Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Two Moon Junction Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 18, 2014

Zalman King's directorial debut "Two Moon Junction" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is the film's original theatrical trailer. Also included with this release is an illustrated booklet with notes on the film by Calum Waddell, as well as an interview with producer Don P. Borchers. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Who do you love?"

The stunningly beautiful Sherilyn Fenn (Three of Hearts, Boxing Helena) plays the Southern belle April DeLongpre, who is about to get married even though she isn’t entirely sure she is ready to do it. She likes her future husband, Chad (Martin Hewitt, Out of Control), but can’t tell if she is in love with him.

When a carnival comes to town, April meets Perry (Richard Tyson, Gengis Khan), a handsome worker who loves to walk around shirtless. The two flirt, but April quickly walks away when she realizes that Perry could easily go a step further if given a chance.

Very soon, however, April is back at the carnival looking for Perry. The two begin spending time together and eventually April concludes that it is better to listen to her heart than her old-fashioned grandmother Belle (Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) who has planned her future.

Zalman King’s directorial debut Two Moon Junction was made at a time when American producers were not afraid to invest in beautiful erotic films and then market them properly. Most of them received poor reviews at home, but abroad the likes of Two Moon Junction, Wild Orchid, 9 1/2 Weeks, and Henry & June did surprisingly well. (Many of these films also became cult hits).

There are three good reasons why one would want to see Two Moon Junction. First, there is great chemistry between Fenn and Tyson. Unsurprisingly, when they make love their facial expressions are just as arousing as the movement of their naked bodies.

Second, the camera comes very close to the lovers but it never looks like its presence is felt by the actors. More importantly, the lovemaking sequences are not shot to please the male viewer -- there are multiple 'looks' that were very clearly intended for female viewers.

The third reason is the terrific use of music throughout the film. A lush jazzy score -- featuring some outstanding sax solos that can truly inspire a romantic night -- creates the right atmosphere for a beautiful erotic film without ever affecting its rhythm. The score was created by Jonathan Elias (9 ½ Weeks).

Fenn and Tyson are clearly the stars of the film, but there are also a few very good cameos. Kristy McNichol is Patti Jean, a young and very energetic girl who loves talking about her sexual experiences with Perry. Jean appears in a few of the film’s funniest sequences as well as arguably the hottest one (a terrific dance with Fenn). Fletcher is terrific as Belle, one of the town’s most powerful residents. Oscar winning actor Burl Ives plays the local sheriff. It was his final role as he retired shortly after the film was completed. A very young Milla Jovovich also has a small cameo. (She made her acting debut in Two Moon Junction).

Note: In 1995, Farhad Mann directed Return to Two Moon Junction, a sequel to the original film, starring Melinda Clarke, John Clayton Schafer, Louise Fletcher, Molly Shannon, Wendy Davis, Richard Keats, and Yorgo Constantine.

Two Moon Junction Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Zalman King's Two Moon Junction arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from a pre-existing master, but the film has a fairly pleasing look. Some light noise is mixed with the grain -- and therefore image depth isn't as strong as it can be -- but most of the time detail is quite good. The majority of the daylight close-ups, in particular, look quite nice (see screencapture #17). Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Colors are also stable, but it is easy to tell that color saturation can be better (however, the film does favor the same range of soft and warm colors that are prominent in the majority of King's films from the same era). The best news, however, is that no attempts have been made to repolish/resharpen the film with powerful digital tools. In other words, even though the high-definition transfer has various inherited limitations, its foundation isn't seriously compromised. Overall image stability is very good -- there are no transition issues or edge flicker to report in this review. A few tiny flecks pop up here and there, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, debris, or stains. Finally, the encoding is good, but some adjustments could have been made so that the film looks even better. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Two Moon Junction Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, 88 Films have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The film is complimented by an outstanding jazzy soundtrack which benefits tremendously from the lossless treatment. The sax solos, in particular, sound significantly lusher than they do on the old R1 DVD release Sony Pictures produced. There is a good range of nuanced dynamics as well. The dialog is stable and easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, problematic background hiss, crackle, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Two Moon Junction Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Two Moon Junction. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - illustrated booklet featuring notes on the film by Calum Waddell, as well as an interview with Don P. Borchers, producer of Two Moon Junction.

• Cover - reversible cover.

Two Moon Junction Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A find many of these American erotic films that were so easy to find in video stores during the mid '80s and early '90s to be incredibly charming. Many of them were given terrible reviews by local critics, but it is so obvious today that the people that dismissed them truly had no idea how to evaluate them. I've owned different VHS and DVD releases of Zalman King's directorial debut Two Moon Junction and am very pleased to finally have it on Blu-ray. I think that Sherilyn Fenn looks gorgeous in it. Two Moon Junction is also complimented by one of the very best scores that I have heard created for a film of this caliber. RECOMMENDED.