Rating: 
Summary: 'Brother' is a Gem
Review: 'Brother From Another Planet' is a gem of a movie from director John Sayles. Yes, it's low-budget (typical Sayles), and yes it sounds like b-grade science-fiction at first (alien lands on Earth, pursued by other aliens), but it's so much more than that. First off, the alien (played by Joe Morton, who does not utter a word througout the movie) is black and, luckily, lands in Harlem. Slowly but surely, he finds a way to not only make a living (by fixing electronics), but also manages to help out those who live around him. No offense meant to Mr. Morton, but this is probably his best performance to date.Meanwhile, he's pursued by the two other aliens, who are white (one of whom is played by Sayles himself), and have their own interactions with the Harlem community.In this little, very underplayed film, Sayles manages to say a lot about community, race, charity and mankind itself. Endnote: Keep your eye out for the 'eye out' scene.
Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled--widescreen is the way to go
Review: A certain reviewer on this page tells us that the fullscreen version of this film is superior to the widescreen. Having seen both, I can testify that the mental competency of this reviewer is very much in doubt.The fullscreen is one of the worst stateside dvd transfers in existence. Many night scenes seem to be taking place in a storm of dust. The day scenes aren't much better; each one looks like it was filmed after sundown. The glorious color cinematography of Earnest Dickerson is ruined, both by the muted color and by the 4:3 remframing. Though not nearly as vibrant as Dickerson's later work on Do the Right Thing, this is still a suprisingly compelling movie from a visual standpoint. If you get the fullscreen, you'll never know. And at last, you can see every nuance of Joe Morton's face! His great performance as the brother, which has not one single spoken word, is finally visible in all its complexity. So are the faces of the residents of Harlem, both good and bad, that we encounter throughout the film. As many have noted, the sci-fi effects are totally laughable (the removable eye, especially), but that's not what this film is about. It's about a new way to look at the experiece of race and community, and it succeeds brilliantly. A final note on the pro-fullscreen reviewer: if you look up his reviews, you will note that he hates Taxi Driver and loves both Ishtar and Howard the Duck. I rest my case.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Poor Quality DVD
Review: Although this is a GREAT movie, I'm extremely disappointed in the quality of the DVD. It's not really a DVD at all, but merely a VHS tape burned on to a DVD, complete with the classic video tape tracking problems captured on the disc. Very distracting, and it takes away from the enjoyment of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Very Poor Quality DVD
Review: Although this is a GREAT movie, I'm extremely disappointed in the quality of the DVD. It's not really a DVD at all, but merely a VHS tape burned on to a DVD, complete with the classic video tape tracking problems captured on the disc. Very distracting, and it takes away from the enjoyment of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Very cute
Review: An alien crash-lands on Earth, and just happens to be an escaped slave. He's endearingly goofy-looking and totally mute. He's also being chased by two alien bounty-hunters, who dress totally in black--the original Men in Black, I guess. This movie is a witty and perceptive look at the human condition--and the alien never says a word in the whole film. He mostly just sits there and looks at what is going on around him. The movie looks as if it was filmed in about a week for a few thousand dollars, but somehow manages to verge on near-classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Thanks MGM!
Review: Having bought the UAV release of this movie and being disappointed in the playback, I was thrilled to see a major label like MGM has picked up this gem of a movie and released it rrecently on DVD. The picture is crystal clear, and the sound is great. This is how this movie should have been released on DVD in the first place. There are no noise lines or pixeling in the MGM version. There is just vibrant colour and clarity. Parts of the movie show graininess, but that is not the fault of the DVD, it's just the film used, plus this movie is from 1984, so there wasn't digital filming at that time. I am very happy to finally get this movie that has been properly transferred onto DVD. This disc features a running audio commentary from John Sayles, plus an interview with him too. If you were not happy with the UAV version of this movie, I strongly recommend picking up the MGM release, because the movie looks how it should look on DVD and that's great!
Rating:
Summary: Thanks MGM!
Review: Having bought the UAV release of this movie and being disappointed in the playback, I was thrilled to see a major label like MGM has picked up this gem of a movie and released it rrecently on DVD. The picture is crystal clear, and the sound is great. This is how this movie should have been released on DVD in the first place. There are no noise lines or pixeling in the MGM version. There is just vibrant colour and clarity. Parts of the movie show graininess, but that is not the fault of the DVD, it's just the film used, plus this movie is from 1984, so there wasn't digital filming at that time. I am very happy to finally get this movie that has been properly transferred onto DVD. This disc features a running audio commentary from John Sayles, plus an interview with him too. If you were not happy with the UAV version of this movie, I strongly recommend picking up the MGM release, because the movie looks how it should look on DVD and that's great!
Rating:
Summary: NEW DVD's out soon
Review: I saw this classic movie back in the mid '80s, and I must say that it is memorable. What really makes this movie is the performance of Joe Morton and the supporting cast. Joe doesn't say a word of dialogue throughout the movie, but his facial expressions and body language prove that he has an undisputed talent for acting. He plays an intergalactic slave running away from bounty hunters. Crash landing in New York City, he gets to experience what the world has to offer. The comedy in this movie is subtle, but very witty which adds to the charm of this movie. I was hesitant to buy this movie on DVD because of the reviews & the price. On the back of the keep case, there is a disclaimer stating that there are picture imperfections due to the master used. I've never seen this on a DVD before! The good things about the DVD is that it's very clear & in focus. The colour looks normal (people are not flaming pink or morbid grey looking) & the disc plays continuous & doesn't freeze after each scene. The bad things are: The master used is not even acceptable for broadcast standards. There are a lot of artifacts throughout the movie (periodic horizontal noise lines & pixelling around the 45minute mark) It looks like a worn out BETA SP master was used. This is where the price comes in, for a DVD it's really low priced, but it shows that you get what you pay for. It's unfortunate, because this movie deserves the respect of being digitally remastered & reissued on a properly produced DVD.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Star Movie on a 1 Star DVD
Review: I saw this classic movie back in the mid '80s, and I must say that it is memorable. What really makes this movie is the performance of Joe Morton and the supporting cast. Joe doesn't say a word of dialogue throughout the movie, but his facial expressions and body language prove that he has an undisputed talent for acting. He plays an intergalactic slave running away from bounty hunters. Crash landing in New York City, he gets to experience what the world has to offer. The comedy in this movie is subtle, but very witty which adds to the charm of this movie. I was hesitant to buy this movie on DVD because of the reviews & the price. On the back of the keep case, there is a disclaimer stating that there are picture imperfections due to the master used. I've never seen this on a DVD before! The good things about the DVD is that it's very clear & in focus. The colour looks normal (people are not flaming pink or morbid grey looking) & the disc plays continuous & doesn't freeze after each scene. The bad things are: The master used is not even acceptable for broadcast standards. There are a lot of artifacts throughout the movie (periodic horizontal noise lines & pixelling around the 45minute mark) It looks like a worn out BETA SP master was used. This is where the price comes in, for a DVD it's really low priced, but it shows that you get what you pay for. It's unfortunate, because this movie deserves the respect of being digitally remastered & reissued on a properly produced DVD.
Rating:
Summary: unerstated and under rated
Review: I saw this when it first came out about 15 years ago. It probably is not politically correct enough for one reason or another to make it today, but it is well worth watching.
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