Customer Reviews

Brain Smasher - A Love Story [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This video has the same predictable elements as most Martial Arts/Action films, except the oriental actor's mouths match the audio. If you are an Andrew "Dice" Clay fan, you will find his performance a tolerable one. His character is a macho, hard hitting bouncer with much of the attitude from his stand-up routines. Although this film has its comedic moments "The Diceman" seems truly out of his element. Teri Hatcher fans will not be disappointed, as she wields her acting abilities as usual. She portrays a highly successful supermodel whose world traveling, flake of a sister is being pursued by "we are monks, NOT ninjas". Together Hatcher and Clay must save the world from these guys. I gave this film three stars because this is one of those movies you select for one of those quiet nights at home, you know...two or three movies and a box of microwave popcorn. Though it is not an Oscar winner, it is entertaining, and at the risk of sounding sexist, (sorry ladies) seeing Teri Hatcher in that sheer blouse, those shorts, and the thigh high boots made it worth the purchase price.

I absolutely adored this movie. It has a little of everything in it. Love, romance, guys in masks, large, scary strippers, ultimate power, and that one chick whose name I can never remember. Even better it comes with the best all-purpose line: "We are not ninjas!" You seriously can't go through life without that handy-dandy catch phrase. This is a must have for we-are-not-ninjas-shots, guess the sex on the lead singer (never figured it out), and it also doubles as a quick tae-bo self-defense class.

The Diceman must rescue a supermodel, smash some brains along the way and ultimately save the entire world.

Sounds like a comic book, huh? Guess what, it's a lot funnier than it sounds. First of all, Andrew Dice Clay is no slouch when it comes to acting and brings his unmistakable style to any project he's in. Sometimes it's all in the delivery, and Dice wrote a book on that. Also, there's great chemistry between him and fellow co-star Teri Hatcher. This alone is enough to make this movie worth a look.

The film's director Albert Pyun, who also wrote and produced it, brings a style and integrity often lacking in big Hollywood movies that are pulled apart by a dozen of writers, directors that are changed half-way through the shooting, and producers imposing crazy ideas on writers (let's not mention any names). Brain Smasher may not have the special effects of Armageddon and lead showers of Commando, but the comic book-like story flow is incredibly smooth and the acting will surprise you, considering the movie practically went straight to video, which to me doesn't make any sense. I mean, look at all the [other stuff] that is released on the big screen. The only logical explanation is that Hollywood put Andrew Dice Clay on their black list and won't give him a break. To me this doesn't sound logical at all...

Back to the story. The Diceman doesn't exactly play his on-stage persona here. (So if you're looking for off-color humor and women bashing, you won't find them here. Not a hue, not a slightest tint of the onstage bully we all admire. :-) It's more of a Stallone-type action hero. His name is Ed Molloy, professional bouncer. He's the best in the business, with lethal fists and Zen-like manners that have earned him the nickname Brainsmasher.

Teri Hatcher stars as Samantha Crain, international supermodel, whose botanist sister, played by Deborah Van Valkenburgh, finds a red lotus flower in the snows of Tibet and thus becomes the target of a gang of fanatical Chinese monks who think that this flower can give them the key to world domination. With me so far? Yuji Okumoto, who heads the gang of killer Ninjas (but don't you call them Ninjas or they'll break your nose!), has certain plans he hopes to realize with the help of the lotus flower, and must be stopped at all costs. This where the fun begins.

Running from killer Ninjas, the swashbuckling sisters decide to split. That's when Samantha runs into Ed. The bouncer and the model team up to stay alive. With little in common except being in this mess together and a growing mutual attraction, the romance sparks and spectacular street combat sequences provide the wall-to-wall action while the laughs keep flying! Like all great love-on-the-run movies it will leave you breathless....

In short, Brain Smasher is the hippest action/comedy ever!

This is a great movie: call it a cult classic, call it camp, but the fact is that if this movie ever came on TV at 2 A.M. you'd be glued to the screen until it was done. It stars Andrew Dice Clay and is a made-for-HBO semi-low budget action/comedy about a bouncer named Brainsmasher (Clay), a model (Teri Hatcher), her botanist sister and a clan of Chinese martial arts monks terrorizing Portland, Oregon.

In short the plot is that the model's botanist sister sends her this flower that bestows ultimate power if eaten because Chinese monks are after her. Now the Chinese monks (read: ninja-like guys) are after the model, and she runs into a nightclub. A bouncer (Brainsmasher) gets caught up in the fray and ends up joining forces with the model and....weird things happen.

The plot is nonsensical but the writing is top notch, and Clay plays Brainsmasher with Bruce Campbell-like comic delivery that is flawless. Just when you're afraid it might drag down into the throwaway plot there's plenty of brawler vs. martial arts cartoony violence peppered in that is actually quite well choreographed. The chemistry between Clay and Hatcher is a bit forced, but if you wanted serious romance then you'd be watching something other than Brainsmasher: A Love Story. This is by far Andrew Dice Clay's best performance ever, and I have been looking for this on DVD for years (my VHS tape is almost worn out).

Comparing this movie to others of the genre is challenging: it is lighter and less violent than most action movies, has more of a plot and better dialogue than most martial arts movies and is much funnier than any romantic comedy ever made.

Even if you hate Andrew Dice Clay, watch this movie! It's a rare gem that never gets old and is better than the sum of its parts.

After his sucess on the comedy stage, Andrew "Dice" clay decided to bridge his way to the big screen. His first movie, "the adventures of ford fairlane" has a decent following and a great soundtrack. So how do you follow this up, simple, Brain Smasher's...a love story. Honestly, this movie is so bad its good. Chinese Red Lotus monks chaising a supermodel, wow. To top that, A boncer that goes by the name Brain Smasher. This is something you just have to watch, hard to explain, but you'll laugh at the action, as well as the jokes. And Teri Hatcher in one of her many B-films before making it on ABC's Lois & Clark Superman series, and Now desperate housewives. I can only hope they take this to DVD like they did Ford Fairlane. Note, one of the other reviewers is correct, the VHS quality is not great, it was recorded on EP mode, so it's not top notch, but still worth it to watch.

This VidMark VHS tape is extremely bad. DO NOT BUY THIS VIDEO. The movie itself is great, it truly deserves to be put on DVD, so wen can enjoy this great action comedy in high quality.

Andrew Dice Clay and Teri Hatcher are so great in this movie. It really does feel like a love blooming between the characters as the action goes on. Even when separated at one point, Dice's character "Ed Molloy" continues to fight to protect Teri's character "Samantha Crain". Ed is a big, good-hearted, bouncer at a club. Samantha is a top model (stunning girl). Ed teaches her his top two self-defense moves and she does some good fighting! The dialog is filled with humor. The soundtrack features some striking vocals by Madelynn Von Ritz. The film should be re-released in DVD, since it is Dice and Teri at their best! A movie the whole family can enjoy.

We enjoyed watching this movie. Who would have thought Andrew Dice Clay and Teri Hatcher would make such a fun team? They do. I like this movie.

I wish this movie was on DVD! I don't own a VHS player and have been dying to see this again. I used to watch this movie all the time when I was about 12 years old. It was such a fun, comical, entertaining little cheese-fest. I loved it! I hope it gets released sometime on dvd or bluray for those of us who have ditched vhs!!!

Ok so this is a cheesey movie. I loved it and wish it were on DVD. Right now the only VHS I still have are this one and my wedding.