A smarter person than I said that prestige music biopics are superhero movies for boomers, and it’s a fine point. Like the Marvel or DC franchises, they’re marketing a familiar brand to an enthusiastic audience, which eagerly laps up what is, in essence, the same movie countless times over, working from a tightly constructed and unwavering structure. Superhero films give us the establishing iconography, the thrilling midpoint action beat, the plot twists and rising stakes, and the final, flavorless CGI-laden battle sequence.

Continue reading ‘Respect’: Jennifer Hudson Can’t Make This Formulaic Musical Biopic Truly Sing [Review] at The Playlist.

Every year, I have a ton of Top 10s that fly across my desk. Many of our writers love to share their opinions on the greatest films of the past year. And yes, we publish quite a few, even if many of them share the same basic choices. We even share some lists from other publications that we feel are well-thought-out and interesting. But coming in right in the nick of time, former leader of the free world, Barack Obama, has turned in his list of the best TV and Movies of 2019 and shockingly, his might be the most well-rounded of them all.

Continue reading Barack Obama’s Best Films & TV Of 2019 Includes Some Sleeper Picks Like ‘Ash Is Purest White,’ ‘Diane,’ ‘Transit’ & More at The Playlist.

Clapperboards – those black and white things that clack in front of the camera – may seem like just a piece of antiquated kitsch to casual movie fans, but their purpose is to sync the film with separately recorded audio, vitally important to the analog filmmaking process. Case in point is “Amazing Grace,” a concert movie filmed in 1972 that not only features Aretha Franklin, probably the greatest American singer of the twentieth century, but was also directed by the award-winning Sydney Pollack, yet it has never seen the light of day because the film’s crew forgot to use the clapperboard.

Continue reading ‘Amazing Grace’: The Gospel According to Aretha Finally Hits The Screen After Four Decades [Review] at The Playlist.

Aretha Franklin was a musical icon that was on top of the world for decades thanks to her incredible vocal talents. And one of the most revered works she ever produced was the album “Amazing Grace,” which was recorded live in a Baptist church in 1972. And while the whole experience was filmed, the footage was never completed and thus, never released. Until now.

READ MORE: Director Sydney Pollack’s Aretha Franklin Concert Doc ‘Amazing Grace’ Will Finally Be Released 

And as seen in the new trailer for “Amazing Grace,” the film is fairly straightforward.

Continue reading ‘Amazing Grace’ Trailer: One Of Aretha Franklin’s Greatest Recordings Will Finally Be Seen After 47 Years at The Playlist.

This year’s Berlin Film Festival has announced its Berlinale Special and Competition programs and there are some clear highlights worth mentioning, which means that this year’s line-up is one of the more interesting in recent years.

Obviously, the big name showing in Germany this year is Adam McKay’s “Vice.” Though it’s already in the middle of its US theatrical release and deep into Oscar season, the Dick Cheney biopic will premiere out of competition at the festival.

Continue reading ‘Vice,’ ‘Amazing Grace,’ & More Added To 2019 Berlin Film Festival at The Playlist.

It’s been less than 6 months since legendary singer Aretha Franklin passed away. However, later this year, a long-awaited project featuring Franklin will finally see its release, after 46 years of being held up, and just in time for an Oscar campaign.

Variety is reporting that the long-in-development Aretha Franklin concert film, “Amazing Grace,” is finally going to be released to the public, over four decades after the performance wowed audiences.

Continue reading Director Sydney Pollack’s Aretha Franklin Concert Doc ‘Amazing Grace’ Will Finally Be Released Later This Year at The Playlist.

Watch: Trailer For Sydney Pollack's Lost Aretha Franklin Documentary 'Amazing Grace,' Screening At TIFF

Continue reading Watch: Trailer For Sydney Pollack’s Lost Aretha Franklin Documentary ‘Amazing Grace,’ Screening At TIFF at The Playlist.