Thursday, January 31, 2013

Finding Love for the Second Time


Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Unexpected Company is performing a romantic comedy-musical about finding love for a second time.

“A Few Good Years” runs Feb. 14-17 in the Alice Hardie Stevens Center. The weeknight productions are at 7:30 p.m., while the weekend matinees start at 2:30 p.m.

Production manager Nancy Chase said the play is a fun comedy with a few poignant moments.

“It’s going to be charming,” she said.

Two middle-aged friends attempt to fix up their widowed parents, Libby and Larry. Things don’t go well at first, and then it gets complicated. As in any good romantic comedy, one complication leads to another.

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Netflix's Highly Recommended Romantic Comedies


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Valentine’s Day is coming up, which means you’re probably in the market for a romantic comedy — either to watch with that special someone, or to make yourself forget you don’t have a special someone.


To me, romantic comedy usually just means formulaic crap. As a movie lover, I’ve sat through my fair share of formulaic crap — and it turns out there are a few good ones out there.

Movies like “No Strings Attached” and “Fever Pitch” litter the Netflix Instant landscape. For those looking for something better, I’ve assembled a list of romantic comedies that don’t suck.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"Quartet" Brings Delight

                             IS IT TOO LATE TO MAKE A GO OF IT?: Reggie (Tom Courtenay, left) and Jean (Maggie Smith) find themselves together again as residents in Beecham House, a retirement home for classical musicians. The pair was briefly married in the past and Reggie has not yet gotten over the breakup. Also, their reconciliation is crucial to the success of the annual fundraising concert for the home because they form half of the famous quartet whose appearance will guarantee the concert’s success, thereby keeping Beecham House solvent.

Sometimes a gem of a movie falls through the cracks that really has no business getting lost. Such is the case with Quartet, a delightful film directed by Dustin Hoffman and starring Maggie Smith.

The film was released in late December by the Weinstein Company, and one would naturally expect it to generate a lot of Academy Award buzz. But it was overlooked entirely, which means moviegoers might now be tempted to pass over the picture in favor of Oscar contenders. However, it would be a mistake to dismiss Quartet just because it lacks the Academy’s stamp of approval.

The story is set at Beecham House, a sprawling estate in England which is a retirement home for accomplished classical musicians. At the point of departure, we are introduced to three of its residents; Wilfred (Billy Connolly), Cecily (Pauline Collins), and Reginald (Tom Courtenay), opera singers who once shared the limelight as members of a famous quartet.

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"Strictly Platonic" Romance


 
As children, we’re often prompted to imagine the apogee of our lives — to sit down and envision where, in 20 years’ time, our friends and our ambitions will have taken us.

In response, kids trace out adventurous jobs and large houses, accomplishments all sidled by beautiful, grinning families; at 8 years old, the end result is clear and shared by everyone. How one gets there is less certain.

Larry McKenna’s “Strictly Platonic,” which makes its world premiere on Feb. 7 at Hedgerow Theatre, is a romantic comedy that wrestles with the distressing truth that follows childhood: at some point or another, we are all forced to reorder the expectations we have for our lives.

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Can "Silver Linings Playbook" Woo the Oscar?

Silver Linings Playbook Jennifer Lawrence Bradley Cooper Robert DeNiro Oscars Academy Awards movies entertainment news 13579086

Silver Linings Playbook” reaped eight Oscar nominations, tying it for third place with "Les Miserables." It is the first film since “Reds” in 1981 to contend in all four acting categories (Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver.) This look at the trials and tribulations of modern romance is the kind of genuine crowd-pleaser that the academy has rewarded in each of the past two years.

All of this means the film could pull off an upset victory in the Best Picture race -- we have it ranked third -- if it weren’t for one tiny problem: Oscar's almost total reluctance to reward romantic comedies.

You can literally count on one hand the number of contemporary romantic comedies that have won Best Picture: “It Happened One Night” (1934), “You Can’t Take It With You” (1938), “The Apartment” (1960), and “Annie Hall” (1977). That’s only four times in 84 years. Is romance simply not a laughing matter to the academy?

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Spring Film Festival to Showcase Rom-Com and Kung Fu Film Genres

In celebration of the Chinese lunar New Year on Feb. 10, Shangri-La Plaza will be holding the Spring Film Festival Feb. 1-10. Six Chinese films with English subtitles that promote Chinese culture are included on the lineup.

Sidney Christopher T. Bata, director of  Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies at Ateneo de Manila University, chose the films, with the approval of the Chinese embassy. 

The selection, he said, focuses on wholesome themes, “with some rom-com [romantic comedy] and a little kung fu.”

“The Spring Film Festival has been ongoing for seven years, and most of the moviegoers are students and families,” he said. “We chose films that are relatable to the Filipino audience.”  

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Monday, January 28, 2013

"A.C.O.D." Film Brings the Laughs at Sundance


A.C.O.D.
With parents who have been married for over 25 years now, a comedy titled A.C.O.D. (which stands for Adult Children of Divorce) doesn't seem like it would be immediately appealing to me. But the directorial debut from Stu Zicherman (who wrote Elektra and the J.J. Abrams melodrama TV series "Six Degrees") features a cast that includes Adam Scott, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O'Hara, Amy Poehler, Clark Duke, Jane Lynch and Jessica Alba, and that's a bingo. Thankfully, the film which I was eagerly anticipating before it premiere at Sundance this week delivered a phenomenal comedy with some sharp writing, stellar acting and a direct line to the heart of all adult children of divorce.

The film follows Adam Scott as Carter, a man whose ninth birthday was ruined by an explosive fight between his parents (Richard Jenkins and Catherine O'Hara) which required police involvement to calm everything down. Decades later, Carter is seemingly put together with his own restaurant and a decent relationship with his mother and father (but never at the same time, for fear of loss of life). But all that changes when his younger brother Trey decides to get married and wants both parents at the wedding, giving Carter the task of helping them get along for the civility's sake. However, the shit really hits the fan when Carter discovers that his mother and father are falling back in love, all over a kitchen counter.

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"Sleepless in Seattle" Musical On the Way

'Sleepless in Seattle'

Pasadena Playhouse artistic director Sheldon Epps is set to direct the world premiere of "Sleepless in Seattle -- The Musical," when the show opens at the theater in May. He replaces the previously announced Lonny Price.

Jeff Arch, who wrote the original story and co-wrote the screenplay for the 1993 romantic comedy that starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, wrote the book for the musical. Ben Toth composed the music and Sam Forman wrote the lyrics.

"I am pleased that a recent change in my own schedule allows me to take on the joy and excitement of directing this musical and working even more closely with Jeff, Ben and Sam," Epps said in a statement Thursday. "I eagerly anticipate the birth of this show on our stage and I am confident it will be an exciting finale to our current season."

Epps has previously said that the musical, which has Broadway aspirations, is "very, very faithful to the film script."

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

"Austenland", a Light Hearted Film



AUSTENLAND” — 4 stars — Kerri Russell, JJ Feild, Bret McKenzie, Jennifer Coolidge, James Callis, Georgia King, Rupert Vansittart, Ricky Whittle, Jane Seymour; not rated (mild language, mild sexuality)

The target audience of “Austenland” can be divided into two groups — “Jane Austen fans and people who find Jane Austen fans funny,” Jerusha Hess said of the film that marks her debut as a director.

“So, you can guess which one I am,” Hess said with a smile during a question-and-answer session after Tuesday night’s Sundance screening of “Austenland.”

For those in either group, “Austenland” is a light-hearted and romantic comedy that is delightful to watch and doesn't take itself too seriously. The Sundance audience was laughing out loud — and afterward a few of the men in attendance said they enjoyed it.

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FilmNation to Headline Hugh Grant's and Marisa Tomei's RomCom Film

Hugh Grant Marisa Tomei Split - H 2013

FilmNation Entertainment will commence foreign sales on Marc Lawrence's untitled romantic comedy -- headlining Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei -- at the upcoming European Film Market Berlin.

News that Castle Rock Entertainment has brought aboard FilmNation to shop the project signals that the film is moving forward. Castle Rock's Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer are producing.
 
Based on Lawrence's script, the rom com centers around a washed-up British screenwriter who once ruled the world, even winning an Oscar. Divorced and broke, he takes a job teaching screenwriting at a small college on the East Coast.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

"Bus Stop" Makes a Stop at Charleston Community Theatre


 
CHARLESTON — Charleston Community Theatre will present William Inge’s romantic comedy, “Bus Stop,” beginning Jan. 26 at Tarble Arts Center, 2010 Ninth St., on the Eastern Illinois University campus.

The play originally opened on Broadway in 1955, and was later made into a movie starring Marilyn Monroe.

“Bus Stop” is co-sponsored by the Tarble Arts Center and will run for six performances.
The performance dates are Jan. 26, 30, 31, Feb. 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., and Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale for $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. Reservations may be made by calling Tarble at 581-ARTS (2787).

The story in “Bus Stop” unfolds during a ferocious snowstorm in rural Kansas. As travel becomes dangerous, a bus driver pulls into a small rural roadside diner. It’s about 1 a.m., and five weary travelers unload to take refuge overnight until the storm subsides.

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Maiden Japan Company Gets "Love Love?"

North American anime licensing company Maiden Japan announced on Wednesday that it acquired the 2004 television anime Love Love? It will be distributing the entire series in conjunction with home video distributor Section 23 on subtitled DVD and in digital formats. Maiden Japan describes the story:
It's said that Heaven and Hell can be the same place, depending upon your situation, and Naoto Ooizumi is learning that lesson the hard way. At only 17 years old, he's working on the set of Cosmopolitan Prayers (Cosprayers for short,) one of the hottest TV soaps on the air, and the girl of his dreams, Natsumi Magami, is playing the lead. The problem: as much as he wants to start a relationship with her, he keeps getting romantically intercepted by the OTHER cute girls in the show. It's not like they're just trying to stop a Naoto/Natsumi hook up. They seem to be actively “interested” in the cute young man who's running the behind the scenes production camera! But that's not the biggest twist, because unknown to anyone except the show's producer, Ooizumi isn't just a camera operator, he's also the show's writer! So what do you do when you're able to put any words you want in the mouth of the girl you love, but you're contractually obligated to put similar things between the lips of the girls that love you? The pros and cons abound as romance goes wildly off script in Love Love?
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

“I Give It A Year” Brings Out New Posters

“I Give It A Year” romantic comedy reveals new character posters PanARMENIAN.Net - A new set of character posters for upcoming romantic comedy I Give It A Year have been released, Digital Spy said.

Released exclusively through Digital Spy, the posters feature Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne as mismatched newlyweds Josh and Nat.

Anna Faris co-stars as an ex-lover and old friend of Spall, while Simon Baker plays an ambitious American co-worker who takes a shine to Byrne.

Stephen Merchant, plays Spall's tactless and socially tone-deaf best friend.

I Give It A Year marks the directing debut of Brüno screenwriter Dan Mazer.

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"Hasi Toh Phasi" RomCom with Middle Class Background

'Hasi Toh Phasi' is a romantic-comedy, says Siddharth Malhotra

Mumbai: Siddharth Malhotra has signed his second film 'Hasi Toh Phasi', a romantic comedy with middle-class backdrdop, and says the shooting will start in April. He is paired with Parineeti Chopra in 'Hasi Toh Phasi', which is being co-produced by Phantom Films and Dharma Production.

"It's by a new director, Vinil Matthew, an ad filmmaker. It's an interesting script, a rom-com different from how SOTY ('Student of the Year') was, a very middle-class, cooler, younger. We will start shooting in April," the 28-year-old said here Monday at the Stardust awards press conference.

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Why Do We Fall in Love With Romantic Comedies?

Why do we love romantic comedies?
Populaire, a fifties-set French romantic comedy which opens the 2013 Glasgow Film Festival

Did you and your partner meet a) at a friend’s dinner party, b) smoking outside a pub or c) when the heartless multinational company they work for bulldozed your cosy little wedding dress shop to make way for a heartless multinational office block?

The last time the two of you had a fight, did you a) act pissy for a few days and then make up, b) peek at their Facebook messages while they were in the loo, thus storing up resentments that can now never be aired, or c) make a mad dash to the airport just in time to catch them before they gave up on you forever and moved to South America?

Do you have a best friend who is a) a bit like you, really, b) not like you at all but you’ve known each other since school and it’s just sort of stuck, or c) an outrageous, loudmouthed eccentric with a mild weight problem, a hilarious line in hats, and an even more disastrous love life than your own?

If your answers to these questions are mostly ‘c’s, then congratulations: you are a character in a romantic comedy. And you don’t exist.

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Digging Into "Punch Drunk Love"



During the press conference for Magnolia at the Cannes Film Festival, Paul Thomas Anderson announced his next project was going to be an Adam Sandler comedy. Everybody laughed. Nobody took him seriously; after all, this was the man who had directed two incredibly large and challenging films in Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Three years later when Punch Drunk Love was released, people were still surprised.

Admittedly, I have never liked Adam Sandler – I always found him annoying and grating – and I have never liked him in anything since this film either, which is a great shame as Paul Thomas Anderson manages to channel all of Sandler’s awfully annoying qualities into something powerful and unique. Sandler’s screen persona is childish, immature, crass and strange, but Anderson’s genius here is that he works all that into this darkly twisted romantic comedy-drama. With a great director and electric screenplay, Sandler comes alive in ways that were unimaginable before. Sandler reveals a peculiar depth to the character of Barry Egan – a sharp menace that is present in his comedies,  but is fully exploited to great effect here.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

"Austenland" Graces Sundance Festival



If you have longed to live in the time of formal introductions, empire waist gowns and gentleman callers wearing cravats with buttoned-up vests, you too may have fallen into the Jane Austen trap.

Shannon Hale, a Utah author, capitalized on this period fascination in her novel "Austenland," which has been turned into a screenplay and will premiere on Friday, Jan. 18, at the Sundance Film Festival. Directing the film is Utahn Jerusha Hess, who has found success at Sundance previously as co-writer of "Napoleon Dynamite."

The Hale-Hess combination has produced a family-friendly romantic comedy that has sold out all scheduled Sundance screenings.


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"Atlas" Opens in Church

Theatre preview: 2 Across a puzzling romantic comedy

EDMONTON - What’s a five-letter word starting with A for “opens in the middle and gives you the world?”

That would be Atlas, the multi-award-winning indie theatre co-op. It returns Friday, Jan. 18 to active duty with a two-hander romantic comedy that got cancelled at the last moment in 2011 due to an actor injury. The play is 2 Across, by the American writer Jerry Mayer, who threw over TV — hot TV, that is, with such names as M*A*S*H, All In The Family and The Bob Newhart Show on his resume — in favour of live theatre. His 2004 romantic comedy introduces us to two strangers on a train — high-contrast commuters on the 4:12 a.m. rapid transit ride from San Francisco Airport to Bay Point.
 
They are, as you’ll glean from the title, working on a crossword, which, along with the fact they’re both wearing wedding rings, is just about the only thing they have in common. If romantic comedy depended on an ability to finish the New York Times crossword, attraction would be in serious jeopardy in contemporary society.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

“Midsummer” Broadway Resurrects Boy-Meets-Girl Romance


Matthew Pidgeon and Cora Bissett’s weekend mischief takes them all over the (Edinburgh) map in “Midsummer (A Play With Songs).”
The new off-Broadway show “Midsummer (A Play With Songs)” proves that you can still get a lot of great mileage out of boy-meets-girl. Hollywood has cranked out so many awful romantic comedies in the past decade that it’s almost killed off the genre. This energetic Scottish import brings it back to life with humor and charm.

Written and directed by David Greig, “Midsummer” takes place in Edinburgh over the course of a weekend. That’s enough time for Helena (Cora Bissett) and Bob (Matthew Pidgeon) to get up to plenty of mischief.

She’s a lawyer with tired, sad eyes, and she’s getting fed up with being a bridesmaid. He’s nicknamed Medium Bob “on account of him having no apparent defining features” and runs illegal errands for a local tough guy.

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Reality vs. Romantic Comedy

After we tucked our kids into bed last Sunday night, my wife and I finally found the time to watch a romantic comedy that I had recorded on our DVR sometime during the second Bush administration. I figured Bethany could use a change of pace after our TV had been tuned to football all weekend. That’s how I roll: always thinking of HER feelings.

During one of the movie’s steamier scenes, I glanced over at my beautiful bride and wiggled my eyebrows in that way that every woman on earth finds completely irresistible and of course, ultra-classy. Bethany responded with her signature eye roll that said, “Honey, I love you, but you’re no Justin Timberlake,” which caused me to question what J.T. has that I do not. Setting aside the obvious things such as money, talent, and six-pack abs, there were, I must admit, a few other subtle differences.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"This Means War" Failed to Please Vulture's Critics Poll

My ambivalence about worst-of lists is well documented. In short, almost no one applies the same formal and intellectual rigor to a worst-of list as they do to a best-of list. Serious critics spend weeks and months preparing their top tens; almost no one bothers to do the same with their bottom ten. Most critics -- this one included -- just pick the worst stuff they were assigned to cover over the course of a calendar year and call it a day.



But at least Vulture's Critics Poll sports the benefit of a large sample size. Sean Howe compiled 34 critics and publications' worst of 2012 lists, assigned one point to each movie mentioned (plus an additional point to each movie specifically named the absolute worst of the year) and came up with a master ranking that's about as comprehensive a look at last year's stinkers as you will ever see. The worst of the worst, according to Vulture's respondents: "This Means War," a romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy, and Chris Pine

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New Romantic Comedy Manga Coming Soon

The February issue of Shueisha's Monthly You magazine is announcing on Tuesday that manga creator Kozueko Morimoto (Gokusen) will launch the romantic comedy series Takadai-ke no Hitobito in the next issue on February 15. Morimoto already published a one-shot "Takadai-ke no Hitobito" manga (pictured right) in the December 2012 issue, to mark the magazine's first full year as a monthly publication.
 
The one-shot manga depicts the romance between a quiet, day-dreaming female employee named Hirano and Takadai, the handsome male upper-tier employee who just arrived from the New York branch. Despite having trouble talking with people, Hirano is suddenly invited to eat with Takadai for some reason. As it turns out, Takadai can read people's feelings.

The upcoming series version will follow the other strange members of the Takadai family. According to the magazine, a series is launching after readers showed their support for more stories. 

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Monday, January 14, 2013

"The Break-Up Man" Rules in German Box Office

The Break-up Man h

BERLIN -- German cinema had a tough 2012 but the new year came in with a bang with Matthias Schweighofer's rom-com The Break-Up Man blasting past The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to take the No. 1 spot on the German box office charts this past weekend.

More than half a million admissions -- or just more than one out of every four tickets sold in Germany this weekend -- were for The Break-Up Man, which Schweighofer wrote, produced, directed and stars in. With a total box office of nearly $6.5 million for 20th Century Fox in Germany, The Break-Up Man marks the best start for a German-language film in nearly two years.
 
The Hobbit -- entering its fifth week in Germany -- came in a distant second with 310,000 tickets sold. Peter Jackson's fantasy epic has ruled over the German box office for the past month and is closing in on a $80 million take for the territory.

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Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola's Predictability for Romantic Comedy


filmjournal/photos/stylus/1369988-Matru_Ki_Md.jpg
Despite interesting themes and subplots, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a predictable romantic comedy that settles too often for easy jokes. Veteran Indian performers Pankaj Kapur and Shabana Azmi come off better than the leads, who find themselves boxed into a weak screwball setting. Broad and leisurely, MKBKM lacks the chemistry and plotting to build good word of mouth.

Harry Mandola (Kapur), a wealthy landowner with a weakness for alcohol, is a clown when drunk and sour when sober. He hires Matru (Imran Khan), a college-educated community activist, to keep him away from the local Gulabo liquor. Instead, both go on benders, stirring up local farmers against corrupt politicians—and Mandola himself.

Mandola plans to marry off his beautiful but spoiled daughter Bijlee (Anushka Sharma) to Baadal (Arya Babbar), the playboy son of politician Chaudhri Devi (Azmi). The union would turn Mandola's farmlands into factories, enriching the conniving Devi while displacing Mandola's tenants.


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Sunday, January 13, 2013

France Picks Its Top Romantic Comedies

Comedies can sell as well as dramas. The 15th Unifrance Paris Rendez-vous kicks off with Daniele Thompson's "It Happened in Saint- Tropez," from Pathe. And over the next four days, a score of other laffers are set to unspool at the market with some of France's biggest film companies rolling out their top comedy picks.

'The Brats'
'The Brats'
These include Gaumont's "The Brats," starring Alain Chabat ("Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami"), and Michael Youn's high-concept laffer "Vive la France."

“It Happened in Saint-Tropez” opens the Unifrance Paris Rendez-vous.
Plus, EuropaCorp will shop David Moreau's romantic comedy "Hit Boy," Philippe Lellouche's "Almost Charming" and Gerard Depardieu starrer "World Petanque Tour"; SND will push Gerard Lanvin starrer "True Friends," centering on three friends facing each other's white lies; Studiocanal will roll out comicbook-based retro-style comedy "Billy and Buddy"; and Films Distribution is showing "Queen of Montreuil," a dramedy from Iceland's Solveig Anspach, and bowing Brigitte Rouan's Greece-set ensemble comedy, "A Greek Type of Problem."

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Oscar Award Laughs with "Silver Linings Playbook"

Robert De Niro got his first nomination in 21 years for "Silver Linings Playbook"; Jacki Weaver got her second in three years. (JOJO WHILDEN / Associated Press, file)
Robert De Niro got his first nomination in 21 years for "Silver Linings Playbook";… (JOJO WHILDEN / Associated…)

Every cloud has a silver lining, and the 85th Academy Awards have Silver Linings Playbook.

The mood-swinging, Philly-centric romantic dramedy came away with eight key nominations as the Oscar contenders were announced Thursday morning in Beverly Hills. Among its coups: It's the first film since 1982 ( Reds) to win recognition in all four acting categories: Bradley Cooper for best actor, Jennifer Lawrence best actress, Robert De Niro (his first Oscar nomination in 21 years) for supporting actor, and Jacki Weaver supporting actress (her second in three years).

Silver Linings Playbook, filmed in and around Philadelphia in late 2011, is one of nine titles vying for best picture. David O. Russell also received nominations for best director and best adapted screenplay. Silver Linings is based on the novel by former Haddonfield High School teacher Matthew Quick.

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Friday, January 11, 2013

Romantic Comedies Among Things to Look Forward to

WEST MICHIGAN – Looking for something to do during the cold, gray days of winter? Stay warm with these indoor events, which are all happening this week:

Westside Soul Surfers.JPG
Watch a romantic comedy on stage

Enjoy the romantic comedy "Almost, Maine," which will run at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 10-12 at the Howmet Playhouse, 304 S. Mears Ave., in Whitehall.

The play includes 11 vignettes featuring the residents of the fictional town of Almost in Maine, who fall in and out of love in unexpected, and often funny, ways. The show will also be presented by the Mighty Mitten Players, a new West Michigan theatre group.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. Tickets are available in advance at Whitehall City Hall, 405 E. Colby St., or at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

"The Last Romance" Takes Center Stage

Layered with both drama and romance, Domino Theatre’s latest production promises audiences a warm play that is perfect for a cold January evening.

Jenny Nash and Gordon Muir star in Domino Theatre’s Last Romance, which is on stage until Jan. 27.

The Last Romance, directed by theatre veteran Ken Weston, and starring Gordon Muir, Barbara Dennett and Penny Nash, will run in the Davies Foundation Auditorium at the Domino Theatre Thursdays Jan. 10 through Jan. 27.

The play tells the story of Ralph, an 80-year-old widower sharing his home with his rather overbearing sister Rose.

An avid opera lover, Ralph missed out on a career as an opera singer because of an unfortunate incident in his youth.

On one of his daily walks, Ralph takes a different path than usual, and meets a woman named Carol. A romance develops between the two, and Carol, as a gift, decides to take Ralph to Italy’s LaScala.
As in many romances, things do not turn out the way they are planned.

“It’s a warm, touching and funny play,” said Weston of The Last Romance, which was written by Joe DiPietro.

“It is sweet, it has an unexpected ending. The play doesn’t end the way you think it’s going to,” Weston continued.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

"Fox on the Fairway": A Man's Love Affair With Golf


SUZANNE CLARK as Pamela rehearses with Larry Helms, T.J. Moore and Cheyenne Grantham for the upcoming production of "Fox on the Fairway" at Theatre Winter Haven.

WHAT: "Fox on the Fairway," a comedy by Ken Ludwig presented by Theatre Winter Haven.

THE PLAY: Ludwig, whose locally produced works include "Lend Me a Tenor" and "Moon Over Buffalo," has had six shows on Broadway and six in London's West End, with works performed in more than 30 countries and 20-plus languages. One of his more recent works is "Fox on The Fairway" (2010), in which he lives up to his reputation as "master of the madcap romp." In this piece, he pays tribute to the English farces of the 1930s and 1940s, although it takes place in modern times, pulling the rug out from underneath the stuffiness of a private country club. Filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors and romantic shenanigans, it is a madcap adventure about love, life and man's love affair with golf. The TWH production is one of the first 50 shows that has been produced, so the theater received autographed copies of the script from the playwright. 

Director Jim McClellan says, "Ludwig grew up on The Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers so his type of farce has a distinctly zany American touch."

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"A Many Splintered Thing" Imagines 1800 Korean Soap Opera

Kahyun Kim, a celebrated film and theatre actress from Seoul, Korea, performed a featured role in the upcoming comedy film, "A Many Splintered Thing."

From newcomer director Justin Reardon, the movie follows the story of a male writer protagonist whose unreciprocated love motivates him to write about his experiences.

"A lot of people working on the set were saying it's a very weird and unique movie," Kim said. "It's not a chick flick or romantic comedy. It's artistically romantic with very unique situations."

The movie, which is slated for release in 2013, is currently filming at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Oscar winner Nicolas Chartier (The Hurt Locker) is producing.


Photo from www.JustJared.com

Kim plays an imaginary actress who appears during a fantasy scene where the two lead characters - played by Chris Evans (The Avengers, Captain America) and Michelle Monaghan (Source Code, Eagle Eye) - imagine themselves as actors in a 1800s Korean Soap Opera.

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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Q & A for "No Time for Love"

J.B. Miller is a published author of a variety of works including: fiction, non-fiction, award-winning poetry, music, and numerous articles and blogs. She is currently busy promoting her very first novel, No Time For Love.

If you had to describe No Time for Love in two sentences, what would they be?

A fun, romantic comedy that every woman can relate to. The perfect novel to read in front of a cozy fire or on a sandy beach - escape and enjoy!

Do you have a favorite line or excerpt from your current work?

I love all of the characters in the book that support the heroine. I especially love Lizard, Tricky Vicky, and the Texas Taxi Driver.

What are five important things that you take into consideration while writing your story?
 
I consider interesting characters, plot, putting a twist in the story, and making sure that the novel has a happy ending. I also believe in writing the entire novel from the heart and then going back and editing with my head.

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A Manchester Romantic Comedy Film

Britannia High actor Marcquelle Ward (pictured second left) on the set of his film The Secret to Dating with (from left to right) actor Jermaine Liburd, Waterloo Road's Naveen Choudhry and Hollyoaks' Aaron Cobham

Tired of watching stereotypes of young people in film and TV dramas, actor Marcquelle Ward decided to take action - and write his own film.

Britannia High and former Coronation Street star Marcquelle came up with the idea for a romantic comedy set in his home city of Manchester, and this weekend started shooting the film with a host of his fellow soap star pals.

The result, The Secret to Dating, sees Marcquelle alongside EastEnders star Devon Anderson, Waterloo Road's Naveen Choudhry, ex-Hollyoaks actor Aaron Cobham and film and TV actor Jermaine Liburd all competing for the affections of the same woman, played by actress Paris Jardin.

Longsight-raised Marcquelle says: “I was tired of what I was watching on TV, I don't think we see enough northern actors on TV, and especially for the black community we're always portrayed as the druggies or the troubled, violent youths.

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Monday, January 7, 2013

Rom Com "5 to 7" Underway



Diane Kruger (‘The Host,’ ‘‘Inglourious Basterds’) and Anton Yelchin (‘Star Trek,’ ‘Fright Night’) have been announced as the leads of writer-director Victor Levin’s romantic comedy ‘5 to 7.’

Penned by Levin (‘Mad Men,’ ‘Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!’), the screenplay is set in New York, where an aspiring novelist (Yelchin) has a cinq à sept affair with the beautiful wife of a French diplomat (Kruger). Cultures, world views, personal ethics and dietary preferences clash as love deepens, with remarkable results.

Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn of Mockingbird Pictures and The Solution Entertainment Group’s co-founders and partners, Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel will produce.

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SK Pictures Features a Romantic Comedy


 
Suresh Kondeti of SK Pictures needs no introduction. The production house had brought out several heart-touching movies. Especially, he produces several films with had the story strength and at the same time have some commercial elements. Films like 'Premiste, Naanna, Shopping Mall and Journey' have come from SK Pictures. Latest, he is producing a bilingual film in Telugu and Tamil languages.

While the Tamil version would be produced by the producers there, the Telugu version is being produced by Suresh Kondeti. The Tamil version was titled 'Yaruda Mahesh' but the Telugu version had not yet got the title. The shooting of the film was just complete and the post-production works are yet to begin.

Sandeep Kishan acted in films like 'Sneha Geetam, Prasthanam and Routine Love Story' in Telugu and 'Chore in the City' in Hindi. His bilingual film in Telugu and Tamil languages, 'Gundello Godari' is ready for release. That Sandeep was playing the hero in this latest film.

R Madan Kumar is directing the film, Dimple Chopade is playing the heroine, while Rana is the cinematographer. Speaking on the occasion, Suresh says, it is a youthful movies being brought out by a youthful team. The audiences would get a feel of watching a fresh movie. The story and its movement would be a highlight of the film.

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Sunday, January 6, 2013

"Beautiful Creatures" Aims for Romantic Laugh


New Character One-Sheets Show Off Lots of Beautiful Creatures
With the February 13th release of Beautiful Creatures coming soon, we chatted with cast members Alden Ehrenreich, Thomas Mann and Zoey Deutch and producer Broderick Johnson for some inside info on the film.

Speaking with our East Coast correspondent Nomad recently, Alden Ehrenreich, who plays Ethan Wate, gave us his point of view on the scope of the film. "There are a lot of different scenes in the movie," Ehrenreich said. "Scenes that are epic, scenes that are magic. The tone of the scenes that I'm in is romantic, charming, wonderful stuff. To me, parts of this movie feel like a romantic comedy because there's really these funny things, these bumblings and failings of someone trying to date someone, trying to get to know another person."

He continued describing the tone: "It's able to laugh at itself. It has wit, it has charm. It's a character-driven movie that has a sense of humor to it. When you see these movies about these crazy supernatural things and nobody goes, 'Whoa, wait a second,' and laughs at it for a second, that doesn't feel like what we would really do in real life. We have to laugh at this stuff."

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Comforting Romantic Comedies on Rainy Days


Some days, there's nothing you would rather do more than spend hours on your couch ignoring the world and indulging in your favorite classics. And on days like this, you wish you had a perfect list of indulgences to choose from. But instead of tiresomely sorting through those stacks of "seen a million times--" try this list of my all time favorite classic chick flicks and romantic comedies; because no matter how many times you've seen them, this list is sure to satisfy every woman, every time.

For Love & Relationships:

Just Married

A lot like Love

The Break up 

 

 

 

Good ol' fashioned chick flicks:

 
 

10 Things I hate About You

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

The Devil Wears Prada

Never Been Kissed

Music & Lyrics

Definitely Maybe

 

For a good ol' fashioned cry: 

Titanic

P.S. I Love You

The Notebook



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Friday, January 4, 2013

Single Women and Their Funny Romances in Sitcoms

 

“You have an idea of how your life will turn out,” muses Mindy Lahiri, introducing herself in the pilot episode of Fox’s new sitcom The Mindy Project which debuted in September. “When I was a kid, all I did was watch romantic comedies in our living room while I did my homework,” she tells us in voice-over as we see clips of her at various ages watching videos of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and Four Weddings and Funeral. She kept watching romantic comedies obsessively through college, and while she managed to finish medical school and become an OB/GYN, her love life has not turned out to be like the movies—she was recently dumped by a long-time boyfriend, and just last night humiliated herself at his wedding with a vengeful, drunken toast in which she suggested that his Serbian bride was a war criminal.

The Mindy Project, created by comedian and writer Mindy Kaling, who also stars as the fictional Mindy, is staging television’s version of the quixotic plot. Mindy might love watching When Harry Met Sally, but she is a character in a television sitcom, not a Hollywood romantic comedy, so we can be pretty sure that her own romantic life is going to be different from Sally Albright’s: Mindy is going to be unlucky in love. Not just in the pilot episode or during the first season, but probably for years, or as long as the show is renewed. Even if she starts seeing someone seriously, the relationship will be volatile and probably won’t last more than a season or two, at most.

Sitcoms like The Mindy Project, of course, are at least as convention-bound as romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally. But because of the conditions of their production, they tend to have something in common with life itself: no one knows in advance when they’re going to end. The full arc of a TV series is not usually mapped out in advance, the show is subject to abrupt cancellation, and there is no artistic consensus on how to handle its conclusion even when writers know that the end is coming; a television series might have an elaborate finale or simply finish out a given season without fanfare. All this gives most sitcoms a certain sense of indeterminacy—we’re bound for no obvious destination—that also applies to the characters’ relationships. As long as each episode has its own tidy, reassuring little ending, audiences tolerate a great deal of open-endedness when it comes to the hero or heroine’s romantic life. And what those tidy little endings are reassuring us about, much of the time, is the fact that the characters are not alone even when they remain romantically unattached and hapless; they have friends, family, colleagues—stability, in other words, even without being married. Sitcoms offer a salve for the bruises of urban single life. 

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Mhairi McFarlane's Book Review: It Had the Readers at Hello

editorial image Think of David Nicholls’ One Day, add a week’s worth of northern humour and you have what could be one of the year’s funniest and most romantic books.

Breezing in on the wave of 2013 is Mhairi McFarlane whose very modern, very witty and very wonderful debut novel is a true labour of love.

Five years in the making and set in Manchester, the beating heart of the north, You Had Me at Hello also comes straight from the heart.

It’s a rollocking, rumbustious romantic comedy which bubbles over with engaging – but very credible – characters, slick dialogue, plotlines that tug at those heartstrings and all written with a nudge, a wink and an irresistible sense of fun.

Central to the story is that old ‘love story’ chestnut ... what happens when you meet up again with the boyfriend ‘that got away,’ the man you adored (and still do) but who slipped through your fingers, probably never to be seen again.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Bridget Jones, An Alternative to Jane Austen's Heroine?

banner_bridget jones.jpg

Helen Fielding recently revealed that she would be giving us a third book of Bridget Jones's adventures. There's also another movie in the works. It's unclear how old Bridget will be, or even whether admirers Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver will still be in her universe. But the most pressing—and so far overlooked—question is not whether or not she'll get pregnant, or marry Mark, or any of the other issues raised after Fielding's interview.

It's this: What Jane Austen book will this new story be based on, if any? Fielding is entitled to send Bridget in any direction she chooses, but it'd be a shame one of the few people capable of parodying Austen well should leave tradition behind.

Many people noticed that Bridget Jones Diary was based on Pride & Prejudice. The parallels and the in-joke of casting Colin Firth as Mark Darcy made it obvious even to casual observers. Far fewer seemed to notice how Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason followed the plotline of Austen's Persuasion—the awkward silences and misunderstandings between Bridget and Mark threatening their future in a way that mirrored the story of shy Anne Elliot and confused Frederick Wentworth. 

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Trivial Romantic Comedy Films

January 4 has unofficially been set aside as Trivia Day. One missing bit of trivia seems to be just where all this started, but that's beside the point. The real point is that there is no trivia quite like movie trivia. And so here are some movies and actors to consider tracking down that are worth watching if for no other reason than that they are the rather unbelievable answers to trivia questions.

Cary Grant


Cary Grant remains one of the greatest comic actors in the history of Hollywood. Grant is the paradigm of the good-looking, sexy male actor who can get away with being a comic goof. Some of the best performances that Cary Grant ever gave are to be found in comedies in which he plays completely against his legendary status as the ultimate in cool sophistication. Watching Cary Grant is appropriate on Trivia Day for two reasons: one, his real name was Archibald Leach and, even more shocking, he never won an Oscar.

Pretty Woman
 
A couple of things related to "Pretty Woman" are funnier than the movie itself. One is that Julia Roberts actually managed to snag an Oscar nomination for her performance. The great piece of trivia now that was actually deemed worthy of headlines for weeks at the time is that Roberts showed up at the Oscars at which it was nearly a certainty beyond description she would lose to Kathy Bates in tow with Kiefer Sutherland. The two were clearly in love and all over each other as they prepared for their Wedding of the Century just a couple of months down the road. That wedding date came and went with Roberts getting equally hot and heavy with Sutherland's pal, Jason Patric. Funny how headline news can eventually become worth of Trivia Day celebration, ain't it?



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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

"Oreshura" Romantic Comedy Series Available for Stream

Media service Crunchyroll announced on Wednesday that it will begin streaming the Oreshura television anime at 12:00 p.m. EST on Saturday. The stream will be available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Yūji Yūji's original light novel series centers around a boy named Eita (played by Ryota Ohsaka). He has a childhood friend named Chiwa (Chinatsu Akasaki) who is like a little sister to him. A silver-haired girl named Masuzu (Yukari Tamura) returns from overseas and makes Eita her "fake" boyfriend to fend off unwanted attention. This sets off a feud between Chiwa and Masuzu for Eita's affections.

Kanta Kamei (Bunny Drop, Tales of Vesperia ~The First Strike~) is directing the anime at A-1 Pictures. Tatsuhiko Urahata (Natsu-iro Kiseki, Saki, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere) is in charge of the series scripts, and Mai Otsuka (Shakugan no Shana, Hanamaru Kindergarten, Astarotte's Toy) is adapting LLO's original character designs. Masatomo Ota (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, B Gata H Kei - Yamada’s First Time, Carnival Phantasm theme songs) is composing the music.

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Romantic Comedy Graces 2013 Art Film Series



Vashon, Washington (December 26, 2012) Sundance Film Festival’s opening night film "Hello I Must Be Going" comes to the island on Friday, January 4 to launch Vashon Film Society’s new year of First Friday Art Films. 

The comic relationship drama marks a significant achievement for well-known character actress Melanie Lynskey: for the first time in her career, she is in every scene as leading lady. The film focuses on Lynskey’s character Amy who has retreated to her parents’ upscale suburban home following her divorce. Amy’s slow metamorphosis from demoralized sad sack to surprising "older woman" makes for a refreshing romantic comedy for adults.

Similar to performer Stephen Tobolowsky, Lynskey has one of those acting faces familiar to audiences from her many supporting roles over her career. Audiences might know her from her film work with Peter Jackson and George Clooney or her role as Rose on NBC’s megahit "Two and A Half Men" but she’s never had a star turn like this.

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