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2009 | 2008

16 articles from 2009

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Mel Brooks' Classics Debut In Hi-Def DVD Collection

23 December 2009 3:12 AM, PST | icelebz.com | See recent iCelebz news »

Comedy legend Mel Brooks' timeless classics are available for the first time in high definition. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has debuted "The Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-ray Disc" on December 15.

The nine-disc collection features an exclusive book created in conjunction with him highlighting his life and unforgettable films.

It includes nine of his critically acclaimed films, including "High Anxiety," "History of the World Part 1," Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "Silent Movie," "Spaceballs," "To Be or Not to Be," "The Twelve Chairs," and his most commercially successful films "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein."

Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in the satirical Western comedy "Blazing Saddles" in 1974 with co-stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and is considered one of the greatest American comedies of all time.

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DVD Playhouse--December 2009

19 December 2009 3:11 PM, PST | The Hollywood Interview | See recent The Hollywood Interview news »

DVD Playhouse—December 2009

By

Allen Gardner

Public Enemies (Universal) Johnny Depp portrays legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger in co- writer/director Michael Mann’s take on America’s first “Public Enemy Number One.” Like many big studio releases today, Public Enemies has it all: A-list talent before and behind the camera, but lacks a heart or soul that allows its audience to connect with it. Film plays out like a “true crime” TV show with re-enactments of famous events cast with top actors and shot by the best technicians in the business, with little, if any, character or story development to hold it together in between. A real disappointment from one of our finest filmmakers and finest actors. The lone standout: the great character actor Stephen Lang as a hard-eyed lawman who’s seen a lot, but manages to retain a tiny piece of his heart. For a better take on the same subject, »

- The Hollywood Interview.com

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Making The (Up) Grade: The Mel Brooks Collection

19 December 2009 6:02 AM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

For contemporary audiences, Mel Brooks shares a lot in common with filmmakers like the Zucker brothers: he's a guy who pioneered a lot of the conventions of modern parody who may or may not quite still be relevant. In other words, his influence is undeniable; but the longevity of his body of work? Not quite as assured.

Brooks' films are definitely not 100 percent consistent (it should tell you something that Dracula: Dead and Loving It and Life Stinks never seem to find their way into his home-video boxed sets), but the ones that hold up are truly great: Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, and Blazing Saddles still have viewers in stitches, and many others from that time, including To Be or Not To Be, Spaceballs, and High Anxiety, still hold special places in the hearts of their fans. But whether you like only one or two of Brooks' films or all of them, »

- Todd Gilchrist

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Golden Globe-Nominated 'Hangover' Takes A Swig, 'Inglourious' Storms Shelves And More, In The DVD Report For Dec. 15

15 December 2009 4:00 PM, PST | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Getting some of the funniest guys in show business and dropping them in Vegas for a bachelor party sounds like a winning formula, but nobody expected "The Hangover" to gross a whopping $450 million dollars worldwide. Now the film is hitting DVD and Blu-ray, and is our lead film for this week's DVD Report.

Todd Phillips already had hits like "Old School" and "Road Trip" in the bank at the time he was begged to director "The Hangover," and the veteran comedy helmer pulled together a cast of unproven but fan-favorite stars. Headlining the zany misadventure romp would be Bradley Cooper (best known as the quintessential a-hole in "Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms ("Daily Show" and "The Office" alum) and underground comedy icon Zach Galifianakis. While all three shared a level of success, none had ever held a film together on their own, making this a considerable experiment for all involved.

What resulted, »

- Brian Jacks

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This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: December 15, 2009

15 December 2009 2:44 AM, PST | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed

Inglourious Basterds I just reviewed the Blu-ray edition, which you can read right here, but if you're looking for the short version... Buy this one right now. My recommendation is Blu-ray. The Mel Brooks Collection [Blu-ray] I almost made this the first previewed release, but at $92.99 I know it isn't exactly something people are going to be rushing out to buy as it takes a little more thought before handing over that kind of money. However, considering the set comes with nine of Mel Brooks's films on beautiful Blu-ray transfers that means you are getting each at just over $10. That's a pretty good deal.

The titles included in the set are Twelve Chairs, Silent Movie, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, History of the World - Part I, To Be or Not To Be, Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. »

- Brad Brevet

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Review: 'The Mel Brooks Collection' on Blu-ray

14 December 2009 1:33 PM, PST | Comicmix.com | See recent Comicmix news »

I first encountered Mel Brooks’ work, without realizing it, when I began watching Get Smart, the wonderful spy satire he cocreated with Buck Henry (who just happened to be my father’s college roommate – small world and all that). It wasn’t until Blazing Saddles and being in high school before I could put a name to the madman who unleashed these wonderful works. From that point on, when I saw his name I was guaranteed to be there.

In time, I learned of Brooks’ career prior to Get Smart and understood the steps taken that led to the work that I adored. My respect for his determination as a writer, performer, and romancer only grew with time and understanding. There was no single style to his humor – it could be slapstick, word play, satire – and he blended it unlike anyone previously. Nothing was sacred and he continually pushed the »

- Robert Greenberger

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What I Watched, What You Watched: Installment #21

13 December 2009 2:19 AM, PST | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

On top of everything below I recently received the Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-ray and watched a pair of Brooks's films I hadn't seen yet (Twelve Chairs and Silent Movie). The set contains seven more films, all on Blu-ray as well as six all-new featurettes exclusive to Blu-ray (such as, Silent Movie has a trivia track as well as a new 24-minute featurette focusing on silent films and how they inspired the movie). Also included are Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, History of the World - Part I, To Be or Not To Be, Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I will have a full review of the complete set as soon as I can and hopefully before it's released this Tuesday. Stay tuned for that, but for now let's have a look at what else I watched and then hear from you!

Federico Fellini's 8½ (1963) Quick Thoughts: »

- Brad Brevet

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President Obama honors Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen and more at Kennedy Center Honors reception

7 December 2009 12:17 PM, PST | Zap2It - The Dish Rag | See recent Zap2It - The Dish Rag news »

The 2009 Kennedy Center Honors were preceeded by a White House reception for the honorees -- Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen, comedian/director Mel Brooks, jazz pianist/composer Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry. The Associated Press has a thorough account of the entire reception.

President Obama opened his Springsteen tribute with, "I'm the president, but he's The Boss." Obama was followed by a speech from Jon Stewart, John Mellencamp performing "Born in the U.S.A.," Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland singing "Glory Days," Melissa Ethridge rocking out on "Born To Run" and Sting closing with "The Rising."

Meryl Streep and Ben Stiller were on hand to honor actor Robert De Niro, while R&B singer Aretha Franklin honored opera singer Grace Bumbry and Dave Brubeck was spoken about by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

For our money, we think Mel Brooks got the best tribute -- Jack black performed "Men in Tights, »

- editorial@zap2it.com

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Kennedy Center honors Springsteen, De Niro, others

6 December 2009 1:06 PM, PST | Filmicafe | See recent Filmicafe news »

"I'm the president, but he's The Boss." With those words, President Barack Obama greeted Bruce Springsteen Sunday night at a White House reception before the iconic rocker was lauded with Kennedy Center Honors along with Robert De Niro, comic genius Mel Brooks, jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry.A surprise list of stars performed as part of the nation's highest honors for those who have defined American culture through the arts. It's an awards show that opens with the national anthem and spans jazz, opera, movies and rock 'n roll . part of a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.Jon Stewart opened the tribute to Springsteen, recounting his theory on how The Boss came to be."I'm not a music critic, nor historian, nor archivist," Stewart said. "But I am from New Jersey. And so I can tell you what I believe. »

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Blu-ray Giveaway: The Mel Brooks Collection

3 December 2009 10:16 AM, PST | TheHDRoom | See recent TheHDRoom news »

Mel Brooks oldies but goodies are coming to Blu-ray in a big way on December 15 in The Mel Brooks Collection. This massive 9-disc set includes the high definition debut of High Anxiety, History Of The World Part I, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Silent Movie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Twelve Chairs, as well as Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs.

One lucky reader will have these 9 Mel Brooks films on Blu-ray mailed to their doorstep on us. For a chance to win, fill out and send in the entry form below. You can optionally return any or every day thereafter to enter again and increase the odds each time. Good luck!

Best known as a creator of broad film farces and uproarious parodies, jack-of-all-trades Mel Brooks has been entertaining audiences for years with his wacky and absurdist humor. Now just in time for the holidays, the »

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MovieWeb's 2009 DVD Holiday Gift Guide

24 November 2009 5:51 AM, PST | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »

Black Friday is approaching, fellow readers. No, I'm not talking about some sort of economic free-fall or any apocalyptic event that we might see in 2012. I'm talking about the shopper's paradise/nightmare that is the day after Thanksgiving, where all the hot holiday items are paraded about with slashed prices galore. While this day does wonders for your pocketbook, it takes a toll on your sanity with malls full of shoppers packed in like sardines, scurrying to complete their lists. We all know how trying these times are, so we here at MovieWeb are trying to make it a little easier on our readers. No, we won't be selling Blu-ray players for under $100, but we are compiling a tidy little list of our own complete with our top DVD buys of the season. Below you'll find a comprehensive guide to all of the hot titles that will be on the shelves this season, »

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Walk This Way: Nine-Disc Mel Brooks Blu-ray Set!

27 October 2009 4:48 PM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

If you're a fan of the irreplaceable and wonderful Mel Brooks, chances are you've already got The Mel Brooks Collection -- a DVD box jam-packed with most of the directors classic films. I already double-dipped to get them all in one spot, in space-saving super-slim cases, but now there's a collection worthy of a double or triple dip. And -- darn you all! -- yet another reason to get a Blu-ray player.

As DVD Snapshot shares, there's a new The Mel Brooks Collection on the way, and this time in glorious Blu-ray. But it's not just the old collection in high definition. It's the same roster +1 -- the film that was surprisingly lacking from the first release -- Spaceballs. That means, vacuum cleaner intergalactic hijinx along with Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, History of the World Part I, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Silent Movie, To Be or Not to Be, »

- Monika Bartyzel

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Critics Greet Sienna Miller's Broadway Debut

23 October 2009 5:00 AM, PDT | PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news »

Sienna Miller received a guarded welcome to Broadway Thursday night, as critics measured her performance in the drama After Miss Julie, an update - to 1945 - of August Strindberg's 1888 play about sex and class. "In a theater season that has felt like a boys' club of male movie idols from abroad (Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman in A Steady Rain, Jude Law in Hamlet), wouldn't it be gratifying if one fearless woman - with fewer stage credentials than the guys but almost as much tabloid exposure - walked away with the laurels?" writes Ben Brantley of The New York Times. »

- Stephen M. Silverman

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What I Watched, What You Watched: Installment #12

11 October 2009 1:08 AM, PDT | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

Okay, so I didn't watch only these two movies, but I have a few movies I am saving for actual reviews including the new Natural Born Killers Blu-ray and Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding which hits Criterion Blu-ray on October 20. While Monsoon Wedding will be a traditional review, I hope to encourage some conversation when I post my commentary on Natural Born Killers.

As always, remember you can keep tabs on my personal Netflix queue right here. I now have 50 friends on the movie rental site and would love to have a few more if those of you out there with accounts are interested. Now, here's the recap of my week in movies...

The Thaw (2009) Quick Thoughts: I already mentioned the Ghost House Collection this was a part of in my DVD/Blu-ray round-up last tuesday and Sara reviewed all four films from the collection last week. I finally got »

- Brad Brevet

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9 Mel Brooks Movies Bundled for Blu-ray

18 September 2009 8:00 AM, PDT | TheHDRoom | See recent TheHDRoom news »

Online retailers DVDEmpire.com and Amazon.com have both added active pre-order listings for The Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-ray Disc with an Srp of $139.99. Per the listings, the 9-disc set will include previously released Brooks' films on Blu-ray Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs and Young Frankenstein, along with newcomers High Anxiety, History Of The World Part I, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Silent Movie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Twelve Chairs. A little trivia: Robin Hood: Men in Tights will mark the fourth Robin Hood adventure to appear on Blu-ray. The first three are The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner and the first season of BBC's Robin Hood television show. Pre-order The Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-ray at Amazon.com. »

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2,000+ Words for the 2,000 Year Old Man: Mel Brooks Is Saluted by the Academy

25 July 2009 3:13 PM, PDT | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »

In early 1978, a child wandered into a now-razed mall cinema somewhere in the Midwest, ponied up $3.50 at the box office, and discovered that he had arrived early for his intended screening of Mel Brooks' consciousness-altering Hitchcock spoof, High Anxiety. Naturally, the child peeked at the tail end of the previous screening -- and felt a keen sense of spiritual expansion as a subtle crane shot aiming for the actors suddenly smashes, very awkwardly for all concerned, through a window! The child was me, and my perception of cinema was irrevocably altered. I loved every frame of the next screening, and -- catching up to the rest of the world who had caught on with Mel's astounding 1974 double-play of Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein -- I became aware of a genius. My angle on Oscar. (photo: Gregory Weinkauf) That genius -- »

- Gregory Weinkauf

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2009 | 2008

16 articles from 2009

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