Through the eyes of John Hughes

Special 80s montage video here sent by a fan of the podcast:

Wow, incredible stuff there! The thanks goes to David Blanchard, a freelance movie trailer and DVD special features editor living in Los Angeles. Having graduated from high school in '82, Blanchard sat down with Stuck in the 80s for a short Q&A to talk about his love of the 80s.

Still have a vivid memory of your first John Hughes flick?

Blanchard: "'The Breakfast Club' was the first. When I saw the movie initially it seemed very much like an intimate stage play because most of the story took place in the school's library and during one day. It was funny, thought provoking, and very emotional all at the same time. I connected right away."

So does Breakfast Club top your list, or do you prefer another Hughes movie?

Blanchard: "That has to be 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.' My friends and I probably saw it eight times in the theater alone. Between cable and DVD viewings I've lost count after that. Who doesn't want to be Ferris Bueller? Or at least have him as a best friend. It's just a film that never gets tired."

Any of JH's movies really not click for you?

Blanchard: "Don't hate me, but it's 'Pretty In Pink.' It was great but I still rate 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' above it. Drummer girl Watts is the best!"

Which of his actors really caught your eye?

Blanchard: "Like a lot of people I go straight for Molly Ringwald, even from a guys point of view. To me her characters were the ones you wanted to hang out with, be friends with, or seriously date. She just always seemed 'real' to me."

Putting aside our hero, what other 80s movies really fire you up?

Blanchard: "I'm a huge fan of the 'Back To The Future' movies, especially the first one. Definitely 'Blade Runner', as well as 'Tron', 'Escape From New York', 'E.T.', 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure', and 'Highlander'. Not a lot of people put this on their 80's top 10 lists, but I also really like 'Ladyhawke'."

OK, one last Hughes question. If he ever made a sequel to Sixteen Candles, would Jake and Samantha be together 20 years later?

Blanchard: "I think if they weren't together it certainly would ruin the fairy tale ending of the first one a bit. If they did stay together and down the road had kids, I bet one would be a girl in her teens by now. Yearning to be with that one guy at school who seemed unattainable, she'd eventually turn to Mom for advice...and Samantha would have plenty."

Comments

[PPark Patty]

That was flippin' awesome! I shared it with my teen daughter -- John Hughes movies are timeless. After that excellent effort, David should work on recruiting Molly Ringwald for the Sixteen Candles sequel short...it would soar to #1 on You Tube & bring both of them tons of publicity.

Loved the Q&A. Nice to see Ladyhawke mentioned as a fave.

Fabulous job :-) Thanks for the stroll.

[Douglas Arthur]

yeah, that was a pretty nice montage. What kind of software do you use to do your editing? Avid or Final Cut Pro or something else??

[Spiky Sandy]

What a fantastic video! Bravo!!