THE MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN

The Man with the Screaming Brain
By Aine

Oh boy, here we go, I want to support you Bruce, I really do, but the well seems to be running a little dry lately. I was pretty let down by Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way, and was at least hoping for this to be great. I should have known that it being on the Sci Fi channel was the kiss of death.

First off, it’s in Bulgaria, yep, Bulgaria. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that. But this movie not only happens to be on the Sci Fi channel, it is unfortunately scripted like a movie on the Sci Fi channel as well. The writing is bad, I’m sure some of that is on purpose because we all know that Bruce Campbell is known for his cheesiness. Too bad it’s beyond bad, and just super bad, and not in a Shaft kind of way.

Basically, Bruce Campbell plays a rich drug company guy who goes to Bulgaria for some vague business dealings, his wife hates him and gets it on with the cab driver, and Bruce runs in with a husband hungry Gypsy who kills people who stand in her way. There is also a mad scientist, Stacey Keach, who is trying to make two brains go together in harmony, and his bumbling assistant, played by none other than captain obvious himself, Ted Raimi.

Bad things happen, gypsy chicks get angry, and somehow the cab driver and Brucey get their brains all stuck together in one body, then the “hilarity” begins, or so we’re supposed to think. I know I was supposed to find it funny, or charming, or some weird combination of the two, but I really didn’t. The only parts I enjoyed and I’m using the word enjoyed lightly here, were the many references to Army of Darkness and Evil Dead 2, put in cleverly/obviously by Bruce and the younger Raimi brother I’m sure. And of course, it’s full of Three Stooges like comedy.

I don’t want to be accused of being disloyal to the Campbell/Raimi universe, but I just wouldn’t feel good about myself if I called this a great movie. I was bored, I wasn’t amused, and I wanted to do other things the entire time it was on. Maybe it’s just that I’m a little too old for this kind of humor, and I was hoping that just maybe, Bruce Campbell was too. Please don’t throw things at me now.