Through the trials and travails of unlikely friends, Arlo the Apatosaurus and a young human boy, the answer to these questions are sought.
Krampus (Legendary)
Comedy, fantasy and horror collide in this contemporary take on the classic children's tale of the Christmas demon Krampus. Max's family dysfunction isn't new, but this year, he's had enough, just the same. The annual Christmas gathering is rife with the same sour candy canes and heated disputes as always, and Max, tired of the act, does his best to quash his own festive spirit in response. Only Max's sudden disdain for the holidays unleashes an evil of nearly unimaginable proportions, forcing him and his family to fight together as they struggle to survive.
Chi-Raq (Amazon Studios)
In Chicago's Southside, an ancient Greek play unfolds. Lysistrata – the titular character of a play written by Grecian playwright Aristophanes – and a group of women organize against the gang violence that permeates their city and their neighborhood after a child, struck by a stray bullet, dies. Together, the women create a movement that challenges what Chicago and the nation think they know about race, violence and sex.
PETS AND PET LOVERS
By Kimberly M. Aquilina
Ecotrition Snak Shak Edible Small Animal Activity Log ($8.29-11.99)
Kensington's MP230L mouse is available now with a simple and comfortable design. The device is built to work on multiple surfaces and has a 2.4GHz wireless USB connection to provide more mobility. There are two buttons on the sides for extra navigation options. Plug & Play installation is also available for fast clicking, and the track-on-glass laser comes with a 1600 DPI high-definition sensor to provide the best control. You can get the MP230L Performance Mouse, which works with both Windows and Mac computers, at Amazon for $37.
