We rediscover some of our favourite wedding movies to come out of Hollywood. If you want to take a break from all that stressful wedding planning (and attending), rent these wedding movies and lose yourself in their warm, funny, romantic stories
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Director: Frank Coraci
The film is set in 1985, Adam Sandler plays a nice guy with a broken heart who’s stuck in one of the most romantic jobs in the world, a wedding singer. He loses all hope when he is abandoned at the altar by his fiancé. He meets a young woman named Julia (Drew Barrymore), who enlists his help to plan her wedding. He falls in love with her and must win her over before she gets married.
Runaway Bride (1999)
Director: Gary Marshall
A columnist (Richard Gere) fired by his editor/ex-wife for being too chauvinistic tries to redeem himself by chasing a story on speculation about a woman (Julia Roberts) who habitually jilts her fiancés. The writer relocates to her hometown and falls for his subject who suffers from an identity crisis as evidenced by her inability to determine how she likes her eggs.
The Wedding Planner (2001)
Director: Adam Shankman
Workaholic wedding planner Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez) takes on a lucrative new client — the ultra-rich Donnollys, to whom money is no object in regards to the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Fran (Bridgette Wilson). When Mary is victim to an unlikely accident during wedding preparations, she is swept off of her feet by Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey), Fran’s charming fiancé.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Director: Mike Newell
Lovable Englishman Charles (Hugh Grant) and his group of friends seem to be unlucky in love, until Charles meets beautiful American Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding. But, after one magical night, Carrie returns to the States, ending what might have been. As Charles and Carrie’s paths continue to cross — over a handful of nuptials and one funeral — he comes to believe they are meant to be together.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Director: Joel Zwick
Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula (Nia Vardalos). Still unmarried at 30, she works at Dancing Zorba’s, her parents’ Greek restaurant. After taking a job at her aunt’s travel agency, she falls in love with Ian Miller (John Corbett), a teacher who is tall, handsome and definitely not Greek. Toula isn’t sure which will be more upsetting to her father, that Ian is a foreigner or that he’s a vegetarian.
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
Director: PJ Hogan
The unconventional Muriel (Toni Collette) is deeply unsatisfied with her life, stuck in the nowhere town of Porpoise Spit and feeling rejected by her friends and family. She seeks meagre solace in ABBA songs and fantasies of gorgeous weddings, with herself as the bride. Muriel’s life takes a turn for the better, however, when she befriends the carefree Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths), who encourages her to take control of her life.
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Director: PJ Hogan
A 28-year-old woman (Julia Roberts), who years earlier made a pact with her closest male friend (Dermot Mulroney) that if neither were married in ten years time they would marry one another, now faces the fact that the man is about to marry someone else. He asks her to be his “best man” and she agrees, planning to go to the ceremony and then break up the couple before they exchange their vows.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Director: David Dobkin
Divorce mediators John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) are business partners and friends who share a unique springtime hobby — crashing weddings to meet and pick up women. Things get complicated when they infiltrate the family of the Treasury Secretary (Christopher Walken), resulting in a romantic pair-off between Jeremy and the congressman’s oversexed daughter Gloria (Isla Fisher) while John sincerely woos another daughter, Claire (Rachel McAdams), who’s unhappily engaged to an Ivy League cheater (Bradley Cooper).
Bridesmaids (2011)
Director: Paul Feig
Annie (Kristen Wiig) is a single woman whose life is a mess, but when she learns that her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is engaged, she has no choice but to serve as the maid of honour. Though lovelorn and almost penniless, Annie, nevertheless, winds her way through the strange and expensive rituals associated with her job as the bride’s go-to gal. She gamely leads Lillian and the other bridesmaids down the wild road to the wedding.
Father of the Bride (1991)
Director: Charles Shyer
George Banks (Steve Martin) and his wife, Nina (Diane Keaton), are the proud parents of Annie (Kimberly Williams), but when she returns from studying abroad and announces that she’s engaged, their whole world turns upside down. From meeting the in-laws to wedding plans with an over-the-top consultant (Martin Short) and his flamboyant assistant (B.D. Wong), it seems as if the troubles never end in this update of the classic Spencer Tracy comedy.
Director: Frank Coraci
The film is set in 1985, Adam Sandler plays a nice guy with a broken heart who’s stuck in one of the most romantic jobs in the world, a wedding singer. He loses all hope when he is abandoned at the altar by his fiancé. He meets a young woman named Julia (Drew Barrymore), who enlists his help to plan her wedding. He falls in love with her and must win her over before she gets married.
Director: Gary Marshall
A columnist (Richard Gere) fired by his editor/ex-wife for being too chauvinistic tries to redeem himself by chasing a story on speculation about a woman (Julia Roberts) who habitually jilts her fiancés. The writer relocates to her hometown and falls for his subject who suffers from an identity crisis as evidenced by her inability to determine how she likes her eggs.
Director: Adam Shankman
Workaholic wedding planner Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez) takes on a lucrative new client — the ultra-rich Donnollys, to whom money is no object in regards to the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Fran (Bridgette Wilson). When Mary is victim to an unlikely accident during wedding preparations, she is swept off of her feet by Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey), Fran’s charming fiancé.
Director: Mike Newell
Lovable Englishman Charles (Hugh Grant) and his group of friends seem to be unlucky in love, until Charles meets beautiful American Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding. But, after one magical night, Carrie returns to the States, ending what might have been. As Charles and Carrie’s paths continue to cross — over a handful of nuptials and one funeral — he comes to believe they are meant to be together.
Director: Joel Zwick
Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula (Nia Vardalos). Still unmarried at 30, she works at Dancing Zorba’s, her parents’ Greek restaurant. After taking a job at her aunt’s travel agency, she falls in love with Ian Miller (John Corbett), a teacher who is tall, handsome and definitely not Greek. Toula isn’t sure which will be more upsetting to her father, that Ian is a foreigner or that he’s a vegetarian.
Director: PJ Hogan
The unconventional Muriel (Toni Collette) is deeply unsatisfied with her life, stuck in the nowhere town of Porpoise Spit and feeling rejected by her friends and family. She seeks meagre solace in ABBA songs and fantasies of gorgeous weddings, with herself as the bride. Muriel’s life takes a turn for the better, however, when she befriends the carefree Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths), who encourages her to take control of her life.
Director: PJ Hogan
A 28-year-old woman (Julia Roberts), who years earlier made a pact with her closest male friend (Dermot Mulroney) that if neither were married in ten years time they would marry one another, now faces the fact that the man is about to marry someone else. He asks her to be his “best man” and she agrees, planning to go to the ceremony and then break up the couple before they exchange their vows.
Director: David Dobkin
Divorce mediators John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) are business partners and friends who share a unique springtime hobby — crashing weddings to meet and pick up women. Things get complicated when they infiltrate the family of the Treasury Secretary (Christopher Walken), resulting in a romantic pair-off between Jeremy and the congressman’s oversexed daughter Gloria (Isla Fisher) while John sincerely woos another daughter, Claire (Rachel McAdams), who’s unhappily engaged to an Ivy League cheater (Bradley Cooper).
Director: Paul Feig
Annie (Kristen Wiig) is a single woman whose life is a mess, but when she learns that her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is engaged, she has no choice but to serve as the maid of honour. Though lovelorn and almost penniless, Annie, nevertheless, winds her way through the strange and expensive rituals associated with her job as the bride’s go-to gal. She gamely leads Lillian and the other bridesmaids down the wild road to the wedding.
Director: Charles Shyer
George Banks (Steve Martin) and his wife, Nina (Diane Keaton), are the proud parents of Annie (Kimberly Williams), but when she returns from studying abroad and announces that she’s engaged, their whole world turns upside down. From meeting the in-laws to wedding plans with an over-the-top consultant (Martin Short) and his flamboyant assistant (B.D. Wong), it seems as if the troubles never end in this update of the classic Spencer Tracy comedy.
Although we think of Thomas Edison as the inventor of the light bulb, the light bulb didn't begin or end with his contribution. The first patent for a light bulb was obtained by Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans. In 1879, Thomas Edison purchased the patent and improved on the light bulb with his invention of a carbon filament. That filament lasted for 40 hours, but by the time Edison was done he had a filament that could last for 1200 hours. Later improvements in the light bulb gave us bulbs that don't go black and the tungsten filament.
The steam engine was the most important invention idea of the industrial revolution. By mechanically producing energy out of steam, it effectively replaced traditional water and muscle power.
The printing press is credited with changing all of Western civilization after being invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th Century. By making the Bible more widely available, this invention weakened the central authority of the state sponsored churches and led to the Reformation. Not many people realize that this famous invention was most likely invented several centuries earlier in China. Probably because Eastern languages contain significantly more characters than Western languages, the impact of movable type was not as great in China.
Many invention ideas have contributed to the modern computer. As early as the 17th Century, scientists were building machines that could do basic mathematical equations. Today's computers can do everything from sending us to the moon to beating us at chess. Computers and computerized appliances have moved from being science fiction to being a necessity of modern life. They continue to be improved on and made more useful.
Bicycles remain the most energy efficient mode of transportation available. There are currently over a billion bicycles at use in the world as children's toys, exercise equipment and means of travel. The technology that went into early bicycles was used as the basis for later innovations in the automobile and the airplane. Women's use of the bicycle in the late 19th Century led to the popularity of bloomers, the overall greater mobility of women and the women's movement.
In the 19th Century, most people would have considered it impossible that something heavier than air could fly. Yet every day, large groups of people fly in heavy airplanes for lengths of time up to fifteen hours. Like most new inventions, the airplane is the culmination of the work of many different inventors and inventions. Sir George Cayley between 1799 and 1809 is credited with being the first to have the idea to hold the wings still and to use propellers for thrusters. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were the first inventors to build a working airplane in 1903.
It still isn't completely clear whether Elisha Gray or Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone. The two inventors applied for patents on the same day. They fought legally over the patent, but Bell ultimately won out. His invention was inspired by his love of music and financed by his father-in-law who was interested in breaking the monopoly held by the telegraph company. Bell's famous first words over his first successful telephone were to his assistant. He said, "Watson...come here...I want to see you."
The automobile is a culmination of thousands of ideas and patents beginning with rudimentary plans by Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton. Before the modern gasoline engine was made common, steam engines and electric engines were experimented with. It wasn't until 1885 that the first practical automobile was invented by Karl Benz. The French were the first to manufacture a complete motor vehicle with engine and chassis, but it wasn't until Henry Ford streamlined the car manufacturing process in 1913 that car ownership became affordable for many people.
