Evil Brain From Outer Space [1956] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

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This sounds like an incredibly campy job for Starman.......2006-01-09

Starman really should have bought himself a home on Earth. That would have saved him all the trouble of flying all the way back to the Emerald Planet just to turn around and come save the Earth from hostile aliens time and again. Of course, that would have denied us the privilege of seeing the utterly ridiculous High Council of Emerald Planet at the start of every Starman movie (which actually consist of footage from episodes of the Japanese Super Giant television serial). They're always worried that aliens using nuclear weapons will not only destroy the Earth but the rest of the universe as well – which makes it especially peculiar that none of the alien attackers ever seem to use nuclear weapons at all. This time the threat comes from a brain in a pan – yes, it's Balazar, the most intelligent person in the universe, who figured out a way to keep his brain alive after he was assassinated. Balazar's Brain is basically indestructible, we are told, and he already has hordes of Zimerian spies infiltrating science institutes and governments all over the Earth.

Naturally, Balazar's Brain lives in a briefcase, one which has been stolen by a lab assistant in an attempt to kill the brain and save the Earth – ah, but that would just be too easy. No, we have to have a big production with secret bases all over the place full of bad guys wearing rejected Batman suits, hybrid monsters able to materialize out of nowhere and kill people with the power of their supremely ridiculous costumes, and plenty of chances for Starman to dance with (uh, I mean fight) the bad guys. If you've never seen Starman fight, you have no idea just how bad fight choreography can be. All Starman does is wave his arms and dance around, never doing anything more than pushing his enemies away from him. That's why his fights take forever – he pushes guys down, and they just keep getting back up. At least it gives him plenty of exercise – and, judging by the paunch he carries around with him, he needs all he can get.

Let's talk about these hybrid monsters. The first mutant looks sort of like the Swamp Thing if he had vampire teeth and some kind of mutant sombrero on his head. At least he does look a little dangerous, which is more than can be said of the witch woman with a makeup job that would frighten even Tammy Faye Bakker. Then there's Balazar's Brain, which is less than impressive once we finally get to see the darned thing at the end.

These Starman movies are just about the campiest things you'll ever come across. They stink to high heaven, yet you just can't help enjoying yourself while you watch them.

Customer Reviews:

DVD documentary plus 2CD `Best of Dvorak'.......2008-02-06

This 3 disc set is one in a series of 14 on the Brilliant Classics label entitled `Great Composers'. Each set, which comprises a DVD and 2CDs of some of the composer's most popular works, is attractively presented in an outer slip case containing a 3 sided jewel case holding the 3 discs.

The DVD, typically around 50 to 60 minutes long and in 5.1 surround sound, is not intended as an in-depth biography but more of a documentary/period drama of the composers life, with a narration and often a performance (in period costume) of one of his popular works. The films, which are well choreographed to show scenery native to the composers life and historical items relevant to his time, are sufficiently brief as to provide just the most significant aspects of the composer and his music.

The 2 CDs, typically 60+ minutes duration each, are mostly recordings (good ones) drawn from the Brilliant Classics catalogue so can also be found on their other releases, such as the `Masterworks' box sets and the `Edition' series of complete works by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.

On this Dvorak set the 52 minute DVD documentary includes the `Sting Quartet No. 10 in E flat major' while the 2CDs (74 and 76 minutes) provide complete performances of 4 of Dvorak's greatest works - `Symphony No. 9 (From the New World), `Slavonic Dances', `Serenade for Strings' and the `Cello Concerto in B minor'.

In summary, this is an attractively presented set offered at a budget price which provides an entertaining and informative introduction to the life and music of Dvorak.

(The other sets in this collection are by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Handel, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Puccini, Ravel, Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi)

If the intention is to collect the entire series it is also available by Brilliant Classics as a 14 DVD set (no CDs) entitled `The Great Composers - The Collection'.

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