Don't You Forget About: Don't You Forget About Me

  Sure, it's fun to catch the latest flick at the multiplex, or grab the newest release at a video store, but sometimes you just gotta say, "Out with the new, and in with the unknown." There are plenty of older flicks out there that are worth a rental, but never registered on your radar. In Don't You Forget About, we remember the long-gone gems, so you don't have to.
Photo: Amazon.com
WHAT it's about: A band of wannabe filmmakers who go searching for the godfather of pitch-perfect teen moviedom (and brains, princesses, basket cases, athletes and neo-maxi-zoom-dweebies), John Hughes. The beloved director, who had a direct line to the adolescent experience (and Molly Ringwald's agent) and communicated it through films like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Sixteen Candles, went into hiding in 1991. They shot this film in 2008, just a year before Hughes' much-mourned death. 
WHO'S in it: Said crew of filmmakers (Matt Austin, Michael Facciolo, Kari Hollend and Lenny Panzer) and an assortment of famous stars and fans including Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy and Gedde "Long Duk Dong" Watanabe! 
WHEN it came out: November 2009.
HOW come you haven't heard of (or just seen) it before: The film had a pretty limited release and wasn't nearly as publicized as it should have been, which is a real shame. While it's definitely not perfect, this sweet tribute to the man who brought us Jake Ryan and that uh, unforgettable, Simple Minds song (it was written especially with The Breakfast Club in mind), is really charming.  
WHY you need to watch it - immediately!...  

• If you love John Hughes....and use any excuse to rewatch that clip of Duckie's record-store pelvic thrust without seemingly like a total Ally-Sheedy-in-the-Breakfast-Club (pre-socializing and makeover)...this will reawaken your cold, adult heart. And possibly even make you tear up. I mean...
• Furthermore, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Pretty in Pink. What could be a more perfect way to celebrate then a viewing of the movie with the still-infamous love triangle (Team Duckie all the way!) and this? You could make a cotton-candy colored party out of it. Just make sure to invite me.
• There's a segment where they interview high school kids and ask them what was so special about Hughes. Their answers are really spot-on and show you just how timeless these films are. It's also really reassuring. I don't want to imagine a time when Jake Ryan isn't the hottest guy in teen movie history.
• The crew is Canadian!
• The director (Matt Austin) is a former POWER RANGER!
• Did I mention that it features an assortment of famous stars and fans including Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy and....Gedde Watanabe?!! Sure, Molly and Anthony Michael Hall (Hughes' man muses) are missing, but it's obvious the amount of work these guys put into finding people that worked with and loved the man.
• Admit it - you're already singing the song of the same name and holding your fist in the air like you just got some Ringwald action.