Photo credit: “Shutterstock.AI” Nearly four decades after its initial release, The Breakfast Club has kept its place as one of the quintessential films of the ’80s. Starring five members of the Brat Pack — Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy — the film, which took place in a single location on a single day, stands out as a character study that perfectly captured teen life during the era. Written and directed by John Hughes, the movie was a critical and commercial hit. However, before it hit theaters, Nelson had his doubts. Speaking on a panel at Steel City Con, Nelson told the story about how he and Estevez saw a very early rough cut of the movie … and wished he hadn’t. (Click on the media bar below to hear Judd Nelson) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Judd_Nelson_The_Breakfast_Club_.mp3
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- 5/7/2024
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
“Sixteen Candles” actor Gedde Watanabe says it “didn’t really occur” to him in 1984 that his character Long Duk Dong “was a stereotype.”
“It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype, because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time,” Watanabe told People magazine. “It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?”
In fact, Chinese exchange student Long Duk Dong exemplified anti-stereotypes in his social standing in the teen film, according to the actor. Long Duk Dong parties, becomes popular, and even gets a girlfriend despite speaking in broken English.
“That was really unusual in a sense, for the Asian character to get the girl and party and be in bliss like that,” he said. Watanabe was being interviewed as part of the magazine’s 40th anniversary celebration of the John Hughes film.
“It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype, because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time,” Watanabe told People magazine. “It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?”
In fact, Chinese exchange student Long Duk Dong exemplified anti-stereotypes in his social standing in the teen film, according to the actor. Long Duk Dong parties, becomes popular, and even gets a girlfriend despite speaking in broken English.
“That was really unusual in a sense, for the Asian character to get the girl and party and be in bliss like that,” he said. Watanabe was being interviewed as part of the magazine’s 40th anniversary celebration of the John Hughes film.
- 5/6/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
This holiday season is one where the offspring of iconic Hollywood families come together, apparently.
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” which is set to debut in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, stars Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg, two film stars in their own rite who hail from respective auteurs Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Decade-plus indie staple Michael Cera leads the latest feature directed by Tyler Taormina; Cera also produces the ensemble family dramedy that marks Taormina’s follow-up to his 2019 coming-of-age comedy “Ham on Rye.”
Set during one Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own, per the official synopsis. Cera is seen donning a cop uniform in one of the first look images,...
“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” which is set to debut in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, stars Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg, two film stars in their own rite who hail from respective auteurs Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Decade-plus indie staple Michael Cera leads the latest feature directed by Tyler Taormina; Cera also produces the ensemble family dramedy that marks Taormina’s follow-up to his 2019 coming-of-age comedy “Ham on Rye.”
Set during one Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own, per the official synopsis. Cera is seen donning a cop uniform in one of the first look images,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Gedde Watanabe has enjoyed a lengthy career in Hollywood. The actor’s big break was the 1984 film “Sixteen Candles,” in which he played foreign exchange student “Long Duk Dong.” While Watanabe’s line “What’s happenin’, hot stuff?” is still often quoted, the character himself relied on a lot of racist stereotypes, including his name — something Watanabe now says he didn’t see at the time.
“Frankly I was like, this is a good job, and I’m going to get paid more doing one week in this movie that I did [than] for all the years I was in the theater,” the actor told People. “It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype, because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time. It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?...
“Frankly I was like, this is a good job, and I’m going to get paid more doing one week in this movie that I did [than] for all the years I was in the theater,” the actor told People. “It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype, because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time. It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?...
- 5/5/2024
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
It’s been four decades since Samantha Baker bemoaned the fact that everyone had forgotten her 16th birthday amid the chaos caused by her wacky sister’s impending nuptials. On May 4, 1984, “Sixteen Candles” was released, the success of which prompted a string of hits by filmmaker John Hughes, launched the careers of several performers and inspired the glory years of teen movies in the 1980s. Read on for more about the “Sixteen Candles” 40th anniversary.
After the success of two movies based on screenplays he had written, “Mr. Mom” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983), Hughes was given the opportunity to direct one of his scripts. Up to this point, “teen movies” had largely evolved from cautionary “rebellion” films in the 1950s to the beach party films of the 1960s to slasher films of the 1970s to sex comedies in the early 1980s. Hughes wrote a script that truly reflected the life of an average teen,...
After the success of two movies based on screenplays he had written, “Mr. Mom” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983), Hughes was given the opportunity to direct one of his scripts. Up to this point, “teen movies” had largely evolved from cautionary “rebellion” films in the 1950s to the beach party films of the 1960s to slasher films of the 1970s to sex comedies in the early 1980s. Hughes wrote a script that truly reflected the life of an average teen,...
- 5/4/2024
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Image created by “Shutterstock.AI” Anthony Michael Hall stole our hearts as the endearingly awkward geek in iconic 80s classics like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science. But which of his beloved John Hughes characters does resonate with him the most? During a recent Breakfast Club reunion panel at Steel City Con, Hall surprised fans with his answer: Farmer Ted! (Click on the media bar below to hear Anthony Michael Gall) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Anthoony_Michael_Hall_Chrachter_Xiteen_Candels_The_Breakfast_Club_.mp3
What’s your favorite Anthony Michael Hall role? Let us know!
The post Which John Hughes Character Does Anthony Michael Hall Identify With Most? appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
What’s your favorite Anthony Michael Hall role? Let us know!
The post Which John Hughes Character Does Anthony Michael Hall Identify With Most? appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 4/25/2024
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Through the lens of 2024, “Dogfight” plays like a subtle, personal film you would expect from indie director Nancy Savoca (“Household Saints”), but that’s not what Warner Bros. thought they were making.
“They were thinking ‘Porky’s.’ They thought it was a comedy,” said director Nancy Savoca while on IndieWire’s Toolkit podcast to discuss “Dogfight,” which is entering the Criterion Collection on April 30.
At the end of the 1980s headed into the early ’90s, when Warners was developing Bob Comfort’s “Dogfight” screenplay, teen comedies were big business for the studios. Alongside the wild success of the classic slate of teen comedies John Hughes wrote, directed, or produced, the “Porky’s” trilogy came to define the sex comedies of the era. It’s through this lens the studio saw the dogfight competition in Comfort’s script: A group of young soldiers pick up the “ugliest” woman they can find, bring her to a bar,...
“They were thinking ‘Porky’s.’ They thought it was a comedy,” said director Nancy Savoca while on IndieWire’s Toolkit podcast to discuss “Dogfight,” which is entering the Criterion Collection on April 30.
At the end of the 1980s headed into the early ’90s, when Warners was developing Bob Comfort’s “Dogfight” screenplay, teen comedies were big business for the studios. Alongside the wild success of the classic slate of teen comedies John Hughes wrote, directed, or produced, the “Porky’s” trilogy came to define the sex comedies of the era. It’s through this lens the studio saw the dogfight competition in Comfort’s script: A group of young soldiers pick up the “ugliest” woman they can find, bring her to a bar,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
One of Hollywood's most frustrating recent news stories is that Francis Ford Coppola is having trouble finding distribution for his self-funded passion project, "Megalopolis" (via The Hollywood Reporter). In a just world, making "The Godfather" would grant Coppola a lifetime blank check, but that has never been the world we've lived in.
What you may not be aware of is one of Coppola's influences for his magnum opus. Like his friend "Star Wars" director George Lucas, Coppola looked to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. While Lucas took after Kurosawa's Jidaigeki (historical) films, Coppola looked to one of the director's contemporary-set films: "The Bad Sleep Well."
Released in 1960 and starring his go-to leading man Toshiro Mifune, the movie is one of Kurosawa's (comparatively) more obscure ones. It was especially overshadowed by "High and Low," the masterful kidnapping thriller that Kurosawa and Mifune released in 1963. Both movies are set in the world of...
What you may not be aware of is one of Coppola's influences for his magnum opus. Like his friend "Star Wars" director George Lucas, Coppola looked to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. While Lucas took after Kurosawa's Jidaigeki (historical) films, Coppola looked to one of the director's contemporary-set films: "The Bad Sleep Well."
Released in 1960 and starring his go-to leading man Toshiro Mifune, the movie is one of Kurosawa's (comparatively) more obscure ones. It was especially overshadowed by "High and Low," the masterful kidnapping thriller that Kurosawa and Mifune released in 1963. Both movies are set in the world of...
- 4/15/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Director Wade Allain-Marcus reflected on his experience directing his new film, Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, in his new uInterview.
Inspired by the 1991 film of the same name, the movie follows a teenager whose summer plans are canceled when his and his siblings’ babysitter unexpectedly dies.
Allain-Marcus thought back on the process of remaking a film, “For me when I read the script, being aware of the original but not necessarily holding it precious, was just sort of like, ‘Oh this could be a really interesting remix of the original by using some of the tent-poles from the first one and then being able to kind of take off from there.'”
When asked about the experience on set, Allain-Marcus revealed, “We shot this film in 22 days, in the midst of the writer’s strike, so a lot of that, emotionally and physically, was quite challenging. A lot of...
Inspired by the 1991 film of the same name, the movie follows a teenager whose summer plans are canceled when his and his siblings’ babysitter unexpectedly dies.
Allain-Marcus thought back on the process of remaking a film, “For me when I read the script, being aware of the original but not necessarily holding it precious, was just sort of like, ‘Oh this could be a really interesting remix of the original by using some of the tent-poles from the first one and then being able to kind of take off from there.'”
When asked about the experience on set, Allain-Marcus revealed, “We shot this film in 22 days, in the midst of the writer’s strike, so a lot of that, emotionally and physically, was quite challenging. A lot of...
- 4/15/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
Considering the Walt Disney Company owns, well, everything these days, calling one of their films "underrated" seems a little silly. And yet, if you ask me, "Sky High" is undoubtedly the leader of the underrated live-action Disney roster. Just before Disney became the parent company of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio put out a family-friendly coming-of-age superhero comedy that, as /Film's Rafael Motamayor once described, "poked fun at expanded universes, superhero legacies, and every trope in the book." The story centered on teenager Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), the son of famed superheroes Steve Stronghold/The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Josie DeMarco-Stronghold/Jetstream (Kelly Preston). He's poised to be the next great hero after he starts training at Sky High — a super-secret floating school for superheroes and sidekicks — but Will doesn't have any powers.
As superhero films exploded in popularity in the years that followed, there's been a reassessment of...
As superhero films exploded in popularity in the years that followed, there's been a reassessment of...
- 4/14/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Molly Ringwald, star of 1980s hit The Breakfast Club, has revealed she only rewatched the movie recently, and was jarred by some of the themes that were glossed over at the time.
Ringwald played Claire Standish, nicknamed “Princess,” one of five disparate school students grouped together during a weekend detention period, in the movie, written and directed by John Hughes, which debuted in 1985. Her co-stars included Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall, with Paul Gleason as the school’s authoritarian vice-principal.
Ringwald told The Times of London she sat down to watch the movie with her 21-year-old daughter, actress Mathilda Gianopoulos:
“I only rewatched The Breakfast Club, which came out in 1985, because Mathilda wanted to see it with me. There is a lot that I really love about the movie but there are elements that haven’t aged well — like Judd Nelson’s character, John Bender,...
Ringwald played Claire Standish, nicknamed “Princess,” one of five disparate school students grouped together during a weekend detention period, in the movie, written and directed by John Hughes, which debuted in 1985. Her co-stars included Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall, with Paul Gleason as the school’s authoritarian vice-principal.
Ringwald told The Times of London she sat down to watch the movie with her 21-year-old daughter, actress Mathilda Gianopoulos:
“I only rewatched The Breakfast Club, which came out in 1985, because Mathilda wanted to see it with me. There is a lot that I really love about the movie but there are elements that haven’t aged well — like Judd Nelson’s character, John Bender,...
- 4/7/2024
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicole Richie and Simone Joy Jones reflected on their time working together on the new film Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead in their new uInterview.
The film is based on a 1991 comedy that follows five siblings who are left alone all summer after their mom leaves town and their evil babysitter dies unexpectedly.
The duo recounted their experience working together in scenes where Jones’ character plays Richie’s character’s assistant.
“It’s amazing honestly,” Jones told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “And the thing I remember most is the type of person she is off-screen. She is just so kind and so real and so genuine. And so effortless! She invited me to have lunch on our first day. You know, when you’re with new people, you don’t know how it’s going to go. Then she was like, ‘What are we going to have for lunch?...
The film is based on a 1991 comedy that follows five siblings who are left alone all summer after their mom leaves town and their evil babysitter dies unexpectedly.
The duo recounted their experience working together in scenes where Jones’ character plays Richie’s character’s assistant.
“It’s amazing honestly,” Jones told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “And the thing I remember most is the type of person she is off-screen. She is just so kind and so real and so genuine. And so effortless! She invited me to have lunch on our first day. You know, when you’re with new people, you don’t know how it’s going to go. Then she was like, ‘What are we going to have for lunch?...
- 4/5/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
Nearly 40 years after its release, The Breakfast Club star Molly Ringwald has weighed in about how parts of the classic John Hughes movie haven’t held up.
In a recent interview with UK’s The Times, Ringwald spoke about reexamining the film with a modern perspective while rewatching it with her daughter Mathilda.
“There is a lot that I really love about the movie but there are elements that haven’t aged well — like Judd Nelson’s character, John Bender, who essentially sexually harasses my character,” Ringwald said. “I’m glad we’re able to look at that and say things are truly different now.”
This isn’t the first time Ringwald has spoken about rewatching The Breakfast Club with a new perspective. In a 2018 essay for The New Yorker, the actor pointed to a scene in which Nelson’s Bender looks up her character Claire’s skirt. “I worried...
In a recent interview with UK’s The Times, Ringwald spoke about reexamining the film with a modern perspective while rewatching it with her daughter Mathilda.
“There is a lot that I really love about the movie but there are elements that haven’t aged well — like Judd Nelson’s character, John Bender, who essentially sexually harasses my character,” Ringwald said. “I’m glad we’re able to look at that and say things are truly different now.”
This isn’t the first time Ringwald has spoken about rewatching The Breakfast Club with a new perspective. In a 2018 essay for The New Yorker, the actor pointed to a scene in which Nelson’s Bender looks up her character Claire’s skirt. “I worried...
- 4/4/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
One of the inversions that we see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the Marvel Universe is the relationship that Spider-Man develops with the Avengers. In the comics, Captain America is the Avenger Spider-Man develops a mentor-mentee relationship with, while the MCU shows use a Spider-Man who is more closely associated with Iron Man.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has always had a special relationship with Rdj’s Iron Man
Tom Holland has revealed how the relationship between Tony and Peter, one that the characters cultivated, was inspired by another mentor figure and mentee, one which caused Holland to aspire to be the character this generation looks up to. The main inspiration for Tony Stark and Peter Parker’s relationship, according to Tom Holland, was inspired from that of Doc Brown and Marty McFly from the Back to the Future franchise.
Tom Holland wanted to be the Marty McFly of this...
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has always had a special relationship with Rdj’s Iron Man
Tom Holland has revealed how the relationship between Tony and Peter, one that the characters cultivated, was inspired by another mentor figure and mentee, one which caused Holland to aspire to be the character this generation looks up to. The main inspiration for Tony Stark and Peter Parker’s relationship, according to Tom Holland, was inspired from that of Doc Brown and Marty McFly from the Back to the Future franchise.
Tom Holland wanted to be the Marty McFly of this...
- 3/26/2024
- by Anuraag Chatterjee
- FandomWire
Jeremy Irons and double-Palme d’Or winner Bille August are gearing up for their highly-anticipated Count of Monte Cristo series but when offered the chance to work on the project, they had certain red lines.
“I wouldn’t have taken it if it was a movie, it had to be TV,” Danish director August told Deadline at Series Mania. “The story is so rich and deserves TV. For this one it was obvious.”
Oscar-winner Irons said TV series can do “these great novels justice” in a way that some movies can’t, referencing his breakout work on 1981’s Brideshead Revisited, which was across 13 episodes. Both stars have skewed towards movies during their decorated careers and Count Of Monte Cristo has never been made for TV. A 2002 movie version saw Richard Harris play Irons’ role.
“With TV’s insatiable appetite for material it seemed for this great novel, we needed to...
“I wouldn’t have taken it if it was a movie, it had to be TV,” Danish director August told Deadline at Series Mania. “The story is so rich and deserves TV. For this one it was obvious.”
Oscar-winner Irons said TV series can do “these great novels justice” in a way that some movies can’t, referencing his breakout work on 1981’s Brideshead Revisited, which was across 13 episodes. Both stars have skewed towards movies during their decorated careers and Count Of Monte Cristo has never been made for TV. A 2002 movie version saw Richard Harris play Irons’ role.
“With TV’s insatiable appetite for material it seemed for this great novel, we needed to...
- 3/21/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Who’s ready for a joyride? The long-rumored Ferris Bueller’s Day Off spin-off, Sam and Victor’s Day Off, is ready to twist and shout with David Katzenberg at the helm. According to industry insider Jeff Sneider, Katzenberg is buckling up for a film featuring the two mischievous valets who borrowed Cameron’s father’s Ferrari to rip through the streets of Chicago joyously! In his newsletter, Sneider says the duo’s adventure takes place on a single day, with Sam and Victor grabbing life by the short and curlies for a fast-paced tear through city streets.
Sam and Victor’s Day Off will be Katzenberg’s feature directorial debut after helming numerous television episodes for various shows. Famously known in the industry for directing 41 episodes of The Goldbergs, Katzenberg’s director credits extend to Young Rock, 9-1-1: Lone Star, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Schooled, Riverdale, and more.
Sam and Victor’s Day Off will be Katzenberg’s feature directorial debut after helming numerous television episodes for various shows. Famously known in the industry for directing 41 episodes of The Goldbergs, Katzenberg’s director credits extend to Young Rock, 9-1-1: Lone Star, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Schooled, Riverdale, and more.
- 2/21/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Production on Paramount Pictures’ spinoff for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is well into development, with the production house naming David Katzenberg as the film’s director.
The news of Katzenberg joining the project was first reported by Jeff Sneider and and has since been confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Previously, Katzenberg produced Warner Bros. 2017 rendition of It, and has directed for series like The Goldbergs, Average Joe, 911: Lone Star, Young Rock, and more.
The Ferris Bueller spinoff was first announced a couple of years ago, and will center around the two valets from the original movie who take Cameron’s father’s 1961 Ferrari for a joyride. The characters didn’t originally have names, but have been dubbed “Sam” and “Victor,” resulting in the new spinoffs title: Sam and Victor’s Day Off.
Paul Young of Argyle Media will produce the spinoff along with Cobra Kai co-creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg,...
The news of Katzenberg joining the project was first reported by Jeff Sneider and and has since been confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Previously, Katzenberg produced Warner Bros. 2017 rendition of It, and has directed for series like The Goldbergs, Average Joe, 911: Lone Star, Young Rock, and more.
The Ferris Bueller spinoff was first announced a couple of years ago, and will center around the two valets from the original movie who take Cameron’s father’s 1961 Ferrari for a joyride. The characters didn’t originally have names, but have been dubbed “Sam” and “Victor,” resulting in the new spinoffs title: Sam and Victor’s Day Off.
Paul Young of Argyle Media will produce the spinoff along with Cobra Kai co-creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Film News
Duckie may have had it out for Blane, but the feud extended behind the scenes as well, as Jon Cryer and Andrew McCarthy did not jive while making teen movie classic Pretty in Pink. Now, Cryer says that has all settled…but who gets to go home with Andie?
Appearing on The View (per Entertainment Weekly), Jon Cryer said of Andrew McCarthy, “He and I famously did not get along when we were shooting Pretty in Pink…It was because there was tension. Interestingly, I saw him backstage and we had a lovely time, we had a great talk. Thank you!”
Cryer went on to detail why he and McCarthy didn’t get along during Pretty in Pink, citing issues that were far deeper that what we see onscreen. “At any rate, what I realize now, he wrote a terrific memoir called Brat, he was already struggling with alcoholism back...
Appearing on The View (per Entertainment Weekly), Jon Cryer said of Andrew McCarthy, “He and I famously did not get along when we were shooting Pretty in Pink…It was because there was tension. Interestingly, I saw him backstage and we had a lovely time, we had a great talk. Thank you!”
Cryer went on to detail why he and McCarthy didn’t get along during Pretty in Pink, citing issues that were far deeper that what we see onscreen. “At any rate, what I realize now, he wrote a terrific memoir called Brat, he was already struggling with alcoholism back...
- 2/12/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
It’s hard not to think of the 80s without thinking of Anthony Michael Hall. From Sixteen Candles to The Breakfast Club to Weird Science, he was part of many all-time great and formative comedies. As he grew we saw him take on darker roles. I’ll always love him as the mean boyfriend from Edward Scissorhands and even USA’s The Dead Zone. 2021 saw him take over the role of Tommy Doyle in Halloween Kills and made three words infamous. There’s even a new project that he’s apart of with Netflix titled Trigger Warning that sounds like a female version of Roadhouse. He’s consistently stayed working for over 40 years and has been impressive while doing it. And thankfully, he’s open to discussing it all.
I was lucky enough to chat with the incredible actor for an upcoming film of his, Air Force One Down. While...
I was lucky enough to chat with the incredible actor for an upcoming film of his, Air Force One Down. While...
- 2/11/2024
- by Tyler Nichols
- JoBlo.com
John Hughes was the patron saint of adolescents who found great success with a series of hit comedies, most of them centering around the plight of teenagers. Yet how many of those titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films as both a writer and director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1950, Hughes first came to the attention of Hollywood as a writer after penning “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) and “Mr. Mom” (1983). That financially successful one-two punch landed him his first directing gig: “Sixteen Candles” (1984). A tender coming-of-age story about a teenage girl (Molly Ringwald) suffering one indignity after another on her sweet sixteen firmly established him as the premiere helmer of adolescent comedies, leading to “The Breakfast Club” (1985), “Weird Science” (1985), and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986).
Yet Hughes also excelled at entertainments outside the classroom, including the road trip farce “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” (1987), starring...
Born in 1950, Hughes first came to the attention of Hollywood as a writer after penning “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) and “Mr. Mom” (1983). That financially successful one-two punch landed him his first directing gig: “Sixteen Candles” (1984). A tender coming-of-age story about a teenage girl (Molly Ringwald) suffering one indignity after another on her sweet sixteen firmly established him as the premiere helmer of adolescent comedies, leading to “The Breakfast Club” (1985), “Weird Science” (1985), and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986).
Yet Hughes also excelled at entertainments outside the classroom, including the road trip farce “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” (1987), starring...
- 2/10/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Billed as a coming-of-rage tale, Lisa Frankenstein instead offers a celebration of outcasts and weirdos. Jennifer’s Body scribe Diablo Cody and director Zelda Williams, making her feature debut, wear their cinematic influences on their sleeves for a raucous zom-com that manages to go beyond references and aesthetics to capture the essence of ’80s cinema in a way few manage, for better and worse. It makes for a sugary sweet, almost wholesome effort held together by a trio of infectiously winsome performances.
Like most teens, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is simply trying to navigate the perils of high school while adjusting to her new home life now that her dad (Joe Chrest) has remarried a wicked stepmother (Carla Gugino) and given her an unwaveringly perky stepsister in popular cheerleader Taffy (Liza Soberano). Unlike most teens, Lisa’s new domestic setup comes right after her mother was gruesomely murdered while she was home,...
Like most teens, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is simply trying to navigate the perils of high school while adjusting to her new home life now that her dad (Joe Chrest) has remarried a wicked stepmother (Carla Gugino) and given her an unwaveringly perky stepsister in popular cheerleader Taffy (Liza Soberano). Unlike most teens, Lisa’s new domestic setup comes right after her mother was gruesomely murdered while she was home,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
In January of 1999, two teen movies opened back to back and kicked off what would be one of the most extraordinary years for youth-oriented movies in the history of Hollywood. Both were No. 1 at the box office their first weekend. Both boasted remarkable casts of rising stars — they even shared a star in Paul Walker. And both whipped ancient genre conventions into new combinations that made them fresh and new. Yet for all their similarities, “Varsity Blues” and “She’s All That” couldn’t have been more different: one an R-rated sports drama that tempered its inspirational coming-of-age drama with surprisingly harsh depictions of misogyny and physical and mental abuse, the other a sweet, good-natured romantic comedy nearly as innocent as a Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland vehicle from the 1940s. In their similarities and differences lies the key to why 1999 was such a great year for movies of their type — the 1939 of teen movies.
- 1/30/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Zelda Williams has wonderful memories of being on film sets as a kid, watching her father, Robin Williams, shoot movies like Hook and Bicentennial Man. But that doesn’t mean she inherited his bombastic sense of humor. “I’m a bit darker,” says Williams, 34. “I’m the person who laughed during Hereditary.”
Williams is putting those dark impulses on full display in her feature directorial debut, Lisa Frankenstein, in theaters Feb. 9. Written by Diablo Cody, the film is an Eighties retelling of the Mary Shelley classic (think less chemistry experiments,...
Williams is putting those dark impulses on full display in her feature directorial debut, Lisa Frankenstein, in theaters Feb. 9. Written by Diablo Cody, the film is an Eighties retelling of the Mary Shelley classic (think less chemistry experiments,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Eli Roth's 2023 slasher film "Thanksgiving" famously started its life back in 2007 in the form of a fake trailer sandwiched in between Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" and Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof," two movies released as a single mega-feature called "Grindhouse." The goal of "Grindhouse" was to recreate the experience of seeing a cheap exploitation double-feature in a run-down New York theater in the early 1980s, complete with film scratches, missing reels, and several previews for upcoming ultra-salacious genre movies. The trailers were all fake at the time, but since 2007, the trailers for "Machete," "Hobo with a Shotgun," and "Thanksgiving" have been made into real movies.
Roth, as the director's fans know, is a voracious cineaste, and has likely spent more time watching movies than most people. He also wears his influences on his sleeve; in the credits for Roth's 2013 cannibal film "The Green Inferno," he includes a list...
Roth, as the director's fans know, is a voracious cineaste, and has likely spent more time watching movies than most people. He also wears his influences on his sleeve; in the credits for Roth's 2013 cannibal film "The Green Inferno," he includes a list...
- 1/28/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Andrew McCarthy has written and directed Brats, and his documentary about The Brat Pack arrives later this year. More details within.
Tearing up the 1980s, both on and off cinema screens, was a bunch of young performers who earned themselves the collective name of The Brat Pack.
The group was made up of the likes of Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Bob Cryer and Andrew McCarthy, and they sprung to prominence particularly in 1985 and 1986. That’s when that group made up the cast for two hit movies, namely St Elmo’s Fire (pictured) and Pretty In Pink.
Other films followed, and the tabloid interest was intense, leading writer David Blum to give them the Brat Pack name. Andrew McCarthy reflected on all of this in a memoir he penned called Brats, released in 2021. Now, Deadline reports that the story is being turned by McCarthy into a documentary.
Read...
Tearing up the 1980s, both on and off cinema screens, was a bunch of young performers who earned themselves the collective name of The Brat Pack.
The group was made up of the likes of Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Bob Cryer and Andrew McCarthy, and they sprung to prominence particularly in 1985 and 1986. That’s when that group made up the cast for two hit movies, namely St Elmo’s Fire (pictured) and Pretty In Pink.
Other films followed, and the tabloid interest was intense, leading writer David Blum to give them the Brat Pack name. Andrew McCarthy reflected on all of this in a memoir he penned called Brats, released in 2021. Now, Deadline reports that the story is being turned by McCarthy into a documentary.
Read...
- 1/22/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
2023 was a very turbulent time for Max (formerly known as HBO Max), as many of HBO’s original shows were licensed to other streaming services, and many others were canceled. While January is not filled with prestige TV or movies for Max subscribers, you will find the release of a much-awaited new season of True Country and some entertaining movies. So, here are the best movies and TV shows you can watch on Max in January 2024.
Our Idiot Brother (January 1)
Our Idiot Brother is a criminally underrated film directed by Jesse Peretz. The comedy-drama film revolves around the Rochlin siblings, including Ned and his three sisters. When Ned gets arrested for selling pot, after his release all of his sisters try to keep him in their houses with their families and friends but Ned’s personality always gets in the way maybe what the Rochlin sisters are missing in their...
Our Idiot Brother (January 1)
Our Idiot Brother is a criminally underrated film directed by Jesse Peretz. The comedy-drama film revolves around the Rochlin siblings, including Ned and his three sisters. When Ned gets arrested for selling pot, after his release all of his sisters try to keep him in their houses with their families and friends but Ned’s personality always gets in the way maybe what the Rochlin sisters are missing in their...
- 1/19/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Photograph by Courtesy of Paramount Pictures With its Brat Pack cast and post-New Wave soundtrack, Pretty in Pink remains one of the quintessential teen movies of the 1980s. Even though he didn’t direct it, most people consider the film to be a John Hughes movie — after all, he did write the screenplay and was an executive producer. Because of that, he played a large part in the casting process, which worked out well for Andrew McCarthy, who landed one of the starring roles. Speaking on a Steel City Con panel, McCarthy told the story of how Hughes chose him for the movie based on the recommendation of Pretty in Pink’s female lead, Molly Ringwald. (Click on the media bar below to hear Andrew McCarthy) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Andrew_McCarthy_Pretty_In_Pink_-Copy.mp3
Pretty in Pink is currently streaming on Paramount+ and available on DVD,...
Pretty in Pink is currently streaming on Paramount+ and available on DVD,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
The Brat Pack — the famed ’80s crew of actors who appeared in a slew of popular films together — is getting a new documentary.
Produced by ABC News Studios, Brats is a feature-length documentary written and directed by Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy. The doc will track the Brat Pack’s origins, history, and impact from the early ’80s to today, and detail the experiences of actors and filmmakers working on The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, and more.
In addition to McCarthy, several Brat Pack members will make an appearance in the documentary, including Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Jon Cryer, Timothy Hutton, and Lea Thompson. Also set to appear are the principal writers, directors, and production staff from the era.
“The Brat Pack has cast a long shadow over my life and career,” McCarthy said in a statement. “After all these years, I was curious to...
Produced by ABC News Studios, Brats is a feature-length documentary written and directed by Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy. The doc will track the Brat Pack’s origins, history, and impact from the early ’80s to today, and detail the experiences of actors and filmmakers working on The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, and more.
In addition to McCarthy, several Brat Pack members will make an appearance in the documentary, including Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Jon Cryer, Timothy Hutton, and Lea Thompson. Also set to appear are the principal writers, directors, and production staff from the era.
“The Brat Pack has cast a long shadow over my life and career,” McCarthy said in a statement. “After all these years, I was curious to...
- 1/18/2024
- by Paolo Ragusa
- Consequence - Film News
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" is bringing back our favorite paranormal exterminators for another round of busting spooks, specters, and ghosts. The events of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" in the small town of Summerville, Oklahoma saw a resurgence of original "Ghostbusters" villain Gozer the Gozerian thwarted by the estranged family of Egon Spengler, a curious teacher and seismologist named Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), and the original Ghostbusters team. They saved the day, but what now?
Well, it appears Winston Zeddemore (Hudson) has been using his corporate wealth to fund a new research facility for the Ghostbusters. The Spengler family has returned to New York City, joined by Grooberson and teenage friend Lucky (Celeste O'Connor), but what should be a fun summer turns into an icy nightmare when a paranormal threat called Garraka brings a "Death Chill" to the city and threatens humanity all over again. Though we've never seen this villain anywhere in the "Ghostbusters" universe before,...
Well, it appears Winston Zeddemore (Hudson) has been using his corporate wealth to fund a new research facility for the Ghostbusters. The Spengler family has returned to New York City, joined by Grooberson and teenage friend Lucky (Celeste O'Connor), but what should be a fun summer turns into an icy nightmare when a paranormal threat called Garraka brings a "Death Chill" to the city and threatens humanity all over again. Though we've never seen this villain anywhere in the "Ghostbusters" universe before,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife (watch it Here) sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (which, of course, also serves as a sequel to the original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II) is set to reach theatres on March 22nd – and during an interview with Empire magazine, director/co-writer Gil Kenan revealed that the film draws inspiration from the 1986 – 1991 animated series The Real Ghostbusters‘ willingness to be weird and wild.
Kenan said he appreciated The Real Ghostbusters‘ “wild, original and weird-as-fuck villains. We wanted to bring that show’s looseness and fearlessness to this movie. I think it’s going to surprise people just how big this film is.“
As Empire pointed out, The Real Ghostbusters “unleashed such oddities as a werechicken, a boogeyman, and an alternate reality with ‘Peoplebusters’.” As for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the main villain is something known as the Death Chill, and it also features a giant creature known as the Sewer Dragon.
Kenan said he appreciated The Real Ghostbusters‘ “wild, original and weird-as-fuck villains. We wanted to bring that show’s looseness and fearlessness to this movie. I think it’s going to surprise people just how big this film is.“
As Empire pointed out, The Real Ghostbusters “unleashed such oddities as a werechicken, a boogeyman, and an alternate reality with ‘Peoplebusters’.” As for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the main villain is something known as the Death Chill, and it also features a giant creature known as the Sewer Dragon.
- 1/17/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
It’s hard to believe, but the concept of the teenager is younger than film as a medium. According to historians, American culture first began thinking of the period of 13 to 19 as a specific bridge between childhood and adulthood in the 1940s, in part due to marketing executives looking to define people in that age range as a new demographic. And shortly afterwards, that demographic became ubiquitous on TV and films.
The first teen films began popping up in earnest during the 1950s, with landmark titles like “The Wild One,” “Blackboard Jungle,” and the enduringly iconic “Rebel Without a Cause.” Each film featured a bonafide screen legend — Marlon Brando in “The Wild One,” Sidney Poitier in “Blackboard Jungle,” and James Dean in his most iconic role in “Rebel Without a Cause” — and established films that took the emotional turmoil of teen life seriously as a vibrant subgenre. Since then, teens...
The first teen films began popping up in earnest during the 1950s, with landmark titles like “The Wild One,” “Blackboard Jungle,” and the enduringly iconic “Rebel Without a Cause.” Each film featured a bonafide screen legend — Marlon Brando in “The Wild One,” Sidney Poitier in “Blackboard Jungle,” and James Dean in his most iconic role in “Rebel Without a Cause” — and established films that took the emotional turmoil of teen life seriously as a vibrant subgenre. Since then, teens...
- 1/17/2024
- by Wilson Chapman and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
I was less than enthusiastic when I got the assignment to cover the prequel spin-off series of Ted instead of something avant-garde. Don’t get me wrong here; I do admire the original Ted film, which came out back in 2012. It was a pretty neat stoner-comedy (if you consider that a genre) about an adult man’s friendship with his talking teddy bear that was a decent entertainer. However, Ted 2 (2015), which had a wonky civil rights angle as its main plot, wasn’t quite able to yield the same magic for me. That was almost a decade ago. The idea of taking Ted and Johnny back to the nineties and making a seven-episode web series didn’t exactly look like a good prospect on paper, to be honest. Yeah, the adorable teddy bear talks like a man, and he has a fondness for profanity, but so what? That’s...
- 1/14/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
The moment you realize the impossibility of a teddy bear randomly starting to talk like a person, Ted becomes a regular teen drama show. And that’s exactly what works out in the show’s favor because it pretty much aces in all the departments. The comedy bits work out, and the jokes land really well, but it is the social commentary folded into the narrative that really takes the show to a new height. Unlike the movies, which were more slapstick comedies, this spinoff comes off as a rather wholesome comedy set in the nineties, that can actually challenge something untouchable like “Freaks and Geeks, and I am not even exaggerating.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Show?
As I’ve already said, the show normalizes Ted coming to life thanks to little John Bennettt’s wish, back in 1985, in its opening minute. The year is 1993, Johnny is a high school junior,...
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Show?
As I’ve already said, the show normalizes Ted coming to life thanks to little John Bennettt’s wish, back in 1985, in its opening minute. The year is 1993, Johnny is a high school junior,...
- 1/14/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
April Ferry, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning costume designer known for her work on Big Trouble in Little China, Maverick, Rome and Game of Thrones, died Thursday, the Costume Designers Guild announced. She was 91.
Ferry, who graduated to costume designer on Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill (1983), collaborated with John Hughes on Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), She’s Having a Baby (1988) and Flubber (1997) and with Jonathan Mostow on U-571 (2000), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and Surrogates (2009).
She received her Academy Award nom for Richard Donner’s reimagining of Maverick (1994) — she lost out to Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Oscar night — and won her Emmy in 2006 for HBO’s Rome.
Her résumé also included Made in Heaven (1987), Child’s Play (1988), The Babe (1992), Donner’s Radio Flyer (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), Free Willy (1993), Beethoven’s 2nd (1993), Little Giants (1994), Donnie Darko (2001), Elysium (2013), RoboCop (2014) and Jurassic World (2015).
In 2014, she...
Ferry, who graduated to costume designer on Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill (1983), collaborated with John Hughes on Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), She’s Having a Baby (1988) and Flubber (1997) and with Jonathan Mostow on U-571 (2000), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and Surrogates (2009).
She received her Academy Award nom for Richard Donner’s reimagining of Maverick (1994) — she lost out to Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Oscar night — and won her Emmy in 2006 for HBO’s Rome.
Her résumé also included Made in Heaven (1987), Child’s Play (1988), The Babe (1992), Donner’s Radio Flyer (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), Free Willy (1993), Beethoven’s 2nd (1993), Little Giants (1994), Donnie Darko (2001), Elysium (2013), RoboCop (2014) and Jurassic World (2015).
In 2014, she...
- 1/12/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Not every movie — indeed, almost no movie — was meant to be turned into a musical. But the trend of doing so has become more common over the last two decades, and when you see a movie-to-musical transformation that really works, a surprising alchemy occurs. It can feel as if that story was always made to be told through song and dance; when you think back on the non-musical version, it can now seem like it’s missing something. That’s the sensation I’ve had at movies-turned-Broadway-musicals like “Hairspray,” “School of Rock” (built around Andrew Lloyd Webber’s greatest score in decades), and even “Back to the Future”.
The same dynamic works, in a clever if less spectacular way, in “Mean Girls,” the movie adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical version of the classic 2004 screen comedy. Will the new movie replace the original film in anyone’s affections? That might depend on how old you are.
The same dynamic works, in a clever if less spectacular way, in “Mean Girls,” the movie adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical version of the classic 2004 screen comedy. Will the new movie replace the original film in anyone’s affections? That might depend on how old you are.
- 1/10/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Pretty in Pink has all the earmarks of a John Hughes film: It takes place in the Chicago suburbs, it features many of the Brat Pack actors who were regulars in his movies, and it was propelled by a vibrant, modern soundtrack. But Hughes didn’t actually direct Pretty in Pink — Howard Deutch did. That doesn’t mean, though, that Hughes’s fingerprints weren’t all over it. Speaking at a Steel City Con panel, Andrew McCarthy said that Hughes maintained a constant presence on the set, even though he wasn’t directing. (Click on the media bar below to hear Andrew McCarthy) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Andrew_Mccrathy_John_highes_.mp3
Pretty in Pink is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and most digital platforms.
The post Andrew McCarthy: How ‘Pretty In Pink’ Wasn’t — And Was — A John Hughes Movie appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
Pretty in Pink is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and most digital platforms.
The post Andrew McCarthy: How ‘Pretty In Pink’ Wasn’t — And Was — A John Hughes Movie appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 12/28/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
In December 1989, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation opened at the box office. A bit less than a year later, Home Alone premiered. The two classic Christmas movies have a fair bit in common, including where they are set and who wrote them. John Hughes is responsible for penning both flicks. Did you know that Chris Colombus, the director of Home Alone, was originally attached to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, though? Over the years, some fans have theorized that Colombus directed Home Alone out of spite when he felt forced to quit National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation because of Chevy Chase. That might not be the case, but there are a couple of elements of Home Alone that you could argue were digs at Chase’s character, Clark Griswold.
Chris Colombus quit ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ because of Chevy Chase
Chris Colombus was set to direct National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in 1989. He was excited about the project.
Chris Colombus quit ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ because of Chevy Chase
Chris Colombus was set to direct National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in 1989. He was excited about the project.
- 12/26/2023
- by Andrea Francese
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
If you like movies about empty-headed dips and their resentful families, then National Lampoon's "Vacation" movies certainly have you covered. Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, is an exemplar -- perhaps the Ur-example -- of a clueless dad obsessed with fulfilling the typical American suburban dream despite a general lack of wit or competence. Clark claims to be an expert in everything, assuring his family that everything will be fine, and yet he displays no acumen or skill, and his family repeatedly witnesses him fail. We sympathize with Clark, however, as many of his failings are the result of bad luck; Clark isn't very good at traversing the daily onus of trivial nonsense, but the world seems cosmically hellbent on punishing him for his incompetence.
The "Vacation" movies began their life as a short story called "Vacation '58," written by John Hughes and first published in the celebrated "National Lampoon...
The "Vacation" movies began their life as a short story called "Vacation '58," written by John Hughes and first published in the celebrated "National Lampoon...
- 12/25/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
For many film buffs, the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street is their go-to holiday film. Subsequently, the movie depicts the best and worst of humanity and is essential viewing during the Christmas season. Altogether, the original film has spawned four remakes. However, they’ve all stayed true to the original script.
‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1947)
The film’s original plot follows Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), a worker at Macy’s Department Store in New York City. However, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) realizes the man who will play Santa Claus is drunk. Later, he tells Doris, and she hires Kris to be the Macy’s store Santa Claus.
Her divorce disillusions Doris and her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). However, their neighbor, lawyer Fred Gaily (John Payne), is surprised Susan doesn’t believe in Santa Claus.
When Susan meets Kris, she believes he’s Santa Claus. Fred believes Kris and clashes with Doris.
‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1947)
The film’s original plot follows Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), a worker at Macy’s Department Store in New York City. However, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) realizes the man who will play Santa Claus is drunk. Later, he tells Doris, and she hires Kris to be the Macy’s store Santa Claus.
Her divorce disillusions Doris and her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). However, their neighbor, lawyer Fred Gaily (John Payne), is surprised Susan doesn’t believe in Santa Claus.
When Susan meets Kris, she believes he’s Santa Claus. Fred believes Kris and clashes with Doris.
- 12/24/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
1994’s Miracle on 34th Street is filled with magical moments. But some were more enjoyable to film than others for actor Mara Wilson. The former child star, who played young Susan Walker, counted scenes with certain cast members as her favorite. Spoiler: Not Sir Richard Attenborough’s Kriss Kringle. Plus, some behind-the-scenes details about the film.
Wilson loved filming any ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ scenes with Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott
Wilson, who no longer acts, counted her favorite scenes to film in the ‘90s remake of the classic Christmas movie as the ones with two of her cast members. Not Attenborough, or even the reindeer in the courtroom, made the cut. Rather, her movie mom and dad.
“On set, anything that I got to do with Dylan McDermott and Elizabeth Perkins [was my favorite]; they were just lovely,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “In particular, the dinner table scene during Thanksgiving was really fun.
Wilson loved filming any ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ scenes with Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott
Wilson, who no longer acts, counted her favorite scenes to film in the ‘90s remake of the classic Christmas movie as the ones with two of her cast members. Not Attenborough, or even the reindeer in the courtroom, made the cut. Rather, her movie mom and dad.
“On set, anything that I got to do with Dylan McDermott and Elizabeth Perkins [was my favorite]; they were just lovely,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “In particular, the dinner table scene during Thanksgiving was really fun.
- 12/24/2023
- by Mandi Kerr
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Each winter, we invite Notebook contributors to take part in our unique twist on the year-end poll. Rather than tally their favorite new releases from the year, they’re asked to creatively pair a new release with an older film they watched for the first time that year: a “fantasy double feature.” We’re delighted by the range of responses this year; this year’s doubles offer up inspired combinations of moving-image art that might otherwise slip through the cracks.We invite you to plunge into this collective viewing scrapbook, which captures our writers at their most imaginative, adventurous, and thoughtful—maybe it'll motivate you to test some of these out (or come up with your own) over the holidays.We hope you enjoy the read, and find our sixteenth year appropriately sweet!{{notebook_form}}Paul AttardNEW: Skinamarink + Old: Room Film 1973Homebound horror films shrouded in darkness, ones that transform...
- 12/23/2023
- MUBI
You know what they say about Old Man Marley, the South Bend Shovel Slayer? Back in ’58, he murdered his whole family and half the people on a suburban Chicago block with a snow shovel. He’s been hiding out there ever since, disguising the remains of his misdeeds by turning victims to mummies, and using the dust off their bones to salt our streets.
That’s what the kids in the McCallister house tell each other every cold December night when the lonely stranger played by Roberts Blossom appears outside their window. It’s of course a lie, but the truth was originally a lot more enigmatic in the early drafts of the Home Alone screenplay penned by John Hughes, who was a maestro of family and youth entertainment during the 1980s and early ‘90s.
At its inception, Home Alone was both a departure and a return to the well for Hughes.
That’s what the kids in the McCallister house tell each other every cold December night when the lonely stranger played by Roberts Blossom appears outside their window. It’s of course a lie, but the truth was originally a lot more enigmatic in the early drafts of the Home Alone screenplay penned by John Hughes, who was a maestro of family and youth entertainment during the 1980s and early ‘90s.
At its inception, Home Alone was both a departure and a return to the well for Hughes.
- 12/23/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
While they’ve already been popular since their initial release, Home Alone and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation seem to have gotten more intensely popular over the years. Every Christmas, channels broadcast the classics on repeat and streaming services offer them and other popular holiday films to view with family and friends. Now that nostalgia is lucrative, many new products have been released to merchandise on the movies’ continued rampant popularity. Nowadays, fans also love to analyze details they’ve never fully picked up on before and discuss the semantics of plot elements.
A recent slew of online jokes inquire about how rich Kevin McCallister’s family actually is. The home from Home Alone is extravagant for a suburban household and displays a certain sense of luxury. Plotwise, it has to be the perfect target for burglars as well as provide room and resources for all of Kevin’s traps.
A recent slew of online jokes inquire about how rich Kevin McCallister’s family actually is. The home from Home Alone is extravagant for a suburban household and displays a certain sense of luxury. Plotwise, it has to be the perfect target for burglars as well as provide room and resources for all of Kevin’s traps.
- 12/22/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
How Wealthy Were the McCallisters in ‘Home Alone’? The Federal Reserve Says They’re in the 1 Percent
It’s been 33 years since Home Alone was released on the big screen, and fans are just now getting an answer to an age-old question: How wealthy was the McCallister family?
Not only did the famous movie family — Peter (John Heard) and Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara) and their five children, including Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) — live in quite a large home, but they were also headed out on a trip to Paris in the 1990 film.
So The New York Times decided to get to the bottom of it, working with three economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago — Max Gillet, Cindy Hull and Thomas Walstrum.
Since the McCallisters’ home is an actual real-world property in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, the economists were able to compare data from household incomes in the Chicago area in the 1990s, the house’s property value and mortgage rates, as well as taxes and insurance.
Not only did the famous movie family — Peter (John Heard) and Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara) and their five children, including Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) — live in quite a large home, but they were also headed out on a trip to Paris in the 1990 film.
So The New York Times decided to get to the bottom of it, working with three economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago — Max Gillet, Cindy Hull and Thomas Walstrum.
Since the McCallisters’ home is an actual real-world property in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, the economists were able to compare data from household incomes in the Chicago area in the 1990s, the house’s property value and mortgage rates, as well as taxes and insurance.
- 12/21/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By the early 1990s, it was still fairly rare to see a Hollywood production invade New England to shoot a film. Things had certainly been made here: Ever heard of Jaws? It was shot entirely on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. And I made a documentary about another one: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, which was shot entirely in Maine in 1988. In fact, much of my documentary film work has focused on stories native to New England. But, still, we didn’t see the kind of movie activity and buzz that we see nowadays. Despite its natural beauty of mountains, rocky coastlines, and beautiful beaches, New England can be difficult (and expensive) to navigate for a film crew. What’s more, during certain months of the year our weather can be unpredictable and harsh. We’re known for our Nor’easters and blizzards and even the occasional hurricane in the autumn months.
- 12/20/2023
- by John Campopiano
- bloody-disgusting.com
In many ways, Chris Columbus and John Hughes made the most successful Christmas movie of all time with Home Alone. Sure, there are other movies that might rank high in the pantheon for some, but in terms of box office alone, this was a juggernaut, grossing $476 million in 1990, which, adjusted for inflation, is about $1.1 Billion in 2023. No other Christmas movie comes close to that number, and that’s not even counting how much money it made on home video, where it was one of the biggest-selling titles of all time, plus all its plays on cable, streaming and more.
Yet, it’s also a movie that would never be made now, with the film climaxing with Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister laying a series of traps for Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern’s Harry and Marv that would likely put real men in their graves. Crazy as it sounds, Home Alone...
Yet, it’s also a movie that would never be made now, with the film climaxing with Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister laying a series of traps for Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern’s Harry and Marv that would likely put real men in their graves. Crazy as it sounds, Home Alone...
- 12/20/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
“The Count of Monte-Cristo,” the new period epic from the team behind “The Three Musketeers,” is getting ready to hit the market after its five-month shoot wrapped this month.
Producers Dimitri Rassam at Mediawan-owned banner Chapter 2 and Pathé have unveiled a first still of the movie (above), which stars Pierre Niney as the iconic title character.
The film is directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière, and is a bigscreen adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ renowned masterpiece revolving around Edmond Dantès, a young sailor who was falsely accused of treason and is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress near Marseille. After many years of captivity, he finally escapes and, under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, plans to take revenge on those who have wrongly accused him.
“’The Count of Monte-Cristo’ is one of the greatest stories ever told,” said Delaporte and de la Patellière,...
Producers Dimitri Rassam at Mediawan-owned banner Chapter 2 and Pathé have unveiled a first still of the movie (above), which stars Pierre Niney as the iconic title character.
The film is directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière, and is a bigscreen adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ renowned masterpiece revolving around Edmond Dantès, a young sailor who was falsely accused of treason and is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress near Marseille. After many years of captivity, he finally escapes and, under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, plans to take revenge on those who have wrongly accused him.
“’The Count of Monte-Cristo’ is one of the greatest stories ever told,” said Delaporte and de la Patellière,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
From their punk origins to their stadium-level success in the Live Aid and Breakfast Club era, this music doc finds the Glasgow band still sweetly and likably down to earth
Here’s a very straightforward music documentary about Simple Minds – the story of five working-class lads from Glasgow who started a band in 1977, and by the mid-80s were stadium rockers up there with U2. “The most iconic and influential Scottish band in history,” is how the film’s promotional material describes them. Today, only frontman Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill remain of the original lineup – and miraculously they’re still mates. And when Kerr says sweetly that their friendship is one of his greatest achievements, it looks like he really means it.
They started the band in the punk era, then switched to art rock. With his black eyeliner and creepy monk’s fringe, Kerr looked the part of charismatic frontman.
Here’s a very straightforward music documentary about Simple Minds – the story of five working-class lads from Glasgow who started a band in 1977, and by the mid-80s were stadium rockers up there with U2. “The most iconic and influential Scottish band in history,” is how the film’s promotional material describes them. Today, only frontman Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill remain of the original lineup – and miraculously they’re still mates. And when Kerr says sweetly that their friendship is one of his greatest achievements, it looks like he really means it.
They started the band in the punk era, then switched to art rock. With his black eyeliner and creepy monk’s fringe, Kerr looked the part of charismatic frontman.
- 12/19/2023
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
(Clockwise from bottom left:) The Nightmare Before Christmas (screenshot), Miracle On 34th Street (screenshot), Home Alone (screenshot), The Muppet Christmas Carol (screenshot)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Hearts need warming this time of year, and there’s no better streaming source for heartwarming, family-friendly entertainment than Disney+. In terms of holiday films merry and bright,...
Hearts need warming this time of year, and there’s no better streaming source for heartwarming, family-friendly entertainment than Disney+. In terms of holiday films merry and bright,...
- 12/16/2023
- by The A.V. Club
- avclub.com
Is he really Santa? That’s the question actor Mara Wilson fielded about her co-star, Sir Richard Attenborough, over and over while filming the ‘90s remake of the classic Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street. Wilson’s response, which she later revealed, was to give the “polite” answer.
Sir Richard Attenborough ‘really’ felt ‘like Santa Claus’ to Mara Wilson
Although her character, Susan Walker, didn’t believe in Santa Claus, Wilson herself got Santa vibes from Attenborough. The former child star told Entertainment Weekly that as a child on set, the late actor, who died in 2014 at the age of 90, felt like Santa to her.
Recalling how “lovely” and “fun” Attenborough was to work with, Wilson shared that “he really did feel like Santa Claus” to her.
“He was so kind,” she added. “He made it a really fun movie to work on — even though it was kind of ridiculous...
Sir Richard Attenborough ‘really’ felt ‘like Santa Claus’ to Mara Wilson
Although her character, Susan Walker, didn’t believe in Santa Claus, Wilson herself got Santa vibes from Attenborough. The former child star told Entertainment Weekly that as a child on set, the late actor, who died in 2014 at the age of 90, felt like Santa to her.
Recalling how “lovely” and “fun” Attenborough was to work with, Wilson shared that “he really did feel like Santa Claus” to her.
“He was so kind,” she added. “He made it a really fun movie to work on — even though it was kind of ridiculous...
- 12/13/2023
- by Mandi Kerr
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
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