Dream Catcher (1998) Online

DREAM CATCHER is a prime example of self-delusion, in the "wishing will make it so" category. Artsy-fartsy pornographer Michael Ninn and his producer/co-star Veronica Hart fashioned this non-narrative vehicle for Helen Duval assuming the busty Dutch performer would be a big hit, but such was not the case. Hart even returned to the format with DEEP INSIDE HELEN DUVAL, beating a dead horse.

Of course, the video box has the mandatory hype blurb from AVN, but this sort of "art-porn" went out with the '90s. Ninn was among the most over-rated practitioners of the form back then, but gonzo XXX, the profusion of explicit material over the internet and Gresham's Law regarding budgets have made this sort of exercise passé.

What we have is a non-narrative film of Duval preening, being adored by photographers, media and the public and showing her stuff in sex vignettes, augmented by other actresses representing her as alter egos or dream-like fantasy surrogates. Other than serving as a masturbation assist, it adds up to nothing -pure filler.

My favorite segments were Jill Kelly in a wet and rainy alley tryst, which pretty much puts Duval's mechanical approach to lovemaking to shame; an overlong sequence of Duval servicing David Steel(e)'s long black dong; and pretty Roxanne Hall's double penetration routine with two studs.

Mixed combo seems to be the name of the game here, as besides the incident with David Steel(e) there is a street gang bang with Jake Steed and others, plus a three on one lesbian scene spotlighting Black temptresses Monique, Crystal Knight and Naomi.

Overly flashy photography (and editing) is Ninn's stock in trade, and its ultimate overkill factor is evident here, especially when the final five minutes or so of the movie is deadly dull, a montage of Duval posing which amounts virtually to self-satire by the auteur. Usually a video (or film) will end with a high-point sex scene, but not this time. These devoid of content exercises have proved to have zero lasting value.