The Brain – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

thebrain

So as far as I can tell, everyone reading this has a brain. With that being said, unless you’re a scientist who’s been researching the brain, this DVD will definitely teach you something. And basically, it’s all cool.

I’ve never really sat around and just thought about my brain, but when I see a chance to learn something about it, I take that chance, ’cause who knows if you’re going to learn something that will send your brain power to another level. This doesn’t really do that, but it’s definitely an in-depth look at the brain and how it works.

The first thing the documentary looks at is the way the brain reacts to fear. And they look at this through the Navy Seals training regimen. With the current wars, the seals wanted more people to pass their training, but at the same time they didn’t want to just make the process easier so they worked out a system to help brain function in stressful situations. And it seems to be working quite well for them as more recruits are passing the tests.

The next part gets a little creepy (something I’m an expert in). There are scientists in the Netherlands looking at what happens during sex. And believe it or not, it’s rather surprising. First of all the creepy part, to test what happens in the brain, they strap a partner on a table and put them in a CAT scan to look at the blood flow to the brain. One of these couples that takes the test has the woman on the table with the male “pleasuring” her. And the look at that guys face while he’s doing it is just plain scary. But the surprising part is what happens in a woman’s brain during sex. Blood flows almost exclusively to the brain stem. In fact, so much blood flows to the brain stem that it is possible for women to pass out during an orgasm, which is why I’ve begun carrying a 2×4 into the bedroom.

The documentary continues on looking at the brain in different situations. The part that was the best for me was the part that looked at sports performance. I’ve said before that I’m a coaching minor, and a lot of the things talked about in the sports section are things we talked about in psychology of coaching, so it turns out my teacher knew what she was talking about, so any coaches out there looking for an assistant give me an email.

Then there is the point that I could have done without. They spend 10-15 minutes attempting to prove that Jon Edwards is actually a medium. And they even go so far as to say he is. I’m sorry, but no. Jon Edwards is, and this is a direct quote from South Park, “The biggest douche in the universe.” But hey, whatever floats your boat. Another part that didn’t quite seem right to me was the Alzheimer bit. They were talking to the guy with the worst case in the world. And I realize they’re just showing how bad it is, but it feels like it goes a bit overboard. His wife asks him the same question 3 times in 30 seconds and he doesn’t know it either time despite the fact she tells him the answer each time she asks. Come on, leave him of dignity.

The rest is pretty good stuff. All of the specialist that talk in the documentary seem to be educated on this stuff and really put it into laymens terms pretty well. Overall really solid.


The Brain is presented in a full screen format and Dolby Digital Stereo Sound.


Nothing.


Are you a human being with a brain? Then this movie will probably teach you something. There’s a little something for everyone, sex, base jumping, sports all kinds of fun stuff. Definitely catch it on History if you see it, and if you’re interested at all in the brain big time must own.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..


The History Channel Presents The Brain. Running time: 90 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: February 24, 2009. Available at Amazon.com.