John Hughes Holiday! Uncover the Week’s Top Movies in L.A. You Can’t Miss!

Hi there! I’m Mark Olsen and welcome back to your guide to the world of Only Good Movies.

The biggest news in our world this week is the appointment of Amy Nicholson as the new film critic for the Los Angeles Times.

Nicholson, an experienced critic and reporter who previously held the position of chief film critic at LA Weekly and later at MTV News, expressed her excitement in a statement saying: “Hollywood is my passion, my drive, and my home. I am honored to carry forward the legacy of the Los Angeles Times as the new chief film critic. I am thrilled to have a front-row seat to witness the enduring power of the big screen as demonstrated by today’s creative minds.”

We are thrilled to welcome Amy to our team and can’t wait to share her work with our readers. She starts on Monday, so stay tuned for her first pieces.

A Triple Feature from John Hughes

This week, two venues will showcase the works of John Hughes, the renowned writer-director-producer known for his nostalgic touch.

Over the weekend, the New Beverly will present a double feature of 1986’s “Pretty in Pink” and 1987’s “Some Kind of Wonderful,” both penned by Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch.

Then, on Wednesday, the American Cinematheque will screen 1987’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” a film written and directed by Hughes. All three films will be shown in 35mm format.

“Pretty in Pink” is perhaps the most iconic of Hughes’ high school tales, featuring Molly Ringwald as an outcast teen finding her identity. The remarkable supporting cast includes Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, and James Spader.

Patrick Goldstein, reviewing the film, commented, “John Hughes is one of the few filmmakers in Hollywood who truly remembers high school. … Hughes’ rendition, which serves as the backdrop for the delightful new comedy ‘Pretty in Pink,’ offers us a locker-room perspective, not the wild antics suggested by some studio marketing survey. Memory may have softened some of the harsh realities, but high school is still a peculiar, daunting landscape, filled with adolescents burdened with explosive emotions, tenuous friendships, and a massive desire for acceptance.”

“Some Kind of Wonderful,” starred Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, and Mary Stuart Masterson in another high school story. Reviewing the film, Sheila Benson noted its similarities to “Pretty in Pink,” adding, “If, for some reason, the John Hughes phenomenon — Hughes as writer/director/producer and creator of teenage position-paper movies — had escaped you, ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’ would be a great place to start. It is the John Hughes Greatest Hits reel. … Fundamentally, Hughes’ message for his young audience is a good one: withstand pressure, be yourself, and hold onto your values. He seems to have access to the cream of the young acting crop, even if they are a bit too old to be high schoolers. But it might be suggested that high school is a vein that Hughes has pretty well mined out.”

Indeed, Hughes never directed another high school film. His next project, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” starred Steve Martin and John Candy as two businesspeople who become unexpected travel companions on their journey from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving.

Reviewing the film, Sheila Benson wrote: “It’s at its best when Hughes hands the screen over to these two masters of physical comedy: Candy, driving down a freeway at night, grooving to Ray Charles’ ‘Mess Around,’ playing every instrument in the band on the car’s dashboard as he races down the freeway — quite literally. Martin, in his usual elegance, contorts his slim body into a war dance of rage after his rant at a car rental agency backfires, leaving him car-less. Thankfully, there is plenty of physical humor in ‘Planes, Trains’ and much that relies on a combination of sight gags and the comedians’ impeccable timing. … There is no denying the skill of either Martin or Candy.”

‘A Star Is Born’ in 35mm

As part of tributes to Kris Kristofferson, the Vista Theater is showing “A Star is Born” in 35mm from Friday through Tuesday. This 1976 adaptation, the second remake of the classic Hollywood tale first attempted in 1937 and then again with Judy Garland in 1954, was written by Joan Didion, John Gregory Dunne, and director Frank Pierson (who reportedly clashed with star Barbra Streisand and producer Jon Peters). It moves the story into the realm of rock and roll. Kristofferson plays John Norman Howard, a superstar who discovers Esther Hoffman (Streisand) and helps launch her career while his own life unravels due to alcoholism and self-destruction. Despite its flaws, the charisma and star power of Kristofferson and Streisand make this version of the tale unforgettable and serve as a unique time capsule of late-’70s showbiz.

In his original review of the film, Charles Champlin wrote, “‘A Star is Born’ is not ‘A Star is Born’ and it is not a rock documentary or a rock epic and it is not a very successful movie unless you are among those for whom Barbra Streisand, like Judy Garland, can do no wrong. … No movie that has notoriously involved so much blood, sweat, tears, and money can be completely devoid of merits and moments, and ‘A Star is Born’ has some of each.”

In a remarkable Times report on the staging of a stadium concert sequence in the film, Lee Grant wrote about how a large group of journalists were flown out to witness the production and served lunch with the stars on the 50-yard line of a football field. Kristofferson acknowledged that he found the project “scary, a tremendous responsibility. In this film, you see, I’m standing up for Janis [Joplin], Jimi [Hendrix], for every self-destructive artist. If I blow it, I have to answer to that.”

In the same story, Dunne explained how he and Didion stepped away from the project while retaining a percentage of the picture. As he said, “God knows how many writers have been on it since us. I hope it makes a ton of money because we have a stake in it. I wish everyone well.”

Points of Interest

Zoë Lund

On Monday, Mezzanine will host a celebration of writer and performer Zoë Lund at Now Instant Image Hall. Best known for her work with Abel Ferrara, starring in his 1981 film “Ms. 45” and co-writing 1992’s “Bad Lieutenant” (as well as playing a small, memorable role in the film), Lund also had a career beyond Ferrara.

The program will feature the Los Angeles premiere of “Hot Ticket,” a short film made by Lund in 1993, along with “A Conversation with Zoë Lund,” an unreleased interview with filmmaker Douglas Buck.

There will also be readings of some of Lund’s poetry and writings.

‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’

On Monday, the American Cinematheque is screening artist-turned-filmmaker Titus Kaphar’s “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” with an introduction from actor Lupita Nyong’o, comedian David Allen Grier, producer Stephanie Allain, and Kaphar, followed after the movie by a Q&A with Allain and Kaphar moderated by musician Flea.

As discussed at a Sundance panel earlier this year, the film’s cast, including André Holland, Andra Day, John Earl Jelks, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, deliver powerful performances in the semi-autobiographical story of an artist overcoming familial trauma.

Robert Abele, reviewing the film, wrote: “In artist Titus Kaphar’s emotionally tangled, semi-autobiographical directorial debut about pain and resilience — and, of course, making art — we get a refreshingly deep view of how someone can be saved by the act of creation, yet baffled by its therapeutic limitations. … For a first-time filmmaker, Kaphar confidently dives into his story’s complications, maintaining a texture even when certain parts veer into melodrama. What’s also encouraging is his commitment to letting a scene play out its natural emotional arc — especially the first cautious reunion between estranged father and son — and not interfering too much with what his stellar cast can do.”

‘Black Dog’

Guan Hu’s “Black Dog” will be shown for a limited one-week qualifying run at the Laemmle Noho. The film won the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, as well as the festival’s informal Palm Dog Award. Guan was nominated for best director at the upcoming Gotham Awards.

The film follows Lang (Eddie Peng), who returns to his small town after serving prison time and gets a job as part of a team of dogcatchers. Acclaimed director Jia Zhangke also appears in the film. Lang soon finds himself growing fond of a dog he was supposed to eliminate, as dangerous figures from his past draw near.

Joshua Rothkopf, writing from Cannes, called the film “a double study of redemption,” comparing it to 1979’s “The Black Stallion” as “quiet stories about respecting the natural world and achieving peace with its inhabitants. The backdrop is a small town on the edge of the Gobi Desert, a place of uneasy modernization, but the dynamics at play are universal. It’s a beautiful movie about life’s rituals, hopefully ones that we’re lucky enough to share with other species.”

In Other News

New Season of ‘The Envelope’ Podcast

The Envelope podcast is back this week, hosted by myself and Yvonne Villarreal and joined this season by Kelvin Washington.

In the first episode of the season, I spoke with Cynthia Erivo about Hollywood’s new adaptation of “Wicked” and how she made the show’s iconic song “Defying Gravity” her own. Yvonne spoke to Saoirse Ronan about the films “The Outrun” and “Blitz.”