Sony Pictures and TriStar have been developing a biopic feature film with director Stella Meghie based on singer and sometimes-actress Whitney Houston titled “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and have now selected an actress to play the lead role.

Deadline now reveals that “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” actress Naomi Ackie has landed the part of Whitney Houston.

Continue reading Naomi Ackie To Play Iconic Singer Whitney Houston In Biopic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ at The Playlist.

Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage, and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This weekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching. 

It’s another light week on the new release front, but no worries: we’ve got a recent (and lovely) rom-com and a vintage slab of Ozploitation on the streamers, and a trio of forgotten but worthwhile catalogue titles making their Blu-ray debuts.

Continue reading The 5 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘The Weekend,’ ‘Turkey Shoot,’ & More at The Playlist.

Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage, and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This weekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching. 

The 90-ish day theatrical-to-home video window means that two of the last major releases before The Dark Time are finally arriving on disc this week (previously only available as PVOD), and both are at least worth a look.

Continue reading The 7 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Birds Of Prey,’ ‘The Photograph’ & More at The Playlist.

Movie theaters in the two top markets in the country, New York and Los Angeles, are effectively closed and tens of millions of people are staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Looking to minimize the economic impact and give moviegoers more options, Comcast and Universal Studios announced today that a number of films currently in theaters including “The Invisible Man,” “Emma” and “The Hunt” will be available for rental online beginning this Friday, March 20.

Continue reading ‘Invisible Man,’ ‘Emma’ & ‘Trolls: World Tour’ Coming To Digital & VOD Fast at The Playlist.

Six months ago, the idea that “Sonic the Hedgehog” would have not only scored decent reviews but also would go on to have the biggest box office debut ever for a video game adaptation would have been laughable. But yet, here we are, halfway through February, and the blue hedgehog has shocked the world, in more ways than one.

Debuting in the #1 spot this President’s Day weekend, “Sonic the Hedgehog” not only turned in a record-breaking three-day total of $58 million at the box office but actually earned a shocking $70 million after the extended four-day holiday frame.

Continue reading ‘Sonic’ Speeds Past Records With $70M Weekend & ‘Parasite’ Gets A Generous Post-Oscars Box Office Bump at The Playlist.

The 2020 Sundance Film Festival has come to a close, the upcoming Oscars are either going to leave us uniformly happy (if “Parasite” wins and makes history) or enrage us (please, no surprise “Joker” Best Picture win), and then we’ll have a mild break before the Berlin Film Festival and SXSW adds to our “must-see” lists. It’s nice to take the very brief down period amidst the Oscar buzz and such to either play catch up or to see films that might not normally be on your immediate list—especially in a month like February, where there are more than usual offerings for films directed by women, ones that range the spectrum from superhero fare to romance and thrillers. 

Continue reading 9 Films To Watch In February: ‘Birds Of Prey,’ ‘Portrait Of A Lady,’ ‘Invisible Man’ & More at The Playlist.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to take your special someone to the theater to catch a flick. And this year, that’s no different, as Hollywood studios are pushing out quite a few films that should catch your interest. However, with options like “Sonic the Hedgehog” and Blumhouse’s “Fantasy Island,” if you want to have a bit of romance on the special day, then really you better buy your ticket for “The Photograph.”

READ MORE: 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2020

As seen in the new trailer for the romantic drama, “The Photograph” is poised to be a pretty decent film to enjoy with your partner.

Continue reading ‘The Photograph’ Trailer: Lakeith Stanfield & Issa Rae Hope To Spice Up The Big Screen On Valentine’s Day at The Playlist.

Without a doubt, Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae are two of the best up-and-coming actors in Hollywood. Actually, after hit films and critically-acclaimed TV shows for each of the actors, it’s almost wrong to call them “up-and-coming.” They’re here and they’re incredible. And in “The Photograph,” their acting talent combines in what is aiming to be your Valentine’s Day 2020 date night.

As seen in the new trailer for the film, “The Photograph” follows the story of a young woman (Rae) that hopes to learn more about her past through the letters and photos taken by her late mother.

Continue reading ‘The Photograph’ Trailer: Lakeith Stanfield & Issa Rae Combine For Your Valentine’s Day 2020 Date Flick at The Playlist.