SPECIAL: Mel Brooks Films Part 1

These past few months I've been watching and re-watching all movies directed by Mel Brooks. It's been a blast revisiting favorites and discovering classic comedy I hadn't seen before. Rather than wait until the whole list has been watched and reviewed, here are the first 6 films with a few comments. 

The Producers (1967)

Rating: Q=5, P=6 / Average OJ
Scale 1=2, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

The first film is always notable and The Producers is classic. Impressively, it has a whole new generation of fans due to becoming a Broadway musical success. But the original film has always been a love-hate relationship with me because its such a comedy of errors (I can't handle them, usually). Leo Bloom is a wonderful character, by the way...Gene Wilder is magnificent.

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The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Rating: Q=5, P=5 / Average OJ
Scale 1=2, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

I'd never seen this film before and found it amusing in many ways, though it doesn't have the same spark as other later films. I did enjoy watching Dom DeLuise having hysterical fits.

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Blazing Saddles (1974)
Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Still probably my favorite Brooks film and one of my favorite comedies of all time. There are so many glorious comedic moments in this movie and brilliant satire. The comedians are having so much fun and you can tell. I learned--not sure how I didn't know--that Richard Pryor co-wrote this script. I love it even more now knowing that.

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Young Frankenstein (1975)

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession
Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

This film is arguably the best comedy film of all time. It still holds up for me in every way. Favorite line: "My grandfather's work is doo-doo!"

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Silent Movie (1976)

Rating: Q=6, P=7 / Can't Get Enough
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

I had never seen Silent Movie before. Why, I can't say, because it is hysterical. So much zaniness and random cameos from Paul Newman to Marcel Marceau. I highly recommend this one that doesn't get enough love.

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High Anxiety (1977)

Rating: Q=6, P= 6 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Another film I hadn't seen before, which is very weird to me since this is a spoof on Hitchcock films. For a whole semester of my life I watched almost nothing but Hitchcock movies... this homage/parody is hilarious and has great references for Hitchcock fans. Not my favorite Brooks film, but it is still very fun.

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Asteroid City

Asteroid City (Wes Anderson, 2023)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Whimsical, 1950s, Science Fiction, Grieving, Philosophical

I love Wes Anderson's aesthetic and his quirky stories (here is my post where I rank all of them), so I was excited to see yet another of his meticulously crafted fantasies. To me, Asteroid City is the perfect "story within a story" film (which Wes Anderson loves) and probably Anderson's most philosophical tale. The audience watches both the players of a play and the play they are performing. The lines blur between which one is reality and which one is fantasy--which isn't an original concept but the execution of this concept is brilliantly executed. It is also very timely. This film is full of grief and overwhelming topics--nuclear war, loss of life/grief, depression, isolation. It is poignant after a pandemic that changed so much of how we humans operate together and alone. 

Asteroid City is also just so visually beautiful--the over-saturated/artificial colors made so much sense in the story and was mesmerizing to see. The music was also my favorite soundtrack/score of all his films so far (close behind is Darjeeling Limited). There is so much going on in every respect and I'd definitely watch it again.

Here's a fun article, too.

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Triangle of Sadness

Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Ostlund, 2022)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Satire, Drama, Comedy, Philosophical

Wow. What did I just watch? Ruben Ostlund has created something very interesting, strange, poignant, and...depressing. Triangle of Sadness is a film about structures and dichotomies--beautiful vs. ugly, those who get vs. those who serve, capitalism vs. socialism, etc. It is also the truly sad story of how society and structures human beings have created imprison us all. I've seen the film compared to the masterpiece Parasite, which I think is very apt. The films share many of the same themes and plot devices. There are many other satires out there that critique the elite and wealthy in our world, but unlike most of them Triangle of Sadness offers no conclusions, no resolve. And the story takes so many turns so quickly...it's fascinating. This is a hilarious, disgusting, filthy, sad, intricate, wild film.

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