It’s been a little over a year since filmmaker John Hughes passed way suddenly at 59. It’s still difficult to process the loss of his amazing talent, but the movie-making community has taken aims to keep the teen-auteur top of mind.

Just last weekend in New York, the Film Society of Lincoln Center hosted “John Hughes: We Can’t Forget About Him,” a two-day affair that featured screenings of Home Alone, Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. The celebration wrapped with a 25th anniversary screening of The Breakfast Club, followed by a Q&A session with cast members Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The New York Times conducted a separate interview with Hughes’ redheaded muse for the occasion, which I recommend reading.

And then there’s the new movie, Easy A, which, as it happened, opened the very same weekend. The film, about a female high school student who fakes having sex with her male peers in a bid to boost their lowly reps, is something of a modern homage to Hughes’ ouevre from screenwriter Bert V. Royal and director Will Gluck (of the short-lived but brilliant TV series, The Loop and Grosse Point). Gluck’s fondness for the late director’s work runs deep, having compiled a list of life lessons that can be gleaned from watching Hughes’ films.

That appreciation extends all the way to the Easy A soundtrack, which boasts two covers of songs from Sixteen Candles (“If You Were Here”) and The Breakfast Club (“Don’t You (Forget About Me)”). The Thompson Twins’ “If You Were Here,” first appeared on the UK trio’s 1983 album, Side Kicks, before Hughes picked it for the now-iconic “kiss above the cake” scene that closes out Sixteen Candles. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was written specifically for The Breakfast Club, but not by anyone in the band who recorded it, Simple Minds.

Mirroring the Thompson Twins’ own soundtrack experience, Cary Brothers‘ cover of “If You Were Here” isn’t completely new; his take dates back a few years. Also, some confusion reigns with both of their names; the Thompson Twins are actually a trio, while Cary Brothers is just one guy. The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter included “If You Were Here” on his 2007 debut, Who You Are, which the Twins’ Alannah Currie happened to hear, sending word to him that she dug it. Now thanks to being up on the big screen in Easy A, Brothers’ cover is enjoying some nice new exposure:

As for “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” the song from 1985’s The Breakfast Club enjoys double exposure in Easy A. First, Simple Minds’ original hit is heard, and later the film finishes with a cover by AM. The newer version was originally included on the American Laundromat Records compilation, High School Reunion: A Tribute To Those Great ’80s Films! (highly recommended to folks who like those sorts of things).

“A million people have covered that song [“Don’t You (Forget About Me)”], so luckily I was able to choose the tone I wanted, which was kind of a punk tone at the end of the movie,” director Gluck told Billboard.

Easy A isn’t the only new movie taking cues from the legacy John Hughes left. It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which opens October 8 and isn’t exactly a typical teen comedy (the film is mostly set in a psychiatric hospital), features one scene that’s a direct take-off of one from The Breakfast Club.

Purchase Cary Brothers – “If You Were Here” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.