5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Men are being killed during intercourse by a prostitute. Sergeant Peckham is transferred from vice to homicide squad for the investigation. She asks her boyfriend, police psychologist David Stratton, for an analysis. Shortly after he's introduced to amnesia patient Felicity, a stunningly beautiful blonde. She tells him of her nightmares, in which she kills her lovers. But since he's got a crush on her, he doesn't draw a connection to Peg's case... not yet.
Starring: Steven Bauer, Chelsea Field, Pamela Anderson, Matt McCoy, Kenneth TigarErotic | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
For better or worse, Pamela Anderson’s most famous “film” may well be that maybe, maybe not “unauthorized leaked” video of her with erstwhile husband Tommy Lee, but for those wanting to see Anderson at least attempting a “real” big screen career (albeit in the context of a direct to video release and without any hardcore content), 1993’s Snapdragon may be a suitable enough example. In 1993, Anderson had already graced the cover (and interior pages) of Playboy on more than one occasion, and she had become a semi-regular on television’s Home Improvement, and it’s obvious that Anderson was probably trying to broaden her acting horizons with this film, one that the front cover of this release brands as a “psycho sexual thriller”. The film begins with what appears to be a family of missionaries in some Asian territory, where a band of evil doers cuts into their tent one night with a large knife, and then proceeds to kill two parents, abducting a little girl. The little girl is imprinted with a snapdragon tattoo on her thigh and is obviously the victim of some sort of slavery ring. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the adult version of the girl is played by Pamela Anderson, though the screenplay by Gene Church and Terri Treas does try to serve up at least a couple of surprises in that regard.
Snapdragon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While the palette here is often on the wan side, something exacerbated by some kind of washed out contrast, in outdoor scenes things pop relatively well, with decent suffusion and generally commendable detail levels. Some of the interior sequences can look considerably fuzzier at times, and there's a tendency for grain to look splotchy and even pixellated against frames filled with darker tones in particular (see a number of screenshots like 11, 14, 17, 18 and 19 for some examples, especially in the corners of the frame). A few establishing shots, notably a couple of the Los Angeles skyline, are a good deal grittier than the bulk of the presentation and I'm wondering if perhaps they were culled from stock footage. There are occasional pretty minor signs of age related wear and tear, but nothing I'd deem very distracting.
Snapdragon features a good sounding LPCM 2.0 track. The film has some kind of funky cues in the scoring and those reverberate with some good force, especially in the midrange and lower end. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout without any problems, which may help to alleviate frustration for some if not for all that no optional English subtitles are included.
Perhaps surprisingly for a release from MVD Visual's MVD Marquee Collection line of releases, there are no supplements on this disc, not even a trailer.
Perhaps because of her "sex kitten" persona, especially after the Tommy Lee video went viral, Anderson probably understandably never really attempted to dig into deep, dramatic roles, instead choosing to highlight her funnier, less formal, side. She's actually reasonably effective in this film, which may be something of a minor miracle, given the more ridiculous aspects of the general setup and the somewhat florid screenplay. While this evidently did get some kind of theatrical exhibition in various worldwide markets, it was a straight to video release here, and it has a certain lo-fi ambience that may in fact make it even more appealing to a certain demographic. Video encounters some rough patches, but audio is fine, for those who are considering a purchase.
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