Moving to Chicago for the Summer

Ok, so tomorrow I'm headed to Chicago for the summer.  I feel that there's no better way to get ready for this massive move than watching a bunch of movies that take place, at least in part, in Chicago.  You know, in order to build up huge expectations that cannot help but be dashed in reality.  Here's what was on my list:

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: shows off Chicago better than any other movie I've seen

Weird Science: actually makes me kind of excited to one day live in Chicago suburbs

Risky Business: In Chicago, at least they have really sympathetic call girls.  Also, I now want to buy a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

Sixteen Candles: This film never really resonated with me like other Hughes films, but it's still pure gold.

The Breakfast Club: Yes, I have visited the high school in this movie.

Rookie of the Year: Despite my hatred for all things Cub, this movie is a reminder of a time when they were truly pathetic, not just a let-down in the clutch.

Home Alone: An all time Christmas classic, higher than Miracle on 34th Street in my book for Chicago Christmas movies.

The Blues Brothers

She's Having a Baby: Hughes' shift away from teen comedies is regrettable, but this is still a good film.  Perhaps it is best that he left his excellent record in that sub-genre alone.

Ordinary People

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: The best Chicago holiday-themed movie.

National Lampoon's Vacation: Another verfied classic.  Even though the family only begins in Chicago, this movie, the major theme is: wherever you go, there you are.

Something might strike you about this list.  Chicago, apparently, was huge in the movies in the late-70s to early-90s era.  Much, but not all, of this can  be attributed to John Hughes.  I am an avowed John Hughes fanatic, which probably accounts for my affinity toward both the 80s and Chicago.  Risky Business has striking similarities to many films in the Hughes oeuvre, and you could easily see Rookie of the Year fitting in with the later Hughes family-friendly films.  The others are fairly solid films, too.  Nothing like taking the edge off of a major life-changing week than warming up to some classic movies.  Very comforting, indeed.

I also intend to continue blogging as frequently as time and creativity permit.