I could have followed Ferris Bueller around. Envied Claire Standish from across the hall. Avoided eye contact with John Bender as he terrorized the class. Watched as Gary and Wyatt introduced their new 'friend' to the gym class. Been harassed by Ted 'the geek' for my panties. I would have fit right in at Shermer High. If none of this makes any sense to you, then you have lived a sheltered life without access to great movies. Shermer High School is the fictional High School John Hughes created. It's where Gary and Wyatt made their new girlfriend in Weird Science. It's the school that Ferris and Cameron were skipping in Ferris Buellers Day Off. It's the school where Ted 'The Geek' showed Samantha's underwear to a crowded bathroom of fellow geeks in Sixteen Candles. And of course it's the school whose library held host to a group of teens on Saturday detention in The Breakfast Club. John Hughes was an amazing story teller. He had a knack for expressing what angsty teens were thinking. I've always thought I was born a decade or two too late, I should have been a teen in the 80's. I already have the hair. I also may or may not own two pairs of leg warmers, and may or may not have been seen wearing them in public...... Although not featured at Shermer High, I feel I must mention Pretty in Pink, because who could forget John Cryer as Duckie, forever admiring Andie, following her wherever she went. "Blane? Blane? That's an appliance, not a name" I love it. And James Spader as the easy to hate Steff. So obnoxious, so disgustingly arrogant. Don't you just want to hit him?? Now I know I'm not the only fan of John Hughes. One of the characters in The Breakfast Club has the name Bender, and he tells the Principal to "eat my shorts". Sound like any characters we know??? Any Matt Groening characters?? Yeah, I thought so. I love The Breakfast Club, I think I've probably seen it at least 50 times now, and yet, every time Brian explains what he did to end up in detention, I cry. Every time. I'll always love Ferris Bueller, I know it word for word. I envied Sloane, the way Ferris loved her. And Cameron for his wallowing self pity. It's adorable;) I still have a crush on Matthew Broderick. I'll always love John Bender, he reminds me so much of my older brother Puke (as I like to call him).
So much in your face attitude. On my first day of High School, Puke gave me some advise: "Don't take any crap from the teachers, do whatever you want to do." Thanks Puke:) One of my favourite things to do, is to watch older movies, and spot now famous actors, before they were famous. For instance, did you know both John and Joan Cusack are in Sixteen Candles? They have maybe one or two lines each. Charlie Sheen is hilarious in Ferris Buellers Day Off. CS: "Drugs?" Jeannie Bueller: "No, thank you I'm straight" CS: "I meant, are you in here for drugs" Jeannie Bueller: "Why are you here?" CS: "Drugs" Art, imitating life, imitating art etc... But what ever happened to the actual stars of these classic movies?? Molly Ringwald, despite starring in The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink disappeared off the map completely. Anthony Michael Hall also starred in 3 John Hughes classics; The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Weird Science, then had a couple of terrible movies through the 80's, my favourite was "Johnny Be Good" where Robert Downey Jr and Uma Therman were his supporting cast. He was also the boyfriend in Edward Scissorhands, then disappeared only to reappear in his own Sci-Fi series The Dead Zone based on a Stephen King novel. John Cryer had a small role in Top Gun along side his future co-star of 3 and a Half Men Charlie Sheen. James Spader has had an awesome career since Pretty in Pink with Stargate (the movie, not the lame TV series) and Boston Legal under his belt. Love him. Judd Nelson disappeared a bit, only to reemerge in the crappy TV series Suddenly Susan with Brooke Shields. Eck!
Who else... Well Emilio Estevez was going strong until after The Mighty Ducks movies.... no explanation needed there. Ally Sheedy had a few movies through the 80's and 90's including Short Circuit, and the ingeniously titled Short Curcuit 2, then not a lot else. Alan Ruck was on the bus in Speed, and then worked alongside Michael J Fox in the TV series Spin City. Mia Sara disappeared into extra roles..... Jennifer Grey was of course Baby in Dirty Dancing. LOVE HER! then I didn't see her again until an episode of House.... Matthew Broderick is of course a huge star:) Michael Schoeffling disappeared.... Andrew McCarthy starred alongside Johnny Silverman in Weekend at Bernies 1 & 2. Awesome. Then he popped up in an episode of Gossip Girl.... People make fun of me for my 80's nostalgia, especially since I was born in '84 and didn't actually get to see a lot of the 80's.... But I can't help it, the big hair, the terrible fashions, the shoulder pads! I love it all for it's tackiness. The tackier the better! Movies today just don't have the same feel. They focus too much on big budget high tech computer graphics 3D extravaganzas and not so much on actually telling a good story about great characters. I long for the day that the next John Hughes comes around, tells me a story I'll never forget, and want to watch over and over again. RIP John Hughes 1950 - 2009.
So much in your face attitude. On my first day of High School, Puke gave me some advise: "Don't take any crap from the teachers, do whatever you want to do." Thanks Puke:) One of my favourite things to do, is to watch older movies, and spot now famous actors, before they were famous. For instance, did you know both John and Joan Cusack are in Sixteen Candles? They have maybe one or two lines each. Charlie Sheen is hilarious in Ferris Buellers Day Off. CS: "Drugs?" Jeannie Bueller: "No, thank you I'm straight" CS: "I meant, are you in here for drugs" Jeannie Bueller: "Why are you here?" CS: "Drugs" Art, imitating life, imitating art etc... But what ever happened to the actual stars of these classic movies?? Molly Ringwald, despite starring in The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink disappeared off the map completely. Anthony Michael Hall also starred in 3 John Hughes classics; The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Weird Science, then had a couple of terrible movies through the 80's, my favourite was "Johnny Be Good" where Robert Downey Jr and Uma Therman were his supporting cast. He was also the boyfriend in Edward Scissorhands, then disappeared only to reappear in his own Sci-Fi series The Dead Zone based on a Stephen King novel. John Cryer had a small role in Top Gun along side his future co-star of 3 and a Half Men Charlie Sheen. James Spader has had an awesome career since Pretty in Pink with Stargate (the movie, not the lame TV series) and Boston Legal under his belt. Love him. Judd Nelson disappeared a bit, only to reemerge in the crappy TV series Suddenly Susan with Brooke Shields. Eck!
Who else... Well Emilio Estevez was going strong until after The Mighty Ducks movies.... no explanation needed there. Ally Sheedy had a few movies through the 80's and 90's including Short Circuit, and the ingeniously titled Short Curcuit 2, then not a lot else. Alan Ruck was on the bus in Speed, and then worked alongside Michael J Fox in the TV series Spin City. Mia Sara disappeared into extra roles..... Jennifer Grey was of course Baby in Dirty Dancing. LOVE HER! then I didn't see her again until an episode of House.... Matthew Broderick is of course a huge star:) Michael Schoeffling disappeared.... Andrew McCarthy starred alongside Johnny Silverman in Weekend at Bernies 1 & 2. Awesome. Then he popped up in an episode of Gossip Girl.... People make fun of me for my 80's nostalgia, especially since I was born in '84 and didn't actually get to see a lot of the 80's.... But I can't help it, the big hair, the terrible fashions, the shoulder pads! I love it all for it's tackiness. The tackier the better! Movies today just don't have the same feel. They focus too much on big budget high tech computer graphics 3D extravaganzas and not so much on actually telling a good story about great characters. I long for the day that the next John Hughes comes around, tells me a story I'll never forget, and want to watch over and over again. RIP John Hughes 1950 - 2009.
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