Femme Fatales

*****UPDATED REVIEW******

I HAD ORIGINALLY rated this Cinemax "after hours" series a two. Based on a single lack luster episode (entitled "Help Me Rhonda" - I honestly could not envision myself, at the time, watching the series again after this)that I still maintain, failed to deliver on multiple levels.

However after recently viewing another earlier episode (ironically and by no planning of my own, CONNECTED to the previous episode I'd reviewed)I found it to be shockingly conflicting to the PREVIOUS episode I'd watched, as well as the subsequent review.

The episode "Behind Locked Doors" proved to well surpass my earlier designation of the "adult action" in this series as "feather core" and move well into the standard (albeit, still somewhat lack luster) "softcore" range and while the acting won't be winning any awards, it was far more palatable than the unfortunate assembly of actors had been apparently capable of delivering in the first episode I reviewed.

Overall the after hours fare in this respect lived up to and surpassed my most minimal expectations and the knowledge that it tied into a later episode (again, strangely enough the first one I'd previously suffered through) was an especially alluring and surprising bonus.

Being somewhat partial to a "presentably" made W.I.P. storyline (Jailbait 2014, anyone?) I felt compelled to give this series its day in court and revise my earlier rather scathing review.

Again, this is no award winner, but at least in the case of THIS episode, it delivered MORE than I expected and deserved a retrial and pardon.

Of note: I noticed the latest particular episode reviewed (premier ep.)was almost 43mins long where the later episodes are only in the neighborhood of 30mins. Comparably I'd say even an extra 12 mins could make a world of difference in both the storyline and plot. So let's just call this "probation," for now.

I was pleasantly shocked when I saw this show. I expected the usual late night fare, but instead both of the first two episodes of Femme Fatales featured fun, fast-paced stories, recognizable actors, really nice production values, and great entertainment value, along with a heavy dose of sex and nudity. Unlike a previous reviewer, I think adding more sex would just ruin the pacing and make this just another late night show. As it is, it's a big step up into the big leagues of real programming for Cinemax. If this is indicative of what's coming from Cinemax in the future, I'll start watching the channel regularly. For now, I'll definitely be watching more of Femme Fatales.

I sometimes here the proverb that "this film is so bad that's good," and I never believed it. But then "Femme Fatales" assaulted my senses. "Femme Fatales" is such a hilariously stupid porno series that it's surprisingly good. Most of the dialogue was so incredibly ridiculous that it could not possibly be taken seriously and probably was not even meant to be. Yet at the same time, my reaction to the stupid lines was not boredom or disgust, but amusement, because the screen writers miraculously gave this idiotic dialogue an originality and a quirky black humour that I frankly have never seen before in any porno. The plot lines were preposterous, but they were so fast-paced, so difficult to predict (there is nothing worse than a movie or series that you can predict), so breathtakingly violent and savage and so unusual that I did not even care that much about the flaws. Finally the acting may not be the best in the world, but for a porno series it is pretty exceptional. I challenge anyone to prove that Hanna Harper, Bree Olson or Steven St. Croix can act better than cast for the Femme Fatales series.

Owing to the bold and breathtaking approach "Femme Fatales" takes to its own subject matter, I suspect that this series is going to be very controversial. Yet if you like porn and are open to something radically different, then you may want to give this series a try.

6.7/10

This might sound nuts to you, but with no Mad Men on TV this summer, my favorite television show right now is a little late night guilty pleasure called Femme Fatales. I know, I'm shocked too. But after seeing a few commercials on Cinemax after a movie I was watching, I thought I'd hit the record button on my DVR and check it out when I was really, really bored when my girlfriend wasn't around. Last night, I ended up starting the first one and watched all three ofthe first episodes and I didn't just like it, I loved it. There's a lot sex but the stories are so interesting and completely different from anything else on TV that I wondered if I was crazy so I actually sat down and showed a few minutes to my girlfriend and I ended up watching all three again with her who liked it as much as I did. The acting across the board was great. I really liked the lead in the premiere and in the second one, the guy I loved in Niptuck was in it and he was great. I almost spit out my soda when he started quoting lines from White Heat which is probably when I realized there was something a tad subversive about this show which I thought was just some late night stroke show and turned out to be something else entirely. So far, none of the three episodes I watched had anything to do with each other which kept me surprised since I didn't know what to expect. And in last night's episode there was girl that I thought was one of the most stunning women I ever saw on TV, the blonde who kills her husband. This is not the kind of show I would have expected to like or even watch but I will definitely be watching from now on and if you happen to be reading this and don't know if it is for you, I would say give it a chance because it's a pretty smart, hip, fairly subversive little show. Who knew?

Just got Femme Fatales Season 1 and 2 with a Christmas gift card for myself and loved them. I don't have Cinemax so I never saw any episodes on TV but I did see a panel at San Diego and thought the show looked really cool and the women talked about how empowering it was for female characters which is something I like to see. I was not disappointed. While there were one or two clunkers, most of the episodes were terrific and it only got better as it went on. I also thought the special features were really good. There's a very funny blooper real and some great deleted scenes and behind the scenes material. All in all, I really recommend this show and thought it was very smart and sexy and the DVD is just as good with a lot of extra stuff that helps give insight into the episodes. I especially enjoyed the commentary with the girls talking about the episodes they're in. What I think is great about this show is you don't know what to expect. Just like The Twilight Zone or Tales From The Crypt or even Tales from The Darkside, each episode is it's own story so it's different. One can be a mystery, a sci-fi, grindhouse and most have some of my favorite cult actors. Early 1st season was Robert Lasardo, the guy whose head gets cut off in Death Race. He's great as a gangbanger who takes a hostage at the local hospital. Also Charlie O'Connell plays a sleazy video promoter who gets his due in another one of my favorites from the first season. Second year is even more consistent in terms of quality but each feels very different. I can't recommend this show enough. It isn't a dark brooding study of the human condition, but rather a fun, pulp show that's well written, acted and is incredibly entertaining.