“In its own way it was funny and a comedic romp into sci-fi soft-porn”

I was presented with a screener for a new low budget web-series titled “The Fold” from series director Matt Lambert and co-writer Polly Frost. Now, when I say low budget, this doesn’t necessarily reflect on the series’ originality but does show in the quality of filming and most of its production value. The entire series worked on a budget of only $8,000 (USD). However, because the series is a sci-fi, soft-core porn comedy, the fact that less dollars were available only added to its appeal in the sense that one is reminded of the kind of soft porn routinely vetted out on an almost daily measure, and with that in mind, and if you can get through some of the garishness of a few of the scenes, then the premise of the story itself is kind of interesting.

The story centers around Cody Ferguson, the son of a corporate giant who is financing a time travel vacationing enterprise. Cody is a true geek who also happens to suffer from Aspergers Syndrome. His father, a real hard lined “I know what’s best for mankind” kind of guy, wants to use his son’s invention to remake history after his own puritan ideology. The plot includes an investigation by a journalist for Gaming Babes Magazine, a sex-cult guru, a hot-tube salesman with an out-of-control sex drive and a mysterious force that causes the entire world to experience a universal orgasm all at the same time.

As you can tell from that description, this is not for the kiddies and is R-rated.

While I can’t recommend this web-series for our PG-13 audience, some of our adult fans will probably enjoy “The Fold” and find it enjoyable. In its own way it was funny and a comedic romp into sci-fi soft-porn. I was able to screen the first three episodes of the series for this review and can honestly say that I’ll probably view the rest of the web-series online just to see what happens next.

Don’t expect Ridley Scott or Martin Scorsese with “The Fold.” It’s called a low-budget series for a reason. I can’t recommend that all will like this, it is definitely not for everyone, but if you like biting satire, a thinly veiled plot, and the occasional bare breasts and wanton sex (ala “Barbarella”), then “The Fold” could be right up your ally.

While I will most likely watch it online to see where Lambert takes his production, I won’t stick around long if all it ends up being is just another sex farce. I can watch some of Woody Allen’s big budget flicks for that.

On a scale of 0 to 5 stars I give “The Fold” — 2 stars

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About the Filmmakers:

Matt Lambert has created numerous short films and music videos with his production company Mallard Media. He graduated from NYU, where he won several awards for his film “Lutkoski Fishsticks.” Matt currently has several feature scripts in development, including an adaptation of Polly Frost’s story “The Pleasure Invaders,” and is co-producing a special segment for an upcoming National Lampoon film.

Polly Frost is the author of the sci-fi/horror story collection, “Deep Inside,” published in 2007 by Tor. Praise for “Deep Inside” has come from Sci Fi Dimensions, SF Signal, The Austin Chronicle, and from well-known porn star Ron Jeremy. Frost co-wrote and produced the original audio series, “Sex Scenes” with her husband Ray Sawhill.

Ray Sawhill is co-producer of “The Fold” and has worked as an arts reporter for Newsweek, and published freelance arts journalism in numerous newspapers and magazines. In recent years he has been co-writing satirical, raunchy fiction with his wife Polly Frost.