Prime Time: Spaceballs (1987)

There was some recent news that put Spaceballs at the forefront of my mind. First of all, we're apparently getting a sequel. Second, Mel Brooks just turned 99 a few days ago. Both of these things reminded me that it had been too long since I last watched Spaceballs, despite owning it on both disc and digital form for some time.

Everyone should know about this by now. It's spoofing a very famous sci-fi franchise (hence the sequel, now there are so many other moments to mine comedy from). Bill Pullman is the reluctant hero, Lone Starr, travelling through space with his furry companion, Barf (John Candy). With a large debt hanging over their heads, the two end up incentivised to rescue Princess Vespa (Dapne Zuniga) and her metallic handmaid, Dot Matrix (voiced by Joan Rivers). That leads to them all trying to stay one step ahead from the powerful and dangerous Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis).

Directed by Brooks, who also co-wrote the thing with Thomas Meehan and Ronny Graham (the latter giving himself one of the best scenes in which he plays a minister), Spaceballs benefits from a great cast that includes those already mentioned, including Brooks himself in a couple of different roles, and Dick Van Patten, George Wyner (superb as Colonel Sandurz), Michael Winslow aka the human sound machine. There's also room for very brief turns from Stephen Tobolowsky, John Hurt, Rhonda Shear, Rick Ducommun, an unrecognisable Dom DeLuise as Pizza The Hutt, and a few other familiar names.

I still have a soft spot for Spaceballs, mainly thanks to Pullman and co. in the lead roles, but most people would admit that it's far from top-tier comedy from Brooks. It's time, however, to be a bit more honest about how far it is from his best work. Spaceballs isn't that good. The jokes are more miss than hit, although they work on an eye-rolling "dad joke" level, the thin plot feels exactly like what it is (an excuse for the gags), and some of the makeup and effects are absolutely awful. This is the start of Brooks spoofing something because it is popular, as opposed to the masterpieces he crafted when spoofing movies that he appeared to have genuine affection for.

There are good moments here and there (anything with Rick Moranis is usually good enough to make viewers smile, and the gags that reference Alien and Planet Of The Apes are nicely constructed), and I defy anyone to tell me that they wouldn't enjoy spending some time in the company of 1980s Pullman, Candy, Zuniga, and Rivers. It's just a shame that nobody seemed interested in making this the best that it could be. It's sporadically amusing, but it mainly feels lazy, and if I want to watch something lazy that will also make me laugh then I'll just spend time looking at my middle-aged spread in a mirror.

I'm not going to rate it like I hate it though, because I don't. That soft spot doesn't simply disappear because a rewatch has reminded me of so many negatives. It's sustained by small pleasures as simple as Candy wagging his tail in excitement or a literal display of radar being jammed.

6/10

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Mubi Monday: The Producers (1967)

While a lot of people still acknowledge The Producers as a fantastic comedy, and it has since been developed into a stage musical that was also then adapted into another film version, I can't help but feel that it's also slightly forgotten nowadays. When people think of writer-director Mel Brooks they tend to think of Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein (both equally brilliant, in different ways). Maybe even Spaceballs (not quite so brilliant, but full of fun). But if ever we needed a comedy that made Nazis ridiculous, and underlined that ridiculousness in a big musical number, then I think the time is now.

Zero Mostel plays Max Bialystock, a producer of stage plays who has to spend his days getting funding from little old ladies he allows to treat him like a young loverboy. It's a bit embarrassing, and he knows that his life isn't going the way he wants it to. Things look as if they're about to get worse when his accounts are audited by the nervy Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder). Seeing how unsuccessful Bialystock is, Bloom soon figured out that, with a bit of creative accounting, a flop play could make some people very rich. You just get much more investment than necessary, and then keep all of the "profit". The two men then seek out the worst play they can get their hands on, which they find in the absolutely awful "Springtime For Hitler". Written by Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars), a German upset at how the last World War ended, it's a joyous celebration of the Third Reich, the mission to assemble the master race, and Adolf Hitler. (who ends up played by a free-love hippy dippy beatnik named Lorenzo St. DuBois AKA L.S.D.)

I am going to make a general assumption here, and I am willing to be proven wrong. But I don't think I am. Most people think of The Producers and think of the third act. That's where you get the most outrageous moments, some of the biggest laughs, and that aforementioned musical number. It's a strong finale, and arguably one of the best examples of film comedy that is equally smart and silly. There are so many other highlights throughout the film though, from the antics of Mostel and his various investors, the panic attacks performed by Wilder, and one of my favourite quotes delivered by Mars about the painting talent of Hitler. I could go on and on (Lee Meredith as Ulla, almost every line delivered by Mostel), but I fear I would then fall into the trap of simply repeating every gag uttered in the film.

Although layering silliness upon silliness, Brooks always knows exactly what targets he is aiming at, and, whether it's the preciousness and precociousness of artistes or the fetishism of Nazi regalia, he hits every time with superb accuracy, helped by his usual excellent casting.

While I prefer Wilder to Mostel when thinking about a comedic leading man, there's no denying that they both complement one another perfectly here, with Mostel bringing a bone-deep weariness to the role that only starts to fade away when things look as if they might actually work. Wilder has the moments of manic energy, but his nerves help to remind viewers of just how much is at stake as the leads stage what they consider the most sure-fire flop of all time. Mars is very funny as Liebkind, and quite rightly mocked by others for his strange attempts to hang on to a past as it never was, and Dick Shawn is a delight as the cool cat, L. S. D. Meredith makes a hell of an impression in her few minutes onscreen, Christopher Hewett and Andréas Voutsinas are both excellent, and all of the older ladies who ultimately provide the funding for "Springtime For Hitler" are quite hilarious.

Very rewatchable, and I was tempted to give it another viewing immediately when I rewatched it this time, The Producers is absolutely on par with the other classics from Brooks. Some may view it as tasteless, but that tastelessness is part of the point. And I'd rather see people risk being offended by this, while laughing hard, than see people not being offended by public figures who, for example, think it's perfectly fine in this day and age to end their speeches with Nazi salutes.

9/10

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Look Who's Talking Too (1990)

I knew there had to be a reason for me having never seen any of the sequels to Look Who's Talking before now. That would be because they may be awful (the verdict on the next one is due next week). Where the first film had the novelty of allowing viewers hear what a baby may be thinking as they make sense of the world around them, this sequel decides to . . . ummmm . . . actually, it decides to just keep doing that more. In a way that is much less entertaining.

James (John Travolta) and Mollie (Kirstie Alley) are now an item. There's another baby on the way. It's a girl. So Mikey (still voiced by Bruce Willis) has to figure out what is required of him in his new role of big brother to Julie (voiced by Roseanne Barr). Meanwhile, things start to become strained between James and Mollie, a situation not helped by the arrival of Mollie's brother, Stuart (Elias Koteas).

With Amy Heckerling returning to the director's chair, this time co-writing the script with Neal Israel, you would hope that she had an idea good enough to help her recapture the magic of the first film. That's not the case. Look Who's Talking Too isn't without very occasional moments of fun (one being the unexpected treat of watching Gilbert Gottfried dancing alongside Travolta), but it generally tries to rework elements of the first film with less wit and smarts. That's what many sequels do, of course, but it's harder to enjoy something that feels a lot lazier and poorly handled.

The adults don't do a bad job. Travolta and Alley still work well together, and I am always happy to see Koteas have some screentime. The aforementioned Gottfried cameo is as bewildering as it is highly amusing. If the film somehow managed to sideline the kids and stay focused on the adults then it could have been an okay, if unspectacular, comedy about parents dealing with the various issues that life throws at them. But this is a film trying to focus on the kids, and it's the kids who do the worst work. To be fair, they're not exactly to blame. Remember when Mikey seemed a bit too old by the end of Look Who's Talking to continue communicating with the inner monologue of Bruce Willis and not his own words? Yeah, that's a much bigger problem here, what with him being an older character, and the child seemingly unable to stop wanting to babytalk to anyone close enough to him in every scene. Although Julie is younger, it also feels as if she has already gone beyond the point of just having an inner voice. Willis and Barr deliver their lines in a fairly perfunctory manner, which also doesn't help, but there are a couple of fun voice cameos from Damon Wayans and Mel Brooks, with the latter portraying a bizarre "talking" toilet.

It's a shame that they didn't decide to either do away with the inner voice gimmick, or perhaps mix that inner voice with whatever the kids might have been able to say in person, because this could have been more bearable if that hadn't been the focus. As it is, you will end up smiling far too infrequently, rolling your eyes at the contrived finale, and being glad when it's all over.

3/10

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Ani-MAY-tion Month: Robots (2005)

Shiny, bright, easy entertainment, Robots is enjoyable enough, despite the fact that it's a couple of notches below any of the better animated movies of the last decade. It's lovely to look at, with design work that holds up well alongside any other title from the decade, but just doesn't have much else going for it.

Ewan McGregor voices Rodney Copperbottom, a robot who dreams of being a great inventor. He decides to head off on a quest to impress the mighty Bigweld (Mel Brooks), the big cheese in Robot City. Unfortunately, Bigweld is no longer in charge of his own company, which is now being managed by the greedy, devious Ratchet (Greg Kinnear). Rodney still wants to meet Bigweld, and his persistence might just lead to an upturn in the fortunes of the poorer residents of Robot City (including Fender, voiced by Robin Williams).

Co-directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha, there's a wealth of detail and gorgeousness in every scene here. The same can't be said of the script, written by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel and David Lindsay-Abaire. It's not exactly poor, but it just feels a bit flat. Even the lines rattled off by Robin Williams feel lacking in energy, especially compared to his far superior turn in Aladdin (over two decades old, but still one of the standout performances in any animated work).

While the vocal cast all do well, it's a shame that there aren't a few more easily identifiable voices. Williams is obviously Williams, and Paul Giamatti is always welcome in any movie, but McGregor provides a bland, American accent, and Kinnear seems a bit tame in a role that you'd expect him to seize with his usual relish. Brooks, great director that he is, doesn't make much of an impression as Bigweld, while Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Stanley Tucci, Amanda Bynes, Dianne Wiest and the rest of the cast are in the same boat. They all do a perfectly good job at reading their lines, but they're left bereft of any real personality. Funnily enough, it's Jennifer Coolidge, in a supporting role, who ends up as one of the most memorable robots, thanks to her fun character actually matching her usual onscreen persona.

Robots has all of the parts in place, all of the nuts and bolts are on, but it just put a decent motor into the gorgeous exterior. Aesthetically pleasing it may be, and a lot of the visual gags are very enjoyable, but the fact that it never fires on all cylinders (pardon the pun) means that it's unlikely to be anyone's first choice when browsing the family entertainment section.

6/10

http://www.amazon.com/Robots-Blu-ray-DVD-Digital-Copy/dp/B005KP778S/ref=sr_1_5?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1400183215&sr=1-5&keywords=robots

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

Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)

A spoof of the Robin Hood legend, this Mel Brooks movie takes the usual scattershot approach, with a lot of specific digs at the big-budget, Kevin Costner-starring Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

Cary Elwes takes on the title role, and he's excellent, not least because "unlike some other Robin Hoods", he can speak with an English accent. He starts to cause trouble for Prince John (Roger Rees) and the Sheriff of Rottingham (Richard Lewis) while also winning the heart of the lovely Marian (Amy Yasbeck). Lending Robin some support are a blind manservant named Blinkin (Mark Blankfield), a young man named Ahchoo (Dave Chappelle), Little John (Eric Allan Kramer) and Will Scarlet O'Hara (Matthew Porretta), all willing to become the titular men in tights. Tension rises, fights are fought and everything builds up to a climactic battle in which Robin Hood hopes to right a lot of wrongs.

It may be unfair to compare the later work of Mel Brooks to his earlier successes, but it's inevitable whenever he releases another parody, thanks to Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein remaining perfect examples of the format. This film is not as good as those superb titles, but it's goofy and endearing enough to please fans of the director's style.

The cast is great. Elwes is very funny in the leading role, keeping a straight face while involved in some amusingly ridiculous exchanges. Richard Lewis and Roger Rees do more obvious clowning around, but they have fun with their roles, a fun that's infectious thanks to the enthusiasm of everyone involved. Mark Blankfield is okay, used for a number of obvious gags, while Dave Chappelle is his usual energetic self. Amy Yasbeck makes for a fine Marian and Megan Cavanagh is the maid/nurse trying to keep the lady pure.

Written by Brooks, Evan Chandler and J. D. Shapiro, the script includes some fun musical moments, plenty anachronisms included for comedic effect, a fun, small role for Tracey Ullman (who lusts after the Sheriff of Rottingham) and a wonderful moment that allows Robert Ridgely to reprise his role from Blazing Saddles. Dom DeLuise, Dick Van Patten, Isaac Hayes and Patrick Stewart all join the madness.

This may be a lesser Brooks movie, but it will still make you laugh on a number of occasions. Which is more than can be said about some other spoof/parody films from the past two decades (*cough* Friedberg/Seltzer *cough*).

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Robin-Hood-Men-Tights-DVD/dp/B00004U0MG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366762288&sr=8-1&keywords=robin+hood+men+in+tights

High Anxiety (1977)

It's another top class spoof from Mel Brooks, this time taking aim at the movies of Alfred Hitchcock, and while I enjoyed many individual moments (the riff on The Birds is juvenile but also damn funny) I didn't feel that the whole thing worked as well as it could, or should, have.

The biggest plot developments, and indeed the title itself, are derived from Vertigo - the film that, despite stiff competition, just edges ahead of the pack to remain Hitchcock's finest hour. Mel Brooks plays Richard H. Thorndyke, a man who is appointed as the new administrator for the Psychoneurotic Institute For The Very Very Nervous. There's something not quite right at the institute, something that Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman) and Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman) seem to be covering up. Maybe it's to do with a patient named Arthur Brisbane (Albert Whitlock), a man kept there despite him being in fine physical and mental health according to his daughter, Victoria (Madeline Kahn).

Written by Brooks, as well as Ron Clark, Barry Levinson and Rudy De Luca, the film lacks the gag quotient of, say, Blazing Saddles while the references to the original movies aren't always as immediately recognisable as they are in Young Frankenstein. Having said that, there are plenty of details and little touches that will please fans of Hitchcock even if they aren't always played for laughs.

The performances are all pretty good, in line with the material, but the best moments come from the fantastic Cloris Leachman and the equally fantastic Harvey Korman. In fact, the very best moments feature both stars bouncing off one another and wringing the maximum amount of laughs from each line.

Okay, so comparing this movie to Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein is probably quite unfair because they are two of the best spoofs ever made so I should make it clear that High Anxiety certainly rewards attentive viewers and will undoubtedly be a film that I return to now and again for some guaranteed chuckles.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Mel-Brooks-Collection-DVD/dp/B000AM6NCM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348995965&sr=8-2

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