Blazing Saddles: One of the Best Comedies Ever

Blazing Saddles, the 1974 film starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, is one of the best comedies ever made in the history of cinema. “You’ve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know…morons.” – Jim the Waco Kid. Mel Brooks movies are among the films that I watch when battling depression. While I almost opted to watch The Producers,…

"Blazing Saddles: One of the Best Comedies Ever"

An American Tail Marks 35th Anniversary

An American Tail, the beloved animated film directed by Don Bluth, celebrates the 35th anniversary of its 1986 theatrical release. The film isn’t just representative of the immigrant experience but the Jewish immigrant experience. It’s especially interesting to watch the film in 2021. You might not know this but antisemitic bigots are shouting for the Jews to go back to Europe. The Mousekewitz family–living just next to the Moskowitz family–leaves Shostka, Russia for the same…

"An American Tail Marks 35th Anniversary"

History of the World: Part I isn’t Mel Brooks’ Best

History of the World, Part I–which has no sequel–spoofs multiple genres in this anthology showing that there are no limits to the mind of writer-director Mel Brooks. In depicting a few periods of time in world history, Brooks also spoofs other films or stories in doing so.  Aspects of “The Stone Age” parody that of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  Brooks isn’t shy of placing many gags in this era.  Whether its the invention of music…

"History of the World: Part I isn’t Mel Brooks’ Best"