i've not written much about comedies, i think. pity, since i love 'em. the genre is so like horror, easy to louse up, very difficult to get right. the tone, pitch, timing, in short, everything need to be on balance to make a side-splitter. the same goes for horror, or better, terror. in order to scare the shit outta people there must be the appropriate atmosphere, gore, shock, and that unknown quantity to make it stick. that is hard to do. ed wood, god love him, couldn't make a scary movie even if a master, such as james whale did 4/5ths of the pre-production and production, and also lent a hand on the post-production of the finished movie. on the other hand, hitchcock could make a simple walk to the grocery store in broad daylight a frightening ordeal.

so here is a short list of my favorite funny films of the past 25 years or so. should i go back 75-80 years, i'd include almost everything by the maestro buster keaton, and the unsung harold lloyd. both master of physical comedy, both with their beautiful, wonderful faces: keaton's stoicism, lloyd's bemusement married with futility.

here goes, in no particular order, and no ranking. these are a handful of films i return to again and again, which sustains for me a gut-busting hilarity. i must warn you, my silly bone is rather strong. i laugh at the stupidest shit imaginable. example: my favorite series of commercials on tv now are the messin' with sasquatch campaign. these dumbass ads keep getting funnier each viewing.

blazing saddles

young frankenstein

raising arizona

kingpin

the jerk

that's it at the moment. two on this list were made by mel brooks in his most fecund period of filmmaking: the early 1970s. they are irreverent, shocking, bold and skewers everybody and everything the camera shoots. in other words, brooks films of the period are mad works of genius.