erotic instinct

in 1992, the brooding michael douglas and lethally-sultry sharon stone starred in what started out as a B-grade slasher flick. douglas was the only big name in the production while stone was a relative unknown. however, sex sells, and the director knew exactly what to do.

i believe the film caused a lot of brouhaha because it was overly sexed-up. it was like bringing soft-porn to the masses using two gorgeous actors. and the adult public lapped it up. an unlikely box-office smash, it was. earnings of US$115,881,195 don't lie.

a few days back, i finally caught it, almost fourteen years after its release. the hype around basic instinct 2 is starting to heat up, and it would be quite senseless to catch the second part if i didn't know about the beginning. my verdict on basic instinct is clear: it's soft-porn indeed. sharon stone was a total knock-out, with or without clothes. the controversy surrounding the film catapulted her to stardom; her infamous interrogation scene, where she wore an ultra-short dress that showed off more than just her stunning legs, is the stuff of legend now.

the release of basic instinct 2 is around the corner. catherine trammell is back, totting her icepick and dragging her psychotic baggage. the film is getting reviews that are less than flattering. a lot of things change after fourteen years, and i'm not too sure if sharon stone's body will be anything but flattering. still, bad hype is better than no hype. i'll have to cross my fingers and adopt a cautious wait-and-see approach. who knows, it just might be another surprise box-office coup.