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The centerpiece of “Love, Weddings & Other Disasters” is a sweetly engaging story about the improbable autumnal romance between an impossibly demanding celebrity caterer, played by a perfectly cast Jeremy Irons, and the age-appropriate, sight-impaired free spirit (a very winning Diane Keaton) who manages to locate a warm heart beneath his frosty demeanor. Unfortunately — indeed, tragically — this appealing narrative is paid only sporadic attention during the run of writer-director Dennis Dugan’s haphazard amalgamation of loosely interconnected storylines that, save for the scenes involving Keaton and Irons, run the gamut from blandly predictable to overbearingly unfunny.

To put it another way: If “Love, Actually” had actually been as bad as its most vociferous detractors have long insisted, it would have looked and sounded a lot like this misfire.

Most of the events are driven in various ways by the upcoming wedding of a Boston mayoral candidate (Dennis Staroselsky) who frets...

Chicago – When we last talked to Melinda Hill, it was for her stand-up comedy special “Inappropriate.” It also turns out that she acts in a new film, the ensemble comedy “Love, Weddings & Other Disasters,” directed by Dennis Dugan and featuring Diane Keaton, Jeremy Irons, and Maggie Grace, among others.

An impending wedding is the backdrop for the film, as it weaves multiple storylines regarding the search for love by a colorful group of characters. They include an inexperienced wedding planner nicknamed “The Wedding Trasher” (Maggie Grace), a fussy celebrity caterer (Jeremy Irons) going on a “blind date” (Diane Keaton) and a Russian exotic dancer (Melinda Hill) participating in a reality show that literally chains her to Jimmy (Andy Goldenberg). It all comes together, connecting the love encounters and the nuptials. The film also features Andrew Bachelor, Jesse McCartney and director Dennis Dugan talking on a role.

Melinda Hill During the Wedding Scenes of ‘Love,...

The title promises disaster, and the movie delivers: “Love, Weddings & Other Disasters” is a witless, charmless, barely-written, indifferently acted, hideously shot, and generally odious waste of 90 minutes.

In stringing together various overlapping love stories, all of them thoroughly irritating and utterly lacking in human insight, writer-director Dennis Dugan seems to be auditioning to take over the painfully inane ensemble pieces of late-period Garry Marshall. I once joked that Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” made “Love Actually” look like “Nashville,” but “Love, Weddings & Other Disasters” makes “Valentine’s Day” look like “The Shop Around the Corner.”

Dugan has spent the last quarter-century as one of the main co-conspirators of the Happy Madison Death-of-Cinema Fun Factory, but his terrible Adam Sandler movies (including “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” and “Grown Ups 2”) at least offer the allure of big names collecting a paycheck in movies that might not be funny...

The nominations for the 9th Annual Indie Series Awards were revealed on Wednesday, January 31. Celebrating the best in independently produced entertainment created for the Web, ISAs nominees were announced in 30 categories.

Ladies of the Lake led all series with 18 total nominations, followed by The Bay with 16. Those shows will compete in the Best Drama Series category with Anacostia, Giants, L.A. Macabre, Riley Parra, Running With Violet and Teenagers.

Filth City led all comedies with 12 nominations. The series is joined in the Best Comedy Series field by 190 Lorimer, The Amazing Hoolister Park, Bad Timing, Dear Mankind, How to Buy a Baby, Indoor Boys and ThreadBare.

The Bold and the Beautiful actress Patrika Darbo was nominated for her work in three separate web series: Indoor Boys, The Bay and Ladies of the Lake. In an ISAs first, she will compete against herself in the Best Guest Actress - Drama category.

In all,...

This summer, the fine folks over at Chiller Films will release Aaron B. Koontz's feature directorial debut, Camera Obscura, in theaters on June 9th and on VOD and Digital on June 13th. In today's Horror Highlights, we also have release details for The Bigfoot Project, Justice Served, and Black Rose, as well as information on Splathouse Productions' Blue Caveman Indiegogo campaign.

Camera Obscura Release Details: Press Release: "New York, NY – April 11, 2017 – Chiller Films is pleased to announce the release of the anticipated horror thriller Camera Obscura, in theaters on June 9 and on VOD and Digital HD on June 13. The film is written by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns and marks the theatrical directing debut of Koontz. The cast includes Christopher Denham (“Billions,” “Argo”), Nadja Bobyleva (“Bridge of Spies”), Catherine Curtin (“Stranger Things,” “Orange is the New Black”), Chase Williamson (Siren, “Beyond the Gates”) and Noah Segan (“The Mind’s Eye,...

We're back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes release details for seasons 1 and 2 of Bad Timing, a look at a new poster from Chopping Block, a Hooked Up red band trailer, a Q&A with the director of The Burning Dead, and much more:

New Poster Released for Chopping Block: "Five kidnappers find themselves in a bloody situation in the brand new poster for the upcoming slasher comedy Chopping Block!

Chopping Block follows a group of recently fired corporate workers out of work and out of luck. Desperate times call for desperate measures as they decide to kidnap their ex-boss’s daughter for a much needed ransom. Things take a bloody turn when the boss’s daughter just happens to be the only survivor of the masked psychopath "Sadie Grace". Hilarity and bloodshed ensue when Sadie...

The first shot of Bad Timing, which shows a bloody piece of clothing, forecasts a macabre zombie thriller. Looks can be deceiving, though, and Bad Timing is far from your typical zombie series. Instead, it's a romance about a love triangle at the end of the world. Bad Timing stars Andy Goldenberg (known as Goldentusk on YouTube) as a socially awkward dweeb who finds himself as one of two survivors of a zombie apocalypse. His only companion is Eve (Aqueela Zoll), his coworker and the girl of his dreams. The series follows Andy's attempts to woo Eve, which are interrupted by the sudden reappearance of her hunky boyfriend Kevin (Michael Foster). 12 episodes in, there's still no sign of the zombies, and Bad Timing's smart script continues to take center stage. The zombie-comedy-romance is a well-tread mash-up, but Goldenberg doesn't think an innovative concept is necessary for a winning series.