Updates, and John Hughes

I'll be honest, when I'm on the computer and feel some interest in blogging/writting about recent things, I tend to surf the Internet more than write about what I read on the Internet. And it should come as no surprise, on the same note, that the Internet sidetracks me (as it sidetracks all of us from time to time). Like tonight, for instance: I typed a few sentences and paragraphs/sections from Susannah Gora's 2010 biography text, titled "You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried." This book talks about influential teen movies from the 1980s, specifically the films of the late John Hughes. For the last few weeks, I have focused part of my attention and research on Mr. Hughes's work and biography. Within that time, I've watched just about every teen movie he's ever made--from Sixteen Candles (1984) to Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)--and just about every film he's directed--minus 1987's Planes, Trains & Automobiles (which is one of the next films on my list, along with Home Alone [1990] and a few of the family comedies Hughes wrote and produced in the 90s). Anyway, after I typed some notes from said text, I ended up surfing You Tube and watching trailer and videos for some of the latter films. And believe me, I can certainly overwhelm myself with such surfing and mental digesting.

However, this is not to say that I am not careful about what I watch, listen to, or look at online. I have become a very discerning person over the last two year, in all honesty! At the same time, some people may question my motives, regarding recent films I've reviewed on Facebook, or a recent song I've heard on the radio, for instance. But being the film buff and (now-growing) intellectual person I'm becoming, I remind myself at times to prepare myself for discussing something with somebody (even though I;ve only had very few opportunies with friends and relatives, and not with people I haven't met and such).

Furthermore, I am generally not for absolutes--that is, things done for thier own sake, such as swearing or "mindless" entertainment. I want to be able to talk about things and discuss them with people. This is especially essential for movies, on my part.

(l to r) Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy,
Molly Ringwald, and Anthony Michael Hall
in The Breakfast Club

In the case of John Hughes, his teen movies are not just teen movies for their own sake. His portrayals of young people growing up into new phases of life remains influential. I am inspired by the honesty and sincerity he brought to his original stories and characters--their emotions, their angst, their conflicts, their hearts. Even more, the depth and realism he gave his characters are part of the reason his films are exceptional. The Breakfast Club (1985), in my opinion, is his best work, because of the way the characters talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to, where they come from, who they are, and where their hearts are at. This is not to say that John Hughes's films are wholesome; they do have their problems when it comes to certain content such as occassional language, sexual-related issues/themes, teen-angst, and specific conflicts. Those elements notwithstanding, a majority of Hughes's teen films present authentic and honest portraits of American teens in the 80s.

WRITER'S NOTE: UPDATED July 7, 2014