Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter shine as Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson on their first date in this ultra sweet, enjoyable account of when the future President and First Lady got together for a day and eventually went to see Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing.

Writer-director Richard Tanne, above all things, does a great job of capturing the spirit of the late eighties with his period piece, placing the two icons in a very believable, low key environment.

Sawyers (a dead ringer for Obama) and Sumpter capture the spirit of the couple without exaggerating any of their characteristics. It’s a blast watching a young Robinson, who was actually Obama’s mentor and advisor at a law firm he worked for that summer, keeping a persistent Obama in check with his romantic pursuits. It’s also funny to see the future president lighting up many cigarettes during the course of the movie, including his very first scene.

Tanne’s approach to the subject matter is beautifully understated, allowing for his performers to show us a couple of real people getting to know each other slowly. We all know how things turn out for the couple, but it’s fun to see them starting in Obama’s crappy, smoke stained jalopy with an unimpressed Michelle in the passenger’s seat.

By the end of the movie, he’s managed to impress her on a level that just might lead to a second date.

August 28, 2016 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo.

On this week's edition of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Former state lawmaker Jonathan Paton and Pima County Democratic Party Latino Caucus Chair Vince Rabago join me to talk about Tuesday's upcoming primary election. We discuss the crowded Republican primary in Congressional District 1, the showdown between Matt Heinz and Victoria Steele in in the Congressional District 2 Democratic primary, the GOP primary in the Corporation Commission races, the race between Pia County Attorney Barbara LaWall and her challenger, Joel Feinman, in the Democratic primary; the race between Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller and her challenger, John Winchester, in the GOP primary; and the three-way race between Steve Christy, Marla Closen and John Backer in the GOP primary in the District 4 race for the seat now held by the retiring Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll. We also dig into the latest on the lawsuit filed by the Goldwater Institute against Pima County regarding World View Enterprises and the recent expansion of the Arizona Supreme Court.

Tune into Zona Politics at 8 a.m. Sunday on the CW Tucson, Channel 8 on Cox and Comcast and Channel 58 on DirecTV, Dish and broadcast. You can also hear the show at 5 p.m. on KXCI Community Radio, 91.3 FM. Or you can watch the show online right here.

Here's a rush transcript of the show:

(Jim Nintzel) Hello, everyone. I'm Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel, and we're here to talk Zona Politics. The political herd will be winnowed with the primary election on Tuesday, August 30. Joining me to talk about some of the top races, former state lawmaker Jonathan Paton. Thanks for coming down from Phoenix, Jonathan.

(Jonathan Paton) Thank you.

(Nintzel) and Pima County Democratic Party Latino Caucus chairman Vince Rabago. Gentlemen, welcome to Zona Politics

(Vince Rabago) Great to be here.

(Nintzel) Let's start off with this Congressional District 1 race. Jonathan, you were the actual Republican nominee in that race four years ago. This year, there are, what, five candidates? Seven candidates on the ballot? Two have already dropped out. You're down to five candidates over there. And it looks like, to me, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu may have the advantage in that, but Gary Kiehne, the rancher who almost won last time, is putting up a pretty good fight. And you've got Wendy Rogers in that race from Phoenix, who also seems to be really taking some punches at Paul Babeu. What's your read on that race?

Feeling the need for a weekend in front of the TV? Here's your weekly look at the most popular movies at Casa Video:

1. The Boss
   

We've gotten word that The Independent Distillery is gearing up for the big release of it's first batch of locally made liquor. 

Donald Northrup, founder and CEO of the bar and distillery, said last night that the release will take place at the cocktail bar and distillery's big anniversary bash next month. There are many other spirits coming in the future as well, all crafted with the place's handmade "grain-to-grass" philosophy. 

The Weekly will have a full story about The Independent Distillery's first year—which has been awash in fine drink and mirth—and its plans for the future in next week's issue. 

Pick of the Week

Meet OSIRIS-REx! The UA Lunar and Planetary Lab is teaming up with NASA to head back out into space. The pretty damn cool science mission, led by Principal Investigator and UA Professor of Planetary Science Dante Lauretta, will spend the next two years chasing down the near-earth asteroid Bennu. Once OSIRIS-REx catches up with Bennu in October 2018, it will start relaying photos and other data back to earth about the makeup of the asteroid. On Independence Day 2020, the robotic spacelab will scoot right on up next to Bennu before reaching out with a robot arm to blast some dust from the surface and catch it with a container. Sometime around March 2021, OSIRIS-REx heads back to earth and in September 2023, the capsule with the asteroid dust pops loose of OSIRIS-REx and lands somewhere in the Utah desert. From there, the science teams will be off to races with their analysis of the sample.

You can learn all about the ORIRIS-REx mission at Summer Science Saturday, a day of panel discussions, talks and exhibits about OSIRIS-REx at the Lunar and Planetary Lab's Kuiper Space Sciences Building, 1629 E. University Blvd. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27.

If that's not enough outer-space adventure, the nearby Flandrau Planetary is reopening the same day with free admission and $3 admission to the new theater programs. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. More info here.

Governor Ducey loves to talk about businesses fleeing states with high business taxes and onerous regulations to come settle in Arizona. It hasn't worked out exactly as planned. Our U-Haul lots aren't overflowing with moving trucks carrying California businesses here, though we've seen a bit of an economic upswing lately. That includes high tech businesses from Silicon Valley setting up outposts or situating in Phoenix. But according to a New York Times article, their primary reasons for moving here aren't our business-friendly taxes and regulations. The more important reason is, Silicon Valley is crowded and expensive, and by comparison, Phoenix is wide open and cheap.

As start-ups across San Francisco and the Silicon Valley try to contend with high salaries and housing costs, many are expanding to lower-cost cities in the West. . . . For Phoenix, which is about a 90-minute flight from San Francisco, the Bay Area’s loss is its gain.

That doesn't mean businesses are deserting Silicon Valley for Phoenix, however. New tech jobs are being added in both places.

At the end of last year in the Bay Area mega-region — including both the San Francisco and San Jose metropolitan areas — there were 530,000 tech and engineering jobs, a 7 percent increase from a year earlier. Phoenix has about one-fifth as many tech jobs, but the total grew 8 percent from a year ago, according to Moody’s Analytics.

According to the Times article, Phoenix is something of a newcomer in tech job growth compared to other areas of the country. When it comes to the percentage increase in tech jobs from 2010 to 2015, Phoenix ranks 14th with an 18.6 percent increase, compared to a whopping 71.6 percent increase in San Francisco, a 28 percent increase in Charlotte, North Carolina, a 27.3 percent increase in Boston, a 27.2 increase in Detroit and a 22 percent increase in Salt Lake City. Phoenix may be adding tech jobs, but not at a breakneck pace.

Lower business taxes may figure into the high tech equation, but the perks in lower costs for businesses and employees rank far higher. An example:

Housing [in Phoenix] is much cheaper [than in Silicon Valley]. The median home price in the Phoenix metropolitan area is $221,000, according to Zillow. In San Francisco, it is $812,000.

For Ms. Rogers and others, that is a far bigger perk than an extra vacation or a raise in California. Instead of renting a rundown house in Redwood City and commuting an hour or more to work, she now lives 10 minutes from the office in a house that is twice the size — with mortgage payments that are half the cost of her California rent.

It helps, of course, that Phoenix built a light-rail system and has revitalized its downtown, making the city a more attractive place for young high tech workers to live. The light rail didn't come cheap, of course. It was built with new taxes, not tax cuts. Some added tax dollars to improve our schools, our roads and other social and infrastructure needs we've left unaddressed would be a stronger draw for new businesses than a few dollars cut from their tax bills.

On Monday, Aug. 22, Judge Catherine Woods heard oral arguments regarding Pima County’s motion to dismiss the suit brought by the Goldwater Institute that challenged the legality of the World View Enterprises deal. Pima County was represented by attorneys Regina Nassen and Andrew Flagg, while the plaintiffs were represented by attorneys Jim Manley and Veronica Thorsen of the Goldwater Institute.

The hearing was to decide if the case should be dismissed or proceed. Both Ms. Nassen and Mr. Manley had submitted briefings to the court which were reviewed by Judge Woods in advance. The arguments were presented in open court on Monday by both sides, giving the judge an opportunity to ask questions. Nassen presented first, then Manley, then a rebuttal by Nassen.

Nassen spent most of the time arguing as if the case was in the trial phase instead of arguing in favor of dismissal. She argued specific interpretations of statutes, terms, and standing. When arguing for dismissal, those sorts of things asserted by the plaintiff are assumed to be true so that the focus of the hearing can be narrowed to whether or not there is a case to be made. When Manley spoke, his first statement was to make that point. He then went on to address the arguments made by Nassen. 

You know the drill: Enter below to win tickets to see the Diamondbacks vs. Reds game on Friday, Aug. 26 at 6:40 p.m. We'll contact the winner midday Thursday and they'll have to pick the tickets up from our office either Thursday or Friday before 5 p.m.

Good luck!

Southern Arizona doesn’t offer that prototypical American autumn (duh). Our fall is more “monsoon-fed-weeds-taking-over-our-yards” than “trees-changing-color-all-around-us.” And more, “Gee, it’s finally going to be cooler than 100 degrees!” than, “Quick, the kids need new jackets!” Even our back-to-school dates are different from in most other states.

But it’s still apple season. Apples may not be native, but they’re grown locally at Apple Annie’s Orchard (2081 W. Hardy Road) in Wilcox, which is happy to let us Tucsonans in on the harvesting experience—this weekend, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, 28, for the first time this year.

Drop by orchard headquarters and snag a free wagon ride to take you to the trees, where you can pick your own Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Rome Beauty apples. If you’re too pooped to pick, don’t worry—you can still take apples home from a previously harvested apple selection. Oh, and if you don’t like apples (really?!?!), you can pick or select some Asian pears instead.

Come early to enjoy a scrumptious apple-themed all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast (served with hot apple topping or cider syrup) both mornings, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Or if you’re not a morning person, come between 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a lunch of apple-smoked burgers.

Other stuff to buy and enjoy: just-baked homemade “My-Oh-My-Apple-Pies,” baked each day; “apple crumb pie” ice cream, made in an Amish ice-cream freezer; and crafts made by artisans from Around Arizona, for sale from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All this fun will continue on Sept. 3, 4, and 5, and again on Sept. 10 and 11 (with a tractor pull and antique tractor show on the 10th). We’re telling you now so you don’t miss out. Then you can tell your out-of-state acquaintances that around here, despite our unique climate, fall is still “as Arizonan as apple pie.”

If you ask me, anyone who thinks Tucson's culinary successes are unlikely hasn't been paying attention. Well, it seems as though some folks are taking note now.

Today, the New York Times published a  story detailing a bit about our Sonoran cuisine under the headline "Tucson Becomes an Unlikely Food Star." Here's a snippet:  

There are food deserts, those urban neighborhoods where finding healthful food is nearly impossible, and then there is Tucson.

When the rain comes down hard on a hot summer afternoon here, locals start acting like Cindy Lou Who on Christmas morning. They turn their faces to the sky and celebrate with prickly pear margaritas. When you get only 12 inches of rain a year, every drop matters.

Coaxing a vibrant food culture from this land of heat and cactuses an hour’s drive north of the Mexican border seems an exhausting and impossible quest. But it’s never a good idea to underestimate a desert rat. Tucson, it turns out, is a muscular food town.

Eight months ago it became the only place in the United States designated a City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known by its acronym, Unesco.

Read the full piece, then call your friends and figure out which local eatery you're heading to for dinner.