By: Kerry Liethen

Normally, I’m not a huge fan of sequels (okay, sure, I have my exceptions, well, a small handful of films) and if I do decide to indulge my curiosity it is normally a few months later and on DVD, so when I was cajoled by a couple of friends into a showing of Toy Story 3 at a cheap theater in the valley I had low expectations, really low expectations.  In fact, the bar was set so low that it was rolling around on the floor.  Needless to say, I was elated when the bar flipped up and smacked me in the head to prove how wrong I was regarding the sequel, Toy Story 3.

But I had good reasons to keep my expectations low, because I was not a big fan of Toy Story 2.  Granted, it was cute, but the script was not as finely tuned as Toy Story and it felt as though it had lost its oomph.  But with Toy Story 3 the franchise has been rejuvenated and, in my opinion, is the perfect finale for the characters of Toy Story.

The film begins when Buzz, Woody, and the gang are accidently dumped off at a day care center during Andy’s departure for college.

Toy Story 3 was directed by Lee Unkrich (co-director on Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., and Toy Story 2) with screenplay credits going to: Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich.  And the returning talent of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, and John Ratzenberger was like a welcoming hug from an old friend.  The additional vocal talent of Michael Keaton and Ned Beatty provided a couple unexpected antagonists that I became invested in as much as the protagonists.

Also, one last note, expect to see a wonderful Pixar short before the film begins, Day & Night, which was a combination of 2D and 3D animation directed by Teddy Newton (came to Pixar in 2000).  Day & Night was the perfect compliment to Toy Story 3.  Honestly, I cannot say enough about this short it was fun, at times tender, and the message resonated with audience (the packed theatre was very vocal) and with this viewer.

Toy Story 3 was a fantastic surprise and I highly suggest checking this out in the theater.

9 out of 10 – K.L.

Television review: ‘Rookie Blue’.

Television review: ‘Rookie Blue’
ABC’s new police drama actually has more than a little in common with a medical show, ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ And that’s not a bad thing.
June 24, 2010|By Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times Television Critic

“Rookie Blue” is, to be quick about it, “Grey’s Anatomy” with uniforms and guns. That you probably will find that comparison in every review you read of the series, which begins tonight on ABC — in the “Grey’s Anatomy,” slot — is nothing I can do anything about. But there is no way I can leave it out of this one.

I don’t say this to warn you off — indeed, it may be just the hook that snares you — only to tell you where we are. We are with pretty young people (two male, three female, as per “Grey’s”) starting a new job they have studied for and dreamed about. They are eager to get started, to get into the thick of it; but not everybody gets to work in the operating room — drive around in patrol cars, I mean. Yet they also serve who only work the desk and argue over whether the boy rookie or the girl rookie should be the one to frisk a transsexual suspect.

“We’ve learned how to shoot and fight and drive a police car really fast,” says academy-fresh Andy McNally ( Missy Peregrym). “We’re ready.” And if they’re not really ready, as the grumpy older cops insist, they’ll “fake it till we make it.”

More problematic than the dyspeptic veterans may be the hot young detectives, who are to the rookies of “Rookie Blue” as the doctors are to the interns of “Grey’s Anatomy.” They all hang around in the same bar at the end of the day. Moody pop songs follow them on the soundtrack.

None of the pretty people is prettier than Peregrym, from the late and, by me, lamented, “Reaper,” in the Ellen Pompeo part, though she is more wide-eyed and less obviously troubled than Pompeo’s Meredith Grey. (Her father, we learn, was a policeman too, which makes her naiveté about the job seem a little … naive.) But Peregrym is not just a pretty face; she’s a good and appealing actress who can play more than one emotion at a time. And though I would never have expected her to be at the center of a police series, this is made to be a warmer police series than most — a cop show with a woman’s touch, about the adventure of becoming, of growing up, even more than it is about putting perps in the pokey.

The unnamed city in which they work and may even find some time to play is possibly not supposed to be Toronto, but Toronto is where it’s made. Like “Flashpoint,” CBS’s own summer cop show (for which “Rookie” show-runner Tassie Cameron also wrote), it is a Canadian co-production, with a Canadian cast. (Peregrym grew up in British Columbia.)

While making no extravagant claims for the series — it is not, you may have gathered, alarmingly original — I rather enjoyed the pilot. Perhaps it’s a Canadian thing, but like “Flashpoint,” “Rookie Blue” doesn’t oversell itself. It is modest and plain in a way that makes even its less likely moments feel credible enough. And its 13-episode order is just the size of summer.

robert.lloyd@latimes.com

By: Kerry Liethen

It has been a long time since a film has had  an adverse affect on me until I was coerced into seeing Get Him To The Greek.  I would love to say this film was hilarious, brilliant, and well worth seeing on the big screen, but then I’d be lying and I fear I’d be billed for hours of wasted viewing time.

The title tells you the entire premise of the film, Aaron Green, a record company intern has to get British rocker, Aldous Snow, to a concert at LA’s Greek Theatre and wackiness ensues.

The film was directed by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) who took on writing duties from the characters created by Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).  The script was rather predictable with doses of raunchy humor injected here and there, like botox to a raisin-esque forehead, which might work for some audience members, but I found it to be one note that was played too hard throughout the entire film and became more trying than entertaining.

Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs, and Rose Byrne starred in Greek.  I have a low tolerance for Jonah Hill, because I feel his acting is repetitive and one dimensional and, thus far, he has not really dazzled me with his abilities.  But perhaps I’m being too harsh, perhaps it is not entirely his fault, but perhaps the roles that he is being offered?  Rose Byrne, on the other hand, was a delightful surprise.  After viewing her in Damages I had not expect her to take on a role like Jackie Q, but she did and I have to admit I thought she did one hell of a job as Snow’s ex-wife.

And, one last note, I’m not usually a stickler on editing techniques, but the editing was choppy and seemed to present a few holes in the film, which not only took me out of the flow of the story, but also prompted me to wonder if the film was slapped together quickly to meet the release date.  Regardless, it was shoddy and has made me curious if quality is being overlooked in lieu of dollar signs.

Sorry folks I can only give this 3 out of 10. – KL

Michael Caine as the titular character in Daniel Barber's "Harry Brown" (2009)

“Harry Brown“ (2009), directed by Daniel Barber, written by Gary Young

Cast: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Charlie Creed-Miles, David Bradley, Iain Glen, Sean Harris, Ben Drew, Jack O’Connell, Joseph Gilgun,…

“Harry Brown” centers on the protagonist of the same name, played by Michael Caine, who is a weary elderly citizen living in a troubled neighborhood of South London. A recent widower, who also lost his only daughter at a young age, Brown has not much to left to look forward to. When a local gang of young criminals murders his only friend, and the police is showing little interest in the case, Brown decides to take matters into his own hand. The former Royal Marine embarks onto a killing spree to clean up the neighborhood and avenge his friend’s death…

“Harry Brown” is in many ways a rather typical revenge/vigilante film, with the exception that it features a pensioner as the central character, as opposed to the more common middle-aged protagonist. Michael Caine’s portrayal of Brown is engaging and convincing, both as the pitiful and lonely old man, as well as the enraged vigilante. His performance easily carries the viewer through the entire film, even though other parts of the film are less convincing.

Emily Mortimer and Michael Caine in Daniel Barber's "Harry Brown" (2009)

Most of the flaws can be found in the screenplay, which utilizes way too many of the typical clichés that have been well established by the films of this kind – these stretches of the story felt far too predictable and worn. For example [spoilers ahead], the sporadic references to Harry’s past in the service in order to establish him as the potential killing machine that he turns out to be, which were half cleverly-done, and half clumsily inserted into otherwise believable dialog. Then there is the side-story about the sole police inspector with a hunch on who might really be doing all the killings, as well as the indifferent and condescending police superior who doesn’t listen and instead reassigns her to another case and branch, then her decision to press on on her own nonetheless, and finally her teaming up with Brown in the end. Also, to render the gang more devilish, they are beefed up from ‘merely’ being a bullying and murdering lot, to also having a hand in drugs-, weapons-, and human-trafficking. In the end it is even uncovered that the murder of Harry’s friend had not been a spontaneous act, but rather a planned murder, with the mastermind linking to Harry’s past as a serviceman with the Royal Marines in Ireland.

All this seemed somewhat contrived and uncreative to me, however, one might also argue that these elements are an integral part to a revenge-driven story, and therefore can’t be avoided. Maybe I have just seen one too many of these and as a consequence am too easily disappointed by the recurring themes, but I would assume that less-clichéd alternatives could probably have been found.

Michael Caine as the titular character in Daniel Barber's "Harry Brown" (2009)

Despite all this the film works surprisingly well, I believe mostly due to the depiction and interplay of the two very convincing opposing forces – not only is Caine’s Harry Brown an engaging and sympathetic character, but also the various gang-members and their surroundings are believable and seemingly based in reality, as opposed to many of the more stylized fictional antagonists you often see in other films. The film’s director Daniel Barber managed to create a harrowing on-screen version of troubled and violent youths in street-gangs, which will most likely stay with you for a while even after the credits have rolled.

Stylistically the film shines as well – the gritty look and feel of the picture, with its low-key lighting and bleak colours compliment the dark-themed story very well.  The depiction of violence, drug-abuse and sex is raw and blunt, creating a sense of realism that effectively draws you into the uncomfortable underworld that is Brown’s neighborhood.

Even though “Harry Brown” doesn’t bring much that is new to the table, it is still a revenge film that pays off and manages to entertain, due to the convincing performances of Michael Caine as the titular character, as well as his various antagonists, as long as you are willing to forgive some of the recycled plot-twists and a couple of other screenplay blunders.

Michael Caine as the titular character in Daniel Barber's "Harry Brown" (2009)

By: Kerry Liethen

Since we’re smack dab in the middle of film festival season I thought I would attend a much lesser known festival.  Okay, truth be told, I attended the event because a friend of mine had a film screened in the shorts collection, so it was kind of a two for one kind of deal.

The first annual Awareness Festival was held from May 20th through the 23rd and was split between three venues: the Regent Showcase and Heaven On Earth (both in Los Angeles) and at the Polo Loft in Santa Monica.  There were over 40 short films at the festival over a span of four days and three venues.  This festival promotes films with meaning and combines art with activism.  The purpose of the festival is printed on the postcards and reads: The mission of the Awareness Film & Arts Festival is bringing awareness and opening eyes to some of our world’s pressing issues; Ecological, Political, Health/Well Being and The Spirit: Heart & Soul.

The schedule for the shorts collection was a bit unorganized, which made it hectic to figure out where we were going and at what time the screening would commence, but after standing around and inquiring with every passerby we soon learned that the shorts collection would be shown at Heaven On Earth at 6 p.m.  We managed to pass the time by checking out the Regent Showcase, which was down the street on La Brea.  As luck would have it, we missed Rusty Armstrong’s  The Shark Con by a good half hour, so we did the next best thing and headed over to The Grove to catch MacGruber (Yup, you didn’t see that coming, did you?) as we knew we didn’t have time to buzz over to the other location and investigate.

Upon our arrival, back at Heaven On Earth, we shuffled into the room with one other director and a few other supporters.  It was far from a glitzy Hollywood or Cannes affair, with metal folding chairs, and half the room dedicated to the health fair, and then the technical difficulties with the projection – the screening began a bit later than expected, but that is exactly why these smaller festivals are important especially for budding filmmakers.  It allows for interaction with other artists minus the intimidation and gives us all a lesson in patience.

At the shorts collection, which was a free event, we viewed five films (in no particular order):

Evita, a documentary, is about a woman who overcomes ovarian cancer by changing her toxic diet and relationships.   The film had a dreamy look, so much so that even with the moving message was pared down and  lulled the viewer to sleep rather than prompting any rousing action to change ones lifestyle.  The editing was bogged down with photos and redundant B roll of Evita exercising.  The one saving grace was Evita herself, an inspiring young woman who was subtle, soft spoken, and  still had a good sense of humor after all she had endured.

Namaste, a documentary about a young filmmaker who visits Nepal and upon returning to her Southern California home changes her outlook on her community and generation.  A particular issue I found with this documentary was its inability to really delve into the story.  There was a voyeuristic quality to the film and I felt like the filmmaker was too hesitant to delve into this story.  The cinematography during the Nepal segments was a welcomed surprise and aided in elevating the quality of the film.

Sexually Transmitted Disease (Dir. Daniel Hale), a Public Service Announcement, a couple are about to have sex when HIV, herpes, and gonorrhea show up on their doorstep.  The editing on this PSA could have been a bit tighter to really heighten the comic moments.  But the unexpected humor on this subject was refreshing.

Bob Seger Rocks (Dir. Timothy Tamisiea) a documentary about a 12-year old boy who has had 23 brain surgeries and what he has overcome in school and society and how he, along with his family, deal with his condition.  A heartwarming film that wins you over and what it lacks in technical skill it more than makes up for with its charm.

Par Surprise, a narrative film, on epilepsy awareness.  This film, though beautifully shot, was a convoluted story.  And technically, this was my favorite film, visually, but it does not make up for the troubled narrative.  At one point I thought the film was about flowers – the leading couple spends ten minutes discussing a bed of posies.  But then we get a shot with the leading lady with a huge bowl of fruit (in countless frames…in my mind I was apply the Hitchcock rule of thumb, silly me) while they’re in an atrium and then my thoughts turned to organic foods.  And then war is mentioned and my thoughts turn to, “oh, this film is about war?”  Nope, not about war.  Turns out the guy is epileptic and suffers a fit post-coital.  Evidently, this film is about epilepsy awareness, but from this narrative it becomes a tangled mess and the message is lost.  Actually, what becomes a greater mystery is why the couple go para-gliding with Russian polka music playing underneath in the end.

A drawback to the screening was we did not receive any information on the shorts or the creators.  I managed to scrounge up a couple names of the directors whose films we had an opportunity to screen.

Overall the Awareness Festival is a great opportunity for showcasing films revolving around pressing issues of our times and I encourage filmmakers to give the festival a look next year.  - K.L.

I am a huge fan of European films, be it the German Expressionism, Italian neorealism, French New Wave, Polish Film School, Dogme 95, or Romanian New Wave to name a few. ‘The Girl with A Dragon Tattoo’ combined a mixture of Portuguese Cinema Novo for its visual looks and with a touch of Czechoslovak New Wave for its storyline. This film: a guy who is under attacked after entangling himself into the investigation on the missing niece, that leads to the unsolved murder-case – reminded me a lot of an Argentinian film, ‘El Aura’(2005) directed by Fabián Bielinsky, in terms of the story pacing, the looks and as well as the protagonist characterization.

The story is paced using the non-classical narrative form giving it a sense of realism to the setups- which is less predictable. The setups divide the back-story of the protagonist from the mentor (although this mentor is not a typical old character): she is very wise as a computer hacker herself that she can be count as one. The pacing that it takes to discover the connections of these two characters takes a lot longer than the commercial-3-Point- Structure Model. Some audience might reject this notion, but for those who enjoy subtlety and the passion to discover might love this setups.

As much European this movie could be, it still projects the commercial style in it. The scene that I am referring to is when Mikael Blomkvist ( the imprisoned journalist) is gathering information about the case through his laptop- we can see the fast-cutting images overdrawn on the screen on top of the typography merging in, forcing bundle of information. And if that is not enough, the visuals do come with the audio commentary in explaining the family tree. Yet, I wonder why I have to rewind the scene 3 times in order to digest these information during my first viewing. My take in this- it digested away my film experience.

But who can forget the tormenting, torturing sexual scenes done by the villain to the victim and later revenged by the victim back to the villain. The combination of the tether, the hidden camera, chained-smoking and the improvised taser: the electro- shocked- weapon might give you the idea of how jarring the scenes turned up.

Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev
based on Stieg Larsson’s novel
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Haber, Sven-Bertil Taube

My Vote: 7.5/10

Won a few Awards: HKFCS Award and Asian Film Awards to name a few, this film might not be everybody’s cup of tea. The perturbing opening shot as a metaphor that offers a hint of something deadly and emotionally disturbed ending might not be picked up by large. Nevertheless, the images through out the film are very engaging that help the viewer to dwell into the story further.

‘Sham Moh’ in Mandarin or ’At the End of Daybreak’ in English, portrays a drama of a young guy with no ambition or vision in life is brought into a dilemma when he had to choose his family or his girlfriend. It sounds like any usual dilemma in our real life that makes it less a sensational story to be told but Ho Yuhang, the director plays with the semiotics through the visual  storytelling, heightens the emotions and suspense.  It pushes the audience to feel and see through the protagonist’s eyes, and we are forced to feel stuck and lost. The protagonist who is living under poverty with her single mother, is pushed to pay a big amount of money to the girlfriend’s family when the family found out that he is having a sexual relationship with their underage daughter. Even after the payment is being made, the family threatens to go to court (we just love this type of setups, as there might be such evil families out there who might do the same thing). Nevertheless, our anticipation has drawn in, in thinking that this family does exist, we are rooting further with the protagonist’s turmoil.

The ending? Well you have to wait till the end of daybreak to find out

Venue: Locarno International Film Festival
Production: Paperheart
Cast: Chui Tien You, Wai Ying-Hong, Ng Meng Hui
Director-screeenwriter: Ho Yuhang
Producer: Lorna Tee
Director of photography: Teih Gay Hian
Production designer: Gan Siong King
Music: Pete Teo
Editor: Mindy Wong Vern Yee
No rating, 94 minutes
My Rate: 7.5

“Paradise Now” (2005) directed by Hany Abu-Assad, written by Hany Abu-Assad and Bero Beyer

Kais Nashif and Ali Suliman as Said and Khaled in Hany Abu-Assad's "Paradise Now" (2005)

“Paradise Now” is a film that I have heard about a lot. Newspaper articles, Festival booklets, Reviews, References, Awards – throughout the past couple of years, the title just kept coming up. I decided to finally find out what buzz was surrounding that film and now rented it on DVD.

“Paradise Now” is a very engaging and moving picture that will make you think. The story revolves around Said and Khaled, two young Palestinian men living in the occupied West Bank, who have been recruited by a radical group to carry out a suicide mission against the Israeli occupiers.

Said and Khaled are ordinary men embedded in their culture. They are young, idealistic, and feel responsible for their people – they are not sure how, but they are determined to help bring change to the Near-East, hoping for a peaceful and better life for future generations, and a free and peaceful Palestine. Through extremist propaganda they are led to believe that by carrying out suicide missions against the Israeli occupiers they will help the Palestinian cause. But as they get closer to their mission they begin to doubt their motives and fear that the holy and noble martyrdom is actually nothing other than civilian murder, which will not bring any improvement to the region whatsoever.

Kais Nashif and Ali Suliman as Said and Khaled in Hany Abu-Assad's "Paradise Now" (2005)

The biggest strength of the film is the balanced and fair treatment of both sides – even though the story is set exclusively on the Palestinian side, the film always approaches the Arab-Israeli conflict in an unbiased way, carefully examining the different positions while throwing in arguments from alternating points of view. It centers on questioning the logic of one-sided blame and revenge, that is continuously used by both sides to legitimize the harsh and cruel actions towards their respective enemy as a necessary means.

Even though the central question of how to bring lasting peace to the Near-East remains unanswered, the film takes a clear stand in exposing the endless cycle of violence and counter-violence, of action and reaction, of murder and retaliation, as what it really is: a dead-end political position, that has proven for several decades to incite nothing but further ignorance and escalation, rather than encouraging a coexistence, with peace and respect between the two cultures.

“Paradise Now” is a gripping human drama in front of the explosive political background of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Well worth seeing.

Kais Nashif and Ali Suliman as Said and Khaled in Hany Abu-Assad's "Paradise Now" (2005)

John Hughes’ Unproduced Screenplays

By: Kerry Liethen

John Hughes was a consummate artist, dedicated to writing – be it journaling, shortstories, or screenplays – so it was not surprising to find information on a handful of scripts he wrote that never saw the light of day. As often occurs with writing screenplays the decision to greenlight a project does not occur when pen hits the paper or with the screenwriter, but with “the powers that be” (AKA: studios), which perhaps might explain why some of Hughes’ scripts (see below) were never produced. But there might be other reasons and by taking a closer look at the script summaries, or at times a mere title, I will attempt to compare how these potential screenplays would hold up against Hughes’ produced works.

In March 2010 Vanity Fair article by David Kamp, Anthony Michael Hall reported that The Last Good Year was an idea that Hughes pitched to Hall about the last good year being 1962, pre-Beatles’ invasion. This certainly was not Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but to me the script idea seems to hint closer to the unsuccessful drama/comedy of Reach the Rock. Had this idea came to fruition it may have given audiences a different way of viewing Hughes’ writing instead of him being pigeonholed as a writer of teen angst.

The History of Ohio From The Beginning Of Time To The End Of The Universe, a collaboration with P. J. O’Rourke, fellow Lampoon editor, which was to be an adaptation inspired by Lampoon’s Sunday Newspaper Parody. This screenplay would have been fun to see on screen. The absurd humor of the Lampoon’s Sunday Newspaper Parody might have even held up to Vacation.

Jaws 3: People 0 was a parody sequel. This may have found an audience in today’s market of YouTube and streaming video, however, I cannot quite see this script going beyond five or ten minutes, which might have been why Universal shelved the script. This script just seems out of left field for Hughes’- it was not Uncle Buck or Christmas Vacation.

His script, Bartholomew Vs. Neff was to star Sylvester Stallone and John Candy as feuding neighbors. When I look back on John Candy’s working relationship with John Hughes’ I believe this would have been just as entertaining as Planes, Trains, & Automobiles or The Great Outdoors. I think the casting of Sylvester Stallone may have been off a bit, but I think some of Hughes’ greatest adult comedies came from conflicting characters so perhaps considering casting Stallone wasn’t a bad idea after all.

Perhaps one screenplay that I would be anxious to read was The Bee, a feature for Disney. Was this a screenplay with animated characters in mind? Or was this to be similar to 101 Dalmations (Glenn Close version) or Flubber (the 1961 revamped The Absent Minded Professor)? Not that 101 Dalmations was a complete disaster, but these films never quite achieved the status that many of his previous works and are not as readily mentioned when looking back upon Hughes’ career, so it is possible that it was a good thing that The Bee was never produced lest it became another disappointing Baby’s Day Out.

The next Hughes screenplay is The Grisbeys, which is about a wealthy family who lose their fortune, forcing them to move to the other side of the tracks during Christmas. Call me crazy, but this strikes me as a cross between the Griswold’s family (Vacation) and the McCallister’s (Home Alone). With Hughes’ knack for family drama and comedy The Grisbeys might have been twice as entertaining a picture to view than Vacation or Home Alone and touch upon the darker themes that were brought to light in Pretty In Pink.

Hughes’ Tickets was a script about a group of teens waiting overnight for free tickets to a farewell concert. Tickets, had it been produced, could have been just as impressive for music lovers as Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity or Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous.  If you have ever stood in line for your favorite band you understand that a concert is not just a concert, it’s an experience to see one of the Gods in person, live, whose sweat you can practically feel as you’re squished together with people you’ve never met before in your life. And when you are a teenager this is pretty much a religious experience that you will never forget. Hughes’ knack for incorporating unknown bands and his musical appreciation is well known, which is why my bet would be a dialogue driven piece, with rich character development, perhaps akin to The Breakfast Club meets Some Kind of Wonderful – a teen coming-of-age film with a splash of angst thrown in for good measure.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is Lovecats. A script inspired by The Cure’s 1983 single “The Lovecats.” And how amazing would this have been? Lovecats could have held up against Sixteen Candles (as a fan of The Cure and Robert Smith, I would have stood in line overnight to see this film based on the title alone) – perhaps minus Long Duk Dong. And for anyone who appreciates music, Lovecats along with Tickets, would have been two must-see Hughes’ films.

SOURCES

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2009/08/06/the-unproduced-screenplays-of-john-hughes.aspx#ixzz0g2cKS3Da

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/sincerely/Content?oid=1619947

http://awcgfilmlog.blogspot.com/2006/02/jaws-3people-0-script-review.html

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/18/details-about-one-of-john-hughes-unproduced-screenplays/

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/17/vanity-fair-profiles-john-hughes/

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/03/john-hughes-201003?currentPage=1

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/03/actors-on-john-hughes-201003?currentPage=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hughes_%28filmmaker%29

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000455/

http://www.riverblue.com/hughes/articles/drjekyll.html