Dear Mr. Vernon…

John Hughes.

If you don’t know his name, you most likely know and love his movies already.

If you are a fan of “The Breakfast Club”, and I don’t know anyone in their 30′s or 40′s who isn’t… then you are probably also a fan of:

• Sixteen Candles
• Pretty in Pink
• Ferris Buehller’s Day Off
• Some Kind of Wonderful
• Weird Science

I’ll admit to not recalling much of SKOW, but “Club,” “Pink,” and “Ferris” are still some of the most enjoyable films I have ever experienced. And, hey, Weird Science? One of my absolute favorite comedies of the 80′s and also the source of many a fantasy of Kelly LeBroc, but I digress…

Somehow, between 1984 and 1987 John Hughes managed to tap into the psyche of every American teenager with his very true storytelling. He managed to capture that very real sensation of being an outcast that so many of us felt as a teen.

For the me, the best of these films for exploring how teens feel and interact with each other and the world around them is The Breakfast Club.

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Eat My Shorts…

Just a quick update… this week’s movie is “The Breakfast Club.” Watch for the review tonight!

As Time Goes By…

I guess it’s fitting that the first film in my “Movie A Week Blog” is the 1942 classic ‘Casablanca’. ‘Casablanca’ is my all time favorite film. I never caught the bug for it until I was well into my college years. Somehow when I discovered ‘Casablanca’ as a young adult it spoke to me in a way that my youthful mind and heart just didn’t comprehend.

I’ve been debating for a week now on just how to write these blogs. Do I keep them very technical? Do I focus on the storytelling of the pictures? The camerawork? Do I just write about how the film’s make me feel? While watching ‘Casablanca’ tonight I came to the conclusion that I’m going to avoid any sort of dedicated structure to these entries. I’m just going to write about these movies as I see fit from film to film.

‘Casablanca’ is a film that never resonated with me as a child. Sure, a kid in the 80’s wasn’t supposed to enjoy a classic Black and White film from the 40’s. I mean really! Where’s the color? But it was more than that. There is so much about this movie that doesn’t really resonate until you’ve got some life experience under your belt.

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Filmschool for the rest of us…

Where To Start

So, the economy is in the toilet. I’m desperately trying to keep my personal finances from spiraling more out of control than they already have and because of this I am going out less and less frequently to the new movies in the cinema.

So it got me to thinking the other day. “What about all those movies on my shelf?” I mean really, at last count there were over 300 movies on my DVD shelf.

Can you imagine? If I watched those at a rate of 1 film a week, it would take me six plus years to watch all of those movies.

How cool is that?

And it won’t cost me anything. And best of all, I can go back and watch those films with a new eye. A filmmaker’s eye. I’m going to use this blog to analyze those films. I’m not sure how detailed those reviews and analysis will be. I have a feeling it will vary from week to week. But I will use this blog as a chance to “educate” myself more on the history, methods, and styles of filmmakers from all areas, genres and eras.

This should be a lot of fun. Now, the question is what film do I start with?

I’ve narrowed it down to a few that I think would be fun to begin with. What are your thoughts on these films?

• Cassablanca
• Schindler’s List (I’ve never even opened the DVD)
• What Dreams May Come
• The Breakfast Club

I hope that you’ll give me your input on this, and I sincerely hope that you follow along on my cinematic journey. Who knows? Maybe some of my reviews will spark an interest for you in watching a film you’ve never seen, or an old classic that you’ve forgotten?

This should be fun! Be sure to leave your comments below!

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