"Actor: David Malis"

• A Cat in the Brain (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (26/02/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A horror film director (Lucio Fulci) begins to be plagued by dreams re-enacting his films. Fantasy and reality blur and Fulci begins to believe he may be a killer. Visiting a psychiatrist he aims to discover if he is a blood-soaked murderer or whether his gory films have finally driven him insane.

• A Cat in the Brain | DVD | (26/02/2018) from £14.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The master of Italian horror, Lucio Fulci, stars as... Lucio Fulci, a filmmaker with a reputation for gruesome horror films. His body of work has started to plague his mental state, and he is haunted by the grotesque set-pieces his mind has conjured up during his career. His psychiatrist, Egon Swharz (David L. Thompson), uses a hypnotised Fulci as an avatar to carry out his own disturbed fantasies, in hopes of ruining the master's reputation once and for all. The most personal film in the career of Lucio Fulci, A Cat in the Brain is essential viewing for any self-respecting fan. This nightmarish satire on Italian horror cinema is a fascinating insight into one of horror cinemas most endearing figures. Re-discover this neglected gem today, thanks to this stunning HD presentation from 88 Films!

• Cat In The Brain | DVD | (04/08/2003) from £12.04   |  Saving you £7.95 (66.03%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Chainsaw mayhem cannibalism lusty nazis steak tartar blood and gore - all rounded off with some highly amusing offbeat antics by the great man Lucio Fulci himself. What more could a horror fan ask for?

• Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) - Netherlands Opera | DVD | (22/12/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  In an audio recording, the distinctive quality of this Netherlands Opera production of The Barber of Seville would go unnoticed, and a lot of people might like it better without pictures. The singing is first-class, with a pert, smart, visually appealing Rosina (Jennifer Larmore), a Count who can spin out bel canto melodies and also do a good drunk scene (Richard Croft), and a Figaro with lots of personality (David Malis). Conductor Alberto Zedda is an expert in the music of Rossini, but video reveals that, for better or for worse, this Barber of Seville differs radically from other treatments of Rossini's comic masterpiece. Usually, The Barber of Seville is an intimate little comedy with a half-dozen solo roles and a small, all-male chorus. Except for a few ensemble numbers, there are only two or three people on stage at any given moment, often conversing in stage whispers. Sometimes, in a plot full of secrets and deceptions, supernumeraries are out of place. Dario Fo's staging ignores this stylistic tradition. He gives the solo singers a crowd of artfully choreographed silent partners (including acrobats, dancers and two men rigged to imitate a donkey), who scamper around the stage carrying ladders and sheets, pushing platforms, waving banners and making sure that there is always something to amuse the eyes as well as the ears. This staging gives a solid visual embodiment to the comic spirit of the words and music, but it wipes out any pretence of dramatic realism. The Barber of Seville does not pretend to be "a slice of life" and many patrons will find that the energy of these added participants is its own justification. But those who treasure traditional staging and the conventions of realism should be ready for a lively but unconventional production. Perhaps they can listen with their eyes closed and enjoy a first-class sound recording. --Joe McLellan

• Cat In The Brain | DVD | (23/04/2007) from £9.43   |  Saving you £-2.44 (-34.90%)   |  RRP £6.99

  A horror film director is stalked by a mad psychiatrist/serial killer bent on killing people to model the killings after the director's gory death scenes from his movies.