Haunted Honeymoon (1986)

A tribute to some classic horror comedies from yesteryear, and also a tribute to the wonderful world of radio drama, Haunted Honeymoon stars Gene Wilder in a vehicle that he also directed and co-wrote (with Terence Marsh). It is unabashedly old-fashioned at times, in style and humour, but therein lies the charm of it, for those willing to embrace the central conceit.

Wilder is Larry Abbot, a radio star who is about to marry the lovely Vickie Pearle (Gilda Radner). All could be blissful in his life, except for the fact that he is prone to debilitating episodes of extreme nervousness. As is the way in movieland, a doctor (Paul L. Smith) recommends that those around Larry conspire to frighten him out of his wits while he spends some time visiting the expansive home of his Aunt Kate (Dom DeLuise). But while some want to scare Larry into a cure, some others may be wanting to scare Larry to death.

Like a few other movies I could mention, Haunted Honeymoon is a film that I always remember with fondness, thanks to the stars involved and one or two memorable moments, but then end up disappointed by whenever I revisit it. It’s not a bad film, the look and feel of the whole thing is nicely in line with what Wilder is aiming for. The unfortunate thing about it is that it just isn’t that funny, despite some fine effort from the cast.

Wilder and Radner work well together, and are especially good in the opening scenes, and DeLuise is wonderful in a role that he actually plays quite straight for much of the runtime. Both Bryan Pringle and Ann Way, playing the main household staff, are scene-stealers of the highest order, and you get Jonathan Pryce, Jim Carter, and Eve Ferret joining in with the shenanigans. They all seem to have fun as they ham things up in a classic “old dark house” setting.

While he directs well enough, having already been in the big chair for a few other movies (this would be his last directorial effort), Wilder seems to forget to mine every sequence for comedy. He and Marsh decide to let things play out with a balance between the laughs and the thrills, but I cannot help thinking that packing more gags in would have been a welcome plus, especially when viewers will go in with reasonable expectations of what they would like to see from the leads.

There’s fun to be had here - the opening is great, most scenes with the house staff prove to be highlights - but there’s also a middle section that sometimes feels unforgivably dull. Those are the moments that you forget, rightly so, when thinking back on this with affection. Watch it if you haven’t seen it before. Maybe revisit it if you remember nothing about it. But then leave it to fade into a pleasant memory. It’s for the best.

5/10

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Netflix And Chill: An American Tail (1986)

Apologies, but some minor spoilers follow, because An American Tail ended up having some surprisingly relevant plot points that I really want to bring up.

Let me tell you a story. It's all about a family of immigrants who flee a dangerous home country to seek shelter somewhere they think is free of their enemies. The journey is a tough one, leading to one child being split from the family. That child arrives in America, initially befriended by someone else who has come to the country from elsewhere, and knows how much it can give to people seeking a new life there. Unfortunately, the next person the child meets is not so good. The optimistic immigrant is soon surrounded by perils, including a self-serving and thoughtless politician and, perhaps most relevantly, someone who seems to be helping "his own kind" until it is revealed that they are in fact one of the dangerous predators they claim to be able to keep away from the vulnerable, for a fee.

Sound familiar? I'm sure many people have been in that position, and it's probably the backdrop to many news stories that we have read in the past few years, whether we realise it or not. And, yes, it is the main plot of An American Tail, an animated film that focuses on the perilous odyssey of a little mouse named Fievel (voiced by Phillip Glasser). This was a film I had no interest in for many years. As a child it just looked a bit too bland for me, as an adult it just, well, still looked too bland. I was very wrong.

Directed by Don Bluth, this is a beautiful and sweet story that has enough to keep children entertained, and often keep them quite tense, while also sketching out a familiar backstory for many families who managed to uproot their lives in the past and head over to make a new life in the USofA. It's a lot more optimistic and upbeat than a film made today about those experiences might be but that doesn't make it any less effective. The message is all about the risks and opportunities, the strength needed to succeed in such an endeavour, and the ways in which immigrants helped build America, literally, and continue to do so. That may all be intentional (and considering the people able to input anything to the central premise, especially Steven Spielberg, I suspect so), maybe it's not, but it's there anyway.

The animation is quite lovely, often on a par with the most famous animation studio in the world, and the script, written by Judy Fruedberg and Tony Geiss, is an enjoyable mix of cute and smart, with the former being inevitable when you consider how adorable little Fievel is.

The voice cast are a mixed bag, all picked more for their suitability to certain roles than for their immediate recognition. While I will say that I am glad we get names involved such as Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, and Christopher Plummer, I will also say that Glasser is absolutely wonderful as the little mouse at the centre of events, and the moment in which his childish voice, and one other, amateurishly sings a rendition of "Somewhere Out There" is probably the sweetest thing I have seen in a movie in quite some time. There aren't lots of other songs but the ones that you do get are very good, and you also get a lovely score from James Horner to help things along.

I recommend this to everyone who enjoys a good animated movie, especially now that it has become surprisingly relevant with the some of the main plot points, and I hope to now catch the first sequel at some point in the near future.

8/10

You can buy it here.
Americans can buy it here.

April Fools: Silent Movie (1976)

One of my favourite shots in any film ever!

It does exactly what it says on the tin. Oh yes, Silent Movie is a silent movie, for the most part (only one person gets to speak, and it's a brilliant punchline), directed by Mel Brooks, who co-wrote the film with Ron Clark, Rudy De Luca and Barry Levinson.

The plot is a brilliant slice of meta fun, as Brooks, accompanied by Marty Feldman and Dom DeLuise, convinces a studio to let him make a silent movie, and then sets out to convince a variety of big stars to appear in his silent movie. That's the excuse for one set-piece after another, from going to great lengths to talk to Burt Reynolds, to keeping things perfectly balanced in James Caan's trailer while trying to get him on board. As the film starts to look more and more appealing to those in the business, a rival studio sends out a secret weapon to scupper the whole thing, the lovely Bernadette Peters.

For film fans, this is almost as enjoyable now as it was nearly 40 years ago, when first released. The comedy, as you could probably guess, is pretty universal and timeless, and it's only some of the stars who may be slightly unfamiliar to modern audiences (even if I do dislike the thought of a world in which people don't recognise Anne Bancroft, Burt Reynolds, or Paul Newman).

Brooks and DeLuise are very funny, but Feldman is the highlight for me. The man can be funny even when not playing with material, and I thank Brooks for giving him two great movie roles (with this and Young Frankenstein). A bit of praise, however, must also be given to those stars already mentioned, as well as everyone else who joins in with the fun.

Although the movie is little more than a loosely connected series of sketches, the format allows for this without it ever feeling like a major negative. Many silent movies were broken down into a number of different acts, of course, and this feels just the same.

If you're a fan of Brooks then you should enjoy this. If you're a fan of comedy then you should enjoy this. In fact, most people should enjoy this.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Mel-Brooks-Collection-DVD/dp/B000AM6NCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391351938&sr=8-1&keywords=mel+brooks

History Of The World: Part 1 (1981)

History can often be a dull, dry subject. So any movie covering the history of the world is something that you may approach with some trepidation. Knowing that the movie is written and directed by Mel Brooks, however, puts a very different spin on things.

Taking potshots at a few different chapters in history, from the days of the caveman to the days of the Roman Empire and from The Spanish Inquisition to the French Revolution, we get the usual scattershot approach. Gags of all varieties fly thick and fast and if you find yourself groaning at one then don't worry because another, that you'll probably laugh at, will be along within a couple of minutes.

The cast are all superb, and many of them will be familiar to anyone who has already enjoyed other movies from Mr. Brooks. The writer-director himself takes on a number of roles, Gregory Hines really enjoys himself in his first cinematic outing, Dom DeLuise and Madeline Kahn are as much fun as they usually are and more laughs are delivered by Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Spike Milligan, Pamela Stephenson, Sid Caesar and Shecky Greene.

A lot of the jokes are obvious, but not necessarily less funny because of it, and it's quite reassuring to actually see the old "walk this way" gag. There are so many little treats throughout that it's hard to select favourite moments to mention in this review but the undeniable highlight for me, however, was seeing The Spanish Inquisition given the glossy, Hollywood, musical number treatment (with absolutely wonderful and hilarious lyrics AND a catchy melody).

It's sad to think that modern audiences may only know Brooks for such films as Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Dracula: Dead And Loving It when his work in the 70s and early 80s contains moments of sheer brilliance to set it on a par with any other classics that you can think of. This movie may not be one of his very best but it's full of enough intelligence and wit to make you glad that you gave it a watch.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Of-The-World-Part/dp/B000BPND4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334859558&sr=8-1

Smokey And The Bandit II (1980)

I know that I can often be sarcastic in my reviews. I can also sometimes be apologetic. There are moments of anger and occasional moments of rambling nonsense (okay, let's be honest, there are more than occasional moments of rambling nonsense . . . . . . . . . it's actually my preferred writing style). But I hope that people don't mistake the following for sarcasm or nonsense or even something that I'm going to apologise for. Smokey & The Bandit II is a bloody good movie, slightly superior to the first film and just a whole load of laughs in the company of great characters.

All of the main characters return, though not in exactly the same condition. Burt Reynolds is The Bandit, Jerry Reed is Cledus AKA The Snowman, Sally Field is Carrie AKA Frog, Jackie Gleason is Sheriff Buford T. Justice and Mike Henry is the witless Junior. Even Big Enos (Pat McCormick) and Little Enos (Paul Williams) return, if only to start things off with a job offer. Nobody wants alcohol moved this time. It's something much bigger than that. And much livelier.

Hal Needham is back in the director's chair and actually shows some skill he would seem to have hidden away for the majority of his career. The car stunts and action are, as you would expect, competently handled but this has a lot more to it than JUST fast cars and a load of chuckles.

The Bandit enjoyed showing off, he loved doing what he was best at, and he was/is very famous because of it. But that fame has changed him in ways that he doesn't want to inspect too closely and certainly doesn't want to admit to. He's been surrounded by the adoring fans, he released the unsuccessful song, he was a name synonymous with legendary deeds. And then he wasn't. The Bandit is stuck in a sad place, wanting to reclaim former glories while random people feel the need to tell him just what an asshole they think he is. And when he grabs an outspoken guy to try and show him the error of his ways, holding the man by the collar and insisting that he is an American sweetheart and a lovely guy and that everyone loves him, it's hard not to think of the reaction that any famous person can have when the fame, and the fandom, starts to dwindle. It's hard not to think that The Bandit is voicing something every actor could be tempted to yell out at one point. In fact, it's hard not to think that The Bandit is just saying something that Burt Reynolds himself may have felt at one time or another.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into the whole thing. Everything else in the movie is just fantastic, simplistic entertainment. Jackie Gleason, once again, gets all of the best lines and moments as the exasperated sheriff. Reynolds, Reed and Field all get on well and are joined by Dom DeLuise, giving a fun performance. And there's a finale that puts The Bandit in the heart of a scenario he almost yearns for before showcasing some truly excellent stuntwork with cars and big trucks. Many of the bigger stunts are "gags" but they're still impressive and you get a real feeling of danger from this mad display of demented driving. It was great to watch when I was a young lad and, although I had my reservations, it's just as great to watch now.

8/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smokey-Bandit-Trilogy-Burt-Reynolds/dp/B00099BIS0