mel brooks

Remembering The Great Gene Wilder

The great Gene Wilder was born Jerome Silberman on 11 June 1933. The actor first caught attention in Arthur Penn’s 1967 hit Bonnie And Clyde, before a career making role opposite Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks’ The Producers (1968), for which he [...]

June 11, 2022

Alan Ladd Jr Dies Aged 84

Famed studio chief and film producer Alan Ladd Jr. Ladd has died at the age of 84. Born on 22 October 1937, Ladd was the son of Shane actor Alan Ladd and he started his Hollywood career as a Hollywood agent in the 1960s. Moving to London in the [...]

March 3, 2022

Uncovering Curiosities: Peter Bogdanovich’s THE GREAT BUSTER: A CELEBRATION

The Great Buster: A Celebration is exactly what the film’s title says it is. Writer-director Peter Bogdanovich‘s 2018 documentary celebrates the life and career of the great Buster Keaton. While Bogdanovich’s doc touches on [...]

January 7, 2022

Trailer & Poster: Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones & Morgan Freeman Star In Hollywood Comedy THE COMEBACK TRAIL

Director George Gallo‘s The Comeback Trail looks to have shades of Mel Brooks‘ The Producers and Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1995 hit, Get Shorty. This remake of the Harry Hurwitz’s 1982 (scripted by Gallo and Josh Posner) stars Robert [...]

June 30, 2021

Review: LADDIE: THE MAN BEHIND THE MOVIES Is A Heartfelt Portrait Of A Hollywood Mogul

Laddie: The Man Behind The Movies is a richly textured and heartfelt documentary which looks at the life and career of studio chief and film producer Alan Ladd Jr. Ladd, the son of Hollywood star Alan Ladd might not be a household name, but his [...]

April 20, 2021

Blu-ray Review: Peter Bogdanovich’s THE GREAT BUSTER: A CELEBRATION Is A Wonderful Tribute To One Of The True Masters Of Cinema

The Great Buster: A Celebration is exactly what the film’s title says it is. Writer-director Peter Bogdanovich‘s documentary celebrates the life and career of the great Buster Keaton. While Bogdanovich’s doc touches on [...]

September 25, 2020

Trailer: Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones & Morgan Freeman Star In THE COMEBACK TRAIL

George Gallo‘s The Comeback Trail looks to have shades of Mel Brooks‘ The Producers and Barry Sonnenfeld’s Get Shorty. The remake of the Harry Hurwitz’s 1982 stars Robert DeNiro and Zach Braff as movie producers who owe money to Morgan [...]

September 5, 2020

Something Wilder! Behind The Scenes Of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN In Colour

Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein is a Movies In Focus favourite and it might be the finest film featuring Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (or should that be Fronkenstein?). Without a doubt it is the greatest comedy film of all time. On the [...]

April 19, 2020

Movies In Focus At The 2017 BAFTA Film Awards And The Full Winners List

Movies In Focus once again braved the elements to join the red carpet at the 2017 EE Bafta Film Awards. This was the 70th year of the event and it was held at the Royal Albert Hall, rather than the usual Royal Opera House venue. As expected, [...]

February 13, 2017

Obituary: Gene Wilder 1933-2016

The majestic Gene Wilder has died at the age of 83 years old. The comedian was a live wire, a true genius who was able to add a certain amount of zing and pizzazz to everything he was in. Sadly, Wilder passed away due to complications from [...]

August 30, 2016

Book Review: THE ART OF JOHN ALVIN Is A Classy Affair

The great movie poster is a dying art-form (literally). There was once a time when a movie poster could be admired for being a classy piece of pop art, something that not only advertised a movie, but also stood proudly as its own thing. These [...]

September 4, 2014

DVD Review: Cuban Comedy THE TWELVE CHAIRS

This classic Cuban comedy from 1962 is definitely not what you’d expect, from the opening montage of revolutionary photographs to the animated credits sequence there’s a strange atmosphere that permeates through The Twelve Chairs. In fact, I’d [...]

April 8, 2012