December 4th, 2009 | 7:49 pm | Josh Ralske

It's clear that the makers of Serious Moonlight were sincerely trying to honor the memory of talented filmmaker/actress Adrienne Shelly by producing another one of her scripts. Sadly, the film is a disappointment. It lacks the low-key charm and the command of tone that Shelly achieved in her final directorial effort, and most successful film, Waitress. Instead, Serious Moonlight, with two big Hollywood stars (Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton) playing the leads, and two promising younger stars (Kristen Bell and Justin Long) in key supporting roles, is shrill and confused. Novice director Cheryl Hines might have been better off taking a more subtle approach to what seems to be pretty challenging material, as the film mixes slapstick with genuine brutality, and bitter marital comedy with glimmers of sentimentality. There's an underlying darkness to the premise that the filmmakers aren't willing to …
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August 6th, 2009 | 6:50 pm | Cammila Alberston

Filmmaker John Hughes, the director of such teen-centric classics as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Beuler’s Day Off, died today at the age of 59. Hughes passes just as a series of celebrity deaths have reminded us how nothing inspires geyserous outpourings of nostalgia like the mortality of our former heroes. But I think it’s fair to say that Hughes’ work has continued to inspire the same steady stream of deeply personal affection from its viewers since day one.
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