Mel Brooks.

Whenever I think of Mel Brooks, I'm instantly filled with warm nostalgia. I remember spending Saturdays watching his movies, and falling in love with his sense of humor. It's interesting looking back and seeing how his films shaped they way I see humor.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Mel Brooks, allow me to educate you:

Mel Brooks is an american comedic director, writer, and actor. His films have become comedic milestones in the film industry, and have made their way into the hearts of viewers in every generation. His parodies of various genre staples such as Spaceballs (Star Wars), Robin Hood Men in Tights (parody of the fantasy genre), and Blazing Saddles (A stab at the western genre) have given audiences thousands of quotable scenes. Other works of his such as Young Frankenstein and The Producers have even made their way onto broadway stages and swept the Tony's.

I'll leave some clips and trailers for your viewing pleasure, and I recommend that you check out his works ASAP.

The Producers (1967 and 2001)

The Producers is the earliest on this list (for being his directorial debut) and the first Mel Brooks film to be made into a musical not only on stage, but in a screen adaption as well. It tells the story of a reluctant accountant with dreams of being a broadway producer, and Max Bialystock, a broadway producer who's seen better days. The two go into business together when they realize that they can make more money with a flop than with a hit. 

Blazing Saddles (1974)

This satire of the western genre tells the story of a black man becoming the sheriff of a small, western town as an attempt by a corrupt politician to destroy the town from within to make room for a railroad. This film features one of my favorite scenes of all time; The actors in the film break out of their soundstage into the film studio, onto live sets, into the studio cafeteria, and even to the theatre where their own film is being played, the forth wall break to end all forth wall breaks.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

After hearing of his grandfather's passing, Dr. Frankenstein returns to Transylvania to settle his affairs, only to continue his late grandfather's work. This is the second Mel Brooks film to be made into a stage musical.

History of the World: Part I (1981)

In a series of comedic vignettes, Mel Brooks tells the history of the ancient world, including France and Greece, among others.

Spaceballs (1987)

A venture into the sci-fi genre, Spaceballs shows the journey of Lone Starr as he battle against the evil Lord Dark Helmet to keep him from stealing planet Druidia's air supply. Any fan of Star Wars will love this film and it's subtle nods to the original trilogy.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

The Final film on our list is a spoof of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Not only are there jabs at Prince of Thieves, but also films such as the Godfather.

Cult classics

What is a cult classic? A cult classic is a film that has garnered a dedicated and energetic fan base. It's that film that you hear quoted often, but you might not have heard of it. Today, we're going to look at some cult classic films that have made their mark on pop culture.

Side note: for the sake of time and length, some directors have been limited to one film. There are some films listed that are just one out of many amazing cult classics from the same director.

Number 1: Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino

W'e kicking off the list with a heavy hitter. Two hit men, a gangster's wife, a boxer, and two thieves in love all come together in this Tarantino classic. Tarantino's gift for quick dialogue and storytelling is a marvel to behold.

Other greats: Death Proof, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill.

Number 2: Big Lebowski directed by the Cohen Brothers

"The Dude" Lebowski is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name, and goes on a wild journey to get restitution for his soiled rug. The witty dialogue and trippy storyline make this one of the Cohen brothers finest.

Other greats: Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading

Number 3: Clerks directed by Kevin Smith

Clerks follows two convenience store clerks as they deal with annoying customers, play hockey on the roof of the store, and talk about movies. This film captures the mundane yet interesting life of a retail employee. This film happens to also be Kevin Smith's directing debut, made in black and white to save money.

Visually Stunning Films.

There is a sweet spot in film. This sweet spot is best illustrated in a venn diagram. On one side, we have beautiful visuals, and on the other side have a fantastic story. Today, we're not going to talk about the sweet spot, we're going to talk about the visually stunning side.

Let me explain what I mean when I say "visually stunning". When i say visually stunning, I'm referring to those films that take your breath away. Those films that make you step back and really appreciate their beauty. Before we go on, I'd like to clarify that these movies are not just visually stunning. These films received recognition in a number of categories, but for the sake of this post, we will focus on them mainly for their visuals.

Pans Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro 

I'm just going to start out by saying that any film directed by Guillermo del Toro is going to be stunning. If you are unfamiliar with his work, he is most famous for directing all installments of the Hellboy franchise as well as writing all installments of the Hobbit trilogy. Guillermo is well known for his makeup effects, creating some of the creepiest and imaginative creatures to be shown on film. Pan's Labyrinth focuses on Ofelia, a young girl living with her mother and sadistic army officer stepfather in World War II era Spain. Pan's Labyrinth brings a child's world to life with it's remarkable and eerie setting and it's menacing creatures.

Life of Pi directed by Ang Lee

Life of Pi, based on the best selling novel of the same name, focuses on a young boy who is cast away at sea after a shipwreck with his only companion being a ferocious bengal tiger. Life of Pi features gorgeous visuals that landed it with four oscar wins, two of which were for the visuals alone.

Her directed by Spike Jonze

Her is the story of a single, lonely writer who develops feelings for an astoundingly realistic operating system designed to meet his every need. Spike Jonze uses cinematography and a crisp color palette to draw the audience in and create a totally different world.

Films to mess with your mind.

Plots to films these days tend to be pretty easy to follow; This character goes on a quest, finds love, rinse, repeat. However, once in a while, you find a film that twists reality. You find a film that sends you on a crazy, psychedelic roller coaster ride. Today, we're going to talk about three of the trippiest, crazy films out there!

Number 1: Fight Club directed by David Fincher

Fight Club follows our insomniac, office working narrator (Edward Norton) as he befriends Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a soap salesman. The two decide to open and underground fight club where men can go to release their aggression in hand to hand combat. Soon fight clubs pop up across the country, but something more than just a fight club begins to evolve.

Number 2: Momento directed by Christopher Nolan

A man with short term memory loss (Guy Pearce) on a quest to find the person who murdered his wife (Carrie-Ann Moss), with her killing being the last full memory he has. While we see him on his quest, another story line plays at the same time, filling in the gaps and building on the suspense.

Number 3: 2001: A Space Odyssey directed by Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece centers around a pair of astronauts sent to investigate a mysterious foreign object on the moon's surface. The pair is guided by a clever and ominous A.I, HAL 9000. While the film is very long, it's filled with mind blowing visuals and a killer score that make it one of the greatest films of all time.

Why Selma should have won.

For those of you who are aware, the Oscars weren't that long ago. I was unfortunately not able to view the show until yesterday. I remember scrolling through my Twitter and Facebook the night of and the morning after the ceremony and reading the usual Oscar comments; who wore it best, the funny jokes Neil Patrick Harris made, and the joy and sorrows of who won. The performance at the Oscars that I enjoyed the most was Common and John Legend performing "Glory", the best original song nominee from the film Selma. When I saw the posts saying it won best song, I was overjoyed. I thought Selma was an amazing film and was excited to see that it earned some recognition. What I failed to realize was that it was only nominated for two categories: Best film and best original song. Where were the other nominations? Surely there would be more. Best director? Best actor? Nothing else?

The Oscars always have been somewhat bias. After all, the academy decides, not the people. I don't want to delve too far into this topic for now, however, I will share this video and article from The Huffington Post about diversity at the Oscars and ask everyone to think about the time we live in and the impact this win could've had.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/20/oscars-diversity-problem_n_6709334.html

Old vs.New

Today in Hollywood, there seems to be a trend of fixing things that aren't broken. In a desperate search for something fresh, filmmakers are remaking films that did not need to be remade in the first place. Today we're going to take a look at two films; the original and the remake. Let's begin, shall we?

True Grit (1969) Directed by Henry Hathaway

Photo credit: talkiegazette.com

VS

True Grit (2010) Directed by Ethan and Joel Cohen

Photo credit: silverscreeningreviews.com

The story in the two films remained the same; a young girl, Maddie Ross, hires a U.S Marshall to search for the man who killed her father. So let's look at the contrast in characters.

Maddie Ross

In the original version, Maddie (played by Kim Darby) seems much younger, she's just a teenage girl after all. She's still fiery and independent, but we know the entire time that she's still just a child. She makes decisions like a child would and we don't see malice or a longing for vengeance in her. In the newer version however, Maddie (played by Hailee Steinfeld) seems much older and more vengeful. She still has that spark of independence, but she also has more wit and what seems like a downright bloodlust. The original Maddie just wants to find her fathers killer, the new Maddie wants to find him and kill him with her own bare hands. The difference the era they were made could attribute to this grittier interpretation, but it makes Steinfeld's performance more compelling. 

Rooster Cogburn

This is where the comparisons get, for lack of a better term, sticky. In the original, Rooster is played by the legend, John Wayne. John Wayne is usually the first person anyone thinks of when they think western and for good reason, the guy was a modern cowboy at the time. In the newer version however, we have Jeff Bridges, who happens to be a personal favorite of mine. Bridges's performance keeps the rough exterior, but still is able to convey the side of Rooster who really cares for Maddie over the course of their journey. John Wayne does a good job of being, well, John Wayne playing rough and tough Rooster Cogburn. Bridges's performance adds a certain element to Steinfeld's performance while Darby's performance falls a little flat.

The Winner... The New!!

Photo credit: webmasteruj.pl

There's more to be debated, but since the film's main focus is the relationship between Rooster and Maddie, I decided to focus on their characters only. I encourage you to watch both versions and decide for yourself!

Top 5 Netflix films

Hello! As a college student, Netflix is a cheap and easy way to watch movies and tv shows without having to pay for channels. To help some people who might be new to Netflix or are just looking for something new to watch, here are my top five films on Netflix that I would recommend. Let's get started!

Number 1: Good Will Hunting directed by Gus Van Sant

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a gifted math prodigy working as a janitor at MIT. looking for clarity in his life, he seeks the help of a psychologist (Robin Williams) to get his life on track. This film is the most impactful on the list, in my opinion. It cuts you to the core with every viewing, which is only enhanced with Robin William's brilliant performance.

Number 2: American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes

A suburban father (Kevin Spacey) hits his lifetime crisis after becoming infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. American Beauty is visually stunning to behold, and shows the audience the depths of the human condition.

Number 3: Fargo directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

A husband's perfectly planned crime falls apart thanks to his dimwitted hit men and the work of a tough as nails and pregnant police officer. The events that take place in the small town of Fargo, North Dakota are shockingly dark and hilarious at the same time.

Number 4: The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols

The Graduate focuses on recent college graduate, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman). In his confusion after graduating, he begins to have an affair with the wife of his father's business partner, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). Everything changes when he later falls in love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). Hilarious and heartfelt, The Graduate revolutionized film and made a star out of a young Dustin Hoffman.

Number 5: Big Fish directed by Tim Burton

While this film didn't pull nearly as many of the awards or award nominations as some of the others on this list, it's story and stunning visuals cannot be overlooked. Big Fish follows a son trying to find some truth in the stories his dying father has told him throughout his life.

These are only five of my favorite films available on Netflix. There are plenty of films, movies, and tv shows that I could watch for hours. I'm sure there will be some more Netflix related posts in the future.

What is a film? What makes a film great?

So, before we can talk about a film, we have to talk about what a film is. While we're on that note, what makes a film different from a movie? Well, I'm glad you asked!

Movie: a popular, entertaining film. Usually big, blockbuster action films or comedies. Think Independence Day or 21 Jump Street - popular movies that entertain the masses.

Film: An artistic movie using the elements of filmmaking, sometimes in a foreign language. Think Grand Budapest Hotel or Psycho- films that utilize cinematography, color, lighting, costuming and other techniques. These films are beautifully made, but not necessarily as popular.

So, now that we know what the difference is between a movie and a film, what makes a film so great? There are several elements that go into a great film. I shall list them below.

Color: This is a BIG one for me. I am a visual person and color is something that stands out to me. Have you ever been watching a film and a character was in distress? Thinking back on that specific scene, what color was the character in distress wearing? Also, what color was the room they were in? Color is a great way of setting the mood for a scene. Orange is usually a color that shows caution or danger, yellow shows happiness, red shows love, blue shows tranquility, etc.

Lighting: I'm going to give you a scenario; a character walks into a bar that has a reputation for being full of shady people. The filmmakers made a choice to have all of the lights on, bright as day. Now you have to wonder if anyone would be scared to go into this bar. Lighting can make or break a scene. It can change how the audience perceives a situation and can even throw a storyline off track if not used properly.

Cinematography: This is possibly one of the most crucial elements of a film. Every time I think of the power of good cinematography I think of the Fellowship of the Ring and the rest of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson utilized cinematography to shape the characters of Middle Earth and bring the world to life. Sir Ian McKellen was made larger than life as Gandalf and Elijah Wood along with the other actors in his band of Hobbits were scaled down. There are many other elements to cinematography, we'll get to those later.

These are just three of the many factors that make a film great. I tried to at least scrape the surface to give an idea of the posts to come. So with these things in mind, go out and see if you can notice any of these elements in some of your favorite films!