Before we get off and running with this review, let us state for the record that Fatal Seduction is the best film Nica Noelle has ever done for Sweet Sinema. It’s also the worst. In essence, it’s a film that is all things to everyone or nothing to nobody, a fate generally reserved for films that are the first of their kind, which this one is. Thoroughly confused? Good, then perhaps you’ll read on for clarity.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog (and why the hell shouldn’t you be?) you’ll no doubt recognize the name Nica Noelle. We’ve written about her on numerous occasions, perhaps so much so that we recently installed “Nica” buttons on our computer keyboards. When pressed, the button automatically adds phrases like “real and raw”, “mischievous” and “smart porn for discerning viewers” to our copy. It’s not because laziness and shortcuts are in vogue. Rather, it’s because the porn star/writer/director/educator/auteur/fill in your own vocation here, is so remarkably consistent in producing quality, couples-oriented erotica that we know the terms will always apply. It’s why we love Nica, why Nica’s fans love Nica and why Nica should love herself, but it’s also why we were so eager to watch the freshman release on her newest film imprint, Sweet Sinema.
Already the creative force behind adult titles for Sweet Sinner and lesbian-centric label Sweetheart Video, Nica created Sweet Sinema as a way to explore her admitted crush for classic Hollywood using a XXX medium. In a recent interview with us, she intimated that, as a teenager, she idolized pin-up darlings like Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Jennifer Jones and Dorothy Dandridge. Her Hollywood obsession would provide the impetus and the inspiration for a number of her lesbian noir films. With the creation of Sweet Sinema, Nica’s aim is to build upon her left coast love to carve out a niche that will “feature erotic adaptations of movies, plays, books and any other compelling romantic stories,” something in which she has already dabbled with films like Sinderella & Me, My Girlfriend’s Mother and A Man with a Maid.
The difficulty as a reviewer, in this case, is how do you assess the strength of the house that Nica built, when only the first piece of the foundation exists? There are no comparisons to be made; no established trends; no existing baselines. We have only an interview transcript with sound bites that amount to little more than a mission statement. Is that enough to be fair and objective? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But we’ll do our best.
In case you didn’t glean it from the title, Fatal Seduction ebbs and flows in the vein of Fatal Attraction, a 1987 psychological thriller starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. Here, the Close counterpart is former tabloid darling Amy Fisher. She stars as Anna Falkner, an ambitious, if not mentally unstable, journalist who is looking to do an interview with famed architect Don, played by the always reliable Evan Stone. When Don’s wife Renee (Katsuni), a concert pianist, leaves town for a performance, Anna uses the opportunity to get the story. But she also becomes the story, sweet talking her way to what Don believes will be a relatively harmless one-night stand.
As the film progresses, one night becomes two and the cracks in Anna’s professional façade become more and more apparent, revealing a meddling, insecure psychopath dwelling beneath. As Don tries to extricate himself from her clutches, he finds that she will not accept “no” as an answer. And like Close’s character, she works her way into all aspects of Don’s family life: showing up at his place of business; calling him at home; and even befriending his wife, Renee, who is unaware of her sinister tendencies. Through it all, Fisher does an admiral job portraying a highly flawed character of questionable mental faculties, but who seems at the same time calm, cool and calculating about her intentions. Though more of a porn curiosity than a bona-fide star at this point, Fisher’s deft contributions paint a spine-chilling and all-too-realistic scenario depicting what can happen when one partner develops an unhealthy infatuation for another.
But this is ultimately a porn film, which means it behooves Nica to arrange strong sexual performances to complement the drama. In true Nica fashion, she delivers.
In scene one, Evan Stone and Amy Fisher succumb to each other’s flirtatious overtures during the interview and give in to temptation. After sharing a bottle of Chardonnay, they share a bed, but not before a jump cut juxtaposes the dingy, candle-lit nightclub with the frenetic lust of airborne clothes and fused faces in the foyer of a house, as passions explode into stippling against the nearby wall. In moments Evan is buried up to his eyes in pussy and, with a stairwell used as prop relief over that of a couch, Fisher drops to all fours taking Evan’s cock into her mouth. Moving to the bed, Stone penetrates her pussy in mish. She then rides in CG, before returning to mish where he pulls out, doing a half-and-half cream pie/body shot. He re-inserts his cock, pumping his hips in time with Fisher’s wails until she comes.
Scene two involves Anna and Xander Corvus. Xander plays Anna’s “steady” boyfriend. And while the sex is pretty standard fare, the scene is notable because it is where we learn of Anna’s devious plot to permanently entrap Don in her twisted game, as if a sob-induced psycho-dramatical power play in the previous scene weren’t already enough! We won’t delve into it here. You just have to watch. Believe us: It’s diabolical!
In scene three, we learn that Renee has returned from her trip and that she is meeting with Anna as part of the interview with Don. The meeting was arranged without Don’s knowledge and he is shocked to find Anna in his living room hob-nobbing with his wife when he comes home from work. Needless to say, he is in a bind as he loves his wife and wants desperately to conceal the fact that he and Anna shared a one-night stand. Anna knows this and, though she makes the meeting uncomfortable, she does not reveal anything. But, it’s only because she has other ideas. She discovers that Renee has not had much sex lately because of Don’s stress from work. Little does Renee know that the stress is related to the woman sitting a mere two feet from her! When Anna reveals that she was a masseuse before becoming a journalist, she offers up her healing hands. Of course, it devolves into a pussy licking fiasco that promises to sweep Renee into the expanding drama. Like so many other great things throughout history, this event begins with a kiss. From there, the two proceed to the bedroom. Already down to their dainties, Anna removes Renee’s bra, covering her stiff nipples with tongue. A deep kiss is followed by panty removal and by Anna’s oral exploration of her pube-speckled slit. She continues until Renee comes onto her mouth. Renee then takes charge, sucking Anna’s toes and finger fucking her slit prior to finishing up with a hearty trib session. Anna responds once again, making Renee come a second time, using only her fingers.
In the last scene, believing they are both free of Anna (though neither yet knows about the other’s infidelity) Don and Renee attempt to rekindle their flagging sex lives. To help pick up the pieces, Don runs his thumb between Renee’s moist pussy folds while he licks her asshole from behind. It’s one of the hottest visuals in the entire film. Next, he slides his cock into her and gently fucks her. As their passions flare, Renee goes down on his cock, jacking it with her left hand before returning her mouth to its rightful place on the crown of his cock head. CG and mish follow with Don cumming inside of her. Consummating the occasion, he plants his mouth on her clit and drives his fingers into her pussy to make her cum one last time.
But as he showers and she relaxes in bed post-afterglow, the phone rings …
Fatal Seduction is fantastic as is the cast. And though it does resemble Fatal Attraction, or to a lesser extent Firstborn, in its overall structure, Nica has done wonderful things to this particular genre, adding torrid sexual encounters seamlessly into a well-written drama to great effect. Evan Stone, Amy Fisher and Katsuni are all very believable in their roles, while Melissa Monet, Wolf Hudson, Savina, Danny and Mark Wood add a little bit more star power in some non-sex roles. It will be interesting to see how the Sweet Sinema story unfolds, but this reviewer is eagerly looking forward to the next film.
Kudos, Nica. Kudos.
Running Time: 137 minutes
Released: 09/2011
You see it in Hollywood all the time: remakes of classic films that reduce iconic moments to regurgitated mush. Whether it’s money, a lack of originality, the cyclical nature of pop culture or the public appetite for nostalgia that drives movie houses to revisit these films doesn’t matter. The end result is, more times than not, unspectacular if not ignominious, an exercise in imitation that smacks of mockery, not flattery. So when former porn actor-turned-porn director, Paul Thomas, decided the time was right to remake Debbie Does Dallas the natural question that rushes to the lips is: why?
