'Don Jon' Shares Love and Brains

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in his feature-length writing and directorial debut, stars as Jon, a New Jersey bartender who has no trouble bedding ladies but prefers pornography. This disarming film proves Gordon-Levitt’s deftness both behind the camera and in front of a computer screen, writing, and gives Scarlett Johansson a star turn as Jon’s foil Barbara.

The movie starts as a raunch-fest, reveling in crass language and frank discussions about the relative merits of computer-generated ecstasy over the old-fashioned kind. But somewhere along the way, the comedy seamlessly morphs into an incisive satire and, finally, an extremely affecting story about the value of intimacy between two real people — not actors, not avatars.

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Greatness of Romantic Comedy

A SHORT FILM about love by Tan Seng Kiat took the top honours at the recent 7th BMW Shorties 2013 Awards Night.

Tan’s 32°C Fall in Love, a 14-minute romantic comedy, beat 71 other short film submissions to take home the RM75,000 production grant from BMW Group Malaysia as well as the coveted title of BMW Shorties 2013 grand prize winner.

The film revolves around the love of a security guard for a storekeeper. It demonstrates how love can be found in the most bizarre of circumstances as Tan has the story played out during a staged store robbery.

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Wonderful RomComs to Check Out on Netflix

If you’re looking to settle down at home and watch a great romantic comedy on Netflix, you might be surprised to find that the genre is somewhat lacking on the streaming platform. Furthermore, Netflix’s frequently strong genre classification system seems to falter a bit when it comes to romantic comedy, placing films in the category that would often appear more commonly in drama or pure romance. That being said, Netflix does have some great romantic comedies available, even if takes a little more time than usual to find them. To get you started, here are seven great romantic comedies available on Netflix streaming.

1. Manhattan dir. Woody Allen (1979)

Manhattan is arguably director Woody Allen’s masterpiece, deserving of a top spot among other Allen classics like Annie Hall, Broadway Danny Rose, and his other beloved films. Shot in beautiful black and white by cinematography legend Gordon Willis (The Godfather trilogy, All the President’s Men), Manhattan stars Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, and Meryl Streep in a story about a twice-divorced comedy writer dating a 17-year-old girl before falling in love with his best friend’s mistress.

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Must See Asian RomComs

As movie lovers here in the U.S. begin to reflect on the best movies of 2013, fans and critics on the other side of the world are rejoicing over some of their own blockbuster hits. 2013 has been an exciting and innovative year for Asian cinema with the rise of many new stars. While Asian cinema was once considered to be only Chinese kung fu movies and Japanese horror films in the Western imagination, some of the best Asian films of 2013 have been romantic comedies. Asian cinema is certainly rising in popularity in the U.S. 

We are all familiar with famous Asian and Asian American stars Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Maggie Q and Michelle Yeoh who began their careers in Asia and then crossed over to Hollywood. My top picks for the best Asian romantic comedies of 2013 therefore consist of films with young, up-and-coming actors, actresses and directors (including Korean American heartthrob Daniel Henney!). It’s nice to see these celebrities kicking ass in a way that doesn't involve kung fu or martial arts. A couple of these picks have even made it to film festivals in the U.S. and it’s easy to understand why. Not only do they showcase new talent, but they are also successful in portraying themes that we can all relate to, such as love triangles (actually, they’re more like love octagons).

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'Barefoot' Trailer Sets Up New RomCom

The trailer for the new romantic comedy Barefoot starring Evan Rachel Wood and Scott Speedman was released, with Speedman as the black-sheep of a wealthy family, finally finding love in Wood, a psychiatric patient raised in almost total isolation.

According to Yahoo, who premiered the trailer, the storyline follows Jay (Speedman) who begs his wealthy parents to help him out with an increasing gambling debt. He has a chance encounter with Daisy (Wood) who grew up shut away from the world and now resides in a mental institution, with the always brilliant J.K. Simmons as her psychiatrist, Dr. Bertleman. Jay decides to take Daisy with him to his brother’s wedding, with the trailer showing Forces of Nature-like trouble on the way.

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Age Matters in 'Prime Minister and I'

The new KBS 2TV Monday Tuesday drama "Prime Minister and I" is a story of the two main actors, actor Lee Bum Soo and actress and singer of the female group Girls' Generation, Yoona, who have a twenty years of an age gap.

The first episode of the new drama "Prime Minister and I" is to air today, on December 9, 2013. It tells a story of a professional yet stubborn Prime Minister Kwon Yool, played by Lee Bum Soo, and a 20 something woman who is dying to marry him named Nam Da Jung, played by Yoona. Prime Minister Kwon Yool lost his wife seven years ago due to a tragic car accident, and has been raising the three children alone. Accidentally he gets involved with the reporter Nam Da Jung, played by Yoona, who works at a celebrity tabloid news, and is treated in the celebrity news with Nam Da Jung.

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Collective Face Theatre Welcomes 'Bell, Book and Candle'

The Collective Face Theatre Ensemble takes a break from serious drama to bring audiences the light holiday comedy “Bell, Book and Candle.” 

The performance will take place Dec. 6-22 at Muse Arts Warehouse.

Director David I.L. Poole said this is the first time the group has performed John van Druten’s romantic comedy.

“It’s a lovely holiday treat,” Poole said. “We wanted to do something that was fun for the whole family. It’s a PG-13 kind of show and we’ve had a great time putting it together.”

“Bell, Book and Candle” is the story of a Greenwich Village witch who falls in love with a mortal man.  

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'A Ring by Spring' Begins Production in December

Rachel Boston, one of the stars of Lifetime’s Witches of East End, will star in the independent romantic comedy A Ring by Spring. The actress also will serve as an associate producer.

 

Kristoffer Tabori is directing the movie, which begins production December 1 in Vancouver.
Boston will play an independent career woman who sets out on a romantic exploration through her past when a psychic tells her that she will be engaged by spring.

Tim Johnson, Jean Abounader and Oliver Decaigny are producing.

Boston has appeared in romantic comedies such as (500) Days of Summer with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with Matthew McConaughey.

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Love and Tragedy in 'The Tempest'

Although William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” centers around water, actors sailed through the performance, making it far from a shipwreck.

“The Tempest” focuses on castaway Prospero and his daughter, Miranda. Prospero ruled as the Duke of Milan before his brother Antonio usurped his throne. In the 12 years that passed since his banishment, his daughter Miranda grew up in isolation, never interacting with anyone except her father and his two servants — Ariel and Caliban. So when Ferdinand, the Prince of Naples, is summoned to the island through Ariel, it is no surprise that Miranda becomes quickly smitten. With the help of Ariel and his daughter, Prospero plans to restore his throne.

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RomComs that are Great with Zombies

Romantic comedies: love them or hate them, they are usually quite predictable. Just for fun, I thought I would add a little bit of action into the mix and make these films a lot better. Enjoy this list (in no particular order) of rom-coms-turned-thrillers!

Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, She’s All That is a story about how popular senior Zach Siler (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) accepts a bet with his friend to turn nerdy, “ugly” girl Laney Boggs (Rachael Leigh Cook) into the prom queen in six weeks. This is, of course, on the tails of Zach being dumped by his girlfriend, Taylor Vaughan. Blah, blah, blah. Let’s add zombies.

Loner zombie art geek Laney wants to branch out from her current scene. She has a mad crush on that hunky Zach Siler. Laney decides to team up with Zach’s little sister, Mac (Anna Paquin), to get a glam makeover and win Zach’s heart! Will all of that makeup, nice clothing, and jewelry allow Zach to see how beautiful Laney really is? And what will happen when it all comes off?

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'About Time' Shares Great Sights of London

If you’re longing for a glimpse of London, not to mention the coastal countryside in Cornwall, but don’t have the bucks to spring for the airfare, you might try plunking down the ticket price at your local megaplex this weekend to see the new British movie, About Time.

Written and directed by Richard Curtis (Love Actually), this charming but slight romantic comedy is about a man who discovers that he can travel back in time for do-overs in his own life. The movie was shot on location in London and Cornwall.

About Time stars Dublin-born Domhnall Gleeson, that rarest of rarities, a ginger-haired leading man. (He’s the son of Irish actor Brendan Gleeson.) He plays a young lawyer in London who falls for an American who’s also living there, played by Rachel McAdams. The incomparable Bill Nighy, a regular in Curtis’ films, portrays Gleeson’s character’s father, who can also time travel.

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'Bell, Book and Candle' Coming to Judson Theatre Company

Morgan Sills, Executive Producer and Daniel Haley, Artistic Director at Judson Theatre Company, have announced that the final show for the 2013 season will be John Van Druten’s magical romantic comedy, Bell, Book and Candle. The production will run from Thursday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 10 at Owens Auditorium at Sandhills Community College, located at 3395 Airport Road in Pinehurst.

Emmy Award-nominated Mindy Cohn of The Facts of Life, also the voice of Velma in the Scooby Doo franchise, stars in the production. Bell, Book and Candle tells the story of Gillian, a gorgeous “good” witch living in New York City in the 1950s, practicing magic with her Aunt Queenie (Cohn) and brother Nicky. Smitten with her handsome neighbor that lives upstairs, Gillian casts a spell and he’s immediately captivated; will she be undone by her own mischief or will true love transpire?

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Tony Nominee Carol Lawrence Comes for 'Handle with Care' Broadway

Bon voyage! Tony nominee Carol Lawrence is traveling to America in Handle with Care, a new play by Emmy nominee Jason Odell Williams. Directed by Karen Carpenter (Love, Loss and What I Wore), the romantic comedy will begin performances December 3, with an official opening night on December 15 at off-Broadway’s Westside Theatre Downstairs.

In addition to Lawrence, Handle with Care will feature Sheffield Chastain (White Christmas), Charlotte Cohn (Coram Boy) and Jonathan Sale (The Shape of Things). The new play tells the story of a young Israeli woman who reluctantly travels with her grandmother to America. The young woman, who has little command of English, meets a man who has little command of romance. Is their inevitable love an accident, or destiny generations in the making? Handle with Care originally premiered at Florida's Gulfshore Playhouse in 2011.

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'About Time' Explores Love and Romance

If time travel were possible, who among us would pass up a chance to revisit a deceased family member, correct past mistakes or help someone in need?

Who could resist altering history, even a little bit?

About Time (*** out of four; rated R; opens Friday in select cities, Nov. 8 nationwide) is a time-travel rom-com with more than romance and comedy on its mind. While it's decidedly low-tech (returning to a previous era is achieved by closing one's eyes in a dark closet, and clenching one's fists), it adds an imaginative element to a charming and touching story.

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'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' Grabs a RomCom Sequel

You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave: "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is getting a sequel.

Penelope Wilton, who played Jean Ainslie in the Golden Globe-nominated film, told Radio Times that the cast will come together once again in January. Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith are among the cast members who will fly to India in January to begin filming a sequel.

"We had a wonderful time shooting this film the first time and I am thrilled we will be going back in January to do another one. As far as I know everybody will be returning," Wilton said in the interview.

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'Undateable John' In Development

Joan Jett is developing a new romantic comedy called Undateable John.

The rocker will executive produce the film under her company Blackheart Films, as well as star in a supporting role.

According to Deadline, the dark romantic film will star Jett as a Venice Beach folk singer who befriends a couple during an AA meeting.

Estella Warren and John Philbin will play the romantic leads, with the cast also including Daryl Hannah, Margaret Cho, Meredith Baxter, Tom Arnold and Shannen Doherty.

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Eugenio Derbez, Shines Light on RomCom Hit Movie

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez jokes that it took him 12 years to become an overnight sensation.

The real punch line is that it took much longer.

The writer, director and star of the surprise Hollywood hit "Instructions Not Included" was a virtual unknown among the general audience in the U.S., where the film debuted on Labor Day weekend. Its success was shocking, climbing into the top five box office earners with only a limited release. It's pulled in more than $43 million so far in the U.S. alone, and roughly the same in Mexico. It cost just a bit over $5 million to make.

The story of an Acapulco playboy whose former lover dumps a baby at his door, "Instructions" unfolds as the Derbez character goes to the U.S. to find the girl's mother and becomes a successful movie stunt man and devoted father in the process.

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Student Production Play

Each year, Drake University puts on a Student Theatre Showcase — smaller plays that are student directed. This year, the plays are even student written. Four students created three unique plays they wrote and directed.

Alexandra Reidy is a senior musical theatre major. She worked with Napoleon Douglas, another senior musical theatre major to create “SPEAK.” The show is about addiction in America and its affect on artists.

“As aspiring performers, we understand the pressure that the outside world can create on a famous performer, and those pressures have led people to do things that they never could see themselves doing,” Douglas said.

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Cooking a Romantic Comedy Cookery Show

SAB TV has launched a new show in primetime. A romantic comedy which is also a cooking show, ‘Jo Biwi se Kare Pyaar’ premieres on October 28 and will be telecast every Monday to Friday at 7.30 PM, promising to make cooking an enjoyable experience.

The show revolves around the lives of a new age couple – Aditya and Suhani Khanna – who have a demanding office life. However, the couple tries to find different ways of spending some time together. Aditya’s plan to cook a surprise meal for his wife is a huge success, and they decide to cook their daily dinner together with the Prestige range of cookware. The young couple quickly realise that cooking is the best way to rekindle the magic in their relationship and share some quality time together.

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RomCom Screenplay in the Midst of Cancer Battle

Treatment for breast cancer can take a lot of courage, but it can also inspire creativity. Two women turned to their pens — and their laptops — to cope with the emotional and physical tests they endured through breast cancer treatment.

When Wendy Hunsaker, 48, of Houston was diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago, it came completely "out of the blue." She had no family history of the disease and was otherwise healthy.

She was shocked by the news, and going through treatment felt "surreal," she says. She figured she could sit in the waiting room and stew while all this was going on, or she could distract herself by doing something creative.

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John Krasinski to Star in Cameron Crowe's RomCom

"The Office" star John Krasinski is reportedly the latest actor to have his name attached to Cameron Crowe's upcoming romantic comedy. Krasinski is in talks for the currently untitled project, which already boasts a star-studded cast including big names such as Bill Murray, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Alec Baldwin, and Rachel McAdams.

THR reports that Krasinski is up for a part in the film as a member of the military who is married to McAdams' character, a woman who was previously married to Cooper's character.

"I can't really say anything about the script, but I'm excited," Cooper said about the Crowe project earlier this year in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment.

The film, which began filming in Hawaii last month, is expected to be a new spin on an older Crowe script called "Deep Tiki."

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Strong Actors for RomCom Leading Man

Plenty of romantic comedies star fresh new faces as their leads. And yet there are quite a few older actors who still have what it takes to make hearts flutter. In fact, some actors just seem to get better at it as they age.

Here are a few actors over 35 whose kdramas you may want to check out.

Song Seung Hoon, 37, was the broody gangster Han Tae Sang in love with Shin Se Kyung in "When A Man Loves." The model-turned actor is now filming "Human Addiction." In this film he plays an officer who falls in love with a junior officer's wife.

Ji Sung, 36, sets off more than a few sparks in "Secret," playing Jo Min Hyuk, the chaebol who loses his girlfriend to a hit and run accident. His recent marriage to actress Lee Bo Young has not caused him to lose any fans.

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'Sleeping with the Fishes' to Deliver Fresh Perspective

Gina Rodriguez is starring in a new film, Sleeping With the Fishes, a colorful romantic comedy which delivers a fresh perspective on diverse families in America.

Set in Brooklyn, Sleeping With the Fishes follows Alexis, played by Rodriguez, a Latina Jew with an overprotective familia. She ends up on a journey to self-discovery when she falls for a hunky guy from a very different background.

Sleeping With the Fishes will introduce audiences to a family not often seen on screen: the movie will portray a Latino/Jewish household. Director Nicole Gomez Fisher based it on her own multicultural upbringing and felt the plot was very relevant to modern times.

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'Forev' RomCom Graces the New Orleans Film Festival

The comedy "Forev," fresh off a special jury mention in the competition for best narrative feature at the 24^th annual New Orleans Film Festival, highlights Day 6 of the 2013 fest. Here's the scoop on it and other notable screenings, along with a full schedule of the day's events.

Day 6 (Tuesday, Oct. 15)
Today's best bet: "Forev" (3 stars, out of 5); directed by Molly Green and James Leffler; 1 hour 28 minutes; Unrated.
 
Mandeville High and NOCCA grad Molly Green co-writes and co-directs a sweet little L.A.-shot indie road-trip rom-com about two twentysomething neighbors who decide -- despite hardly knowing each other -- to get married while on an impromptu road trip.

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Cowboys and Romance in a RomCom Novel

Mary Connealy will tell you that what she writes is unique.

“I write historical, inspirational, western, romantic comedy/suspense. That’s the most unique thing I’ve ever heard of. I invented my own genre,” said Connealy, who lives near Decatur.

Her invention, along with years of work, appears to have served her well. The area author has 28 books in print with contracts which will increase that number to 36.

Connealy’s most recent book, “Fired Up,” is the second in the “Trouble In Texas” series published by Bethany House. The next series book, “Stuck Together,” is set to come out in June, continuing the best-selling author’s signature style of “romantic comedy with cowboys.”



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Halloween RomCom in 'Bell, Book and Candle'

With Halloween approaching, Laurel Mill Playhouse is staging a story about a free-spirited witch named Gillian who falls for her next-door neighbor, a publisher named Shep.

“It’s a sweet love story with some comedy in it,” said Larry Simmons, director of “Bell, Book and Candle,” which runs from Oct. 11-27 at the Laurel Mill Playhouse.

‘Bell, Book and Candle’

When: 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 11-12, 18-19, 25-26; 2 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 20, 27

Where: Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St., Laurel

Tickets: $15 for general admission; $12 for students 18 and younger, senior citizens 65 and older

For information: 301-617-9906, laurelmillplayhouse.org

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Gay RomCom Underway from Director Paul Feig

Next Tuesday, the cop comedy The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy hits Blu-Ray and DVD, and director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) is making the publicity rounds to talk about the film. While speaking with CinemaBlend, Feig revealed that he's working on a new romantic comedy, but rather than focusing on the relationship between a boy and a girl, he's going to shake up the formula by making it a gay romantic comedy. The story would follow an average guy who somehow catches the eye of a hunk comparable to the Sexiest Man Alive, and he just can't handle it. That sexy man will be played by Channing Tatum. Read on!


In addition, the average guy has already been cast as well. Comedian John Milhiser will take the role, and you may not know him by name yet, but he's one of the six new cast members who joined "Saturday Night Live" for this 39th season. In fact, you can check out an impressive impersonation of Jon Cryer in that Fifty Shades of Grey audition reel sketch we posted earlier this week.  Feig has been a fan of Milhiser for years, and might have been responsible for his breakthrough by introducing him to "SNL" producer on Lorne Michaels. We're hoping this gay romantic comedy comes together sooner than later. Sound good?

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'Pulling Strings' Pulls Up the RomCom Films

“Pulling Strings” takes a bit of a hit by being the third Latin single-dad comedy to roll into American theaters in a month. And though it is funnier and out-charms “Tio Papi,” it lacks the whimsy, magical realism and kid-friendly sentiment of the sleeper hit “Instructions Not Included.”

But this tale of a mariachi singer denied a visa, who then tries to trick and charm the American embassy staffer who turned him down, is a winning vehicle for singer/actor Jaime Camil.

Alejandro (Camil) is raising his 9-year-old daughter alone, and fears what the Catholic school nuns are telling him is true — that he’s botching the job. She needs to go spend time with her grandparents. In Arizona.

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'Heterosexual Jill' RomCom Explores Her Sexuality

Imagine a film with the following plot line: A woman, Jill, asks her female ex-lover, Jamie, if they can date each other again just so that Jill can prove to herself that she is no longer attracted to Jamie and therefore no longer a lesbian. Jamie agrees.

This is the scenario in Michelle Ehlen's new film Heterosexual Jill. Although it might seem that Jamie's choice to sacrifice her self-worth for her ex is crazy, Ehlen craftily makes it all make sense. In fact, Ehlen, who stars as Jamie, plays her to great comic effect. She's also the writer, director, producer and editor of the film. What's more, this entertaining film asks some serious questions about gender, sexuality and identity but never seems preachy or overly didactic.

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'Lend me a Tenor' RomCom Lights Up the Westside

POCATELLO — What a wonderful start to October! Westside Players opened their final show of the season “Lend Me A Tenor” by Ken Ludwig. Phil Shepherd was the brilliant director who pulled together a great cast for this hilarious Romantic comedy. The dinner was catered by Café Tuscano, and it was fabulous! The lobby artist was Barbara Swanson. Her pieces were so beautifully done. They were very vibrant and colorful. I especially loved the painting of people who were on inner tubes and lazing about, made me think of summer. I loved it.

The comedy begins with Maggie getting weak at the knees listening to Tito the famous Italian Opera Star. She is interrupted in her reverie by Max who is in a panic because Tito has not arrived to sing for the show that night. Maggie was played by this sweet innocent faced Lacey Taylor. She was so cute dancing around the stage waiting to meet her crush. She wants to have one more fling before she officially settles down with someone.

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First Asian-American RomCom, 'Wedding Palace', Now in U.S. Theaters

An indie trailblazer, WEDDING PALACE was the first Asian American romantic comedy and family movie to open in U.S. theaters on Sept. 27 in New York, Los Angeles and Hawaii.

Produced with the support of the Los Angeles Koreatown business community, Korean corporations and the Korean government, the making of WEDDING PALACE is a grass roots story from the local streets to the screen. It makes history as the first ever US-Korea independent co-production shot in Los Angeles and Seoul, Korea. While many films compare themselves to hit movies, WEDDING PALACE can lay claim it was passed over for a “movie like yours, but it’s Greek,” which was My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Abandoned at the altar, Jason‘s (BrianTee) family quickly introduces him to other eager brides in waiting but to their horror, he rejects them all. The clock is literally ticking on Jason’s life as his 30th birthday is fast approaching, bringing along an old family curse. On a business trip to Korea, Jason meets the girl of his dreams, Na Young (Kang Hye-jung). They embark on a cyber love affair fueled by imagination and video chats. Jason proposes and his family is beyonddelighted. However when Na Young arrives in Los Angeles with a surprising revelation, Jason has hesitations and his wacky family goes overboard causing a roller coaster of ups-and-downs at every turn in this modern romance. Jason will have to bridge the gapbetween family expectationsand being true to himself to find his true love.

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Netflix's Top Romantic Comedies

Tired of scrolling endlessly through Netflix's recommendations for something charming and sweet, yet also funny and entertaining? Well, then this is the list you've been searching the interwebs for.

Here are 9 films to keep you entertained for hours.

"She's All That" (1999)

In "She's All That," Freddie Prinze Jr. plays high school jock Zack who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, bets a friend he can turn a nerd (Rachel Leigh Cook) into the school’s prom queen. However, he begins to sincerely fall for her and more problems arise with the more popularity she gains.

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RomCom that Make You Fall for the Characters

When I hear of an actor or a disgraced politician checking himself into rehab because he’s a “sex addict,” I’ll admit my first thought is the guy’s a serial cheater who got caught and this is the best way to rehabilitate his image.

Is sexual addiction a real thing, or a convenient excuse for the wealthy and the famous? “Thanks for Sharing” makes a convincing case that some people can be as addicted to sex as others are consumed by drugs and alcohol.

Take Mark Ruffalo’s Adam, who upon first blush seems almost too good to be true. He’s a handsome, down-to-earth, successful environmental consultant with an amazing home and a bounty of friends. But every walk down the street, every billboard for lingerie, even a passing flirtatious glance from a stranger, is fraught with peril, and soon Adam is clenching his fists, calling his sponsor or racing to the nearest meeting so he can keep from falling into an abyss of nonstop, self-destructive sexual encounters.

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'Don Jon' is Not Like Any Romantic Comedy

Don't let the porn confuse you: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, "Don Jon," is a romantic comedy. It's just not the sort of romantic comedy you're used to.

The film centers around Gordon-Levitt's porn-addicted playboy Jon, who can't seem to connect with real-life women in the way he's able to with digital bed buddies. Even when said ladies look like Scarlett Johansson.

But Gordon-Levitt, who also wrote "Don Jon," isn't just singling out romantic comedies (or porn, for that matter) alone for their often fantastical visions of reality; it's all forms representing unattainable ideals.

"Well, it's sort of making fun of the movies that you're talking about, and not just movies — all kinds of media is constantly giving us unrealistic expectations about what men and women are supposed to be, about what love and sex are supposed to be," Gordon-Levitt told MTV News' Josh Horowitz recently.

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'Enough Said' is Full of Wit and Humor

I loved Nicole Holofcener's witty and wise romantic comedy "Enough Said" for many reasons. Here are the top three:

1. It recognizes that in relationships, people are neither good nor bad, but a combination of positive and negative attributes. There are, however, good and bad combinations of people, and romantic chemistry remains one of the great unexplained mysteries of the universe.

2. It contains my favorite dialogue of 2013 so far.
The main characters — two middle-aged divorced parents with daughters about to leave for college — talk the way two real middle-aged divorced parents with daughters about to leave for college talk. A little wittier perhaps, but direct and unguarded. These adults don't have time to hide their feelings and second-guess themselves the way younger dating couples do.

3. After a long career playing gangsters, thugs and heavies, the late James Gandolfini finally gets to play his most endearing character: a regular guy named Albert, a slightly overweight, self-admitted slob with no pretenses or hidden agendas.

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'Baggage Claim' Hysterical Search for Mr. Right

Montana Moore (Paula Patton) has a problem. The pretty stewardess is practically 30-years-old, the age at which her mother (Jenifer Lewis) insists any young lady must be married in order to be considered respectable.

Meanwhile, her younger sister, Sheree (Lauren London), who’s a sophomore in college, is already engaged to a big man on campus (Terrence Jenkins), a Heisman trophy hopeful with a bright future in professional football. The blissfully betrothed are set to tie the knot in a month, and Montana is determined to turn one of her former boyfriends into a fiancé prior to Sheree’s wedding day.

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Two TV Vets Dive to Big RomCom Film

Success can be limiting. While the late James Gandolfini probably didn’t mind the phenomenal long run of The Sopranos that made him rich and famous, I’m told he was glad to see it end, freeing him at last for a transition to the big screen in roles with irony, humor and charm. In the final season of an unconventional career that turned a portly, bear-like character actor into a viable, recognizable, worldwide superstar, he finally showed his charm. In Enough Said, his second-to-last feature film (there’s one more in the can, waiting to get out), he’s sweet, romantic and funny—qualities his friends say characterized the real James Gandolfini, more than anything in the role of Tony Soprano. Oh, and don’t forget the charm. There’s plenty of that to go around, too.

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (Lovely and Amazing), a keen observer of what makes complex contemporary relationships tick with the kind of truth that doesn’t come from a laugh track, Enough Said is a movie about late starts and second chances in the lives of two people too old for proms and too young for promises. They know the “forever” word is illogical after 50, but it still sounds good.
 
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Romantic Comedy Lovers Get a Walking Tour in Upper West Side

On a Sunday afternoon in early September, a casually dressed group of women assembled in front of an organic dry cleaner on New York’s Upper West Side.

Despite its ordinary appearance, the shop on Columbus Avenue and 69th Street is a mecca for romantic comedy lovers, entertainment journalists Jennifer Armstrong and Erin Carlson told the women.The exterior served as the site of the Shop Around the Corner, which fans of the 1998 Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie “You’ve Got Mail” might remember as the children’s bookstore owned by Ms. Ryan’s character, Kathleen Kelly.

This was the starting point for for Ms. Armstrong and Ms. Carlson’s walking tour of romantic comedy film sites.

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Romantic Comedy Divorce

After Nicole Holofcener cast James Gandolfini in her divorcee romantic comedy “Enough Said,” the “Sopranos” actor kept suggesting she rethink her decision.

Alec Baldwin, he insisted, would be far better suited.

“He would list some actors he thought could do a much better job,” Holofcenter said in a recent interview. “I felt confident he could do this part. More than he did. He was quite certain that he couldn’t pull it off.”

What began as a stretch outside Gandolfini’s comfort zone is now debuting, tragically, as one of Gandolfini’s final performances. “Enough Said,” which premiered recently at the Toronto International Film Festival ahead of Fox Searchlight’s Sept. 18 release, was filmed about a year before the actor died of a heart attack in June. (His final film, the Brooklyn crime movie “Animal Rescue,” is expected to be released next year.)

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Mental Institution, a Great Potential Setting for Romantic Comedy

EXCLUSIVE: A mental institution will live up to its funny farm nickname as the setting of a half-hour NBC comedy project written and executive produced by playwright-screenwriter Neil LaBute (The Shape Of Things) and executive produced by Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment. Harmony House centers on a young psychiatric resident who finds the woman of his dreams in the most unlikely of places: as a patient in the psychiatric facility where he recently has taken a job.

The single-camera project is a romantic comedy that reminds us that love can drive you a little crazy. 20th Century Fox TV is producing. The Harmony House sale comes on the heels of ICM Partners-repped LaBute signing a deal with DirecTV  to produce a series of 10 short films about human relationships. DirecTV’s limited series Full Circle, based on LaBute scripts, premieres next month.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

'The F Word' Provides Delightful Romance

In the delightful world of romantic comedies it's always hard to stay fresh when so many of them hit the big screen every year. But there's always one or two hidden gems to be found, and the latest one to appear in 2013 is Michael Dowse's The F Word. Playing at the Toronto Film Festival, this stellar romantic comedy stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan and addresses in a comically fun way the dreaded "f" word in relationships - "friend". It's very sweet, shot exquisitely around Toronto, and endearing in all the right ways.

While it doesn't reinvent the romantic comedy wheel, it doesn't really need to. I enjoyed every second of it.


As one might expect, the film starts by introducing us to the two friends at the center of the story - Wallace (Radcliffe) and Chantry (Kazan) - at their very first meeting at a friend's party. Their relationship is complex as the two instantly connect, and quickly become friends, but continue to remain that way as Chantry has a boyfriend of five years (played by Rafe Spall). Each side has their own set of friends (including Adam Driver) both encouraging and discouraging their attempts to push them closer together or drift farther apart. The film does run across a few romantic comedy clichés with the typical chasing after her moments that obviously won't work out the way we want, but those are minor issues in an otherwise entertaining film.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Asian RomCom 'Wedding Palace' Will Take Place in US Theaters

Asian-American Romantic Comedy WEDDING PALACE will open in select U.S. theaters on Sept. 27 it was announced today. Currently, the film is slated to open at Times Square's AMC Empire 25, and Los Angeles/Orange County's CGV Theater, Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and Edward's University Town Center 6 in Irvine.

Abandoned at the altar, Jason's (BrianTee) family quickly introduces him to other eager brides in waiting but to their horror, he rejects them all. The clock is literally ticking on Jason's life as his 30th birthday is fast approaching, bringing along an old family curse. On a business trip to Korea, Jason meets the girl of his dreams, Na Young (Kang Hye-jung). They embark on a cyber love affair fueled by imagination and videochats. Jason proposes and his family is beyonddelighted. However when Na Young arrives in Los Angeles with a surprising revelation, Jason has hesitations and his wacky family goes overboard causing a rollercoaster of ups-and-downs at every turn in this modern romance. Jason will have to bridge the gapbetween family expectationsand being true to himself to find his true love.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

'Rush' Stars Go for RomCom Invention

'Rush' stars Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl "invented" a "romantic comedy" between their characters.
The actors play Formula One racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, who were known for their fierce rivalry during the 1976 F1 season, in Ron Howard's new biopic, but the stars were much friendlier than their real-life counterparts.

Quizzed on whether he and co-star Hemsworth tried to emulate the famed feud between their characters on set, Bruhl said: "No, we didn't. We tried to at first, we always teased each other. But in fact, in between the takes, we invented our own relationship between Hunt and Lauda which would have been a romantic comedy!"

The German actor has received high praise for his portrayal of racing legend Niki Lauda in the pulse-racing new movie, but he reveals he was incredibly nervous about playing Lauda and recalls their awkward first encounter.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

First Week of September Play List

‘All the Faces of the Moon’ (in previews; opens on Wednesday) Too late if you want to catch all 29 parts of this new piece by the monologuist Mike Daisey (“The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs”), which he describes as delving into the secret history of New York. Each night of the current lunar cycle he’s performing new material, each night onstage with a different oil painting commissioned just for the show. Fear not: If you start on Friday, you can still see 28 of the bunch. Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, joespub.com. (David DeWitt) 

‘Arguendo’ (previews start on Tuesday; opens on Sept. 24) After nearly seven hours of parsing American literature (in the acclaimed “Gatz”), Elevator Repair Service and the Public Theater can be forgiven for shifting their collective attention to something a little racier. Their latest collaboration focuses on a 1991 Supreme Court case over whether exotic dancers ran afoul of a law about public nudity. Elevator Repair Service’s reputation for bold visuals will come into play, but get your mind out of the gutter: the collaborator of note is the visual artist Ben Rubin, who is contributing animated text projections. Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org. (Eric Grode)

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?