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Monday, 12 March 2012

History Of The World: Part I


Director: Mel Brooks

Year: 1981

Language: English

Length: 1 hour and 28 minutes (88 minutes)

Staring: Mel Brooks, Pamela Stephenson, Dom DeLuise, Madiline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Gregory Hines, Spike Milligan, Ron Carey, Sid Caesar. (I feel like I'm missing someone important... any idea who?)

Plot: This film is a spoof of some of the greatest moments in history, from the beginning of humanity through Roman times and the French Revolution to round off oddly somewhere in the middle. This film is yet another show of Mel Brooks fantastic abilities as he gives a twisted history lesson with his usual vulgar satire and mad humour. The film is narrated by the fantastic voice of Orson Welles, and tells of the progress of mankind as cave dweller, tap-dancing black slave and biblical hero Moses. As well as mocking famous historical events it also mocks historical films, most notably 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' and 'The Ten Commandments, as well as a brilliant parody of '2001: A space Odyssey'.

Review: First of all let me just say there is no part II, there is a clip at the end of what would be in it and it's hilarious, but alas no part II in sight my friends. But, that aside, go see this film. Now. Go. I'll wait. Seen it? Love it? I know. How could you not?! As soon as you see the first 10 minutes of the film, you're in love. My favourite bit had to be where Moses come down from mount Sinai and has three tables "I'll show the people your fifteen rules." Then he dops one. "Everyone I have the ten commandments of God!" Or something like that, either way hilair. XD Though I do warn, if you have no sense of humour... you won't like this film. Every single line is a joke and to be taken as such, nothing in it is serious, there are racial, sexist, gay and sex jokes throughout it and can offend some. 

Quotes: The whole film is one big quote... It's hard to choose particulars. They're so many dick/sex/gay jokes.

Overall Rating: 5/5 GO WATCH IT NOW. SHOO, SHOO!

Sunday, 4 March 2012

Blazing Saddles


Director: Mel Brooks

Year: 1974

Language: English

Length: 1hour 29minutes (89 Minutes)

Staring: Cleavon Little, Gene Wo;der, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks, Alex Karras, David Huddleston, Claude Ennis Starrett Jr., Dom DeLuise

Plot: (Taken from LoveFilm.com because I'm lazy.) A hilarious, madcap spoof of nearly every Hollywood Western convention, BLAZING SADDLES turns racism on its head at every turn. When the sheriff of a small frontier town is killed, convict Bart (Cleavon Little) is appointed the first black sheriff of the all-white Rock Ridge by the evil Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) in a bid to chase the townspeople from their homes. The naive Sheriff Bart soon realizes from the less-than-cheery welcome that the townspeople (who all seem to be named Johnson) aren't prepared for a black sheriff and that he was never meant to succeed at all. Enlisting the sensitive town drunk (Gene Wilder), formerly the Waco Kid, Bart embarks on a plan to help save Rock Ridge. A scathing spoof that deals with racism, sexism, and bodily functions, BLAZING SADDLES offers a contrast between picture and words that is shocking, subversive, and hysterical. 

Director Mel Brooks, working from an hilarious script-- written, by among others, Richard Pryor—makes two memorable appearances as both the sleazy governor and a Yiddish-speaking Sioux Indian chief, while Madeline Kahn does a side-splitting Marlene Dietrich imitation as the town floozy/entertainer. Featuring fabulous comic turns by Alex Karras, Slim Pickens, and the aforementioned Little, Brooks, Korman, and Wilder, BLAZING SADDLES is one of the raunchiest, funniest, and most beloved spoofs ever made.

Review: It is yet another marvellous achievement by one of the greatest directors of all time, especially since working with comedic script writing genius that is Richard Pryor. This film starts of perhaps a little slow but then it flies away with hilarity. It is pure genius taking the piss out of film, after film, after film, from The Sundance Kid to Rio Bravo to The great Big Band sound of Count Bassie. Each and every character has their own twist to their personality that shapes their lines and deliverance. I still have no idea how Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little deliver some of their lines with such serious faces. I'm not certain that Mel Brooks does.

The best bit of the film is definitely at the ending that I hate to kill, where they storm the studio and then with The Great Pie fight with a saluting Hitler in the back ground before continuing to run amok! Then they quickly put the cherry on the top of the cake with a quick Sheriff cliche parting. 

Quotes: "Gawd... you use yer tongue perdier than a $20 whore." 
"Hey, where the white women at?" 
"And now for my next impression... Jessie Owens. *Runs*" 
"Head them off at the pass... I hate that cliche! *shoots*" 
"Oh lord do we have the strength to carry out this might task... or are we just jerking off?" 
"Somebodies gotta go back and get a shit loada dimes." 
BEST LINE: "Piss on you! I'm working for Mel Brooks!"

Overall Rating: 5/5

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Your Highness

Director: David Gorden Green 

Year: 2001

Language: English

Length: 1 hour 42 minutes (102 mins)

Staring: James Franco, Danny McBride, Zoey Deshanel, Charles Dance, Noah Huntley, Justin Theroux, Natalie Portman

Plot: Thadeous (McBride) plays a useless, whiny younger brother with jealousy issues of a great hero, Fabeous (Franco) - who has a serious brother complex. Just before Fabeous gets married, his beautiful bride-to-be, Belladonna (Deshanel), is kidnapped by an evil wizard (Theroux). Thadeous and Fabeous then set out on a wild journey to save her. Fabeous gets caught and Thadeous has to continue the grave journey to find the Unicorn bone sword and save his brother on his own along with, wild vixen, Isabel (Portman).

Review: Firstly, I would like to say, back off other reviewers! Why you hating? This film is both weird and hilarious. I don't think there was a moment when I wasn't laughing. Seriously. If you have seen any of McBride's other films and liked them, you'll like this. It has a ton of faces you'll recognise and a ton of jokes you'll love. Trust me, this is a film you'll want to see. Its all extremely good acting and fantastic shots of beautiful scenery along side all the goofy, strange, funny weirdness. I used this film to make me feel better with a tub of B&J and it really worked.

P.S the dwarf king looked like Roland from Sabrina The Teenage Witch... Anyone know if it was?

Quotes: 'Thadeous: Brother! Handle thy shit.'
'Fabeous: It's the sake of the mission!'
and any time Fabeous tells Thadeous he loves him XD

Overall Rating: 4/5