Movie Talk: Dark Is The Night (2022)

Wicked Pictures was one of the leaders in creating high end couples adult features. They had big, glossy productions and employed some big talent both in front of, and behind the camera. I was so curious what their current output looked like, so I grabbed Dark Is The Night, directed by James Avalon. Was this going to be like Pride, and really be just a series of clips, or was this going to be an honest to goodness feature? Was someone still making actual adult films? 

The answer is yes. This is a full on adult feature, and a good one to boot! Shockingly beautiful in its direction, well acted, and with an actual score, this movie is 100% what I am looking for when I say I want to watch an adult film. The budgets might be smaller than back in the day but the drive to create something that feels more than just a series of loosely connected sex scenes is still alive and well over at Wicked. I know I sound overly gushy about this one, but I honest to God thought features like this didn't exist anymore. 

Basic plot is that you have put upon housewife Kenna James who is married to a supreme asshole and hitman, played by Nathan Bronson. He isn't paying their bills, as he is too busy running around with Kiara Cole, so she decides to take in a tenant to help cover for groceries and other costs. That tenant is Seth Gamble, a man who takes an interest in Kenna, and decides he's going to help her get out. But is that all he really wants? The movie leans hard into the noir style, from costumes and lighting, to the soundtrack. I was actually impressed with the level of production value they put into this feature. Not only does it feel well put together, it feels smart. The cast is small, as we really only follow four characters through the film. The script is also pretty damn tight! There are legitimate twists in this one, ones I didn't see coming. The production does feel smaller than some of the older Wicked titles, but it feels just as professional.

I also have to call out the music in this one. There are actual songs, with lyrics, and they are not half bad! They work well enough with the movie thematically where I think they might be written for it, but if they are library tracks they are damn good ones. Sadly there is no music credits at the end so I couldn't tell you either way, but just pointing out that the soundtrack actually was pretty solid!

If you can't tell, I really enjoyed this one. It felt like everyone involved was actually trying. From sex to story this one felt like an actual movie. Yes, it features hardcore sex, but it also features a plot that is interesting to watch, and dialogue that didn't make my ears bleed. Far from it. I have never seen a movie from James Avalon before, but now I really want to check out some of his other stuff. I also have to give it to Wicked for sticking with the feature format. 

This is for sure a couples feature as far as the sexual content goes. It was all well done, but pretty by the book. Four scenes total, all boy/girl. Nothing crazy here. No acrobatics or anything. I did notice that they avoided some things which I know can be a big turn off for a lot of women. So, keep that in mind if this seems like something you would want to share with a special someone. 

If I had any kind of complaint about this one, it would be that the editing was a little loose at times. There were a few shots where you could hear the director start to give direction just before the cut. The other thing would be that the sound was a little... off occasionally? Namely the sound effect for the house front gate. It is this loud shrieking noise that took me forever to figure out what it was. The actual dialogue audio was fine, though. Porn audio is tough because you can't mic your performers for most scenes, so you have to rely on other means. Some movies the dialogue is impossible to hear. This one is pretty good. 

Side note as I wrap this one up. I was watching the end credits and saw that legend Kylie Ireland did the art direction for this one. She did some damn good work! 

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