Sixteen Candles

Sixteen Candles (1984)
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Justin Henry
Written and Directed by: John Hughes
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Grade: A+

This is one of the many classic 80's movies that I love. And, I swear, the best ones have Molly Ringwald. Probably because John Hughes put her in all of his movies and his movies are the best...anyway. This movie is about Samantha (Ringwald), who just turned 16. And although she's not popular and the boy she loves doesn't love her back, she has a feeling that this birthday is going to change everything. It starts out on a horrible note, however, when her entire family forgets her birthday. Her day gets worse at school when she fills out a test about who she has a crush on and the boy she answered accidentally gets it. When the question asked who she liked, she didn't even think about answering Jake Ryan (Henry), the most popular guy in school and totally out of Sam's league. But what she doesn't know is that he secretly likes her, too. He hasn't talked to her because he figured she doesn't like him. But after he sees the test, he thinks it might be possible. On the bus ride home, her birthday, yet again, gets even worse when Sam is ambushed by Farmer Ted (Hall), also known as "The Geek", who is in love with her. After she blows him off, she heads home, after which many things happen, including having to hang out with a weird foreign exchange student, going to the school dance, and, just maybe, getting the guy. Also look out for both Cusack siblings (John as a friend of Farmer Ted's and Joan as a geeky girl), both of whom are extremely young in this film.

Some Kind of Wonderful

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Starring: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Written by: John Hughes
Tagline: Before they could stand together, they had to stand alone.
Grade: A+

Don't let the stupid tagline (or the fact that it's not a very well known movie) fool you. This film isn't as famous as John Hughes's other teenage masterpieces (such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink) but it's still great. It's kind of Pretty in Pink, but the main character is a boy instead of a girl...and he ends up with his best friend instead of the popular person. This film is how Pretty in Pink would have ended if the studio hadn't intervened. Keith Nelson (Stoltz) is a "grease monkey" and very unpopular in school. That changes, however, when the most popular girl in school, Amanda Jones (Thompson), agrees to go out with him. What he doesn't know is that his best friend, Watts (Masterson), is in love with him. Okay, it's pretty much Pretty in Pink, but Hughes (my all time favorite filmaker) had a good reason! Still, this is a great chick-flick...I even watched it twice in one week...it's that good.

Movie Review: Hoot

Hoot (2006)
Starring: Logan Lerman and Brie Larson
Characters: Roy Eberhardt and Beatrice the Bear
Directed by: Wil Shriner
Tagline: It's time to stand up for the little guys.
Grade: A+

I LOVE this movie. It was one of my very, very favorite books. And it has Logan Lerman in it which is an epic win. (This was his pre-Percy Jackson days...AKA pre-cool days.) Roy has just moved to a new town (in Florida). While there, he meets new friends, Beatrice and her step-brother, Mullet Fingers and also, the bully. Mullet Fingers tells Roy about this pancake house that was going to build their building on top of owl's nests. And they decide to fight against it. Add in music from Jimmy Buffet (who plays a teacher, too) and...Logan Lerman, this movie is awesome. Watch it...now.

Just finished: Footloose
Watching now: Sixteen Candles
Excited to see: Letters to Juliet

Movie Review: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Starring: Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck
Chracters: Ferris Bueller and Cameron Frye
Directed by: John Hughes
Tagline: While the rest of us were just thinking about it...Ferris borrowed a Ferrari and did it...all in a day.
Grade: A+

I love 80's movies...they're all awesome, but the best of the best are John Hughes films. He was one of the best directors of teen movies. It was like he truly understood what hard things went on in teen lives. He didn't just portray them as stupid, flighty girls or cocky guys...he actually gave them personalities...awesome ones at that. Between The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and this movie, there are some of the best characters in any movie...ever. And they're all teenagers...which is a major score for us. This great movie is about a teen called Ferris, who is an expert at ditching school. It's a perfect day outside, so he decides to ditch another day of school (this makes his ninth "sick"day). So, he decides to make this one count. He calls his friend Cameron, who's always sick, and they get Ferris' girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) out of school. Then they go on a spree across the city in Cameron's dad's Ferrari. They even get in a parade. Ferris is the coolest, most smooth talking person ever. And John Hughes did a really cool thing where he had Ferris talk to the camera, as if telling advice to the people watching. Overall, a really fun, really cool 80's teen movie from the master himself.
-MOT

Just finished: The Terminator
Watching now: Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Excited to see: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief