Director John Hughes - Don't You Forget About Him.
There was a time in the world of movies, somewhere between 1984 and 1989 when director John Hughes ruled the screens. With a successful string of theatrical hits like “Sixteen Candles”, “Weird Science”, “The Breakfast Club”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, “Planes Trains & Automobiles” and “Uncle Buck”, his films not only addressed and embraced the rather tedious social lives of young people, but also brought a new degree of fun to screen comedy. Several of his films ushered in the era of the “Brat Pack” in the 1980s, which included young stars like Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall.
I was saddened to hear that John Hughes died of a heart attack in New York City last Thursday August 6, 2009 - this following what has seemed like an unfortunate string of celebrity deaths this summer, including Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson (both of them on the same day, no less).
Having recently seen Anthony Michael Hall as a serious, grown-up reporter in “The Dark Knight”, it’s hard to believe that he was “the Geek” who had me in stitches back in 1984 when I first saw “Sixteen Candles”. In 1986, I personally considered a wise-ass, rebellious character like Ferris Bueller a true hero (for a while, anyway).
So long, John. You were good. You were very, very good - and you will be missed.
