There is probably nothing more odious than the spectacle of the media remembering a celebrity just after they’ve kicked the bucket. Out come the accolades, and suddenly the expired notable has become a saint whose deeds were unquestioned gifts to all of humanity.

Behold the passing of John Hughes this week, the filmmaker who made a series of youth-oriented films that proved massive hits in the ’80s. Some ludicrous talking heads were suggesting that Hughes was the first director to actually show us the rough edges of adolescence on the big screen. Actually, some of his better films—and I did appreciate some of his work—were probably most accurately described as bubble-gum soap operas. The film that is arguably his best has just been released on Blu-Ray. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) made Matthew Broderick a star and showcased Hughes’s ability to concoct inane fun. It was unapologetic silliness and the casting of Ben Stein as the stuffy windbag teacher was genius.

But for those in the media with amnesia (in other words, virtually all of them), recall that his Molly Ringwald trilogy (1984’s Sixteen Candles, 1985’s Breakfast Club and 1986’s Pretty in Pink) did great box office but became the favourite points of attack for many critics, who found Hughes’s brand of pathos shallow and his characters stereotypical. They still merit a viewing out of curiosity—these are strange time capsules—and what’s almost alarming was how quickly Hughes (and Ringwald) fell out of favour. Hughes made the insufferable Home Alone (1990, also a massive box-office hit) but then faded from view.

Steven Soderbergh’s epic, two-part tribute to the life of an ideological legend, Che: Part One and Che: Part Two, are now out on DVD. The director gives great attention to detail, and Benicio Del Toro’s turn as the revolutionary is eerie in its authenticity. WARNING: after watching both films (well over four hours), you may end up having a commie OD.