New Line, now that it is a branch of Warner Bros. is putting a sequel to National Lampoon’s Vacation series into development. National Lampoon, focusing on direct-to-DVD college features of late, is not attached at this point. New Line has a story already and is working with writers to come up with the screen play. Read the rest of this entry »
Playing the wife that Robert Downey Jr. needs to get home to before she gives birth, Michelle Monaghan has been cast in Todd Phillips’ follow up to The Hangover – Due Date, also starring Zach Galifianakis. This is great news for two reasons: Read the rest of this entry »
The film world is still reeling from the death of John Hughes, the man who gave us such classics as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and arguably his best, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The movie has been referenced in thousands of other mediums, be it Matthew Broderick’s incredible lip-synching performance of “Twist and Shout”, or Ben Stein saying, “Bueller? Bueller?”, the movie has had a huge impact on pop culture. All that said, it now appears that the inspiration for Ferris Bueller has stepped forward: Edward McNally. According to McNally, a childhood friend of Hughes, he has long been rumored to be the person on whom Ferris Bueller was based.
As a special to the Washington Post, McNally wrote an article about his experience with Hughes and the film, and it is simply a fun read. Check out an excerpt after the jump as well as a link to the article. Read the rest of this entry »
The movie world has been buzzing with the passing of John Hughes yesterday, the man who managed to bring the real world of teenagers to the big screen. In his memory, YouTube user “cpfilm” created a John Hughes 80s montage set to “Baba O’Reilly” by The Who. The video is longer than most of our previous Watch It! entries at 5:20, but you should take the time to watch it in remembrance. Check it out after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
John Hughes, the director of some of the greatest teen films of all time, died today from a heart attack whilst in New York on vacation with his family.
Hughes was one of the most successful writer/directors of the 80s, putting out hit film after hit film. Some of his most successful work came from his look at modern teenagers in films like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. With those films he was able to perfectly encapsulate the teenage experience while working with a small group of actors, labeled in the press as “the brat pack,” including Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Judd Nelson. His work was the film equivalent of The Beach Boy’s “Pet Sounds” or J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.”
Beyond his teen films, he was also the man behind some of the greatest comedies of the era including Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck and National Lampoon’s Vacation as well as the first two Home Alone films.
Hughes retired from directing after 1991’s Curly Sue, but continued to write and produce under the pen name Edmond Dantès.
Hughes’ films were tremendously relatable to anyone who grew up during the 1980s and 90s, including myself. I had always hoped that he would find his way back into the director’s chair and like to think that he eventually would have. His work was an inspiration to many working in the industry today and he will be missed for both his work and his impact.
Rest in peace.
Variety is reporting that Robert Downey Jr. is set to star in director Todd Phillips’ Due Date. The film, which was announced shorty after The Hangover began to clean up at the box office, also stars Zach Galifianakis, the standout of the Vegas buddy movie. From Variety:
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