The rise of Barack Obama from eager, young politician to the first African-American President of the United States feels like it’s from a movie, but that’s probably what makes his story so cinematic. And as he gets ready to leave offie, two movies have already been made about him: “Barry,” which hits Netflix on Friday, and “Southside With You,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Continue reading Contest: Win Barack Obama Pic ‘Southside With You’ On Blu-ray at The Playlist.

Generally speaking, the end of August is seen as a barren box-office wasteland, with studios clearing the deck and getting rid of their worst product. However, the folks at Screen Gems saw this weekend as an opportunity to give their horror flick “Don’t Breathe” some ample room to shine. And that gamble paid off. The movie, which has been generating steady buzz since it premiered at SXSW, was boosted by strong reviews and audiences who were ready to be scared out of their wits.

Continue reading ‘Don’t Breathe’ Scares Up Big Opening Weekend [Box Office] at The Playlist.

“Southside With You” is a low-key romance with one heck of a hook, following a up-and-coming corporate lawyer named Michelle Robinson as she spends one summer day in Chicago in 1989 with one of her firm’s interns: Harvard student Barack Obama. The whole “two people walk around a city and fall in love” plot has been done — most notably by Richard Linklater with his “Before Sunrise”/“Before Sunset”/“Before Midnight” trilogy — but by making his young lovers into the future President and First Lady of the United States, writer-director Richard Tanne easily clears one of the biggest hurdles facing anyone trying to grab an audience.

Continue reading Barack Obama Romance ‘Southside With You’ Is A Charmer [Review] at The Playlist.

While it’s been, to put it mildly, a dismal summer movie season, there’s always hope for a few last surprises in August, even if the month has long been reputed to be a dumping ground for sub-par product. Even if the political season has you down, the movies can still be a great source for escapism and good times. My pick for Movie of the Month looks to have both in droves.

READ MORE: 12 Films To See In July

“Kubo and the Two Strings” is the latest film from the small, Portland-based animation house Laika, and if the excellent trailers haven’t got you stoked, allow me to pour it on.

Continue reading 11 Films To See In August at The Playlist.

Obviously the biggest event of the summer is The Playlist moving to the shiny new digs in which you’re now seeing us. But seriously, the summer movie months are packed with films both big and small guaranteed to thrill, delight and provoke you, and keep you out of the sunshine, and inside basking in air-conditioned comfort.

The time when big movies were released only in summer has long gone — this year has seen “Deadpool,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” and “The Jungle Book” among those that were smashing box office records while the temperatures were still low and the days still short.

Continue reading The 40 Most Anticipated Movies Of Summer 2016 at The Playlist.

Barack Obama Gets Romantic In First Trailer For 'Southside With You'

Continue reading Barack Obama Gets Romantic In First Trailer For ‘Southside With You’ at The Playlist.