― Karl J Kretzschmar, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― RJG, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
Anyway, to a certain extent I grew up with Mel Brooks movies -- Silent Movie was the first one I saw, but thanks to parents who were fans, I ended up seeing just about everything, and I appreciate that!
The Producers, the very underrated The Twelve Chairs, the godlike Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, even the end of the seventies trickledown of High Anxiety and Silent Movie and History of the World Part I...all great in their own ways, with one of the best comedy stock companies ever assembled (Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars) as well as some inspired one or two time turns (Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Cleavon Little, Marty Feldman). An amazing stretch.
Then he remakes To Be Or Not To Be and it's *pleasant* and all, I guess...then Spaceballs really starts to show the cracks. After that, everything should be taken out and shot. Robin Hood: Men in Tights = PAIN.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
Destroy: Everything else
― Chris Barrus, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― J Blount, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
yeah "Blazing Saddles" isn't bad at all, i mean hell what about the farting scene or the bit where Mongo punches out the horse? yeah ok it's no "The Producers" or "Young Frank' tho, sure.
+ i luv "Hitler Rapp"!!!!
― unknown or illegal user, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― dr daif, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
Spaceballs improves with age like a fine fine vinegar. Illustrates the problem of parodying a movie you don't actually like (or in some instances you haven't even seen).
― Pete, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mms, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Leee, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― maryann, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
But, also classic for 'The Thousand Year Old Man' recordings w/Carl Reiner, Kenneth Tynan's 'New Yorker' profile of Brooks, and a fondly remembered, long late night tv interview w/ Rowland Rivron, of all ppl, where MB was on blazing improv form... so fast, clever, surprising - qualities sadly missing from most of his flicks after BZ.
― Andrew L, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
Blazing Saddles is good but not as great as some make out, not seen The Producers yet, High Anxiety spasmodically funny...
Brooks jumps the shark with History Of The World - Part I.
To Be Or Not To Be is pleasant enough and Anne Bancroft is terrific.
― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Saturday, 5 October 2002 19:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
― donna (donna), Saturday, 5 October 2002 19:58 (twenty-one years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Saturday, 5 October 2002 22:51 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ally (mlescaut), Sunday, 16 February 2003 04:42 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 16 February 2003 05:50 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jm (jtm), Sunday, 16 February 2003 07:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
― chaki (chaki), Sunday, 16 February 2003 08:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Sunday, 16 February 2003 08:16 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ally (mlescaut), Sunday, 16 February 2003 23:47 (twenty-one years ago) link
― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 17 February 2003 02:55 (twenty-one years ago) link
Search: Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Rick Moranis in Spaceballs, Dom "WATCH! ME! FAGGOTS!" DeLuise and Madeline "I'm sorry, please forgive me. I'm just SO close to my menstrual cycle I could SCREAM" Kahn in any - especially History Of The World Part I. Mel's "High Anxiety" song, Dick Van Patten's death and Harvey Korman saying "I never liked her, she never bathed" in High Anxiety.
Destroy: That Fucker Who Played Brophy in High Anxiety, Life Stinks, The Silent Movie, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, and probably everything else.
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 February 2003 03:11 (twenty-one years ago) link
― piscesboy, Monday, 17 February 2003 17:54 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 14:16 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 14:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 14:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 14:50 (eighteen years ago) link
Wise words. Frank Langella kills.
"Let's just say that I am very much in lust with you."
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 15:02 (eighteen years ago) link
He’s working on a stage version of Young Frankenstein, writing the words and music as he did for The Producers.There’s one exception: Irving Berlin’s Puttin’ on the Ritz, memorably performed in the 1974 film by Peter Boyle as a monster in formal wear, will be part of the Broadway play, Brooks said.
Neat about "Puttin' on the Ritz," but a full musical? Hmmm.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 15:08 (eighteen years ago) link
Yeah Mel, that's why my 6th-grade class ate it up. Big Woolstonecraft fans. (also, Broadway musical of YF = impending disaster)
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 15:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 15:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 15:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― The Yellow Kid, Wednesday, 5 April 2006 17:38 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 17:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 18:00 (eighteen years ago) link
Have you ever seen his v.o./improv animation The Critic? And as cited above, The 2000 Year Old Man album box set, some of the funniest stuff of which is 2000yo-unrelated... Tax expert: "I write off the entire country of Romania -- I send them socks, I send them oldtime magazines." Also his impression of Cary Grant's voice as heard by a fetus in the womb...
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 5 April 2006 18:03 (eighteen years ago) link
Brooks was on the Critic? which episode?
i liked him a lot in Curb.
― i am not a nugget (stevie), Thursday, 6 April 2006 09:29 (eighteen years ago) link
FIlm Forum showed it before the Producers. There was someone in the audience who laughed at EVERYTHING Brooks said.
― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Thursday, 6 April 2006 11:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 6 April 2006 13:38 (eighteen years ago) link
Casting announced for the Young Frankenstein Broadway musical, with Megan Mullally the required TV star in the Kahn role. I never thought The Producers would be a smash, but this seems a much less natural fit.
― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, 27 June 2007 19:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Hell yeah, Andrea Martin from SCTV as Frau Blucher
― kingfish, Wednesday, 27 June 2007 19:07 (sixteen years ago) link
heh, I totally missed that! I saw her in Oklahoma! fairly recently.
Still, this is not gonna be in black-and-white. (I assume the set design might go that way tho.)
― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, 27 June 2007 19:13 (sixteen years ago) link
Ben Brantley gave the Young Frankenstein musical its banner quote: "I laughed three times."
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 9 November 2007 15:29 (sixteen years ago) link
i have had the inquisition song from history of the world part 1 in my head all morning for some reason. CLASSIC
― bell_labs, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 14:06 (fifteen years ago) link
well, mostly for the Jackie Mason lines.
― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 14:07 (fifteen years ago) link
"What a show!"
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 14:08 (fifteen years ago) link
Watched Silent Movie possibly for the first time since summer of '76 yesterday. I think it's clearly the point where Mel, coming off his best-directed film (YF), began to go downhill. He plays the lead for the first time, and while he's generally OK, everything else suffers a bit. While his percentage is always uneven, about 30% of the gags here are funny, another 30% "cute," and 40% just kinda lie there (ie the James Caan melon balls episode, which i'm sure read funnier). Bernadette Peters is criminally wasted.
On the bright side, Anne Bancroft's tango sequence is funnier than anything she got to do in To Be or Not to Be, Burt Reynolds' ego sendup is a hoot, and Fritz ("POP") Feld is onscreen way more than I remembered as the maitre d'. And Sid Caesar can do no wrong. Harold Gould and Ron Carey are also a pretty decent slapstick duo.
It's hard to believe Brooks didn't initially want music; John Morris elevates the picture greatly.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 21 October 2018 17:07 (five years ago) link
about 30% of the gags here are funny, another 30% "cute," and 40% just kinda lie there.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 21 October 2018 18:11 (five years ago) link
oh yeah, History is much worse.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 21 October 2018 18:40 (five years ago) link
basically, after his Caesar writing career, Mel's peak is 1960-74 (2000 Year Old Man thru Young Frankenstein)
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 21 October 2018 18:42 (five years ago) link
Yeah, I’d go along with that. I have fond memories of High Anxiety and To Be Or Not To Be, but I haven’t seen either of those in years. And I was never able to make it through more than 30 minutes — tops — of Spaceballs and everything that followed.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 21 October 2018 18:59 (five years ago) link
As Gene said to Mel, "The trouble is, you destroy the 4th wall, even when you are trying not to"
― Mark G, Sunday, 21 October 2018 20:38 (five years ago) link
Basically I think it’d be foolish at this point in my life to go back and watch any of his movies. They had their moment in my life and would only diminish upon fresh view. (It happened with even YF last time I watched it.)
― I Never Promised You A Hose Harden (Eric H.), Sunday, 21 October 2018 22:12 (five years ago) link
The Twelve Chairs is the only one that I can rewatch these days.
― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 21 October 2018 22:39 (five years ago) link
I'm finding them (pre-History) reasonably fun to rewatch, partly because at least half the gags are about old movies/music that almost no one under 45 would get now. And on PC grounds (the 2000 YO Man records included), forget it.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Monday, 22 October 2018 16:11 (five years ago) link
Eric otm this is not the kinda thing that holds my attention if I go back to it
― Οὖτις, Monday, 22 October 2018 16:17 (five years ago) link
Spaceballs is pretty funny but it's also pretty stupid and pretty cheap-looking. The highlights are the Dark Helmet/Colonel Sandurz. The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles still hold up for me. HOTW1 was never much of a movie, maybe there were some solid gags but damned if i can remember a single one.
― omar little, Monday, 22 October 2018 16:31 (five years ago) link
It's clearly a film made before "A Mel Brooks Film" was a distinct thing, and that's definitely part of its success.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 October 2018 16:35 (five years ago) link
This is covertly my way of saying that I will hold fast to my beliefs that History of the World, Part One and Silent Movie are both very funny movies by never watching them again.
And, unlike Morbs, I have no interest in making "before PC culture took over" an evaluative benefit.
― I Never Promised You A Hose Harden (Eric H.), Monday, 22 October 2018 16:54 (five years ago) link
I didn't, necessarily. (There are at least 5 gay panic jokes in Silent Movie.)
Mel does, however.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Monday, 22 October 2018 17:10 (five years ago) link
thread revive had me worried
― voodoo chili, Monday, 22 October 2018 17:14 (five years ago) link
HOTW1 was never much of a movie, maybe there were some solid gags but damned if i can remember a single one.
oh come on, i can think of at least fifteen ten examples
― voodoo chili, Monday, 22 October 2018 17:16 (five years ago) link
That's nuts! N-V-T-S nuts!
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 22 October 2018 17:31 (five years ago) link
screw the poor
― Οὖτις, Monday, 22 October 2018 17:32 (five years ago) link
or is it fuck the poor? i forget
i felt sorry for Sid Caesar during the caveman segment
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Monday, 22 October 2018 17:35 (five years ago) link
Even though Gregory Hines addressing Oedipus with, "Hey, motherfucker!" was absurdly spelled out, I still chuckled.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 22 October 2018 17:37 (five years ago) link
Everything Madeline Kahn does in HOTWP1 is solid gold.
― I Never Promised You A Hose Harden (Eric H.), Monday, 22 October 2018 17:44 (five years ago) link
i've always sorta understood why ppl hate spaceballs but 1) i grew up with it and am incapable of disliking it 2) it's an oddly prescient film
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 22 October 2018 17:48 (five years ago) link
moichandising!
― voodoo chili, Monday, 22 October 2018 18:06 (five years ago) link
i kind of feel unless you love star wars you can't love spaceballs. it's no great feat of filmmaking, but not bad as a 90 minute Mad parody on the big screen.
― Defund Phil Collins (stevie), Wednesday, 24 October 2018 18:11 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvMG5U3TJnk
― Alma Kirby (Tom D.), Wednesday, 24 October 2018 18:15 (five years ago) link
^That's a funny scene. Weird that Mel didn't put Howard Morris, a colleague from the Caesar shows, in his films until High Anxiety.
The only scene that stood out for me in Spaceballs was Mel/Yoda hawking toys.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 October 2018 18:27 (five years ago) link
Happy birthday Mel Brooks, 93 and still breaking the fourth wall pic.twitter.com/GSdJyJW5QW— Darren Richman (@darrenrichman) June 28, 2019
― Captain ACAB (Neil S), Friday, 28 June 2019 10:48 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIfMfLbCbzY
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 15 January 2023 15:30 (one year ago) link
The streamer announced that the following will appear on the show (deep breath!): Pamela Adlon, Tim Baltz, Zazie Beetz, Jillian Bell, Quinta Brunson, Dove Cameron, D'Arcy Carden, Ronny Chieng, Rob Corddry, Danny DeVito, David Duchovny, Hannah Einbinder, Jay Ellis, Josh Gad, Kimiko Glenn, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Jake Johnson, Richard Kind, Johnny Knoxville, Lauren Lapkus, Jenifer Lewis, Poppy Liu, Joe Lo Truglio, Jason Mantzoukas, Ken Marino, Jack McBrayer, Zahn McClarnon, Charles Melton, Kumail Nanjiani, Brock O'Hurn, Andrew Rannells, Emily Ratajkowski, Sam Richardson, Nick Robinson, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman, Timothy Simons, J.B. Smoove, David Wain, Taika Waititi, Reggie Watts, and Tyler James Williams.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 15 January 2023 15:34 (one year ago) link
yeahhhh....
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 15 January 2023 15:44 (one year ago) link
Mel Brooks produced Cronenberg's remake of The Fly in 1986. Bryan Ferry was hired to write a theme song, written and produced with Nile Rodgers. Brooks didn't like that the song was titled "Help Me", and Rodgers described having trouble explaining to him why it was inappropriate for Ferry to sing a song explicitly about a man morphing into an insect.
― Halfway there but for you, Sunday, 15 January 2023 23:55 (one year ago) link
Deftones were 14 years too late
― fentanyl young (Neanderthal), Monday, 16 January 2023 02:29 (one year ago) link
The Curb Your Enthusiasm version of Jesus' betrayal was pretty good, but how could Larry David not be involved?!
― change display name (Jordan), Wednesday, 8 March 2023 21:34 (one year ago) link
On episode five and I'm sorry to say this is pretty rough. There have been a few laughs here and there, but the Galileo on TikTok bit, in particular, is like really bad SNL.
― niall horanburger (cryptosicko), Thursday, 9 March 2023 19:34 (one year ago) link
The series is about 5% funny, 10% residual good will on my part, and then 85% dud. But that still makes it the best thing Brooks has been attached to in about 30 years.
― عباس کیارستمی (Eric H.), Sunday, 12 March 2023 19:48 (one year ago) link
The trailer posted above showed absolutely no promise so I'm not surprised. Too bad. Love me some funny Mel.
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 12 March 2023 20:39 (one year ago) link
Bryan Ferry was hired to write a theme song, written and produced with Nile Rodgers. Brooks didn't like that the song was titled "Help Me", and Rodgers described having trouble explaining to him why it was inappropriate for Ferry to sing a song explicitly about a man morphing into an insect.
how did I miss this
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 12 March 2023 21:11 (one year ago) link
Idk, it could be much worse. It's very schticky but I'm content rolling with it for a couple good moments per episode, I mean he's 96 let's come him a break.
― change display name (Jordan), Sunday, 12 March 2023 21:29 (one year ago) link
Did he write and direct this?!
― least said, sergio mendes (sic), Monday, 13 March 2023 03:05 (one year ago) link
Didn't direct, and while there's a whole bunch of writers and obviously a bunch of stuff he didn't write, he does have a writing credit on everything and a lot of it has a clear Brooksian touch imo.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 13 March 2023 14:49 (one year ago) link
Yeah, the writers were definitely invited to lean into their conception of a Brooks gag, to varying degrees
― عباس کیارستمی (Eric H.), Monday, 13 March 2023 14:50 (one year ago) link
Even if he didn't write any of it there's something sweet about all these comedians and actors doing a tribute act.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 13 March 2023 15:29 (one year ago) link
Listened to Nick Kroll and Ike Barinholtz on Comedy Bang Bang talking a bit about their involvement in this. It's not a real interview show so they didn't drop a ton of factual details about the creation process, but definitely got the impression that Mel was sort of signing off on the whole thing and wasn't too involved in the nuts and bolts. That said, all these comedians presumably grew up on his stuff and the tribute act is quite on point, for better and worse
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Monday, 13 March 2023 16:14 (one year ago) link
The first episode had two literal LOLs for me which is a better rate than almost every other sitcom/comedy nowadays.
― Shartreuse (Leee), Monday, 13 March 2023 16:28 (one year ago) link
NYT quotes on the writing:
They reached out to comedian Nick Kroll in 2020. He recruited Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz and the showrunner David Stassen. “I’ve been laughing at comedy, some of which I didn’t create,” Mr. Brooks said, “which is very weird for me.” The writers did remind themselves, though, as Ms. Sykes said, to “Mel it up.” ... Mr. Barinholtz added “He inspected our teeth and could tell that we were strong.”
... Mr. Barinholtz added “He inspected our teeth and could tell that we were strong.”
Mr. Brooks joined the Zoom writers’ room sometimes to weigh pitches or offer jokes from his vault of unused material.“The first time we talked, he was like, ‘I have an idea for this joke where Robert E. Lee is at Appomattox and he turns to sign and his sword knocks his guys in the balls,’” Mr. Kroll said. “Then when we decided to do a whole section on Ulysses S. Grant and the signing at Appomattox, we were like, ‘Perfect. We can do that joke.’”
“The first time we talked, he was like, ‘I have an idea for this joke where Robert E. Lee is at Appomattox and he turns to sign and his sword knocks his guys in the balls,’” Mr. Kroll said. “Then when we decided to do a whole section on Ulysses S. Grant and the signing at Appomattox, we were like, ‘Perfect. We can do that joke.’”
― least said, sergio mendes (sic), Monday, 13 March 2023 17:06 (one year ago) link
My god, it's full of dick jokes.
― Shartreuse (Leee), Saturday, 18 March 2023 19:52 (one year ago) link
https://variety.com/2023/film/awards/angela-bassett-mel-brooks-governors-awards-honorary-oscars-1235654578/
Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks and Carol Littleton will receive honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition, the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards. The four statuettes will be presented at the 14th annual ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Los Angeles.
― fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Monday, 26 June 2023 19:22 (nine months ago) link
Age 97 today.
As chance would have it, I watched High Anxiety last night. (Possibly a censored for broadcast edit.) Scattershot, but when it hit the target....
― Infanta Terrible (j.lu), Wednesday, 28 June 2023 17:25 (nine months ago) link