History of the World: Part I News

Three DVD comedy collections stand out this season, packaged with intriguing extras and backstories, featuring the talents of Mel Brooks, John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson.

I love the giant clay target and the huge trap in this clip. If you were wondering: The clip is part of a beer commercial for Carlton Dry.

Best known as a creator of broad film farces and uproarious parodies, jack-of-all-trades Mel B rooks has been entertaining audiences for years with his wacky and absurdist humor.

It is said that the people are revolting. You said it! They stink on ice! That pretty much sums up the attitude of the Kossacks at the Daily Kos.

How would our world be today if our history actually reflected that portrayed in 25 of the funniest movies ever made on the subject? It's hard to say, but I'd imagine it would be a lot like living in a world ruled by Mel Brooks and Monty Python characters.

MEL Brooks and Carl Reiner are planning to resurrect the 2000 Year Old Man. The comedy routine, created in 1961, features Reiner, now 87, interviewing Brooks, who turned 83 yesterday, kvetching through the ages.

YEAR ONE Director: Harold Ramis Running time: 97 minutes * AS COMEDY pairings go, you might do a lot worse than Jack Black and Michael Cera, an odd couple of wild and mild mannerisms that should strike sparks in any situation.

Mel Brooks' most recent forays on the Great White Way - "The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein" - were based on two of his hit movies.

I might as well say it now: "Year One" should really be called "Judd Apatow's Life of Brian." It isn't that much of a surprise to find the omnipresent comedy impresario involved with this.

If anything, watching Year One is like playing a great big game of What Could Have Been.

Anyone who's been anticipating the day that Mel Brooks would get around to making a proper follow-up to History of the World, Part I need wait no longer.

If Harold Ramis ' Year One were a bowling match, it would lurch between gutter balls and spares, with some scattered lucky strikes.

Jun. 15, 2009 4:33 p.m. Growing up, greek meant Mel Brooks' History of the World Part I and Animal House .

Eric D. Snider , Jun 09, 2009 Mel Brooks is such a legendary figure in the comedy world that it's easy to forget he's only made 11 movies, and that some of them aren't very good.

Welcome to the Daily TWiP, your daily dose of all the holidays, historical observances, etc., we couldn't cram into The Week in Preview.

The purists may see the legacy of early-A.D. playwright Seneca and homage to other ancient Greeks in Amy Freed's new comedy "You, Nero." The less gilt-edged, however, will be reminded more of Mel Brooks' "History of the World Part I" and "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum," in this wildly hilarious tale of the wretched excesses of ...

Let's put it this way: When the Howard Jarvis anti-tax zealots are crowing in victory and San Francisco voters roundly reject a series of ballot measures -- well, something was out of kilter in this election universe to begin with.