Free Republic

It may not be fall yet, but we're ready to send Meg Ryan a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. Ryan, beloved in rom-com classics such as When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail, is returning to the genre that made her a star. In What Happens Later, which Ryan also co-wrote and directed, she stars as Willa, who ends up snowed in at a regional airport with ex-lover Bill (David Duchovny), whom she has not seen in years.

Whether you're cozied up with your sweetheart or enjoying a girls' night, grab some popcorn (and chocolate) and treat yourself to the classics.Picking a movie is always a daunting task in my family. My mom and I have had to sit through our fair share of war movies with no discernible plot, while my dad and brother have patiently suffered through “Gone With The Wind.” The beauty of a good rom-com is having enough “rom” to satisfy more sentimental audiences and enough “com” to keep less romantic viewers interested. As a connoisseur of the “rom,” I can’t guarantee all the...

Another item on Joe Biden’s to-do list for his first one hundred days in office is the establishment of 100 federal vaccination sites, or “pods,” around the country. That plan understandably had governors and mayors of large cities pretty excited, given how hard it’s been to make significant progress toward herd immunity. It’s a plan that drew bipartisan interest, too. The state Department of Health in Oklahoma, not exactly a blue state by any measure, was ready to sign up for federal pods in three of their largest cities. But as details of the plan emerged, they quickly backed off....

The nation’s highest military court has thrown out the 2012 rape conviction of a Coast Guard enlisted man because admirals and prosecutors packed the seven-member jury with five women, four of whom held jobs as advocates for victims of sexual assault. In a 5-0 ruling that could change how the military conducts sex abuse trials, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces unleashed caustic criticism of all involved. From the Coast Guard commandant down to an appellate court to the original trial judge, the high court said all contributed to a “stain on the military justice system.” The...

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has raged for decades, and despite numerous attempts to broker peace, an end to the violence does not appear likely anytime soon. Opinions on both sides of the debate are fierce and passionate, and nearly everyone has feelings of some kind regarding the geo-political situation.

Obama-backer Bening pillories PalinBEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Actress Annette Bening thinks the Republican party is practicing "bizarre" politics if it seriously believes that the naming of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as John McCain's vice-presidential running mate will win over large numbers of former Hillary Clinton supporters. Bening, a prominent member of the Hollywood liberal elite, made her comments at a news conference promoting her latest film, The Women, which opens Sept. 12. "I think it's exciting to see a woman chosen to be on a major ticket," Bening said. "But the idea that people, who voted for Hillary, who tend...

TORONTO (Reuters) - A sexually explicit murder mystery pairing romantic comedy star Meg Ryan with Oscar-winning director Jane Campion has sent tongues wagging at the Toronto International Film Festival. "In the Cut", which was making its world debut at the September 4-September 13 Toronto festival on Tuesday, stars Ryan as a lonely writing professor who becomes involved with a crass detective investigating a series of murders. But journalists at the Toronto festival could talk about little other than the decision by the star of "Sleepless in Seattle", "You've Got Mail" and "When Harry Met Sally" to appear nude in the...