A Tribute

I stumbled across a news item today that shocked me. I pay attention to the goings on of the world quite a bit, and yet I somehow missed the passing of a fantastic film maker. I don't know if its because we're just numb as a society from all the the celebrity passings lately or because he was always under appreciated, but the lack of coverage was astonishing. If you had to put together a list of movies from your childhood (if you are my age or a bit older) to make your kids watch when they are teenagers, what would be on that list?

The Breakfast Club
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Weird Science
Pretty in Pink
Sixteen Candles
National Lampoon's Vacation

What do all these have in common? John Hughes. In addition to those classics, he was also behind Trains, Planes, and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Home Alone, and many others. He passed suddenly of a heart attack earlier this month. The sad thing is that it wasn't until he died that I really sat down and looked at everything he did. Half of those movies I listed I didn't even realize were his. How different would not only my childhood have been, but American comedy in film have been if Hughes had never picked up a camera? So maybe he would never have won an Oscar, but he made films that millions of people genuinely love. He captured the spirit of a decade's youth perfectly. So rest in peace, John Hughes, your films will be beloved by millions for some time.