Hi, this is me, your Movie Maniac, one of the professors at the Movie Madness Podcast University. I’m here with something quite disturbing; I woke in the middle of the night with visions of Mel Brooks tap dancing in my head (sugar plums are far more comforting); I also had an epiphany. I finally know what happened between High Anxiety and Spaceballs. Well, History of the World: Part 1 happened too, but that doesn’t count.

In my dream, Brooks was doing the Putting On The Ritz number from Young Frankenstein, complete with the scantily clad Mel Brooks dancers, when like a lightning bolt I knew why I loved High Anxiety and hated Space Balls. Now, be patient I’ll get there…

Earlier in the day, the wonderful documentary, Mel Brooks: Make a Noise, was on Netflix and I couldn’t help but watch it. While enjoying the film an old concern struck me: what de hell happened, as Mel might have said.  That’s when the disturbing dream came in to play. I realized as Brooks was dancing, “harrumph,” that, in the earlier films, Brooks was paying homage. The original movies were always in the background as subtext. In the new films he was making fun, or mocking: Robin Hood: Men in Tights, really?

In Make a Noise, Brooks explains that he sat with Alfred Hitchcock to watch High Anxiety and nervously awaited his opinion. When Hitch liked the film, even commenting on the draining ink from the newspaper seeming eerily like the blood circling the drain in Psycho, Mel was thrilled. With Spaceballs he just kind of asked George Lucas for permission. According to Brooks, in the documentary, all Lucas made him promise was “no action figures.”

Before all you fellow movie geeks get up in arms, I actually grew to like Spaceballs, despite it mocking one of my favorite films: Star Wars. Even worse, is the aforementioned Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I was horrified when I first watched it…horrified I say! Swashbucklers are my favorite genre and to mock them is tantamount to celluloid blasphemy. To this day I can’t even look at a clip of Tights without cursing. I want to find Mr. Brooks and violently shake my finger at him. (H’m, do you think maybe I’m wound too tight?)

I grew up on Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power and Douglas Fairbanks, et al.. I expected to see an hilarious homage to the original The Adventures of Robin Hood, not just lots of vaudeville style mocking. Certainly Mel Brooks is incredibly funny but the artful crafting of his earlier films seemed to have been replaced by scatological humor and the equivalent of fart jokes, Blazing Saddles notwithstanding.

Lest you think I’m being too sensitive I’d like to bring up some examples. The Court Jester is a wonderful spoof of Robin Hood (and the genre in general). Airplane is about as silly as a film can be but still maintains a loving relationship to the disaster films from whence it sprang. Scream is another great film, that just happens to make it easier for me to watch slasher films, and yet, as “spoofy” as it may be, maintains the integrity of the original.

The last example is Dr. Strangelove. One of the great comedies of all time and also one of the best spoofs. Stanley Kubrick was at his absolute best when directing it and Peter Sellers at the top of his career. Each of these films was wildly funny and yet serious film making. Not to be too harsh, but it seems Mel Brooks should have stuck to the date that brought him.

Having expostulated enough I shall step down from my soapbox and say that Mel Brooks, I love you. Your performance as the 2000-year-old-man is classic comedy at it’s best and your earlier movies are some of the best comedies ever made. I just have one wish. I would love to see you remake Young Frankenstein for the 21st century. That would make up for Men in Tights. Few people have remade their own movies and done it as well as undoubtedly you could. Though you may have to update the humor and enlist a few writers from the hip-hop generation, but I think it would be great!

We arrive at 1975, this is the year of Stanley Kubrick’s costume drama Barry Lyndon. Barry Lyndon is a 18th century Irish man played by Ryan O’Neal .The film follows his rise from been a nobody on the run from the law to getting married into Nobility. Unfortunately his success doesn’t come from a genuine way of hard work, he lies, cheats and gambles his way to getting noticed, and eventually finds the power he craves by marring a Noble woman. For me it is Kubrick’s hidden gem, the way he shot the film is brilliant, the use of the English countryside and huge manors for interior shots is beautiful, well worth a watch I say.

1980, now we have Stanley Kubrick’s movie about a descent into madness, The Shining. Jack Nicholson’s performance is just brilliantly insane, the look he has in his eyes just looks wild and savage like, he really looks like something has clicked in his head and has drove him over the sanity barrier. Full Metal Jacket is next for Kubrick in 1987, this is a war movie set during the Vietnam War.  This film is like a film in two halves, the first following recruits at a training camp, the second, following the war through the eyes of one of the recruits from the first half. For me the first half of the film is stronger, in my opinion. Lee Emery plays a drill Sgt. training these recruits he is such a character you just never forget him and some of the things he comes out with. Kubrick goes back to his strong use of music too, lets say you will never see the Micky Mouse Club Song sung in any other way stranger and darker than this.

It would be a long wait for his next film, 1999 to be exact. That film was Eyes Wide Shut starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. This film is another not often talked about gem from Kubrick. The film is like one big daydream, the use of color and long camera panning shots is brilliant. Believe it or not both leads were great in their roles too. This film I believe has a R rating in the US, believe me it needs that rating, there is a few scenes taking place in a mansion with a strange cult, these scenes are not for young eyes. This film reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock‘s work because its like a mystery cat chase mouse film. Unfortunately Kubrick never got to see the release of it he died on March 7th, 1999. The world lost a great visionary director, who tried to make every film different but also somewhat familiar with his usual tricks of music and sound. Watch his movies you will not regret it. Thanks for reading.

After re-watching all the Stanley Kubrick movies, the thought came to me, why not make your next post on Movie Madness Podcast about his films, so here it is. Stanley Kubrick for me, made his films always with a sparkle of mad story telling, with a twist of classical music thrown in, its like he is making these films for him and no one else. For me he was a Visionary he wanted us to not just watch but also listen to and feel his movies. With what could be a controversial move I’m starting from 1960, for I feel that is the start of the genius. 1960 was the release of Spartacus. This very famously starred Kirk Douglas in one of his most famous roles. This movie was a huge commercial success earning six Academy Award nominations and winning four, this told the world that Kubrick was a great Director in the making. Next was Lolita in 1962, this film for me is hard to watch, it stars the great James Mason who plays a character who has a crush on a young teenage girl, and  follows their journey through their lives. Its great for James Mason’s acting but I could not warm to it. Next up was the brilliant Dr Strangelove, in 1964. This film was a black comedy set after World War II, and the start of the cold war. Its a brilliant watch with Peter Sellers playing three very different roles. For me this starts off the path of Kubrick doing movies that stay with you because, you are always thinking about them, even days after watching them. 1968 is here and so is 2001: A Space Odyssey.   This for me is one off the greatest science fiction movies of all time. It shows us the story of Mans rise to power and where it could lead in the future. Its worth seeing alone for the brilliant use of music and early special effects, and not forgetting Hal, who in my view is, one of the greatest “Movie Villains” of all time. 1971 and A Clockwork Orange is brought into the world by Kubrick. This is one great movie but, it is, a very violent movie. The film could be described as an exploration of violence and experimental rehabilitation by the law, and what sort of measures they could go to to stop this violence. I was glued to this film there is so much going on, it shows how far Kubrick would go to make his film stand out and get noticed. I’m keeping this short and sweet. I shall return with final part of this great Directors work.