#MurderSelfie - a Comedy-Horror Kickstarter Project

The team of Confine is at it again. Director Tobias Tobbell explores the theme of home invasion once more but from the comedy angle this time. The story is directly based on Tobbell's misfortune. The indie director was held at knife-point in his South East London apartment by an intruder who stole his most precious possession: his smartphone! "I think the worst part of the experience was how lost I felt without my phone, my life-line, and kind of hated and marveled at the power social media had over my life", Tobbell admitted. 

The incident contributed to inspire a short comedy-horror movie starring Bad Education’s Nikki Runeckles as the young, smartphone-obsessed female lead. When masked intruders break in and enter her property, her addiction to social media takes a whole new level...

Social media isn't only the center of the plot, it's also a tool used by Tobbell to produce the movie. You can support his project on Kickstarter for another 12 days and even choose the final mask that the bad guys will wear.

Obsessed by horror, comedy or social media? You can support the team at #MurderSelfie !

Café de Flore (2011)

Never Gonna Give You Up

From its polished soundtrack to its paranormal twists, this brilliant movie directed by C.R.A.Z.Y.'s Jean-Marc Vallée is worth watching. You're alternately taken to 1969 Paris and 2011 Montréal respectively following a single mother raising her son with Down syndrome and a family coping with parental separation and the father's new soulmate situation. As the plot slowly - Quebec filmmakers take their time - developed on a cloud of Sigur Ros songs, everything I had not expected from this movie happened. The seemingly two unrelated stories only linked by matching tunes turned out to be much more. I thought this would be a heartbreaking drama drowned in 8th grader romance and miserable fatality. It is more of a Vanilla Sky-type intrigue and quite the mindfuck. The cast is absolutely flawless from Vanessa Paradis' portrayal of a mother struggling with societal prejudice to Evelyne Brochu's character of the obviously hated stepmother and stunning new soulmate or even Marin Gerrier who plays Paradis' son. Café de Flore is everything you want in a movie and more.

1 reason to watch it: this is art.

Nous York (2012)

Les Misérables Clichés

This nonsensical empty attempt at comedy - or whatever it is they tried to do - consists in three childhood friends screaming "OBAMAAAA!" every 15 minutes. Those thirty-something immature boys fly to New York to surprise their other friend on her birthday. This leads to some existential quest for love and happiness within the family and friendship spheres. Not only has the plot barely scratched the surface but if you dug harder, there would be more surface. The poorly cast ensemble doesn't do justice to the typical French tourist and the filmmakers don't even have the slightest idea about American culture. They haven't even researched any of it and they portray the weirdest unbelievable facts. For example, every person they meet in NYC lives in some fancy 10-acre penthouse. Really? Do they have any idea of the housing market in Manhattan these days? Even Charlie Sheen's character in 1987's Wall Street had trouble paying rent for his little bachelor suite. But let's just assume that it makes sense because one of the protagonist is the assistant of some famous actor. Sure she is! How many French illegal workers in Manhattan actually are the assistant of De Niro or Woody Allen? That's right. None. Then there are the scenes regarding shoes on power lines. The three amigos first spot those in Brooklyn where one of them says it's just what New Yorkers do for fun or style. You expect a later scene in which they try to throw their shoes on a wire and a drug lord's street associate chasing them. That never happens. They end up throwing their shoes there and screaming the name of the 44th President of the USA. It is not deep, nor is it French-charming, clever or even funny. This is the last thing you want to watch to try out French comedy.

1 reason NOT to watch it: it's le merde.

Terry and Brenda: Interview with Writer/Director Jamie Hooper

Jamie Hooper shooting Terry and Brenda

Read my first interview with Jamie about his short movie Plastic Love!

The Squeerelist - It's great to have you back with another movie and witness the evolution of your work. Actors Tim Blackwell and Debra Baker starred in Plastic Love and are now Terry and Brenda. In both films you've challenged them to play unusual kinky characters. In Terry and Brenda your characters are much more twisted. How challenging is it for you to get your actors to fill those kinky and messed-up shoes?

Jamie Hooper - Finding actors who are so open and willing to do weird things on camera is very difficult. Luckily for me, Tim and Debra are both actors that enjoy pushing themselves and exploring strange characters. Obviously it also helps that I've worked with them before and they trust me as a director. I had such a fun time making Plastic Love that I wrote Terry and Brenda with Tim and Debra in mind, thankfully they got the dark humour in the script and were excited to be part of the film. To be honest, if they hadn't wanted to do it I probably wouldn't have made it as I don't think it would've worked as well with anyone else. From my experience the darker and weirder the script the more fun it is for everyone on set. It's important to me that everyone involved is having fun and enjoying the work, otherwise what's the point? I think Tim and Debra know by now that they'll at least have fun working on my films.

Do Debra and Tim bring more to the characters you created or do they stay true to your screenplay?

The film is 100% faithful to the script. By that I mean every scene and line of dialogue that was in the script is in the film, that doesn't mean the actors don't contribute anything though. The interpretation of the characters is completely down to Tim and Debra, and I'm constantly surprised and amazed at the choices they make with my material. I usually have a very distinct idea of what I want from a scene or how a particular line of dialogue should be delivered but I'm more than happy to go in the opposite direction if an actor does something that's more interesting, which Tim and Debra regularly do.

Where do you find inspiration for characters and stories like these?

I find inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. With Terry and Brenda it came from reading a lot about serial killers, but more specifically couple serial killers, which I find fascinating. How do two people meet each other and at some point begin killing people? I think the most interesting thing to me is the dynamic of power within a relationship and how it can change a person. I like to explore the innate weirdness in people.

Your movies focus on sexuality, fantasies and kinks. In your next projects will you still draw from that bottomless well of inspiration or will you take another direction?

I'm not sure what my next project will be. I'm currently writing several scripts, some much weirder than others, so who knows? My overriding constant is a desire to tell different stories about strange but very human characters, usually with a dark and twisted sense of humour. I'm a big fan of things like Julia Davis' Nighty Night and Christopher Morris' Brass Eye, which are perfect examples of my sense of humour and the tone I try to achieve with each film.

Can we expect to see more of Tim, Debra or even Lucy Hutchinson (who plays the daughter of Terry and Brenda) in your next films?

It entirely depends on what my next film is and whether they are appropriate to the characters and story. I'd certainly love to work with all three of them again at some point. It's tremendously exciting to collaborate with talented people in all aspects of filmmaking.

Plastic Love was selected for the Cannes festival. Any expectations or idea on the fate of Terry and Brenda?

It's always really difficult to know how a film will be received. I'm hoping Terry and Brenda will play at certain festivals and that audiences will enjoy it. More than anything I'm just happy to have made the film exactly how I wanted it, which is quite rare with low/no budget filmmaking.

You've only directed short films so far. Do you have any plans on making a feature film?

The only reason I've stuck to short films so far is that all my films are entirely self-funded, and I can't afford to fund an entire feature. That being said I never say never and hopefully at some point I'll make a feature film. I'm currently developing Terry and Brenda into a feature script so you might see more of their adventures in the future.

Terry and Brenda (2014)

Love and Marriage

Jamie Hooper is coming back with a short film about what seems to be a tame middle-class couple at first. We soon discover that Terry and Brenda are kinky for better or worse. Hooper continues his work on fetishes and brings it to a new extreme. Debra Baker and Tim Blackwell are reunited as Terry and Brenda after both playing in Plastic Love and got more deranged characters to explore the second time around. The movie also stars the young Lucy Hutchinson as the daughter of the sordid couple. The best part about Jamie's movies is that he works with actors we can relate to. They're middle-aged and could be anyone's neighbors. When they do get creepy, this is what makes is so realistically scary. The intense rhythmic visuals that you could expect from Hooper and the performances are equally delightful. 

1 reason to watch: it's everything you could expect. And more.

Read my interview with Director/Writer Jamie Hooper here!

Terry and Brenda - Teaser Trailer from Jamie Hooper on Vimeo.

Le Fear II: Le Sequel - Interview with Director Jason Croot

Jay Croot (left) on the set of Le Fear II: Le Sequel

The Squeerelist - Your movie deals with a wide range of events that can go wrong on a set. As extreme as your portrayal of a failed production is, I can't help but assume some of it is based on your experience in the industry. How much of LeFear II: Le Sequel is actually based on your misfortune?

Jay Croot - I wrote Le Fear in 2009 partly down to experiences of my time as an actor on a film set. One example was a sound guy who was texting whilst holding the boom. With the second film I wanted to bring in different nationalities to try and show the clashes of styles - i.e. African film industry Nollywood, French Film Noir and the British film industry. I have watched many films from all 3 Countries and worked on all.

 

Some of your characters are very unprofessional. Have you worked with people that are as inappropriate as the nymphomaniac make-up artist that you created?

I have worked with a few unprofessional cast and crew. Trust me, there are a few out there but the majority are a real pleasure to work for and with. I’ve never worked with a nympho though.

 

 

Le Fear III: Le Cannes has already been announced. Will Carlos' film be selected at the French festival? What more can we expect from this movie?

We hope to head down to Cannes with Carlos - the very talented Kyri Saphiris. Without giving too much away Carlos will be taking Le Fear II: Le Sequel aiming to sell it but it would not be a Le Fear if things did not go wrong.

 

Is your movie a portrayal of a certain reality or a way for filmmakers to put things into perspective and show them that whatever their problems are, everything will be fine... Or at least better than Carlos' issues.

I read a great book called My First Movie by Stephen Lowenstein. It has many examples of things going wrong such as Barry Levinson who casted an actress who said she could ride a horse. She got on, ready to shoot the days' first shot and the horse bolted and ran off with the actress into the woods. They did not find her for hours ruining the first day's shoot, I tried to create many problems for Carlos to deal with he tries but he had his work cut out.

 

Le Fear series seems to be an important part of your career. Is there any completely different project we can expect to see you work on in the next years?

Le Fear is close to me given the first film was my directorial debut. We may stop at Le Fear III: Le Cannes or make more. We are hoping people watch them and get them and ideally like them. I have one idea I really believe is a winner. It is a film that has never been done and I can’t really say any more than it is a comedy, I’d love to make it. I really can see it working.

 

Do you have any advice to share with independent filmmakers with current production issues?

I have encountered so many problems and filmmaking is tough. I would say try to do as much in production as you can instead of leaving it to post because you can be there for years. Really take care of sound - in my opinion, it is more important than visuals. Finally vet who you work with before you hire them, I have been lucky to have a great cast and crew on both Le Fears but you can get some real pain in the butts, finally on set never panic even when things go wrong!

Le Fear II: Le Sequel (2015)

Murphy's Law

 

 

 

Imagine that you are making a movie and everything that can go wrong does. This is the premise of Le Fear II: Le Sequel. Director Carlos Revalos is talked into remortgaging his house to produce his new horror movie. On shooting day the so-called film set is what appears to be a tiny second-hand trailer parked by the busy street. The unprofessional movie crew is made of the worst people to ever be on set. Le Fear II: Le Sequel is a funny take on what can go wrong with a nymphomaniac make-up artist or an Avatar-special effects wannabe. The documentary-style camera follows the very slow breakdown of the director. The plot is original enough to surprise you at first with its bizarre characters but I believe it would have made a better short than a feature-length movie. The story drags the viewer along for longer than needed. In the beginning of the movie, I obviously rooted for the director but as he tripped over the same obstacles again and again, I started to think he deserved it. Le Fear II: Le Sequel is an unpretentious comedy made from an original and simple idea and featuring a very eclectic cast. We can only expect the worst to happen to Carlos as he will try to get his bloody horror movie selected for the Cannes festival in Le Fear III: Le Cannes.

1 reason to watch: if you are a filmmaker with production issues, it will make you put things into perspective.

 

Read my interview with director Jason Croot here!

 

 

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Never Give Up. Never Surrender.

You can both like sci-fi and make fun of it. Galaxy Quest proves it with this delightfully-cast spoof of iconic sci-fi series and the fate of their has-been actors. Former captain of a Star Trek-like TV spaceship and has-been diva, Alan Rickman's character and his crew are reunited at a comic-con where they are approached by actual aliens. The extraterrestrials are convinced that the actors are a true spaceship crew who has the power and knowledge to save them from the space threat they are facing. Let's be clear, Galaxy Quest is not a masterpiece of the 7th art but an unpretentious comedy classic. How often do you get to witness a sci-fi icon like Ellen Ripley making fun of the genre that launched her career as one of the best movie stars to ever set foot on Hollywood soil? Whether or not you enjoy old sci-fi series, Galaxy Quest plays for both teams. Its friendly self-mockery style underlines the ridiculous misuse of female characters in ancient science-fiction and the unjustified worship of its alpha male hero. 

1 reason to watch: Sigourney Weaver. Oh and did I mention Sigourney Weaver?

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Overrated (adj.): appraised too highly; e.g., "This film is Coen-brothered"

Once again Hollywood has proved that the quality of a screenplay had nothing to do with making a movie successful. What matters is who you know or who you are. That's how the Coen brothers have managed to get producers to invest in their projects for the past 30 years. I'm not saying all of their movies are bad. It is true that they have blessed us with the rare eccentric extravaganza. I'm thinking about The Big Lebowski that is clearly the movie of a generation. But most of their other movies revolve around a self-centered unlikable character who thinks way too highly of himself. Wait, would this be inspired by the writers' own subconscious perception of themselves? Back to the point: this character usually evolves in a rather plotless environment where there is no attempt from the Coens to resolve any of the few intrigues that may seem interesting. But the thing here is that you are not exactly bored during the movie because the Coens drag you along until the end making you expect things to happen. At the end of the movie, they pretend to expose a supposedly brilliant twist. This so-called 'twist' usually makes no sense whatsover and has nothing to do with the 'story'. As you know, I don't spoil stories - not that there is much to spoil with Inside Llewyn Davis - but you can expect this exact technique applied to this latest work. There is one thing that I liked about this film - its cinematography. Kudos to Bruno Delbonnel for his polished work. He stays true to his style. Talking about polished though, you follow Llewyn for a week - from his homeless couch-to-couch routine to his impromptu Chicago road trip - and the guy looks as fresh as the first two minutes he's on screen. Not only does nothing happen in this movie, but even the hygiene of the main character is unbelievable. It is a shame to come up with such a poor movie when you get to work with actors like John Goodman and Carey Mulligan. Thanks to their brand-name, the Coens have managed to get their movie overpraised by some critics. But the audience can be reassured - the movie won't earn significant awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association had the decency not to award the movie with anything. And I would like everybody to give a big round of applause to the Academy which didn't even nominate Inside Llewyn Davis in any of the major categories. The only Oscars this movie could win is Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing - both nods being legit. 

1 reason NOT to watch: it's a waste of your time

Only Love: Interview with Animation Director Lev Polyakov

Lev Polyakov

The Squeerelist - Your short movie Only Love treats harsh and violent topics to a background of goofy characters and light-hearted tunes. What is the message you’re trying to send by making those 2 opposite worlds run into each other?

Lev Polyakov - Goofy characters turn out to be the most dangerous... Even the goofy guard because of his earnest love towards the dictator. I chose light-hearted music that seems to contrast with the gruesome things that occur on screen, to give another angle from which all the violence can be viewed... Instead of casting pity on a particular side with the aid of serious music, the sillier music makes both sides and their grand desires look equally ridiculous.

You came to New York City at an early age with your parents who immigrated as Jewish refugees. Your movie is set in a totalitarian regime with strong authoritarian figures. How much of this story is based on your personal family experience?

My great-grandparents and grandparents were among those who were either killed or sent to concentration camps during Stalin’s reign of terror. My parents, especially my mom, also endured a relative amount of punishment during the Soviet Union.

As a child you tried out acting then turned to the animation field of this Film industry you seem to be fascinated with. Why the change of heart and the choice of a less traditional filmmaking specialty?

For me, acting, directing films, drawing, and writing, are all pretty interrelated. While it takes time to learn how to do each well, the knowledge from doing one are a bit like college credits that end up counting in any of these other accredited universities. Now, for example, I’m going to be directing a live action film, but I’ll never close my mind to doing any of the above mentioned things.

You seem to be very attached to a somewhat traditional drawing technique and seem to avoid Computer-Generated Imagery. What is the reason for this commitment?

The thing is, I have no commitments. I do what I feel like at the moment and what suits the story.

There is a recurring character in your movies – this little hamster seen in your music video My Heart Belongs to You. I feel like there is a story behind this, can you tell us more?

After being inspired by Colin Huggins’s amazing song for the video, I thought about a dictator who lived all cramped up in the teacher’s cage who ends up dreaming about falling in love with her, but it wasn’t appropriate, so ended up going with his pet.

Dreams and nightmares are at the core of your movies. Are those a fear, an obsession of yours or simply a source of inspiration?

I don’t have much nightmares, but I get lots of inspiration from the occasional day-mare:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4VoLC3GtM

Any advice you want to share with the indie animators out there ?

Don’t lose your sense of humor.

Find out more about Lev's projects at:  levpolyakov.com

Only Love (2008)

Sleeping With the Enemy

Only Love is not your typical animated short movie. It deals with a plethora of ever-darker topics. The main character is a dictator using terror to rule his land and engaging in a constant fight against his nemesis - the leader of the rebellion. Nightmares occupy the plot and become the stage of the leader's issues. Lev Polyakov - the multi-tasking creator of this tragicomedy - makes two opposite worlds collide in his short. He balances the very dark and violent story with goofy characters and playful tunes. Only Love's very strange universe is filled with flying body parts and torture scenes. Polyakov has a traditional-ish 2-D style which is ironically quite refreshing in this era in which CGI - Computer-Generated Imagery - is King. Another ironic point the director makes is to use the Peace sign as the symbol of a totalitarian regime. His universe is completely imaginary and this include the language that is mainly made of aggressive grunts. Even if the storyline is somewhat violent, the universe reminded me of my childhood as the dictator's soldiers look similar to The Beagle Boys from the Scrooge McDuck books. Just like the Beagle Boys, those soldiers have bad intentions. But in Polyakov's story, they are much more wicked and the result is a fine short animated film non-suitable for children.

1 reason to watch it: the traditional 2-D drawing technique 

Read my interview with Lev here!

Watch the whole movie here!

Wild Girl Waltz (2012)

Fear and Loathing in Western Mass

Writer and Director Mark Lewis takes us to the back roads of Western Massachusetts for this comedy with character. Lewis chooses to explore the friendship and dumb decisions of two best friends - Angie and Tara - who take drugs in order to escape their routinely boredom for a few hours. Dazed and Confused, the two compadres find a baby-sitter in Brian - Tara's boyfriend - who is stuck taking care of the girls until they come down from their high. To a background of country music, the movie makes us travel through rural New England with the three amigos. Wild Girl Waltz focuses on friendship and tiny bits of romance. I feel like the goofy comedy is just a cover to address real-life young adults' issues. Angie and Tara are stuck in their rural hometown. Out of college and money, they have nowhere to go so they decide to get wasted for a moment to mentally escape their reality. The two female leads are hilarious and naturally impersonate the wasted characters. The story flows around their offbeat personality. Wild Girl Waltz is shameless, sarcastic and is just the comedy that girls have been waiting for too long.

1 reason to watch: the catchy leading duo

Read my interview with Writer/Director Mark Lewis here!

Wild Girl Waltz: Interview with Writer/Director Mark Lewis

Marl Lewis on the set of Wild Girl Waltz

The Squeerelist - Why did you make the unusual decision to choose 2 female leads to support your story?

Mark Lewis - I really wanted to do the small-town version of a "hang out" comedy, like Clerks or Dazed and Confused, but most films like that are very male focused. I felt by making the leads female it would be an interesting flip side to what people usually expect from these types of stories.

There is a background of romance in Wild Girl Waltz but it doesn’t take over the main topic which is Angie and Tara’s friendship. It is really enjoyable as the opposite often occurs in movies. Why was it important to you to show this special relationship as the core of the plot?

Two major reasons: First, I wanted to make the antidote to the typical male-bonding comedy, where you have two male leads that get all the funny lines, and they're saddled with a ball busting shrew of girlfriend that acts as a buzzkill that sucks the fun out of everything. Second, I wanted to do a female buddy comedy that didn't revolve around a wedding or them fighting over a man or some other romantic comedy cliche. I designed this story to let the women have the kind of comedy adventures that the guys get in a Kevin Smith or Judd Apatow film.

When you make a movie that is supported by - and only by -  3 main characters, the audition process is quite intense and stressful. You have to find a cast that has chemistry and you can't go wrong or the whole plot collapses. Tell us more about what you went through with this part of pre-production.

This is where time and patience are crucial. This script is all dialogue-driven. So, when you don't have masked killers or special effects to fall back on, casting is 100% the most important element. I gave myself close to five months of pre-production that was dedicated to internet searches and just going through one demo reel after another, looking for flashes of magic. When I found someone I was interested in, I had them do a video audition. After that, it was a roll of the dice and hoping that the chemistry from auditions would transfer to the screen.

Where did you find a gem and a riot like Christina Shipp - who plays Angie - to star in your movie?

She was a friend of one of the actors from my previous feature. She had done some commercial work that really blew me away with how natural and funny it was. And I figured if she could create a unique character in 30 seconds of screen time, imagine what she could do with 80 minutes. Actually, that was the case with all three of the main leads. I'd seen examples where they all managed to elevate material they were working with. That's what I look for: someone who could take what I wrote and make it even better, as opposed to just reciting it like a robot.

I feel like your movie addresses current middle class issues through the eyes of a young adult generation under a comedic cover. How personal is this story?

Very personal, but I didn't want to beat the audience over the head with a message. It's an entertainment first, but if you're looking for it, there is more under the surface about the monotony of the small town, 40-hour-work week existence, and the need to escape it. Even it's just for an afternoon.

Your plot is set in the New England countryside. It feels more like a bashing of the boring way of life of rural USA than its celebration. Do you have mixed feelings about home?

A bit. The older I get, the more I realize that the "nobility of the struggling American worker" really is a bunch of crap. Most of us are working towards something better or dreaming about something better. Even if it's just playing the lottery. There are a lot of broken dreams be it through lack of talent or lack of luck. And that discontentment runs through Wild Girl Waltz. Sometimes you just get high, get goofy and do some crazy stuff to forget about the big picture and dread of the future.

You shot your film in 8 days with a $10,000 budget. What were the specific challenges to take into consideration in order to complete your feature film in such a short period of time and on such a low budget?

Primarily, scheduling and casting. Finding locations that were visually interesting, but in fairly close proximity to each other helped with the scheduling. And casting actors with great talent and good attitudes helped in that we could blow through major scenes in three takes or less and move on to the next. If any of them were unprepared or didn't know their lines inside and out it could have taken twice as long as it did. Also, I fought the impulse to do extravagant camera moves or shots that were overly fancy. Those can be time destroyers. So, I really just concentrated on performances and the farm country locations that opened things up and were unique to the eye.

Any advice you'd like to share with the independent filmmakers out there?

In terms of a first film, I'd say: Aim high, but also realistically. Making any film at a micro budget level is a challenge, so I'd really avoid anything with heavy action sequences or a huge number of extras. It's way too easy for it to come off looking cheap. Also, don't underestimate the physical toll it takes on the body. We shot eight days in a row, and usually, by day three fatigue starts kicking in and it's real easy to get sick. You don't want an actor being fine for scenes four and six, but having a head cold in scene five. I know a lot of filmmakers like to turn their sets into a party atmosphere, but a little discipline improves the final product.

Learn more about Wild Girl Waltz at http://www.wildgirlwaltz.com/

Emile Hirsch to Play the Late Great John Belushi in Biopic

Read my Cinema Chords article here!

Steve Conrad will write and direct the second John Belushi biopic – Wired, starring The Shield‘s Michael Chiklis being the first one in 1989 – this time with Emile Hirsch becoming the Saturday Night Live comedian and Blues Brothers showman. Known for his intense dramatic roles – Into the Wild, Milk – Hirsch also has comedic skills up his sleeves as we’ve witnessed early in his career wooing Jack Bauer’s daughter, Elisha Cuthbert, in The Girl Next Door.

Writer and director, Conrad also knows how to juggle both comedy and drama in the same film. He proved it with The Weather Man and more recently with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

This untitled Belushi biopic is based on the book by the comedian’s widow Judith Belushi Pisano whilst Belushi’s friend and Blue Brother Dan Aykroyd will be the movie’s executive producer so it certainly looks like we can expect the movie to deliver a close and personal take on Belushi’s life. So early in pre-production, it’s hard to know what Conrad will focus on. Will he explore the dark side of Belushi’s fame or will he emphasize the comedy genius? One thing is sure, whatever direction Conrad takes – probably a mix of both comedy and drama as he’s used to do so –  we believe this part will fit Hirsch like a glove.

Sixteen Pretty Pink Breakfast Club Candles – John Hughes’ Casts Before & After

Read my Cinema Chords article here!

Those John Hughes movies have been the root of our teenage affairs and what led us to discover what love and friendship were all about. We are talking about The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. Those three classics star Molly Ringwald in the lead. Molly, our first redheaded crush, who ultimately became America’s sweetheart and the icon of a generation. And then there was her counterparts, Judd, Emilio, Ally, Anthony, and the others…

So what happened to the cast of our favorite John Hughes’ movies ?

Molly Ringwald

Then: Molly was the main character in those three movies. She was the uptight prom queen in The Breakfast Club, the pristine ingenue in Sixteen Candles, and the infatuated working-class kid in Pretty in Pink.

Now: For the last decade, Ringwald has acted in TV series. She’s been playing a mom in the series The Secret Life of the American Teenager for the past 5 years. Quite a funny leap from being the Ultimate American Teenager back in the 80’s to be playing a mom in a series focused on teenagers’ relationships. Molly Ringwald also has other talents up her sleeve. Earlier this year, she has released her debut album of jazzy cover songs – with the obvious Don’t You (Forget About Me) cover to draw attention to this. Molly was a singer long before being America’s sweetheart.

Emilio Estevez

Then: Emilio played the part of the whole-hearted jock in The Breakfast Club.

Now: Emilio also has more than one string to his bow. He has been far more active behind the camera for the past few years as a director and producer. He made his last movie – The Way – back in 2010 but doesn’t seem to have any upcoming projects to show us.

Ally Sheedy

Then: Ally was the misfit hoarder that turned out to be this beautiful shy girl that Emilio’s character fell for.

Now: Ally has had a small role in the series Psych for the past 4 years and has returned to the silver screen with a project that is announced for 2014 and currently in post-production : Sins of Our Youth.

Judd Nelson

Then: Everyone remembers the badass rebel that Judd impersonated in The Breakfast Club.

Now: Judd has starred in Down and Dangerous which only premieres at US-festivals this year. He also has two more films coming up this year - Last Chance Holiday, A Haunting in Thornby – as well as two others coming up in 2014 – Road to the Open, Bigfoot Wars.

Anthony Michael Hall

Then: Anthony was ‘the Geek’ in love with Molly’s character in Sixteen Candles and in The Breakfast Club he was the nerd with suicidal thoughts.

Now: With 4 movies to be released by 2015, Michael seems to have grown apart from his teenage roles. We will see him in Foxcatcher, Zombie Night, Something About Her, Cottonwood.

Jon Cryer

Then: Jon was Duckie in Pretty in Pink. He was a really stylish guy and one of those poor schmucks who were in love with Molly’s characters.

Now: After ten years alongside Charlie Sheen - who got replaced with Ashton Kutcher - in the TV show Two and a Half Men, Cryer is coming back to the movies with Hit By Lightning that will be released in 2014.

Andrew McCarthy

Then: Andrew was Blane, a rich preppie boy whom Molly’s character was in love with in Pretty in Pink.

Now: McCarthy has been taking little parts in diverse projects switching from TV series to TV movies or movies. The next movie he stars in – The Haunted House - will come out this year.