Interesteg What makes it different from others?

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

talisencrw I readily admit that Ken Utsui's films as Starman from the mid-60's are a guilty pleasure. You get the strangest possible scenarios, and from the Cold War-era time of countries jockeying to be the first into manned space travel, when movies of this ilk were both a commercial gold-mine and slowly but surely getting a higher degree of intellectual and artistic sophistication (three years before its pinnacle, '2001: A Space Odyssey'). This is my second of his (to my knowledge) four times as the caped benevolent Starman, always sent from the Emerald Planet when Earth is threatened (not sure why, they must be extremely nice people).Here, the brain of a demented dictator survived and escaped to Earth, where he is able to gather forces and threaten the world with global domination. It's pointless to explain, but the fight scenes (which play out more like carefully choreographed dances) are worth watching the film simply in themselves, and it's good-naturedness, charm and Utsui's likability shine through, and make this endeavor well-worth checking out and discovering for yourself. I found mine in my Mill Creek 50-film pack, 'Nightmare Worlds' for a very low price, and it can be seen for free online.

mark.waltz Combination Japanese mob movie, "Flash Gordon" rip-off and Asian "Father Knows Best", this is delicious bad taste at its most delightfully bizarre. An apparent dub of old Japanese science fiction movies mashed up in one big potato, it had me howling from the first minute. The most outlandish script has been thrown in for bad dubbing, utilizing comic book style bad guys to frame what little story exists. Outlandishly ridiculous names and one-dimensional villains are all parodies of the old serials. The monster meeting in outer space (with a cardboard Saturn in the background) features creatures that resemble huge air conditioning units I see in businesses with ventilation issues. I truly could not believe my eyes (or ears) as Ultraman like heroes battle vampire like monsters and various other creatures that look anywhere from the carrot monster from "It Conquered the World" to the hot dog monster from "The Horror at Party Beach". There is a heroic character known as "Space Pope" who is "very gifted" below the waste, an elderly evil leader who is a combination of George Zucco and Colonel Sanders, a Vampira like demoness who is also part killer clown from outer space and part Martha Raye in "The Buggaloos". At least the choreography is memorable; It is part zeppelin party scene from "Madam Satan", part "So you think you can dance" Halloween special. Much of the transitions do not make sense, and the pacing often slows down ridiculously. Hideous narration is even worse than "Plan Nine" which gives me the notion that this was plan number two. This is definitely a film to watch and get drunk with a group of friends.

Hitchcoc This is remindful of the bad television shows that made up the majority of offerings of the fifties. It may have been the golden age but there was a lot of lead among the gold. This has a sappy superhero in tights (like Superman) who clicks with little kids. He doesn't seem to have any problem beating up 60 or 70 bad guys at a time. There is a threat from outer space and a brain that controls everything. It must be destroyed. The monsters are a collection of Japanese guys in weird costumes. They seem versed in the martial arts, but come to no good end. This isn't a show for adults and if you were to update it and substitute cartoon characters for the humans here, it would fit right in on Saturday morning. Hardly worth the effort.

barugon This movie seems to be edited together from episodes of a serial -- it jumps from sub-plot to sub-plot, and introduces a whole raft of new characters without developing any of them. It's Shin-Toho Studio's entry in the Superheroes from Space genre, which puts it side-by-side with those MST3K staples, "Invasion of the Neptune Men" and "Prince of Space".Like those other movies, this one is frequently laughable. Jump cuts are used to make it seem as though the hero, Starman, and his monster opponent are jumping great distances... but the effect only works if you're under the age of ten and in a very forgiving mood. The meandering plot is juvenile; and the opening scene features an interplanetary council of some of the most hilariously unlikely aliens you'll ever see. Worst of all, I find Starman an uncharismatic and slightly stuffy hero.What distinguishes "Evil Brain", though, is its monsters, which are genuinely disturbing: one is a swift, chattering beast, with glaring eyes (one of which is on its stomach), huge fangs and long "cobalt nails". It also has two filigreed crests on its head (like bizarre Mickey Mouse ears), breathes smoky radioactive fumes, and has the ability to turn invisible... The other mutant is a silent woman whose face resembles a beaked bird of prey. She also has special skills: she can turn invisible, and she kills with one touch from her fingertips. In fact, she kills a young mother while her two small daughters are playing (a scene which probably explains why this movie doesn't turn up on TV any more!).Finally, as I write this, I note that IMDB recommends I might also enjoy "Tanin no Kao/The Face of Another". Hmmm... I'm afraid if I followed "Evil Brain" with Kobo Abe's intense, disturbing, and very mature fantasy, my head would explode.