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Lake Consequence (1993)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
7/12, 11/16
7/12:
Only Zalman King could pull it off.
He, who recently died, was focused on making soft porn films, read that as "erotica," that
rose above the material with plenty of creativity through crafty editing, quality acting, and a workable storyline.
Lake Consequence is that kind of film which is almost right up there with
9½ Weeks and Two Moon Junction.
Billy is mysterious as John from 9½ Weeks, and this is what excites Irene. Hence, Irene did what she normally
wouldn't do. She kept trying to turn around to go back home but only to return to the unknown territory.
If it wasn't for the underlying moral thread, Lake Consequence would've been labeled as another trashy soft porno
flick. Many such films focus too much on sex, and they quickly lose the luster when the players bare it all. But not
in Zalman King's films. "Less is more" is the mantra.
Also, it's the cinematography, which is highly reminiscent of 9½ Weeks with some
Easy Rider thrown in, that makes the time fly by fast. Thanks to his Greek looks, Billy Zane is hot, hot, hot.
Joan Severance and May Karasun complement him well. Because they're beautiful-looking, the improbable sexual fantasy
works, allowing them to get away with any questions about morality, hence the "vibe."
A flaw is Billy exposing himself when he loses his temper. Once he does it, he becomes less mysterious.
Why Mickey Rourke's John worked out well in 9½ Weeks is that his mysteriousness stayed intact all the way to the end
before he started to reveal a bit about himself in order to save his relationship with Elizabeth.
By the way, here's a nice piece of movie trivia: when Stanley Kubrick was shooting
Eyes Wide Shut, he called Zalman
King almost every night for tips to learn how to make the scenes as sexy as possible. Hence, it's not hard to see how
the film looks Zalman-esque.
All in all, all fans of Zalman King are strongly encouraged to see Lake Consequence to get their fix.
11/16:
Many fans of Billy Zane will remember him from either
Titanic, Phantom, or Dead Calm.
But most will be hard-pressed to have seen him at his sexiest in Lake Consequence which has Zalman King's fingerprints
all over it. Ever since the smash hit 9½ Weeks, Zalman King made a goal
for the rest of his life: repeat the same formula to produce more erotic films, hence Two Moon Junction,
Wild Orchid, Lake Consequence,
Wildfire, and Delta of Venus.
All except for the last two worked out well. Zalman King knew how to shoot sexy scenes without them ever becoming
stale. He understood the concept of "less is more." He kept intact the mysteriousness of the characters to make them appear
interesting over time. That's why Zalman King was called the "High Priest of Erotic Filmmaking."
Born of Greek heritage, Billy Zane takes advantage of his dark, brooding looks to pour fuel into the steamy,
passionate romance fling with Joan Severance. When May Karasun joins them, the threesome becomes hotter. By far, the best scene
takes place in the Chinese bath house with a style that's distinctively similar to 9½ Weeks.
Zalman King salvages Lake Consequence from being labeled a total sex movie by injecting an interesting thread about
Irene's dark secret. It's how she tried proverbially to remove a pebble in her shoe by reliving an escapist fantasy with
Billy only to find out everything wasn't what it all appeared to be.
The reason why I'm giving the movie a weak '8' is that Billy Zane's character got exposed when he started losing his temper
with Irene. I consider this move to be a bad idea, showing weakness in Billy Zane's acting. The same goes for Joan Severance
who relied more on her looks to get through many scenes because of her tenuous thespic abilities.
All in all, thanks to Zalman King's unique vision, Lake Consequence is one of the best erotic films made.