Welcome to HNGN's weekly top picks, where we cull the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, beauty, tech, and pop culture. Come back each week for more of-the-moment goodness.
MUSIC
By Michael Lello
D'Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah (RCA)
D'Angelo has released his first studio album in nearly 15 years in the form of "Black Messiah," the long-awaited follow-up to 2000's "Voodoo." Roots drummer Questlove, who played on the new album, has compared "Black Messiah" to classics like The Beach Boys' "Smile," Miles Davis' "On The Corner" and Marvin Gaye's "There's A Riot Goin' On." Hear for yourself below by listening to album track "Really Love":
Cracker: Berkley to Bakersfield (429 Records)
An Olympian joins the armed forces during World War II, survives a plane crash and survives at sea on a raft for 47 days before being captured by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. This film is based on the real life of Louis Zamperini and marks Angelina Jolie's third directorial effort.
Watch the trailer HERE.
Into the Woods (Walt Disney)
This musical adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale tells the story of a baker and his wife who must retrieve items to overturn a curse put on their family line. Rob Marshall directs Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Johnny Depp as the Wolf and Meryl Streep as the Witch.
Watch the trailer HERE.
The Gambler (Paramount Pictures)
Mark Wahlberg stars as Jim Bennett, an English professor and a high-stakes gambler who finds himself in debt to his mother and a loan shark. The stakes rise when Bennett offers his life as collateral to the loan shark, whom he pits against the leader of a gambling ring in one last effort to come out on top.
Watch the trailer HERE.
Selma (Paramount Pictures)
This film follows the true story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, a dangerous journey that ultimately led to President Lyndon Johnson passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Watch the trailer HERE.
(Editing by Michael Lello. Want to be considered for Coveted? Send your product information, with photos, to m.bullerdick@hngn.com or send product samples to Michael Q. Bullerdick HNGN/33 Universal, 33 Whitehall Street - 7th Floor, New York, NY 10004.)
