DRACULA:DEAD AND LOVING IT

Here's the last film that Mel Brook's directed called...


The film's a parody of "Dracula" and that's it. Nothing new or different, it's just a simple parody. So let's just get to the characters.


When I heard Leslie Nielsen was going to play Dracula in a Mel Brooks film, I thought he was going to be funny and scary but sadly he's neither of it, he's just dull, completely dull and boring. What a shame too because I love Leslie Nielsen, he was funny in "Airplane!" and the "Naked Gun" films, he was creepy in "Creepshow" and to see him not using any of his talents as Dracula is just disappointing. Peter Macnicol as Renfield is incredibly annoying and not funny in the least. The rest of the cast such as Steve Weber, Amy Yasbeck, Lysette Anthony and Harvey Korman, are all bland, boring, unfunny and forgettable. Even Mel Brooks as Van Helsing gives a weak performance in this film and again I love Mel Brooks but sadly like Nielsen, he's not using his comedic talents here.

 
So if the actors stink that means the film must stink right, YES! First of all, when comparing this film to "Young Frankenstein" or "High Anxiety" this one is really weak! It doesn't bring the feel of a Dracula film, it just looks like a stupid unfunny modern take on it much like the unfunny "Movie" series. The jokes really suck and even though I smirked a few times, it still fails to make laugh and get in on the fun. Most of the jokes are either overstaying their welcome, forced, or just thrown in. I hate to say this but "Robin Hood: Men In Tights" was better than this film.

What more can I say, it's probably Mel Brook's weakest film and to make that the last film he directed is very sad and depressing.

RATING 1/5

HIGH ANXIETY

Here's a Mel Brooks film that's dedicated to the great Alfred Hitchcock called...

The film is a parody on the Hitchcock films and stars Mel Brooks as a Doctor who is now the new administrator of the "Psycho-neurotic Institute For The Very, Very Nervous" who has a fear of heights called "High Anxiety". He notices a lot of suspicious activities going on in the hospital as some of the members are trying to kill him, eventually framing him for murder.

Mel Brooks is funny as the character but for the most part, he plays the character rationally where the surroundings that are weird and crazy seem like its all eerie and dangerous to him instead of thinking that it’s completely over the top and wacko as we the audience feel. Madeline Kahn as the love interest is very beautiful and funny but just like Brooks’ character and performance is too she plays it's her frightened reactions to the absurdities around that make her laughable. Harvey Korman as the villain is just as villainous as he is in "Blazing Saddles", and of course completely owns the role. Cloris Leachman as the crooked Nurse is ridiculously strict and the thick over the top accent that she brings to the character is just as silly as her accent as Frau Blucher (Horses Neighing) in “Young Frankenstein”. Ron Carey as Mel Brook's sidekick is the least funny character in the film for how forced his humor feels, but he's likable enough where you don't dread his on-screen apperance. Finally, we have Howard Morris as Professor Lilleoman and just like how he would later play a similar role in the Roger Corman's horror parody “Transylvania Twist”, he here does as great of a job at playing this kooky smart old man.

 
The film itself is another clever parody film by Mel Brooks. While he parodies Hitchcock films, he still puts respect into it to show how great his films are and gives you the feel of watching a Hitchcock film. The things that Mel Brooks makes fun of regarding Hitchcock films are endless! He satirizes the dramatic music, the shots, the characters, the plots, and the murders. Mel Brooks also throws in a character and parody that’s not at all related to Hitchcock, which is a Bond villain based off of “Jaws” and as out of place as it sounds; the parody of this famous Bond villain still manages to fit within the film’s world. Outside of the parodies, Mel Brooks does puts in his traditional humor such as the fourth wall jokes, suggestive humor, characters with odd names, slapstick and of course throws in a great musical number.

The film is one of Mel Brooks best, funniest and clever parody flick that should not be missed!

RATING 5/5

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Well, I just reviewed the first ever "Frankenstein" film earlier this month, now I'm going to review the ultimate parody to "Frankenstein" called...

The grandson of Dr.Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) hates living in the shadow of his grandfather. However, his grandfather left him the will to his castle in Transylvania. Fredrick heads to the castle, finds his grandfathers lab and private library and Fredrick decides to continue his grandfather's legacy. The film is a parody on the Frankenstein horror films (Most specifically "Frankenstein", "Bride Of Frankenstein" and "Son Of Frankenstein") and is also a comic sequel to the classic story.


The characters and stars in this movie are some of the best comedic performances and funny characters that you'll ever see, epically if they're done by Mel Brooks. Gene Wilder as Fredrick Frankenstein ("That's Frahnk-en-steen") just like his roles such as Leo Bloom in "The Producers", The Wakco Kid in "Blazing Saddles" and Willy Wonka, this is one of the roles that are made for him. He's crazy, he's insane, he's over the top but he also is smart, classy and tries to keep his cool for the most part. Best Non Villainous Mad Scientist award goes to Wilder, hands down. Peter Boyle plays the Monster and he is freaking hilarious as the Monster as well as completely showing his innocent side then monstrous side. Marty Feldman as the hunchback assistant Igore (Eye-gore) is always funny, he looks and acts like the hunchback assistant cliche that we horror fans love and I just love that he's so in denial of having a hump that he doesn't even know it. Teri Garr as the love interest Inga is very beautiful, really funny and her accent is one of the most funniest accents that I've ever heard. Cloris Leachman as Frau Bleucher (Horses neighing) goes from being creepy to more insane than Wilder and she is of course funny. Madeline Kahn as Fredrick's fiance Elizabeth is so spoiled and full of herself that she still comes off as likable and who she hooks up with in the end is really clever writing. We finally have Kenneth Mars as Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friederich Kemp with a mechanical arm, who is both a clever parody of Police Inspector Krogh in "Son Of Frankenstein" and Dr.Strangelove.



The comedy and parody in this film can only be achieved by the brilliance of the writing and directing of Mel Brooks as well as the casting of characters epically from Gene Wilder who also wrote the film as well. It uses great word play with names, has great dialogue, funny slapstick, humorous sexual innuendos and parodies classic scenes and characters from the films. The highlights for me in this film are the bookcase, the Monsters encounter with the little girl, the Monster meeting the blind man played Gene Hackmen, Abe Normal joke, Madeline Kahn and the Monster and of course the most iconic scene in the film, the "Puttin' On The Ritz" number with Fredrick and the Monster. On top of it all, what makes the film a true parody film masterpiece is the atmosphere of the film. The film gives you a true feel of watching an old Horror classic like "Frankenstein" by filming it in Black & White, having a similar score to the old Horror classic and using similar shots and angels that the original film had.

"Young Frankenstein" is a true parody masterpiece on a horror film.

RATING 5/5

LIFE STINKS

Here's a film that people like to call the blacksheep of Mel Brooks films called...



Mel Brooks plays a greedy and spoiled rich man who makes a bet with his rival if he can become homeless and survive for 30 days in order to gain his rivals half of a bum area. Our main character must now learn how to survive out in the street with no cash, find food out of the trash can and find shelter to sleep in. Along the way, he makes friends with other bums including a bag named Molly (Lesley Ann Warren). So far I like the plot and it sounds like a film that Mel can do a lot with. Despite having a fun plot is the film funny?



Lets start with Mel Brooks as the main character. I think Mel Brooks brings a great dramatic performance as this character. When I first saw him as this cold and heartless business man in the beginning, I didn't think for a second that this character was ever going to change or become likable. He's probably one of the biggest jerks that I've ever seen on film and Mel does a great and convincing job as this cold and selfish man. When he becomes a bum, I feel pity for him and feel bad for the many cruel things that are happening to him.The scene where I felt bad for him the most is when he's in the hospital screaming and crying how bad life is, that was really great acting by Mel Brooks. On top of it, after awhile he starts to become so likable that you're rooting for him to win the bet knowing that he might have different plans for this bum area. So his acting and character is great but is he funny? Well to be perfectly honest, NO! Comparing his comedic performance to his other performances, it's so poor that you'd probably never guess that he was the master who brought many great comedies. Is his acting great in this film, YES! Is his character likable and well written, YES! Is Mel as funny as we know him, NO!

The supporting characters, are they as memorable and funny as Mel's previous characters, sadly no, they're unfunny and forgettable. Comedic actor Howard Morris as his first bum friend Sailor, is probably his weakest and most forgettable performance, however, with that said, I did feel bad for his character in the end. Theodore Wilson as Fumes is pretty much nothing but a blur in my mind. The rival played by Jeffery Tambor, good god is he an annoyingly unfunny villain, this villain and performance is nothing when compared to villains that Mel Brooks has created. There is however one supporting character who I was attached too and found to be very memorable and that's Lesley Ann Warren as the love interest Molly. Despite being not a funny character either, Warren brings the same powerful dramatic performance as Brooks. She's strong, she's tough, she's lovable, her personality and character is interesting and to be honest I was more attached to her than our star, that's how good her performance is. While the love story seems to be just thrown in, she and Mel do share some good moments together. My favorite scene is when the two are in an abandon warehouse, the two begin to dance together and everything around them goes from looking trashy and sleazy to a beautiful fantasy like dream sequence.



So the acting isn't funny which means the film isn't funny right, yes and no. Granted this is one of Mel's weakest comedies that doesn't carry any of Mel's trademark humor but it isn't as god awful or painful as his following films. I surprisingly found myself very attached and hooked on the story from beginning to end and despite our two leads not being funny they still are likable. Yes the humor is dull but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find myself laughing at the films climax, that was the only funny sequence in the movie and believe me it's all worth the wait. I also found it's morals on life to be very good and moving. Again the film doesn't carry Mel's trademark humor but that's not the reason why it's not funny. Mel's second film "The Twelve Chairs" didn't carry any of his known humor and that was still funny. The reason is the story was funny, the actors were funny and seemed to be enjoying their selves and the humor was funny because you can tell that Mel was really giving it his best. Here, it doesn't feel like any of that, it feels like Mel wanted to make a drama film but felt forced to put comedy into it since that's what his audience is expecting. The film itself doesn't even feel like he gave it his all, it feels like he's giving up half way through probably knowing that his film is going to flop as a comedy.

Despite failing as a comedy, I'm actually glad I saw it. It's certainly not Mel's best but it's not his worst either. I say it's worth a watch.

RATING 3/5