Movie Night: Young Frankenstein.

Review #655: Young Frankenstein.

Cast
Gene Wilder (Frederick Frankenstein), Marty Feldman (Igor), Peter Boyle (The Monster), Teri Garr (Inga), Cloris Leachman (Frau Blücher), Madeline Kahn (Elizabeth), Kenneth Mars (Inspector Kemp), and Gene Hackman (Harold, the Blind Man) Directed by Mel Brooks (#061 - Blazing Saddles, #198 - Spaceballs, #248 - Robin Hood: Men in Tights, #361 - The Producers, #364 - High Anxiety, and #623 - Silent Movie)

Review
Yeah, I guess at this point I had to cover this movie, and I have three reasons why: The 40th Anniversary of the movie's release is coming up very soon, It's October, for Pete's (or in this case, Rob's) sake, and...It's been long overdue. Seriously, I should've reviewed this last year, but I just forgot (Of course last October I reviewed 20 films in 31 days, but who's counting?), so I am now rectifying a mistake (Though I know I will undoubtedly make another mistake in the future). The movie is a wonderful parody of the classic Universal Horror films, especially Frankenstein (#072), right down to the black and white shooting. In fact, Kenneth Strickfaden, who made the electrical equipment for the lab scenes for the Universal films (and still had it with him), let them use the equipment for this film, which is highlighted by his name on the credits. But let's get to the part of the review where I just say the movie's really funny because that is the next part, isn't it? Every major actor in this movie has or is involved in a funny scene, especially Marty Feldman (What hump?), who is just so fun to watch move around and gaze upon. I especially like Peter Boyle in this film because his movements and way of speaking as the Monster (especially while singing "Puttin' on the Ritz") is just so charming. The movie flows really well and never misses a beat when it comes to being funny, it has so much atmosphere and so much charm, and that is just perfect for October, or for any month in particular. I urge anyone, if not everyone to go see it, you just have to look.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Silent Movie.

Review #623: Silent Movie.

Cast
Mel Brooks (Mel Funn), Dom DeLuise (Dom Bell), Marty Feldman (Marty Eggs), Bernadette Peters (Vilma Kaplan), Sid Caesar (Studio Chief), Harold Gould (Engulf), and Ron Carey (Devour) Directed by Mel Brooks (#061 - Blazing Saddles, #198 - Spaceballs, #248 - Robin Hood: Men In Tights, #361 - The Producers, and #364 - High Anxiety)

Review
Silent Movie is a spoof on slapstick films of the silent film era, and it even has a cameo from Harry Ritz, one part of the classic Ritz Brothers, one of many associated with the silent film era. The visual gags in this movie are entertaining, even the fact that some of the sounds in this movie are "shown" is hilarious. The actors are fun to watch interact with, especially with Marty Feldman, whose eyes really just follow you even when the focus isn't on him, and that comes to a head when Anne Bancroft's eyes start crossing each other. The guest appearances (Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Liza Minnelli, Anne Bancroft, Paul Newman, Marcel Marceau) add to the charm of the movie because the stuff that happens with them is really hilarious, such as the electric wheelchair chase, Marceau's response to Funn's offer is probably the best response a mime could give to a offer to be in a silent film. The slapstick is fun to watch, especially the weird quirks that go on in this movie, especially the coke machine. The movie may not run long, but it more than makes up for it being a really entertaining film with a good deal of charm and love for its subject matter.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.