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John Hughes Top Ten Films ~ From ‘Sixteen Candles’ to ‘Vacation’

8 hours ago | MovieSet.com | See recent MovieSet.com news »

Part of MovieSet’s Remembering John Hughes special series

Top Ten John Hughes Film

Everyone loves at least one John Hughes movie! It’s a fact I looked it up. With John Hughes you can pretty much re-arrange his classic films in any order because fans celebrate his entire catalog.

I happen to love almost every John Hughes movie (he wrote the story for Drillbit Taylor… Seth you could have saved this couldn’t you?) Anyway, let us celebrate ten films from Mr. Hughes that no matter what time they’re on, or at what point in the film we enter upon, we will watch (again) till the end.

10) Sixteen Candles

Before you ask, yes, you can borrow my underpants.

9) Weird Science

It’s 2009 and there still isn’t an app for making a babe-servant?! Damn it!

8) Some Kind of Wonderful

There might be some middle ground between empty handed and diamond earrings worth exploring? »

- Blaine Jeffery

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Top 7 Movies That Make The End of the World Sound Hilarious

13 November 2009 2:18 PM, PST | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

Somehow, the end of the world has become a form of entertainment. Instead of being scared out of our wits of apocalyptic thoughts, we enjoy plunking down $10 to watch them become realized by big budget blockbusters. Hollywood serves it up, however: whole cities are destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people die, the fate of mankind is brought into question, and sometimes, Randy Quaid becomes our savior.

Which brings us to a certain theme that has been continued through a legacy of doomsday movies – they’re funny as hell. More unintentional than not, these movies are loaded with goofy movie milestones that make the blockbusters seem like gargantuan scaled jokes, with their characters, dialogue, and special moments serving as a type of punch line. Many disaster movies seem to be plagued by an air of idiocy that moves from one big budget movie to the next, »

- Nick Allen

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Blu-Ray Review: ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Ultimate Collector’s Edition’

10 November 2009 9:10 AM, PST | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – Does the fact that “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is receiving a lavish 20th anniversary edition Blu-Ray release make anyone else feel old? Just me? Whether you’re old enough to remember the first “Vacation” or young enough to know Chevy Chase as “that old guy on Community,” this is a lavish collector’s set for a great holiday film timed for holiday shopping.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

Warner Home Video has begun an interesting trend of making Blu-Ray sets for their most beloved films that almost feel more about the collectibles than the movie itself. In some cases (“Blade Runner: The Final Cut,” “The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Edition”), the disc itself includes enough bonus material and a lovingly remastered picture that the collectibles appropriately feel like a companion instead of the main draw. Such is not the case with the set for “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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Fat Guys at the Movies Ep. 139 – The Fat Kind

6 November 2009 4:00 AM, PST | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »

On This Week's Show: Kevin and Neil say good-bye to scary movies (well, not really, considering two are released this week) and decide to ring in the Christmas season early. They stare at some goats, grumble about not being allowed to open a box, visit the uncanny valley and debate whether Kevin is spoiling the viewing experience for The Fourth Kind. They also lay down a Fat Guy Five about awesome UFO movies, and Kevin gloats over Neil's not-so-accurate box office predictions from last week. Films Reviewed this Week: A Christmas Carol, The Fourth Kind, The Men Who Stare At Goats and The Box [audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3?http://media.filmschoolrejects.com/audio/episode139.mp3] Download this Episode Episode Schedule: Segment 1 [8:50] - Reviews of The Box and The Men Who Stare At Goats Segment 2 [10:40] - Review of A Christmas Carol and The Fourth Kind Segment 3 [12:45] - Box office gloatation and the Fat Guy Five: Five Awesome UFO Movies Segment 4 [6:35] - DVD Round-Up: Neil's picks are G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, North by Northwest »

- Kevin Carr

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This Week on DVD: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Food Inc.

3 November 2009 1:59 PM, PST | FilmJunk | See recent FilmJunk news »

The biggest DVD and Blu-ray release for this week is probably G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. It pains me to know that this week some brave souls will give it another chance, while others will discover its sheer idiocy for the first time. If you're looking for something slightly better but still mediocre, you might try Tony Scott's remake of The Taking of Pelham 123. Other smaller releases for the week include Dolph Lundgren's direct-to-dvd action flick Command Performance, the Spanish post-apocalyptic flick Before The Fall, and the G.I. Joe Resolute animated microseries. Also keep an eye out for a few noteworthy documentaries this week including Food Inc., The English Surgeon, and the John Hughes doc Don't You Forget About Me (in Canada only). Plus: James Bond and Rocky collections on Blu-ray, and the only partially redundant Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut! Will you be picking anything up this week? »

- Sean

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This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: November 3, 2009

3 November 2009 4:53 AM, PST | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed

Before we get into this week's releases I thought I would alert you to an upcoming 50% off Criterion Collection titles at Barnes and Nobles beginning on November 10 and running for two weeks. The full details, and a $5 off coupon, can be found in the DVD Talk forums.

Wings of Desire (Criterion Collection) This is a huge week for major title releases on Blu-ray as Criterion's release of Wim Wenders's Wings of Desire is just the first of three titles I reviewed and most likely blew my word count for the next two weeks trying to get all of my thoughts squared away.

As for this title specifically, it was my first time seeing it and as it played on and on I began to enjoy it more and more. However, if you read my lengthy review, you will »

- Brad Brevet

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'Stargate' Gets Its Due, 'Battlestar Galactica' Finds A Plan And More, In The DVD Report For October 27

27 October 2009 7:00 AM, PDT | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Fifteen years ago I was planning my nights around episodes of "Mystery Science Theater," programming math cheats into my graphing calculator and filming "60 Minutes"-style interviews with Cobra Commander. I was also madly in love with director Roland Emmerich's "Stargate," the German filmmaker's bold sci-fi experiment in 1994 that foreshadowed his big-budget juggernaut "Independence Day" only two years later. "Stargate" is now bowing on Blu-ray as a "15th Anniversary Edition," and it's one of a handful of notable releases during an otherwise forgettable DVD week.

"Stargate" finds Kurt Russell as a suicidal, no-nonsense military officer tasked to lead a group of battle-hardened veterans -- and soft-skinned ninny scientist James Spader -- through a newly discovered wormhole to an unknown destination. The other side winds up being a sandy desert planet whose native inhabitants have kept their human slaves in bondage under the guise of ancient Egypt. It was a wholly original concept, »

- Brian Jacks

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Randy and Evi Quaid Wanted in All the Wrong Ways

26 October 2009 3:20 PM, PDT | E! Online | See recent E! Online news »

Randy Quaid's going to be spending his Christmas vacation in the clink if he isn't careful. The Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office is drawing up the paperwork to have Quaid and his wife, Evi, extradited from Texas, where the duo opted to remain rather than show up for a court hearing today in their unpaid bill case. "The Da's office will be seeking extradition of the Quaids," spokesman Lee Carter tells E! News. "That process will take at least two to three weeks. I started to prepare the extradition paperwork when they did not appear last week." What foresight! The Quaids had the chance to save a tree or two by appearing in court either last Monday or today,... »

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What are Your Favorite Winter Holiday Themed Movies?

26 October 2009 2:39 AM, PDT | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

I wasn't quite sure how to properly word the headline for this post considering I want to make sure you understand I am talking about the season pretty much running from Thanksgiving to Christmas, but I also want to make sure you know the film itself doesn't have to necessarily be about the holidays.

Take Die Hard for instance, it's set during Christmas time, but it isn't a Christmas film. However, it fits in with what I am looking for here. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Eyes Wide Shut, Fanny and Alexander, Batman Returns, Gremlins, The Thin Man and When Harry Met Sally are other examples. Hell, I would even say Rocky IV and Lethal Weapon count. As a matter of fact, I would say the non-Christmas, Christmas movies are the more interesting additions. How about The Shining or even Psycho?

Then, of course, I personally love films such as Love, »

- Brad Brevet

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New Line Books Lampoon’s Vacation Sequel

11 October 2009 2:10 PM, PDT | newsinfilm.com | See recent newsinfilm news »

New Line Cinema, an arm of Warner Bros, is producing a sort of sequel and reboot to 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation.  David Dobkin (The Wedding Crashers) is set to produce and possible direct.

The original starred Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo taking their Griswold family on a cross-country trip to Wally World.  It spawned three sequels centered on Clark Griswold’s wacky shenanigans, including holiday classic Christmas Vacation.

According to THR’s Heat Vision Blog, the new installment would be Chase-less and focus on now adult Rusty Griswold taking his own family on a drive.  They would acknowledge the trip in the 80’s, which makes it a sequel, but if it’s successful it would start another series of these for New Line.  No screenwriters have been hired yet.

National Lampoon gave up the character and franchise to Warner Bros and has since declined into licensing their once »

- Jeff Leins

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: October 11, 2009

11 October 2009 11:37 AM, PDT | ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news »

This week:

Vince Vaughn Retreats to the top of the box office; another comic book adaptation makes it way up the Gravel road to the big screen; Michael Bay kills The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Ryan Reynolds hitches a ride with Motorcade and New Line needs a Vacation - but will Chevy Chase be invited?

Box Office

Swingers duo Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau landed in the top spot with Couples Retreat. The comedy snatched an impressive $35 million from movie-goers despite bad reviews.

 

Woody Harrelson had to settle for second place with Zombieland. The horror-comedy took $15 million from Friday to Monday, dropping a decent 39%  - it looks like the film has a chance of hitting $100 million.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs banked another $12 million for third place. With $96 million in the bank it looks like Meatballs are going to be the order of the day.

Toy Stories 1 and 2 in 3D were fourth with another $7.5 million. »

- Niall Browne

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The Week in Film: "An Education" beats a "Retreat," plus new trailers

9 October 2009 9:23 AM, PDT | AfterElton.com | See recent AfterElton.com news »

Thirty Republican senators voted down an amendment by Al Franken to take away government funds from defense contractors who prevent their employees from pursuing legal action for workplace assault or sexual discrimination, but luckily it passed anyway.

Meanwhile, David Letterman admitted to affairs with his employees, and his ratings are higher than ever.

Fix your boss with a “no means no” stare and let’s talk about this week’s movies.

The weekend’s big release is Couples Retreat, and while the resort-set movie always looks postcard-pretty — which is never a given, since lush Greek locales couldn’t save Mamma Mia! or My Life in Ruins from looking washed-out and awful — the script is rather problematic.

Four couples (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell, Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman, Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis, Faizon Love and Kali Hawk) fly off to a tropical paradise, but three of the pairs don »

- ADuralde

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Time for Another Vacation

8 October 2009 2:21 AM, PDT | Reelzchannel.com | See recent ReelzChannel news »

The last time anyone saw the Griswold family they were headed to Las Vegas for the forgettable fourth installment, Vegas Vacation. THR reports that Warner Bros. acquisition New Line wants to get the Griswolds back on the road for another sequel, though this time son Rusty Griswold will take his family on a road trip, rather than his father, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase).

The fifth Vacation (sixth if you count Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure, but we don't) is planned as a sequel to the 1983 original and will not be a reboot. The sequel will reference the family's first Vacation, opening the door for appearances by Chase and Beverly D'Angelo should such cameos be written and should the actors want to appear.

New Line is meeting with writers this week to find a suitable screenwriter, but already have director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) attached to the project to produce and, »

- Ryan Gowland

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'Vacation' sequel: Does the link to the original hurt or help this movie?

7 October 2009 10:51 AM, PDT | EW.com - PopWatch | See recent EW.com - PopWatch news »

Just how valuable is the Vacation brand? Does Chevy Chase's quartet of family comedies even qualify as a brand? New Line executives and director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) seem to think so and are gambling that moviegoers still have a soft spot for the Griswolds, last seen in 1997's Vegas Vacation. The Hollywood Reporter wrote yesterday that the proposed film would focus on a grown-up Rusty and his own family, while Chase and Beverly D'Angelo might make token appearances as the grandparents. As Vegas Vacation reinforced, the Griswold films are hardly sacred territory, so I'm not upset by New Line's intentions. »

- Jeff Labrecque

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Next 'Vacation' Movie to Focus on Rusty Griswold

7 October 2009 8:30 AM, PDT | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Warner Bros. is passing the torch of its "National Lampoon's Vacation" franchise to subsidiary New Line Cinema, which is appropriate since the series itself is making a similar generational transition. According to The Hollywood Reporter, following four installments focused on Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and family during different vacations -- plus one spin-off involving a holiday taken by the motley clan of Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) -- the franchise has been inherited by Clark's son Rusty, who now has a family of his own.

Rusty Griswold has been played by four different actors throughout the series' run. Anthony Michael Hall was the first to play the son, appropriate since the original film was scripted and based on a short story by the late John Hughes, who went on to turn the kid into a star with roles in "Sixteen Candles," "Weird Science" and "The Breakfast Club."

Hughes also wrote the first two sequels, »

- Christopher Campbell

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Unnecessary Sequel News: Vacation 5, Showgirls 2

7 October 2009 7:29 AM, PDT | Movie Cultists | See recent Movie Cultists news »

Man, those Vacation movies were hilarious.  Well...I know Christmas Vacation was 'cause I know a handful of people who still talk about how much they really like it.  And the original Vacation...I don't really remember, except that it was funny.  Something about Wallyworld.  Vegas Vacation...eh, it had some parts, right?  And...oh, there was another one?  European Vacation?  Never heard of it.  But overall: definitely a hilarious franchise. Apparently New Line is assuming a lot of people treasure those movies as much as I do, because they're making a fifth Vacation movie.  This one will sort of be a next-generation Vacation, focusing ... »

- Michael Dance

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Vacation Gets the Reboot

7 October 2009 6:29 AM, PDT | Atomic Popcorn | See recent Atomic Popcorn news »

Harold Ramis’ comedy classic Vacation, written by John Hughes and starring Chevy Chase at the absolute height of his prime, is getting a reboot from New Line Studios. The first film spawned a whole slew of sequels: European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Vegas Vacation, and some dreadful direct-to-video names I’d rather not mention.

David Dobkin, the director of Wedding Crashers, has signed on to produce and possibly direct a sequel to Vacation which will focus on Clark Griswold’s son Rusty Griswold, as he takes his own family on a doomed road trip. This sounds like a perfectly good way to resuscitate the series, considering there would be plenty of room to integrate Chevy and Beverly D’Angelo back into the picture.

Here’s the caveats, though: Chase and D’Angelo haven’t signed a thing, and National Lampoon isn’t involved because Warner Bros. owns the rights to the characters. »

- John Cooper

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Chevy Chase's Vacation Turned Over To The Next Generation

7 October 2009 2:12 AM, PDT | cinemablend.com | See recent Cinema Blend news »

New Line Cinema is working on a sequel to the 1983 comedic masterpiece National Lampoon.s Vacation. Before you roll your eyes and click to something else, hear me out. This is nothing like the abortive 1997 sequel Vegas Vacation or for that matter the far superior 1989 sequel Christmas Vacation. Instead it.s more of a Vacation: The Next Generation. THR says the film will focus on Clark Griswold.s son Rusty, now all grown up and with a family of his own. Rusty, following in his father.s stumbling footsteps, attempts a family road trip vacation of his own. There.s no script yet, the studio is meeting with writers, but they.re locked in on that as the film.s premise. The idea is to have both Chevy Chase and Beverly D.Angelo appear in the film as grandparents and they.d reference the previous movies, to maintain a »

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New Line Developing Vacation sequel

7 October 2009 12:40 AM, PDT | TotalFilm | See recent TotalFilm news »

Episode 5734 in Studio Raids Archives To Find Name Property To Exploit: New Line has come up with the idea of a sequel to 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation. While we could point out that it'll have to get in line behind European Vacation, Christmas Vacation and - shudder - Vegas Vacation, it looks like the producers really do want to make a new follow-up and not a remake for once. The driving forces are Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin, who might tackle the new film and New Line Executive Sam Brown, who noticed that he had...

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- James White

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New Line to Take New Vacation

6 October 2009 7:15 PM, PDT | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »

The Warner Bros. division New Line is working on a sequel to the 1983 comedy classic Vacation, and has attached David Dobkin to produce and possibly direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision Blog.

In the original road trip comedy, the Griswold family headed by parents Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo take their two kids on a painful cross-country road trip that doesn't go as planned. It spawned many sequels including European Vacation in 1985, Christmas Vacation in 1989 and Vegas Vacation in 1997.

New Line is meeting with writers, but a rough idea for the story has already been worked: the new feature will focus on Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark Griswold, who takes his own family on a road trip vacation. It is possible that Chase and D'Angelo will make appearances as grandparents.

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2009 | 2008 | 2006

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