Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Dark Side of Genius (Katarina's Nightmare Theater)
Collapse
-
- Published: 09-12-2013, 08:25 AM
- 0 comments
X
Collapse
-
Dark Side of Genius (Katarina's Nightmare Theater)
Released by: Scorpion Releasing
Released on: 7/9/2013
Director: Phedon Papamichael
Cast: Brent Fraser, Fiona Hughes, Glen Shaddix, Moon Zappa, Tina Cote, Seymour Cassell
Year: 1994
Purchase from Amazon
The Movie:
Seven years ago artist Julian Jons murdered his girlfriend while she was modeling for his painting. The death of Anna sparked a series of post-murder paintings from the newly inspired Jons (Brent Fraser), as part of an exhibition being put on by gallery owner Bennini (Glen Shaddix). Bennini is apparently agent of sorts to Jons, as he advises him to remain in the shadows for now and not expose himself to media attention. Enter L.A. art critic Jennifer Cole (Fiona Hughes), who becomes very interested in Jons and his work, as well as the murder he committed all those years ago.
Her interest becomes an obsession and she finally corners him for an interview, one that eventually goes into the land of debauchery, and her life becomes entwined with his. Things get a bit complicated when rich-ass Samuel Rourke (Seymour Cassell) gets Jons to paint his “niece†Kristi (Tina Cote). The problem is Kristi looks just like Anna, and this of course causes serious turmoil in the brooding artist. Jennifer suspects more is at hand here than a simple commissioned piece of artwork, and with the reluctant help of a wanna-be artist she gets to the bottom of things.
This mid-90s entry into the direct-to-video genre of erotic thrillers lacks a couple of things, specifically the erotic parts and the thriller parts. Nothing much happens until the very end by way of “thrillsâ€, and even then, not too thrilling. As far as erotica goes, it's incredibly tame, even by 90s standards. Perhaps for a 60-something lady looking for a little late-night man-butt, this might fit the bill, but for someone looking to bust a nut to some Skinamax, this falls way short. Although there are some great boobs to been ogled…
It seems quite obvious this movie was going for something more than just titillation, as it is a very professional looking film. Nice photography, great mood settings, and done in an interesting visual style. The acting is decent enough, nothing outstanding, but Fraser does a great job as the dark and depressed Jons. He's probably the most noteworthy here, even with the bigger names in the picture. Moon Zappa plays Jennifer's roommate and doesn't add much other than some comic relief of sorts, but she certainly isn't annoying. And no, she doesn't disrobe.
While not a waste of time, it's tough to give Dark Side of Genius a recommendation. It's in no way memorable, but then again it isn't awful enough to turn off. It's just an effective time killer that requires very little brain activity on the viewer's part.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The disc shows the film in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. Film grain is present, as well as some minimal scratching and dirt. Things are a bit on the dark side, and detail is at times lost in the shadows. The movie is of course lit to look dark and mysterious, but sometimes it;s too dark. At any rate, the video presentation is nothing outstanding, but certainly more than watchable. Audio is a 2-channel Dolby track that sounds decent, and is clear with a proper balance between music and dialogue.
This title is under the Katarina's Nightmare Theater banner, and features Katarina Leigh Waters providing an optional intro and outro for the movie, sharing some tidbits about the movie and performers. Other extras include Fiona Hughes in a 15-minute interview with Katarina, going over the stuff you would expect. An hour-long interview with Brent Fraser, not conducted by anyone visible, entails his experiences with the movie as well as his career. Finally some trailers for other Scorpion releases can be viewed: Lurkers, Horror on Snape Island, Irresistible Impulse, Improper Conduct, and Tomboy.
The Final Word:
Go into this one expecting anything more than something to zone out to and you may be disappointed.
Posting comments is disabled.
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (270)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4138)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (385)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (295)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (496)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Lee Frost
Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
Year: 1969
Purchase From Amazon
Hot Spur – Movie Review:
Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but...-
Channel: Movies
03-22-2024, 11:53 AM -
-
Released by: Mondo Macabro
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Max Pecas
Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
Year: 1985
Purchase From Amazon
Death Squad – Movie Review:
Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual...-
Channel: Movies
03-22-2024, 11:46 AM -
-
Released by: Quality X
Released on: February 28th, 2024.
Director: Chuck Vincent
Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Roommates – Movie Review:
Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:10 PM -
-
Released by: Blue Underground
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Jess Franco
Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
Year: 1970
Purchase From Amazon
Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:
Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:07 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Saul Bass
Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Phase IV – Movie Review:
Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:02 PM -
-
Released by: Radiance Films
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
Year: 1969-1972
Purchase From Amazon
The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:
Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this...-
Channel: Movies
03-13-2024, 11:30 AM -