Andie MacDowell is a celebrated actress and model known for her timeless beauty, grace, and resilience in Hollywood. With a career spanning four decades, the actress-model first garnered attention in Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and went on to achieve worldwide acclaim when she starred opposite the charming Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Since then, it has been no less than an incredible ride for the actress, who from her modeling work to acting has become a timeless icon. Beyond her public achievements, Andie MacDowell takes great pride in her role as a mother and is often outspoken and candid about her three kids from her ex-husband Paul Qualley.

Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral | Credit: Universal Pictures

Although her eldest child, Justin, likes to keep away from the spotlight, her two daughters have made a name for themselves in the entertainment world.

Brian Cox is coming down the chimney.

In the first trailer for Netflix’s animated holiday comedy “That Christmas,” the “Succession” alum suits up as Santa Claus as he tells the story of one of the most challenging nights in his career.

Based on the charming trilogy of children’s books by beloved multi award-winning writer/director Richard Curtis, “That Christmas” follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love, loneliness and Santa Claus making a big mistake — not to mention an enormous number of turkeys.

The ensemble cast includes Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, Lolly Adefope, Alex Macqueen, Katherine Parkinson, Sindhu Vee, India Brown, Zazie Hayhurst, Sienna Sayer, Jack Wisniewski, Rosie Cavaliero, Paul Kaye, Guz Khan, Andy Nyman, Kuhu Agarwal, Bronte Smith, Freddie Spry and Ava Talbot with Bill Nighy and Rhys Darby.

Curtis makes his first foray into animation as the Locksmith Animation comedy’s writer and executive producer.

Netflix revealed the official That Christmas trailer, which comes from Locksmith Animation (Ron’s Gone Wrong) and director Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy). Debuting on December 4, the film has been rated PG for thematic elements, some language, and rude humor.

That Christmas is an adaptation of the beloved children’s book series written by acclaimed BAFTA Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer and director Richard Curtis.

That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys! A film of firsts, it marks Curtis’s first animation project and the directorial debut of animation veteran Otto.

The film stars Brian Cox as Santa, Fiona Shaw (Ms. Trapper), Jodie Whittaker (Mrs. Williams), and Bill Nighy (Bill) as the residents of a charming seaside town where things turn upside down one Christmas.

In Richard Curtis and Bridget Jones romcoms he was everyone’s favourite foppish Englishman. Now the actor shows his steel as a menacing villain in a new horror movie

This week sees the release of Heretic, Hugh Grant’s 45th feature film. Few critics would have predicted that length of career after his pouting 1982 debut in Privileged, a pretentiously shonky whodunnit featuring several of his fellow Oxford students. For the next decade he wasn’t so much a fringe actor as an actor with a floppy fringe, invariably cast as a posh, slightly foppish Englishman, doomed to be forever brushing his lustrous hair back from his finely chiselled features.

Then 12 years on everything changed with the release of Four Weddings and a Funeral. More accurately, the floppy fringe remained, but now it was employed as comedy cover for a strikingly diffident kind of romantic hero. Overnight Grant was catapulted into the realm of international fame,...

When Hugh Grant hit it big in 1995 after Four Weddings and a Funeral, his career was nearly derailed by a scandelous encounter in Hollywood that many predicted he’d never recover from. Yet, recover he did, and now, nearly 30 years removed from the incident, Hugh Grant can’t help but poke fun, bringing the house to its knees at a recent event with a refreshingly off-the-cuff joke at his own expense.

Hugh Grant was in attendance at the Tcl Chinese Theatre as part of a screening at AFI Fest this week. Once he stepped up to the mic, Grant gave attention to both the movie he was there promoting (Heretic) and the location of the screening. “I have nothing interesting to add to that except that it is very nice to be here. Hollywood Boulevard has always been a lucky place for me.”

For those who don’t know or...

Nachdem es bereits eine Vorpremiere auf den Filmtagen Köln gab, steht nun fest, dass David Dietls „Feste & Freunde“ seine Weltpremiere als Eröffnungsfilm des 28. Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival feiern wird. Mit einem Fokus auf das deutsche Kino wird zudem das 70. Jubiläum von German Films und das 25. Jubiläum des Goethe-Instituts in Estland gefeiert.

„Feste Freunde“ von David Dietl mit Laura Tonke und Nicholas Ofczarek (Credit: Leonine Studios)

Was für ein Aufschlag für das deutsche Kino auf dem 28. Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival: Mit 15 neuen deutschen Filmen und 3 Retrospektiven, darunter drei Weltpremieren und drei internationale Premieren in verschiedenen Wettbewerbsprogrammen, wird auf dem A-Festival Estlands der deutsche Film gefeiert. Der deutsche Fokus 2024 ist dem 70-jährigen Jubiläum von German Films und dem 25-jährigen Jubiläum des Goethe-Instituts Tallinn gewidmet. Das Institut ist seit 1999 Partner von PÖFF und präsentiert deutsche Filmhighlights.

Das Festival wird mit der Weltpremiere von „Feste & Freunde“ von David Dietl mit u. a.

Hugh Grant loves taking the piss out of the acting profession and even his own place within it, but there’s no doubt he’s left an indelible impression. From “Four Weddings and a Funeral” to “Notting Hill,” he carried the romantic comedy genre for most of the ’90s and early aughts, making women and men alike fall head over heels for his cutesy, bumbling manner. To hear him talk about it, however, these films also served as somewhat of a gilded cage that ended up defining his life off screen.

“My mistake was that I suddenly got this massive success with ‘Four Weddings’ and I thought, ah, well, if that’s what people love so much, I’ll be that person in real life, too,” Grant said in a recent interview with The New York Times. “So I used to do interviews where I was Mr. Stuttery Blinky, and...

In A24's Heretic, two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

The movie also stars Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East and was written & directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

The final trailer Heretic has been released (via FearHQ.com) and it both ups the ante and drives home the fact Grant is taking on one of his most twisted, terrifying roles to date. Tormenting the two girls who enter his home, he tasks them with making a fateful decision before pursuing them through the underbelly of his house.

There's a lot which isn't shown here and something tells us this one will deliver some big twists and turns. The sneak peek also includes plenty of praise from critics, no great surprise when...

Before Hugh Grant started his heel turn in films like “Paddington 2” and the recently release A24 horror film “Heretic,” he was mostly known as a romantic lead. With films like “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Notting Hill,” Grant warmed his way into the hearts of countless with his dashing good looks and witty charm. One of his most memorable romantic roles was in “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” which spawned two sequels and now an upcoming third one that Grant has been coaxed into returning for after skipping the last one, “Bridget Jones’s Baby.” Discussing the upcoming entry in the franchise, Grant shared on The Graham Norton Show how the film will not only provide laughs, as per usual, but also an emotional underpinning that will feel new for the typically frothy films.

“As well as being extremely funny, it’s very, very sad,” Grant said, adding, “but absolutely no...

The Netflix limited series adaptation of the Alice Feeney novel “His & Hers” has added four new cast members.

Crystal Fox, Sunita Mani, and Rebecca Rittenhouse have joined as series regulars, with Marin Ireland set in a supporting role. They will star alongside previously announced cast members Tessa Thompson as well as Jon Bernthal and Pablo Schreiber. Netflix has commissioned six episodes, with production set to begin this fall.

The official description for the series states, “Set in the sweltering heat of Atlanta, Anna (Thompson) lives in haunting reclusivity, fading away from her friends and career as a news anchor. But when she overhears about a murder in Dahlonega – the sleepy town where she grew up – Anna is snapped back to life, pouncing on the case and searching for answers. Detective Jack Harper (Bernthal) is strangely suspicious of her involvement, chasing her into the crosshairs of his own investigation. There...

Whether you know Hugh Grant from his rom-com success in the ’90s with his charming roles in Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral or his recent bad boy turn in The Gentlemen and A Very English Scandal, you always think of him in relation to Christmas blockbuster Love Actually and delightful family film Paddington 2. All stellar choices, but none of them represent the real Grant, so to speak. The role most like his actual personality is the charmingly sarcastic Daniel Cleaver. This character first made an appearance in the iconic Renée Zellweger-led flick, Bridget Jones’ Diary. He popped up again in the sequel, The Edge of Reason, which was presumed to be his last appearance in the series since he was not seen in the 2016 edition of Bridget Jones’s Baby. As was alluded to in the last installment, Daniel didn’t actually die in a plane crash.

Oxford grad Hugh Grant has outgrown most of his romantic comedy ticks from his early years – flopsy-mopsy hair, fluttery eyelashes and charming stutter – and has matured into an exceptional and versatile actor. Not that he has lost his sense of humor. Anyone who chuckled over his villainous turn in this year’s “Paddington 2” as a pompous, cravat-wrapped actor who frames his cuddly ursine co-star for a crime he didn’t commit can testify to that Then there was his finely tuned scoundrel turn in the BBC miniseries, “A Very English Scandal,“ in which his Parliament member Jeremy Thorpe plots the botched murder of his male lover.

Grant began his acting career in the ‘80s as secondary player in both British period pieces — some good (“Maurice”) and others faintly ridiculous (“The Lair of the White Moon”) – and Hollywood comedies (the gangster farce “Mickey Blue Eyes”). But any hopes that he...

As winter approaches we are all in need of something spicy to watch to make our temperature rise and if you are a fan of romantic comedies, then we have the perfect recommendations for you. From critically acclaimed movies like Silver Linings Playbook to iconic romantic comedy movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Max (formerly known as HBO Max) has everything you need. So, here are the 7 best R-rated romantic comedy movies available on Max right now.

Silver Linings Playbook Credit – The Weinstein Company

Silver Linings Playbook is a romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell. Based on a 2008 novel titled The Silver Linings Playbook by author Matthew Quick, the 2012 film follows the story of Pat, a middle-aged man after he gets out of a mental institution and meets Tiffany, a woman suffering from depression. Tiffany promises Pat that she will reunite him with his wife...

Guz Khan has joined the cast of Riz Ahmed’s upcoming comedy series at Amazon Prime Video, Variety has learned.

The show was originally announced back in June. Ahmed is the writer, executive producer, co-showrunner, and star of the untitled half-hour series. Per the official logline, the show follows “Shah Latif (Ahmed), a struggling actor on the cusp of landing the role of a lifetime, only to find himself thrust into a full blown existential crisis and trippy conspiracy thriller all at the same time.”

Khan will appear in a series regular role, but exact character details are being kept under wraps.

Khan is best known for the series “Man Like Mobeen,” which has aired four seasons on BBC Three with a fifth on the way. Khan stars in the series and was also its co-creator and writer. His other TV credits include “Our Flag Means Death,” “The Gentlemen,” “Taskmaster,...

Guz Khan (Man Like Mobeen) has been cast as a series regular in the Untitled Riz Ahmed comedy series for Prime Video. Details regarding his character are under wraps.

The series follows Shah Latif (Ahmed), a struggling actor on the cusp of landing the role of a lifetime, only to find himself thrust into a full-blown existential crisis and trippy conspiracy thriller simultaneously. The show is set in London with production currently underway.

The untitled half-hour show is the first project from a deal between Prime Video and Oscar-nominee Ahmed’s Left Handed Films signed three years ago.

Ahmed executive produces alongside Allie Moore for Left Handed and Jake Fuller on behalf of Jax Media. Ben Karlin (Modern Family) executive produces and is showrunning with Ahmed. The series is produced by Jax Media and Amazon MGM Studios.

Khan is best known for creating, writing, and starring in four series of...

It was July 1994. The summer was sizzling. And so were cinemas. That’s truly no lie.

James Cameron’s action comedy flick “True Lies” opened in theaters on the 15th of the month, knocking “Forrest Gump” from the top of the box office chart in its second week. “True Lies” starred a pre-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a U.S. government spy whose occupation is unbeknownst to his own family. (They think that he’s a salesman.) Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet at the time, thanks to a string of recent successes including 1988’s “Twins,” 1990’s “Total Recall” and 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” While “True Lies” was judged favorably by most critics, it was the bodybuilder-turned-actor’s onscreen wife Jamie Lee Curtis who received the bulk of the praise. Her nice but naive character was undergoing a midlife crisis, and Curtis injected her...

Even more exciting Pigeon Shrine FrightFest news… Catalyst Studios has announced the UK cinema release of their eagerly awaited gothic horror film, Broken Bird. The film, which will celebrate its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, is set to open this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on 30th August 2024.

Broken Bird marks the feature directorial debut of Joanne Mitchell, a seasoned horror storyteller with nearly 15 years of experience in the genre. The film is an adaptation of Mitchell and Tracey Sheals’s 2018 award-winning short, Sybil, with the screenplay penned by Dominic Brunt. This haunting tale delves deep into the psyche of Sybil Chamberlain, a character whose life is a tapestry of sorrow, isolation, and dark fascination.

Sybil Chamberlain, portrayed by Rebecca Calder, is a quiet, creative individual with a peculiar set of hobbies—taxidermy and poetry. Her days are spent working at a funeral parlour, surrounded by the deceased,...

Catalyst Studios is excited to announce that their gothic horror Broken Bird, which celebrates its World Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square, London, and opens this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest, will also be released in UK cinemas from 30th August 2024.

Broken Bird marks the feature directorial debut of Joanne Mitchell, who for nearly 15 years has honed her craft as a horror storyteller. Broken Bird is a feature film adaptation of her & Tracey Sheals’s 2018 award-winning short Sybil, screenplay by Dominic Brunt.

This rich, disturbing tale steps into the life and mind of Sybil Chamberlain. Sybil is a quiet, creative soul. Her hobbies are taxidermy and poetry. She works in a funeral parlor with the deceased. She likes dead people. They understand her. At just ten years old, she experienced trauma in a tragic accident which took away the family she adored. Now, an aching loneliness prevails in a void which she seeks to fill.

Hell yeah! HBO and Max’s new releases for July include the two-episode debut of Harley Quinn spinoff series Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (July 18) that follows the titular villain and his girlfriend the Golden Glider as they take their relationship to the next logical step – opening a bar for supervillains together. Hilarious hijinks are bound to ensue as Gotham’s hottest new bar takes off.

Football fans will get to follow the New York Giants in this season of Hard Knocks: Offseason starting July 2. This non-scripted series will follow the team as they prepare for their highly anticipated 100th season.

Notable movie releases this month include Love Lies Bleeding (July 19), the Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart-starring feature about the love affair between a reclusive gym owner Lou (Stewart) and bodybuilder Jackie (O’Brian). Anyone wanting to rewatch the original Twister before its sequel premieres in theaters this month are in luck,...

Who says 1994 was a classic year for cinema? Netflix begins today to make that argument, curating a release of 17 films that turned 30 this year. The streamer has its list below. I have mine, and with the exception of the seminal Farrelly Brothers-directed Dumb & Dumber with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, and Luc Besson’s Leon: The Professional, the film that stars Jean Reno and a sinister Gary Oldman and introduced the world to the outsized talent Natalie Portman, and maybe Ron Howard’s The Paper, there’s a lot missing. How about Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Clear and Present Danger, Sicario, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Interview With the Vampire, Speed, Ed Wood, and the other two films in a starmaking year for Jim Carrey, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask. Speed, Once Were Warriors, and Ang Lee...

For about as long as he has been writing, directing, and producing films and television programs, Richard Curtis has continually devoted his time and energy to charitable causes benefitting impoverished people all over the world. In acknowledgment of his tireless efforts, the British multihyphenate has been named the next recipient of the film academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Along with Quincy Jones, Juliet Taylor, Michael G. Wilson, and Barbara Broccoli, Curtis is set to be recognized at the 15th annual Governors Awards. In a press statement, academy president Janet Yang referred to Curtis as “a brilliant comedic storyteller whose tremendous charitable efforts embody the meaning of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.” Indeed, the New Zealand native and Oxford graduate has earned a reputation as one of the most compassionate and socially conscious figures in his industry.

Apart from his filmmaking career, Curtis is best known as the co-founder of Comic Relief,...

To celebrate the release of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey II available on digital platforms and Blu-Ray from 28th June, we have both films Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey I & II on Blu-Ray to give away to a lucky winner!

This ain’t no bedtime story – horror sequel Winnie-the-pooh: Blood & Honey II follows the phenomenal success of 2023’s most infamous film, Winnie-the-pooh: Blood & Honey, which earned more than $5,000,000 in cinemas worldwide despite its modest budget, Winnie The Pooh returns even more brutal than before and is joined by Tigger and Owl to wreak mayhem in the Hundred-Acre Wood.

Written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, starring Scott Chambers as Christoper Robin, Tallulah Evans (The Full Monty TV series), and BAFTA-nominated thespian Simon Callow (Four Weddings And A Funeral), Winnie-the-pooh: Blood & Honey II is, “a grizzly piece of meta horror that is sure to surprise audiences.”

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Filming has begun on Outrageous, a six-part series about the Mitford sisters, with a cast including Bessie Carter, Joanna Vanderham, Anna Chancellor, and James Purefoy.

The brand-new drama, created and written by Sarah Williams and based on Mary Lovell’s definitive biography The Mitford Girls, is made by Firebird Pictures and co-commissioned by BritBox International (for North America) and UKTV.

Photo courtesy of BritBox; Credit: Kevin Baker

Outrageous is the story of six aristocratic sisters who refused to play by the rules, their often scandalous lives making headlines worldwide. Set against the gathering storm clouds of the 1930s, masked by the decadence, frivolity, and lavishness of British high society, Outrageous will bring the full, uncensored story of the Mitford sisters to the screen for the first time – a story of family bonds and betrayals, public scandal, political extremism, love, heartache, and even imprisonment.

The show explores how and why these women,...

The makers of five of this year’s buzzy animated features—“Spellbound,” “That Christmas,” “The Imaginary,” “Ultraman: Rising” and “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”–participated in the Variety FYC Animation Preview at last week’s Annecy Animation Festival, showcasing a range of stories and animation styles during a broad discussion about their movies, creative process and business. Observed “Ultraman: Rising” director Shannon Tindle, who also co-wrote its screenplay, “We’ve got CG, we’ve got hand-drawn mixed with CG, we’ve got stop-frame animation. It’s really cool to see that all these different forms [of animation] are alive.”

Perhaps best known for Oscar-winner “Shrek,” director Vicky Jensen shared a sneak peek at Skydance Animation’s computer-animated “Spellbound,” in which a tenacious young protagonist, Ellian, voiced by Rachel Zegler, must save her family and kingdom after a spell transforms her parents, the rulers of the magical land, into monsters. “It’s...

Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli (Credit Greg Williams)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that its Board of Governors voted to present Academy Honorary Awards to Quincy Jones and Juliet Taylor, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Richard Curtis and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s Governors Awards event on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.

“The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the bar incredibly high across their remarkable careers, and the Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to recognize them with Oscars,” said Academy President Janet Yang. “The selection of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli is a testament to their success as producers of the fan-favorite Bond series and their contribution to the industry’s theatrical landscape.

Academy Governors will recognise Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, Richard Curtis with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and Quincy Jones and Juliet Taylor with Academy Honorary Awards.

The Oscar statuettes will be presented at the Academy Governors Awards on November 17 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.

James Bond franchise producers and longtime guardians of the brand Wilson and Broccoli receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which is now an Oscar statuette, as producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production”.

Their credits include modern 007 instalments Casino Royale,...

Quincy Jones, the first Black producer to be nominated for best picture, and legendary casting director Juliet Taylor will receive honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Wednesday. Screenwriter and director Richard Curtis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will be bestowed with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. The statuettes will be presented at the 15th annual ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Los Angeles.

“The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the bar incredibly high across their remarkable careers, and the Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to recognize them with Oscars,” said Janet Yang, Academy President. “The selection of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli is a testament to their success as producers of the fan-favorite Bond series and their contribution to the industry’s theatrical landscape.

The sibling Bond movie producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have been tapped to receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, writer-director Richard Curtis will be feted with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and composer-producer Quincy Jones and casting director Juliet Taylor will receive honorary Oscars at the 2024 Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

The 15th annual Governors Awards — honorees for which were determined as the last move of the Academy’s 2023-2024 board of governors, which changed following recent board elections — will be presented at a ceremony at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 17.

“The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the bar incredibly high across their remarkable careers, and the Academy’s board of governors is thrilled to recognize them with Oscars,” Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement. “The selection of Michael G.

For only the second time in its 15 year history there is no actor among the honorees for this year’s select group receiving the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Governors Awards. The AMPAS Board Of Governors have chosen to give Academy Honorary Awards to music legend Quincy Jones and veteran Casting Director Juliet Taylor, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to British writer/director Richard Curtis, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The awards ceremony, always a highlight in the very long Oscar season will take place on Sunday November 17, 2024 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.

You have to go back to the 4th Governors Awards in 2012 to find a group that did not include at least one actor among its recipients. That year the honorees were documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker, director/stuntman Hal Needham, AFI founder and producer/filmmaker George Stevens Jr.,...

Take a first peek at Sandokan, a new international adaptation of Emilio Salgari’s historic saga about the adventures of a titular pirate who, with his motley crew, fights against colonial powers in Southeast Asia. Scroll down for more.

Fremantle’s Lux Vide in collaboration with Rai Fiction have unveiled the first-look images, which show the various characters assembled for the TV series. Sandokan will air on Rai1 in Italy and be distributed internationally by Fremantle and in Spain by Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group.

Turkish actor Can Yaman (Dolunay, Violet Like the Sea) stars as the legendary pirate Sandokan, alongside British newcomer Alanah Bloor (Waves) as Lady Marianne, the spirited daughter of the British consul.

Sandokan is a pirate who lives by the day: he fights only for himself and his crew, including his trusted Yanez. But his life changes when during a raid he meets Marianne, the beautiful daughter...

This Sunday morning, ITV welcomes viewers to spend “Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh,” Season 6, Episode 22, airing at 9:30 Am on June 2, 2024. Host Alan Titchmarsh welcomes a star-studded lineup of guests, promising a delightful blend of entertainment, horticulture, and culinary delights to kickstart the day.

Joining Alan on the show this time are film star and stand-up comedian Omid Djalili, bringing his trademark humor and charm to the morning chat. Also gracing the couch is Sophie Thompson, known for her roles in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Gosford Park,” adding a touch of Hollywood glamour to the proceedings.

Horticulturist Camilla Bassett-Smith celebrates the arrival of June with a showcase of agaves, citrus plants, and marigolds, offering gardening enthusiasts plenty of inspiration for their own green spaces. Meanwhile, drinks expert Andy Clarke tantalizes taste buds with some posh squash, providing refreshing beverage ideas perfect for the summer season.

The episode...

‘If you see one movie this summer, see Star Wars. If you see a second, see Austin Powers.’ Thus spake trailer-man, in the teaser for Mike Myers’s upcoming comedy sequel, and to a great extent, that’s exactly what happened in the summer of 1999. Well, almost.

The 20th century was running out of time and that summer was impatiently filled with as many tantalising prospects as any big movie season in recent memory. It appeared to be the summer of comebacks. Following Terrence Malick’s long-awaited return to directing in the recently-released The Thin Red Line, Summer ’99 would see not only George Lucas but Stanley Kubrick making their much-delayed encores – though we knew by then that this was actually Kubrick’s swan song.

An exercise in peak-nostalgia seemed inevitable, but the season proved to be full of surprises. None more so than the success of that second Austin Powers film,...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has snapped up North American rights to the holiday family comedy A Sudden Case of Christmas, starring Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and a Funeral), from Notorious Pictures and Riverstone Pictures in association with WME Independent. The film will roll out across multiple entertainment platforms later this year.

As we were first to report, Vmi Worldwide holds international sales rights and is currently presenting the film to buyers at Cannes.

Directed by Peter Chelsom (The Space Between Us), A Sudden Case of Christmas centers on Lawrence (DeVito), who runs a grand hotel in the mountains of Italy. Every winter, he hosts the extended family for Christmas — but this year, his daughter (Lucy DeVito) and her husband (Wilmer Valderrama) are bringing their 10-year-old, Claire (Antonella Rose), to visit in August.

The young couple comes with shocking news: They are divorcing and...

Michael Head stars in this less than convincing story of a London crime lord and his associates

There was a period in the Cool Britannia days when you couldn’t throw a brick at a cinema in the UK without hitting a British gangster movie with a castful full of dodgy geezers blagging their way around an underground scene full of drugs and farfetched capers. Some were ludicrously entertaining creations of actual working-class talent, such as Nick Love’s The Business, others transcended genre pigeonholing to work their way into various top critics’ lists (such as Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast), and still others were Guy Ritchie movies. There were hundreds of less high-profile efforts too, destined for VHS or DVD, but each having somehow found funding.

These days the British gangster flick is no longer flavour of the week, or month, and there’s something appealingly bullish about attempts to make these films now.

Hugh Grant is one of the most celebrated actors in Hollywood, and his perfect combination of wit and charm only makes it more understandable why. Needless to say, his very charming personality and physical features are also the reason why a lot of the roles he has donned have been in rom-coms. But even through those rom-coms, Grant has displayed quite a bit of action.

Hugh Grant. | Credit: Julien Rath/Wikimedia Commons.

However, one time, this display of action in a similar ruthless manner as Tom Cruise almost ended up killing him. This happened in the iconic film that set him up as the King of rom-coms and is still regarded as a masterpiece, Four Weddings and a Funeral. But that isn’t the only surprising fact, because Grant was actually never the first choice to play the protagonist in that movie!

Hugh Grant Almost Killed Himself While Shooting Four Weddings...

The low-budget romcom about Britain’s upper middle classes launched the careers of its writer Richard Curtis and Grant. Cast and crew share their stories – from Liz Hurley in that dress to Amber Rudd’s role as an ‘aristocracy coordinator’

It’s been 30 years since audiences first met Hugh Grant as a stuttering serial monogamist who falls hopelessly in love with a glamorous American (Andie MacDowell) in Four Weddings and a Funeral. The low-budget romcom, directed by Mike Newell and scripted by Richard Curtis, came out of nowhere to become a global hit when it was released in 1994.

Based on Curtis’s own experiences of being a guest at a seemingly endless merry-go-round of weddings, the film follows Grant’s sweary, bumbling Charles and his group of friends – which includes his deaf brother – as they navigate love, loss and grief. From the first “fuck” uttered by Grant as he wakes...

Hugh Grant’s remarkable ability to walk in the shoes of a hopeless romantic makes the audience swoon with every look and every dialogue that his characters convey. The British star has a lot of these characters in his old Hollywood roster to claim a credible authority over the genre of rom-coms as a whole.

However, it wasn’t until Four Weddings and a Funeral that he became the unofficial face of the charming lover boy that rom-com directors tripped head over heels for. Directed by the esteemed Richard Curtis, the 1994 film established Grant in Hollywood as the British counterpart of Tom Hanks, who was at the time equally famous for his rom-com films.

Hugh Grant – the face of rom-com [Photo taken from Notting Hill; Credit: Universal Pictures]

Although the Forrest Gump star quickly grew out of his reputation as the affable and charming Everyman suited for a bit of nostalgic romance on the side, Grant...

Hugh Grant was one of the quintessential rom-com leading men of the 90s among the likes of Richard Gere and Leonardo DiCaprio. He was a popular heartthrob who managed to impress fans with his natural charm and his nonchalant humor. His roles in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and Love Actually made audiences swoon in the 90s and early 2000s.

Hugh Grant as William Thacker in Notting Hill

Another one of Grant’s popular films was 2002’s Two Weeks Notice where he was paired with Sandra Bullock. The duo had met five years prior and they had discussed working together. But Grant made a pretty bad impression on Bullock by narrating what he calls a ‘disgusting story’, which led to Grant not hearing from the actress for over 3 years.

Hugh Grant Got Ghosted By Sandra Bullock After A Horrible First Meeting

Hugh Grant and Sandra...

Four Weddings and a Funeral is one of the best British romantic comedy films ever made. It marks the breakthrough performance of actor Hugh Grant and catapulted him to stardom. As a result, it might surprise some viewers to learn that Grant was initially skeptical about the film’s chances of becoming successful.

Hugh Grant gave his breakthrough performance in Four Weddings and a Funeral

Meanwhile, Richard Curtis, who wrote the film was skeptical of Grant’s suitability for the lead role and the actor wasn’t his first choice for the part. Here is why Hugh Grant wasn’t the first choice for Four Weddings and a Funeral and why he initially thought that the film would end up being the biggest flop of his career.

Hugh Grant Believed Four Weddings and a Funeral Was Going to Be a Major Flop in His Career

Hugh Grant played the lead...

With its list of May 2024 releases, Amazon Prime Video is giving us the kindest gift of all: cougar Anne Hathaway.

May 2 sees the premiere of The Idea of You, a romantic-comedy that features Hathaway as a 40-year-old mom finding romance with a 24-year-old boy band singer (Nicholas Galitzine). Having saved the medium of film forever, Prime Video is celebrating with some big time library titles this month as well. American Fiction and BlacKkKlansman arrive on May 14 and will be followed by Creed and Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story on May 16.

For its TV offerings, Prime is leading off with Outer Range season 2 on May 16. This James Brolin sci-fi Western will continue the mysteries of the strange happenings on Thanos’ ranch. Reality TV fans will be able to enjoy the Daniel Tosh-hosted competition series The Goat on May 9.

Here’s everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in April – Amazon...

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has acquired the UK and Irish rights to British romantic-comedy This Time Next Year, starring Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris).

The movie revolves around Minnie and Quinn, who while together at a New Year’s Eve party quickly realize they share a connection – they were born on New Year’s Day of the same year, in the same London hospital, one minute apart. Minnie grew up convinced that the mysterious Quinn – born first – stole the name her mother planned for her, and with it all her luck, setting her on a path of misfortune. Horrified at the misunderstanding, Quinn is set on making amends.

Also starring are John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral), Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton), Monica Dolan (Cyrano), Mandip Gill (Doctor Who) and Anita Dobson (Eastenders).

Signature will release on June 3 of this year. The deal was negotiated...

Renee Zellweger will lock lips with Leo Woodall in the new 'Bridget Jones' film.The 55-year-old star is reprising the role for the fourth time in the upcoming movie 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' and it has been confirmed that the 'One Day' actor – who is 28 years her junior – will be her love interest in the new picture.The film, which is based on Helen Fielding's 2013 novel of the same name, will see Bridget adjusting to life as a single mother following the death of her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and it has been suggested that the character will be a "cougar" in the flick that is being released in February 2025.A source told The Sun newspaper: "Bridget is going to be a real cougar in the new film and she'll be seen starting a relationship with a much younger character played by Leo."He...

Signage at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, CA.

Once again, it was time for our favorite film festival, the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival, and as usual, the Stars were shining brightly!

Movie lovers from around the globe descended upon Hollywood for the 15th edition of the festival, which took place Thursday, April 18 – Sunday, April 21. Over four packed days and nights, fans were treated to a lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions.

There were quite a few big-name notables, both on the red carpet and introducing some of our favorite classic films.

Thursday’s opening night gala was a stunner, with the 30th anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994). Many of the iconic film’s stars walked the red carpet for a reunion that included John Travolta, Samuel Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel.

This set the...

Netflix and the Annecy Film Festival have fostered an incredible relationship over the last several years. No other major studio or distributor has been as omnipresent at the French film festival, and this year should be no different.

Netflix is planning several major sneak peeks of upcoming titles, a work-in-progress session, the world premiere of “Ultraman: Rising,” an exhibition of stop-motion figures from the upcoming Wallace & Gromit film, and two of its titles – “Blue Eye Samurai” and “Pokémon Concierge” – are screening in competition.

On Wednesday, June 12, the streamer will host Next on Netflix Animation: From Twilight of the Gods to Wallace & Gromit, a sneak peek at some of its most high-profile upcoming film and series titles.

“Wallace & Gromit” directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham and several of the film’s puppets will be in Annecy to tease their upcoming film. “Twilight of the Gods” will be presented by director Zack Snyder,...

Netflix returns to the Annecy Animation Festival (June 9-15) with a robust slate of animated feature and TV projects, highlighted by the premiere of “Ultraman: Rising” on June 12 (two days ahead of the feature’s streaming debut).

Also on June 12, Netflix will offer sneak peeks of an untitled “Wallace and Gromit” stop-motion feature from Aardman (streaming this winter), and Zack Snyder’s upcoming adult animated series, “Twilight of the Gods” (streaming this fall). Nick Park returns to directing “Wallace and Gromit,” about an out-of-control “smart gnome” with a mind of its own, while Snyder digs into Norse mythology for a violent Viking revenge actioner (from Xilam Animation).

Netflix will additionally offer previews on June 12 of Skydance Animation’s musical adventure “Spellbound” (streaming this year), directed by Vicky Jenson (“Shrek”), and “The Twits” (2025), a comedy about the never-ending battle between cruelty and empathy, from first-time director Phil Johnston (writer of “Zootopia...

More than 30 years after making her debut in 1987 with Aria, Elizabeth Hurley might not be the force to be reckoned with she once was. But she still is the Elizabeth Hurley. The British star continues to dazzle fans with her beauty. And she is all set to turn the clock back with a bang with her upcoming movie, Strictly Confidential. In a recent interview, in which she talks at length about her upcoming project, she recollected another illustrious moment from her career – how she managed to carry a dress which made everyone’s jaws drop.

Elizabeth Hurley went to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral

Elizabeth Hurley’s look for the London premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral was iconic

Elizabeth Hurley has been a part of many a successful movies. But one of her most sensational appearances did not come for a film. It came in...

Yesterday, all their troubles seemed so far away.

In 2022, Peter Rosza and Conor Woulfe sued Universal Pictures after they rented the 2019 movie “Yesterday” on Amazon Prime Video and subsequently felt they had been bamboozled by the trailer. The film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, is a zany musical fantasy in which Himesh Patel, a struggling musician, is bonked on the head and wakes up in a world in which The Beatles Never Happened. As such, he starts playing their songs as if they are his own and the movie follows the expected Preston Sturges-like tropes you might expect.

The trailer for the movie featured quite a few glimpses of the alluring Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas, later Oscar-nominated for her leading turn in “Blonde,” who ended up not being in the movie at all. An early cut included her character, but that storyline was shaved down after the movie tested poorly.

Mindy Kaling is plotting a return to Hulu.

The Disney-owned streamer has landed Kaling’s next comedy series, an ensemble show titled Murray Hill. Hulu outbid several other outlets and has given a script-to-series commitment for the show, which is set in the titular Manhattan neighborhood and will follow five work-obsessed 20-somethings striving for professional success and, if they have time, personal happiness.

Warner Bros. TV, where Kaling has an overall deal, is producing the project. Kaling is writing the script and will executive produce via her Kaling International banner. Howard Klein of 3 Arts Entertainment also exec produces; Kaling International’s Jessica Kumai Scott is a co-ep.

Murray Hill marks a return to Hulu for Kaling, which picked up her comedy series The Mindy Project after Fox canceled it in 2015. The series ran for three additional seasons and 50 episodes on Hulu before ending in 2017. She also co-created and executive...

For countless fans of the romantic comedy, Hugh Grant will always be just a boy standing in front of a girl. But speaking with IndieWire for his single-episode guest appearance as Ed Keplinger in HBO’s “The Regime,” the 63-year-old British actor seemed blissfully out of touch with the genre that launched his stardom.

When asked about Hollywood’s rom-com resurgence, Grant said, “I didn’t know there was one. What should I watch?”

Since the summer that brought us “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” movies about meet-cutes and star-crossed lovers have strengthened their foothold in streaming while taking leaps forward at the box office. IndieWire suggested Grant try anything with Glen Powell, a standout rom-com stud also known for “Top Gun: Maverick” who has been described as this generation’s Grant on occasion.

“I’m writing it down,” Grant told IndieWire; the actor...

Peacock has announced the lineup of movies, TV shows, and live sports that will be available on the streaming service in April. The Peacock April 2024 schedule includes Orlando Bloom: To the Edge, Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal, Migration, all six seasons of Community, and more.

Orlando Bloom: To the Edge is an original series that follows Bloom on a journey of self-discovery, pushing his physical and mental limits to reach his personal edge of what is possible.

Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal is a documentary chronicling Windham’s incredible rise to worldwide fame as a WWE superstar and the struggles and success that came with being a creative visionary.

Subscribers can also look forward to new episodes of Superbuns and Illumination’s Migration will take flight on the streaming service.

Get ready to head back to school with all six seasons of Community arriving on April 1 (no joke!). The laughs continue...