Search the Cinema Head Cheese Archives!

October 15, 2013

TV Review: Femme Fatales: The Complete Second Season (2013, DVD)

Review By: Rob Sibley

It's 2 in the morning, you can't sleep, your getting tired of infomercials for the George Forman Grill, The Shammy, Joel Osteen won't shut his religious yap so what do you do? You need a midnight snack for the brain so you flip to cinemax and what might you find? The incredibly sexy, pulpy second season of Femme Fatales. A guilty pleasure by all means, it's pure junk food for the brain and it's damn entertaining.

Femme Fatales is an anthology TV series, each episode usually features a hot chick in over her head. All this leads to her usually sleeping with 1 or more partners, popping the top whenever she can and she usually ends up with a gun in her hands. This is pulp at it's finest. This is a show that knows what it is, it's purpose is to entertain... not to enlighten. I previously reviewed season 1 of the show and found it to be satisfying but it was a little to bi-polar for my tastes. The season season is more focused and what's nice is they brought in many favorite B-movie actors for cameos. Some of these B-movie gods include Eric Roberts (an A-movie actor in my books), the infinitely handsome Casper Van Dien (Still trying hard to regain his Starship Trooper days of glory) and fuck even the Stuntman himself Steve Railsback shows up. This time though he's not dealing with soul sucking vampires or the tyrant known as Peter O Tool. Oh yeah and Vivica A. Fox shows up to class things up a bit.

Season 2 consists of a scant 13 episodes, each ep clocks in around at 25 minutes. This is one of those rare times were I have very few negative things to say about it. It's leaps and bounds better then season 1. Were with season 1 they pretty much stuck with the pulp/Graphic novel concepts this time around they venture out a bit further. We get episodes that range from horror, with a gal being tormented by a deranged Steve Railsback in a mental institution. To even an episode dealing with time travel and the season finale even creates a super hero.


The ladies are stunning and for the most part, they can act. Basically what we have here is all the skin that Cinemax is known for with big time production values, interesting storylines and good guest actors. Usually any programming after midnight feature 1 redeeming feature which is the nudity. But this series manages to toss in captivating characters (somewhat) and fun plots. I'm also happy to announce none of the episodes do that silly "grindhouse" feel which was very prominent in season 1. There is an episode that plays out like a woman in prison film from the 70's but the updated vibe makes it current and a lot of fun. I mean one scene starts out as a lesbian sex scene then turns into a brutal fist fight. It's exploitation at it's finest.


Now it's not all sunshine & rainbows and big titties. A few of the episodes do drop the ball. Those eps are usually the ones that stick to old plot devices such as the wife looking to knock off her husband for the money. The show is at it's best when they try something new. I mean seriously why are you watching this show? For the nudity. The fact that Femme Fatales delivers a program that would be worth watching even if you remove the T&A is an accomplishment.


As you read this review you already know if this show is for you or not. It's not high art, this is a time killer. It features enough sex, violence and fun to entertain and that's what I expected and it delivered. If you were a fan of the first season then you will want to give this a look.




E One entertainment brings Femme Fatales: The Complete Second Season to DVD in a 3 disk set. All the episodes are spread out over the first two disks. With the third disk dedicated soley to extras and the international cut of "Libra".

The show was filmed in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and was shot on the Red One. So you can expect some pretty stellar images. It's a shame the show has only been released on DVD since it's crying out for a Blu-ray release. Each episode features it's own unique color pallate. But overall it's a colorful show and the transfer is just as pleasing to the eye as the ladies it features.

Audio we get both 2.0 and 5.1 tracks. Both are very pleasing, no complaints. 



Just as with the first season, the show's creators really went the extra mile with the bonus features. Each episode features a commentary track! All of them are fun and worth a listen. Besides the commentary tracks the third disk is loaded with fun featurettes.


This show comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The price tag is cheap, the extras are plentiful and the women are lovely... what's not to like? This is the kind of show that Andy Sidaris (R.I.P.) if he was still with us would love.

No comments:

Post a Comment