John Hughes RIP (A Retrospective)

Yesterday, the film making world lost one of it's most influential director/writer/producers over the last several decades. John Hughes' brand of humor ended up virtually creating the '80s teen comedy genre, with dozens of copy-cat movies following. Many directors have named Hughes as the single most influential director to their work. He left behind quite a body of work, but here is just a sampling of my favorite films he wrote or directed:

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National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
IMDB Link

Synopsis:
Follow the Griswold family, Clark and Ellen along with their two children Rusty and Audrey, as they venture westward from the suburbs of Chicago to the Disneyland-like theme park, Walley World. Clark has planned the trip down the last detail, including seeing the world's largest ball of twine. However, Clark's pursuit of adventure is matched by his dimwitted bumbling, leading to a vacation his family will not soon forget.

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Sixteen Candles (1984)

IMDB Link

Synopsis:
Samantha's life is going downhill fast. The fifteen-year-old has a crush on the most popular boy in school, and the geekiest boy in school has a crush on her. Her sister's getting married, and with all the excitement the rest of her family forgets her birthday! Add all this to a pair of horrendously embarrassing grandparents, a foreign exchange student named Long Duc Dong, and we have the makings of a hilarious journey into young womanhood.

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The Breakfast Club (1985)
IMDB Link

Synopsis:
It's the weekend, and five students have weekend detention. There's a jock, a princess, a misfit, a nerd, and a lout. Not much in common, except for having to give up their day, sit in the school library, and write an essay for the principal. Being from such widely different backgrounds and having such completely different personalities, it's inevitable that some frictions and shenanigans develop. Especially when the principal leaves the room.

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Weird Science (1985)IMDB Link

Synopsis:
Two unpopular teenagers, Gary and Wyatt, fail at all attempts to be accepted by their peers. Their desperation to be liked leads them to "create" a woman via their computer. Their living and breathing creation is a gorgeous woman, Lisa, whose purpose is to boost their confidence level by putting them into situations which require Gary and Wyatt to act like men. On their road to becoming accepted, they encounter many hilarious obstacles, which gives the movie an overall sense of silliness

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Pretty In Pink (1986)

IMDB Link

Synopsis:
Young Andie is one of the not-so-popular girls in high school. She usually hangs out with her friends Iona or Duckie. Duckie has always had a crush on her, but now she has met a new guy from school, Blane. He's one of the rich and popular guys but can the two worlds meet?

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Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

IMDB Link

Synopsis:
Ferris is a street-wise kid who knows all the tricks. Today he decides to take the day off school. When Ferris takes the day off, so must his best friends, Cameron and Sloane. Cameron is reluctantly persuaded to borrow his father's Ferrari, and together they hatch a plan to get Sloane out of class. Suspicious dean of students Ed Rooney knows all about Ferris, but can never catch him. Ferris' sister Jeanie is also frustrated that Ferris always gets away with his tricks and she doesn't. Furthermore, Ferris is an 'angel' in his parents eyes. It's Ferris' day off, he's out to enjoy himself, and he does!

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Don't You Forget About Me (Release date TBA)

Finally, a trailer for the documentary about the impact and subsequent absence of filmmaker John Hughes. The makers of this documentary have been working for quite some time on this project, but now in death his absence and disappearance is felt that much more.

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BONUS: 47-MINUTE AFI INTERVIEW FROM 1985:
Part 1 | Part 2

Tron Legacy Trailer (2010)

Oh...my...fuck. Marking calendar now.

Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (2009)

IMDB Link

Review:
At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal, " influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, despite never hitting the big time. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams

It almost seems too good to be true: a documentary about a pair of once-were-nearly-but-not-quite-superstar heavy metal musicians, one of whom shares the name of the director of "This Is Spinal Tap", still banging heads into their 50s.

Yet it is true: "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", directed by Sacha Gervasi, is a hilarious, touching, profound and inspiring film about art and dreams and self-belief and the goggle-eyed hope that you can will a miracle into reality through sheer effort and desire.

Gervasi presents Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner, who began playing music together as teens, became an early influence on some of heavy metal's biggest hitters and then vanished into obscurity, where they still thrash away in middle age, playing dive bars, working day jobs and eternally hoping they can reinvent their band and keep their lives intact.

It's a stirring and altogether unlikely tale, enlivened with episodes of friction, forgiveness, folly and faith. You may not care a lick for the music that Anvil play, but you'll be captivated, entertained and even ennobled by this utterly engaging portrait of their struggle.

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Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005)

IMDB Link

Thought I'd make my first post here a weird one. Just got an e-mail from a friend earlier who saw a trailer for this flick (in Japanese), asking me if I knew anything about this movie. I had never heard of it, but was intrigued by the bizarre nature of the clip I saw. This is the type of movie that you don't have to be on drugs to feel high watching. Enjoy!

Review:
A film suited to fit all age groups from 18-142. A conglomeration of ideas so absurd, the final product is unprofoundly genius. A sure-fire way to stoke up any waning get-together.

There is nothing that can prepare you for the weirdness that is Naisu No Mori: The First Contact. It is a work that defies description. Katsuhito Ishii, the co-writer and co-director of the film, is best known on these shores for the animated sequence in Kill Bill Vol. 1, as well as the girls + guns movie Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl starring Tadanobu Asano. He worked with Asano again in both Party 7 and Taste of Tea, the latter film taking home the Audience Award for Best Film at the SF Indiefest last year. But Taste of Tea's observational exploration of family relationships is a far departure from Naisu No Moris non-stop whacked-out insanity. It is now clear that the gigantic disembodied heads and forehead-piercing trains found in Taste of Tea were just a warm-up for the Cronenbergian flesh pods, extended dance numbers, and alien body fluid expulsion that comprise his latest grab-bag of filmic weirdness.

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