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Netflix fans only have days left to watch 'best ever' romcom

Netflix fans only have days left to watch 'best ever' romcom

Daily Record3 days ago

The film will soon be removed from the streaming platform
Netflix fans have just days left to enjoy an acclaimed romcom before it is removed from screens.
Notting Hill, which premiered in 1999 starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, has been a favourite amongst viewers since its introduction. The plot revolves around bookseller William Thacker, portrayed by Hugh Grant, whose life is upended after meeting famed actress Anna Scott, played by Julia Roberts.

The film has been branded as a "must watch for anyone" and is currently available on Netflix, but fans will need to hurry as the title is set to disappear soon. Netflix has warned that the last day to watch will be July 5.

The Netflix synopsis reads "A chance encounter brings together reserved bookstore owner William Thacker and Hollywood icon Anna Scott, who forge an improbable romance."
With an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the reviews continue to pour in. One fan said: "It's perfect .. one of the best rom coms of all time." reports Surrey Live.
Another echoed: "An absolutely amazing film, full of love, laughter and much more! A must watch for anyone."
One commented: "All time fav movie," while another added: "One of the all time great rom coms. Writing and acting at the highest level."
One fan penned: "Love it. I've rewatched it a few times and I don't really rewatch movies. The chemistry between the two is really nice. It's a fantasy everyone has of a chance encounter with a famous person, and then falling in love with them.

"The movie brilliantly captures that. It's v cute with the right amount of twists and turns."
On Google reviews, one fan echoed: "I'm not a fan of romantic comedies, so when a good one comes along, I tend to take special notice of it. This movie seriously needs to be considered among the best ever made of its genre."

They further added: "This is one of those movies where you find yourself smiling so much that your cheeks start to hurt."
However, the film didn't resonate with everyone. One viewer disagreed, writing: "Saw this in the theater with my (then) wife and some friends. I did not even crack a smile during the entirety of the movie."
Another added: "A waste of two hours! Awkward and long film that splutters along. The characters are not very likable and this is bad even for the time."

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‘We need to reclaim these words': Inside England's first romance-only bookshop catering to record levels of popularity
‘We need to reclaim these words': Inside England's first romance-only bookshop catering to record levels of popularity

The Guardian

time4 hours ago

  • The Guardian

‘We need to reclaim these words': Inside England's first romance-only bookshop catering to record levels of popularity

Whether you want a brooding billionaire, a queer awakening, a dragon rider (yes, really) or an old-fashioned enemies-to-lovers tale, there's a romance novel for everybody at Saucy Books. England's first romance-only bookshop opened last week in Notting Hill, west London, instantly becoming a go-to destination for readers and turning into a meeting spot for like-minded folk to share their love stories. And although detractors have dismissed the genre as 'smut' or 'fairy porn', fans say there is nothing to blush about – these are just brilliantly written stories. What is not in doubt is their popularity: there were record sales for the 'romance and sagas' genre last year, according to data gathered from more than 7,000 UK booksellers, up to £69m in 2024. The surge in sales pushed UK fiction revenue above £1bn for the first time. 'The popularity of the store speaks for itself,' says Sarah Maxwell, the founder of Saucy Books. 'We even had to ticket our first week and give time slots to customers.' But she believes sexism is keeping the genre from the mainstream. 'There's so much snobbery and bias,' Maxwell says. 'People think it's less than or low quality, which is not true at all. These are all very high quality authors and high quality stories. 'I think there's an inherent misogyny around it. A lot of the time, the sorts of things that women like across arts and culture tends to get discounted. These books are about the female perspective and female gaze when most media is through the male gaze. 'That's why I have a smut hut, because I feel like we need to reclaim some of these words.' The smut hut, a space dedicated to erotic titles, sits in the corner, adorned with ornaments such as whipped suncream, chapstick and a placard reading 'Traders Dicks'. It's seems less like a bookstore and more a community centre. During the Guardian's visit on Thursday afternoon, dozens of women filter through the shop, browsing titles and starting conversations about their favourite authors. Most of them have learned about the store through TikTok. One customer is browsing the shelves with her mother. She says she can get through a novel in under three hours, and last year she read 300 books. Deck chairs and a tiki parasol adorn the store's perimeter, while inside brightly painted shelves hold up titles such as Swept Away, The Unhoneymooners and The Friendship Fling. 'I was really surprised that a shop like this didn't already exist,' says Maxwell, a creative strategist and former tech executive from LA. 'When I went to find books of OG romance writers, I couldn't find any of them in-store. It made me quite angry. You have these amazing authors, who carry the publishing industry – 20% of fiction sales is romance books – and they're getting no shelf space whatsoever. I felt like I needed to do something.' Many contemporary romance books are marketed under tropes such as 'enemies to lovers', 'forbidden love' and 'second chance romance'. The 'romantasy' genre (a blend of romance and fantasy) is a constant fixture on bestseller lists, largely due to the dedicated following it has gained on TikTok. Series such as Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing and Sarah J Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (known by fans as Acotar) feature female protagonists entering high-stakes relationships in magical worlds. Jessica Roberts, a shop assistant at Saucy Books, has noticed that the current craze is for a trip to the wild west. 'Cowboy romances are very popular right now. Two girls came in their cowboy boots to purchase them yesterday,' she says. Among those visiting the store on Thursday are Rebecca Pollard and Haley Page from New York. 'I got [Haley] all the Acotar books, I think they're the best way to start. They're like a gateway drug into becoming a psycho,' Pollard laughs. 'I feel like a cult leader. I have a library at my house, and when my friends call me I'm like, 'what do you need? I've got it'. People are like, 'I'm so happy it's books for you and not drugs, because you're such a pusher'.' Page says: 'I'm a very hard sell, but she tells me something and I will listen. I'm so excited to read these, I'm taking them to Mykonos tonight. I'm going to be at the beach with my new book boyfriend, and I'll be calling Rebecca every second like 'oh my god'.' Pollard says she's been waiting desperately for the sixth book in the Acotar series. 'I would do anything to become invisible and just go and check Sarah J Maas's laptop.' And she thumbs her nose at the mainstream responses to the genre. 'I get really defensive when people use derogatory terms. Don't call it fairy porn until you've read it, because you have to wait 380 pages for a kiss in the second book of Acotar. Why is it smut, because it's centred around female pleasure? No one's saying that about Game of Thrones.' 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54 years of groundbreaking LGBT TV that shaped what we watch today
54 years of groundbreaking LGBT TV that shaped what we watch today

Metro

time4 hours ago

  • Metro

54 years of groundbreaking LGBT TV that shaped what we watch today

In 2025, LGBT+ representation on TV still isn't perfect – but a lot of hard work has been done over the years to make sure things are better than they were. To celebrate the work done to make TV more accessible for everyone in the LGBT+ world, Metro has compiled seven examples of storylines that made things that little bit better each time (with some honourable mentions). From one of the first-ever LGBT+ characters on TV to groundbreaking British dramas of the 2000s, all the way through to a flagship 2010s Netflix series. The storylines chosen for consideration all fall between 1968, when the Hays Code was abolished, and 2015, when same-sex marriage was finally legalised across the United States. Implemented in 1934, the Hays Code rigidly enforced what was acceptable (and unacceptable) to be shown on TV in America, and it had far-reaching consequences in the UK as well. In the days since the disgraceful and dated guidelines were finally repealed, TV has come a long way – here are some milestone episodes that got us here. Across its eight years on TV between 1971 and 1979, American comedy series All in the Family gained a reputation for tackling tough subjects sensitively (for the era anyway). With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! The series is credited with allowing the sitcom format to introduce more dramatic moments into episodic storylines while also dealing with serious topics in a lighthearted manner. It didn't waste any time, with its fifth episode – titled Judging Books by Covers – examining LGBT+ themes and introducing somebody who is widely believed to be one of the first openly gay characters on TV. In the episode, protagonist Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) makes disparaging remarks about an effeminate man named Roger and presumes he must be gay. However, later in the episode, Archie finds out that one of his old college football buddies, Steve (Phil Carey), is gay and learns a valuable lesson about how to treat other people. The brave episode was controversial from the get-go, with sitting US President Richard Nixon accusing the series of 'glorifying homosexuality' with its content. For its time, The Golden Girls had a subversive attitude from the beginning, focusing on four single, mature women sharing a house together in Miami, Florida. It wasn't afraid to tackle weighty subjects either, and often deftly handled tricky topics for the 1980s, with the writers facing sensitive plotlines fearlessly and head-on. In the season 2 episode Isn't It Romantic? – aired in 1986 – Dorothy (Bea Arthur) invites her friend Jean to stay at the house that she shares with Rose (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), and Sophia (Estelle Getty). Soon it's revealed that Jean is a lesbian and that she has a crush on Rose, which instantly rubs Blanche up the wrong way – not because Jean is gay, but because Jean fancies Rose instead of her. The rest of the episode pokes fun at the scenario, but not at Jean's sexuality. Instead the script gets several big laughs out of how self-involved Blanche becomes. It wouldn't be the last time The Golden Girls took a glance at LGBT+ themes, with future storylines analysing the topic from different perspectives. To this day, The Golden Girls remains popular with the community, with one Reddit fan explaining: '[The girls] were confident, secure, and loved themselves for who they were. LGBT+ people who felt alienated with society identified with these outsiders.' In 2023, IndieWire reporter Wilson Chapman said that TV show Frasier's queerness went far deeper than many viewers realised during its 11-year run between 1993 and 2004. Originally conceived as a spin-off from Cheers, Frasier soon took on a life of its own and became a hugely successful and acclaimed comedy in its own right. That process was helped along by episodes like season 2's The Matchmaker, which was originally broadcast in October 1994. In the episode, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) invites a man named Tom for dinner at his home, unaware that Tom thinks the dinner is an official date between the pair. Over the course of the episode, stereotypes about gay men are thoroughly deconstructed – the show's writers received a GLAAD Media Award for the show's portrayal of LGBT characters. In 2022, Reddit user Barbourwhat explained: 'TV never really depicted [gay men] as what they are – ordinary people. Tom wasn't a cartoon version of gay people and Frasier didn't treat him differently. He was just another person.' By its fourth season, TV executives for The Ellen Show were growing frustrated with its reluctance to depict Ellen Morgan's (Ellen DeGeneres) dating life. To remedy this, they suggested to show writer Johnathan Stark that Ellen should buy a puppy in order to focus the show's plot and boost falling ratings. Instead, Stark had another idea: sticking with the title The Puppy Episode, the writers began negotiating with Disney to have Ellen Morgan come out as a lesbian that week. At the same time, Ellen DeGeneres came out in real life. The buzz around the upcoming Puppy Episode was huge – major TV star Oprah Winfrey applied to be a guest actress on the show and, in 1997, said she would 'go to Hell' to defend Ellen's rights. In an emotional scene from The Puppy Episode, Ellen confesses her sexuality to her new friend Susan (played by Jurassic Park star Laura Dern) and later reveals the truth to her friends and neighbours. 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Which is why it was vitally important for E4 youth drama Skins to focus on the story of openly gay teenager Maxxie Oliver (Mitch Hewer) and his Muslim best friend Anwar Kharral (Dev Patel). Close friends for many years, Maxxie's sexuality doesn't appear to matter to Anwar at all. However, after finding out that Maxxie has secretly drawn intimate portraits of Anwar, the two fall out over Maxxie's sexuality conflicting with Anwar's religious beliefs. Things come to a head in the season finale, when Maxxie refuses to attend Anwar's 17th birthday party unless Anwar tells his conservative dad, Istiak (Inder Monocha), the truth about Maxxie's sexuality. When Istiak finds out, the two kids expect the worst… only for Istiak to comfort Maxxie. Istiak tells Maxxie that, while his beliefs have prevented him from understanding homosexuality so far, it won't always be that way. The two friends make up and remain close until the first generation of the cast leaves college and starts their lives by heading off to different universities. On Reddit in 2024, Jytsma said: 'The way the story was done was perfect. They are best friends, their beliefs should in theory oppose each other – but they love each other nonetheless.' The Love Boat (1982) An early 80s episode of The Love Boat titled Gopher's Roommate has been celebrated for its sensitive portrayal of transgender character Rachel, played by cisgender woman Mackenzie Phillips. One Life to Live (1992) Long-running soap opera One Life to Live introduced Billy Douglas in 1992, who became the first openly gay teenage character on American TV. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995) Groundbreaking season 4 episode Rejoined became famous for depicting one of the first ever lesbian kisses seen on American TV. Friends (1996) Friends was never great for LGBT representation, but season 2 episode The One With the Lesbian Wedding is credited by fans with finally treating Carol and Susan like a loving, genuine couple. The Simpsons (1997) In season 8 of The Simpsons, Homer's homophobia is exposed and his ways are changed thanks to loveable new friend John, played by none other than John Waters. Coronation Street (1998) Hayley Cropper was the first transgender character to appear on a British soap. She was played by cisgender actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, who later accepted she wouldn't be able to play the role these days. Queer as Folk (1999) Russell T. Davies' influential short-lived series about three gay men living in Manchester spawned a majorly successful American remake. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1999) Hush, a mostly silent episode of Buffy, has been called 'an elegy for its gays' as fan-favourite characters Willow and Tara begin what would become one of the first long-term lesbian relationships on TV. The Wire (2002) Michael K. Williams' iconic stick-up man Omar Little was described as 'the most important queer character of the century' by TV critic Razvan Ion in 2023. The Sopranos (2006) Season 6 episode Johnny Cakes, which depicted the love and romance in Vito's relationship with Jim, brought up the ugly resentment and homophobia of Tony Soprano and his crew and exposed them as being unable to adapt to the modern world. Ugly Betty (2007) Season 1 episode Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a heartbreaking outing for Ugly Betty, as 'love to hate him' character Marc St. James unexpectedly comes out to his conservative mother. Glee (2009) Adorable Kurt Hummel was one of the most recognisable faces on TV during Glee's early days, which is why his father's touching acceptance of his coming out warmed so many hearts 16 years ago. Modern Family (2013) The season 5 premiere sees main characters Mitchell and Cameron celebrate the legalisation of same-sex marriage in California by proposing to one another. Syed Masood (Marc Elliot) made his first appearance on EastEnders in 2009, a year after Christian Clarke (John Partridge) had come to Albert Square. After initially marrying Amira Shah (Preeya Kalidas), Syed comes to terms with his sexuality and enters a relationship with Christian, despite the pressure from his family and his Muslim faith. Wanting to avoid stereotypical storylines about homosexuality, writer Diederick Santer said Syed and Christian's story was 'more about the inner turmoil and conflict [they] endure'. 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How to Use Google VEO 3 For Beginners in 2025
How to Use Google VEO 3 For Beginners in 2025

Geeky Gadgets

time4 hours ago

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How to Use Google VEO 3 For Beginners in 2025

Have you ever imagined creating stunning, professional-grade videos without needing a full production team or years of editing experience? With the rise of AI-powered tools, this is no longer a distant dream. Enter Google VEO 3, a innovative video creation platform that's redefining how we approach content production. Whether you're a social media enthusiast, a budding filmmaker, or a marketing professional, this tool promises to simplify the process while delivering breathtaking results. But here's the catch: with so many features and options, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. That's where this beginner-friendly tutorial comes in, offering you a clear path to mastering Google VEO 3 from day one. In this instructional feature, crafted by Manizha & Ryan, you'll uncover everything you need to know to get started with Google VEO 3. 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