Kirk Honeycutt (Los Angeles, CA) is the creator of Honeycutt's Hollywood (www.honeycuttshollywood.com), the popular film review website. Honeycutt was the chief film critic for many years at The Hollywood Reporter and was a member of the prestigious Los Angeles Critics Association for over 36 years. He was a regular contributor to The New York Times, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and he appears regularly on television and radio shows.
"This biography is a fascinating portrait of a brilliant, complex,
and wonderful man. John Hughes forever transformed my world, and I
am grateful for such a wonderful tribute." - Ally Sheedy"John
Hughes always treated me with respect and consideration, and was
most generous with his insight. As a result of Mr. Honeycutt's
detailed research, we learn John Hughes the person was even more
impressive than John Hughes the writer/director. Reading this book
was a bittersweet experience, making me feel the size of the loss
of his premature passing. But it also confirmed for me that John
Hughes was a giant, and under his great shadow I am fortunate to
remain." - Judd Nelson
STARRED REVIEW ** "Filmmaker John Hughes (1950-2009) captured the
zeitgeist of suburban America in the 1980s and 1990s with his
iconic teen-angst comedies and madcap cinematic romps. In this
retrospective, film critic and blogger (honeycuttshollywood.com)
Honeycutt reviews Hughes's legacy of creating memorable characters
such as the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986),
writing humorous and zany stories such as those of the "Vacation"
and "Home Alone" movies, and spotting talented actors including
Molly Ringwald, star of Sixteen Candles (1984) and Pretty in Pink
(1986). While it is evident that the author is a fan, the book is
not merely a nostalgic look back at an impressive filmography.
Honeycutt takes a critical look at the filmmaker and his films.
Even though Hughes's sensitivity and perfectionism led him to
create believable "underdog" or "outsider" characters and endearing
stories, these same traits also made it increasingly difficult for
him to work with the actors, directors, and producers as his career
progressed, eventually resulting in his retirement from filmmaking.
VERDICT Reminiscent of a high school yearbook in format and filled
with behind-the-scenes photos and movie posters, the book is
perfect for film students, fans of Hughes's movies, and "I love the
Eighties" devotees." - Library Journal
"...longtime Variety movie-industry reporter and critic and current
film-studies professor Kirk Honeycutt's newly published
retrospective, John Hughes: A Life In Film does something a bit
different. Rather than examining Hughes's place in the broader
cultural milieu or conducting an unauthorized census into Hughes's
life story, Honeycutt takes us through a chronological tour of the
Chicago native's two decades in show business. Starting with his
transition from writing ad copy to joining National Lampoon's ranks
and concluding on the bittersweet note of his somewhat infamous
late-90s flops (Flubber, Baby's Day Out), Honeycutt also interviews
collaborators including Matthew Broderick and Pretty in Pink
director Howard Deutch (Hughes wrote the screenplay). The end
result makes no bones about Hughes's erratic output and reputedly
aloof personality, but also offers insight into creative and
logistical process that went into his body of work." -
FastCompany.com
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