Normally I don’t do this, But! I was completely heartbroken when I heard that John Hughes had died. Heartbroken. I grew up on his films. When I think of the embodiment of teenage life, it’s always his movies that come to mind. (Even with all of the YA fiction I read, it’s John Hughes’ movies that come to mind. That’s got to be saying something.)

Here’s the thing about John Hughes. He GOT what being a teenager was like. Watching those movies you relive the pain, the awkwardness, the excitement and the insecurity of what teenage life was really like. It’s a snapshot of a real high school, with your divisions and cliques and politics. It’s REAL. The movie industry has lost so much due to John Hughes’ death.

So many of my favourite movies had been written or directed or produced (or all three) by John Hughes – Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Beuller’s Day Off… I still regularly watch these movies, and can still quote along with half of them.

(So, dear radio host – if you are talking about how Sixteen Candles is one of your favourite movies, and how you still get goosebumps in the scene were Samantha exits the church to see Jake Ryan leaning against his car across the street, please at least get the guy’s name right and don’t call him “that cute guy in the movie whose name I can’t remember.” It’s a bit of an insult to those of us who really DO love that movie.)

In honour of John Hughes, I watched Pretty in Pink last night. (I would love to have a movie marathon this weekend of his others, but am heading off to the Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games instead.) And watching Pretty in Pink last night made me remember a few things. First is how awesome John Hughes’ movies are for having the perfect music for what is going on and who the characters are. Another thing was how awesome the casting in his movies was. Oh, how I wanted to be just like Molly Ringwald in some of the ones that she was in. Oh, how I loved Jake Ryan. Oh, how I related to The Geek. Oh how I hated Steff. Lastly, is how much fun the dialogue was in his movies. Here are a few of my favourite quotes:

The Geek: So, what’s your story? I mean, you got a guy, or…?
Samantha: Yes, three big ones, and they lust wimp blood so quit bugging me or I’ll sic them all over your weenie ass.

Andie: You know your talking like that just because I’m going out with Blane.
Duckie: His name is Blane? Oh! That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name!

John Hughes, you will be greatly missed, and teen movies will never be the same without you.

Okay, count me as the newest obsessee of Repo! I mean, I’ve known for months now that I’ve LOVED the music, but I finally saw the movie last night, and wow.

I will admit that when I realized that this was made by the same people who made the Saw movies, I seriously reconsidered purchasing it, because I really Do Not enjoy scary movies. But I’m so so so happy that I bought it.

It’s a dark movie, obviously, given the subject matter. In the 21st century, there is a pandemic of organ failures – a lot of people die from it. Out of the chaos rises GeneCo, a company that does organ transplants. If you can’t afford one, they will partially fund it. But if you can’t make any of your payments, they will send the Repo Man to take back the organ that you got.

So yes, dark subject matter. But oh, it was a gorgeous movie. The music is brilliant (but I knew that already). It’s all singing, as per usual for an opera. Sometimes it felt a little awkward, but for the most part it was brilliant. The costumes were awesome. The setting was creepy; it felt futuristic yet somehow gothic. It was just all-around beautiful (in a dark sort of way). Yes, there were parts that were gory, but it was done in such a way that it definitely did not seem realistic at all – I think this was definitely a factor as to why I loved this and wasn’t really squeamish at all about it.

The cast was brilliant – Anthony Stewart Head! Sarah Brightman! Lots of others! Lovely people! Even Paris Hilton wasn’t as bad as I had expected her to be.

I also loved the use of comic book panels to tell the backstory of each of the characters. Because the characters all had a past that (in all honesty) could have made up a whole new movie of its own, it was certainly an effective way to explain it without making it confusing (which it could have easily become).

So yes, brilliant movie! Will be watching it again soon. And now I’ve been listening to the soundtrack all day. Oh, wonderful stuff!

Okay, I was torn about going to see this movie. Although the supporting cast looked fabulous, I don’t normally like movies like this. And Tom Cruise stars in it, and I really am not a fan. But, as The Spirit is no longer playing in theatres near me, and as a friend and I wanted to see a movie this weekend, this was the only movie that looked good and looked like a movie-you-need-to-see-in-the-theatre movie.

I think most people know what this movie is about – during WWII, there were numerous attempts to assassinate Hitler. This movie is about the last attempt. That’s all, really.

Overall, I have to say that I was impressed. It wasn’t a bad movie. The acting was first-rate – the cast… WELL. There were so many familiar faces in it that I spent a good time trying to figure out where I had seen a lot of those actors before. Highlights of the cast: Bill Nighy is a brilliant actor no matter what role he takes on. Kenneth Branagh is fabulous. Jamie Parker! Jamie Parker! Every time he was on screen, I will completely admit that I had an urge to watch History Boys again. Even Tom Cruise wasn’t as annoying as I normally find him. It was … a little … unsettling.

The score for the movie was beautiful. John Ottman, the composer, has done a lot of stuff for other movies I’ve enjoyed (X2 and Superman Returns particularly), and I’ve always been impressed with his music. There are a couple of songs that I definitely want to get my hands on – especially They’ll Remember You. Ack! Gorgeous!!

So it wasn’t bad. It felt a little slow and dragging in the middle, but other than that it wasn’t bad. Would I see it again? No. Would I listen to the score? Heck yes! Has this movie changed my opinion of Tom Cruise? Not in the slightest. But it wasn’t a bad way to spend an evening.