27/34
I crushed his head
Tale
In the 1980s, adult film star and budding actress Maxine Minx finally got her big break in Hollywood. But when a mysterious killer stalks Hollywood stars, a trail of blood threatens to reveal his sinister past. Hollywood star Maxine lights a cigarette of Theda Bara, the actress who inspired Pearl to name her alligator in Pearl (2022). The Bette Davis quote given at the beginning of the film is misquoted. It’s basically « Until you’re known in my profession as a freak, you’re not a star. » Maxine Minx: Do you know what happened to the last person who tried to kill me?
Both films are perfect examples of satire, successfully implementing elements of the object they satirize without becoming it themselves
In keeping with the movie’s 1980s aesthetic, a « Be Kind, Get Off » sticker appears after the credits, similar to many video rental stores. Gimme All Your Lovin Written by Frank Beard (as Frank Lee Beard), Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill (as Joe Michael Hill) Performed by ZZ Top Courtesy of Warner RecordsBy arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing. With « X » and 2022’s « Pearl, » Ti West has created two wildly entertaining and wickedly clever horror comedies that pay homage to two specific types of movies. « X » is an homage and pastiche to 1970s grindhouse tropes, the most obvious being « Texas Chainsaw Massacre, » while « Pearl » is like a warped 1950s Technicolor melodrama, like the cinematic child of Walt Disney and Dario Argento. With « MaXXXine, » the latest addition to the « X » series, West aims to mock the giallo and exploitation films of the late 1970s, as well as the crappy films of the 1980s and Hollywood slashers in general.
Pleasant if narratively uneven, « MaXXXine » dazzles visually, recreating the neon-drenched decadence of mid-1980s Los Angeles
Set in 1985, six years after the events of the original, the film follows Maxine Minx as she tries to break into the movie business. After landing her big break, she is blackmailed by someone who threatens to reveal her involvement in the 1979 massacre Meanwhile, the Nightstalker roams the streets and Max’s friends are dropping like flies. Will Maxine finally become a star or will she be forced to live a life she doesn’t deserve? However, beneath its glossy surface lies a story that lacks the poignancy, wit and unpredictability of its predecessors. While the film is entertaining, at times it threatens to become what it satirizes – a shoddy Hollywood slasher.
Perhaps West’s intention was to blur the line between homage and parody
West includes many of the familiar elements of 80s movies – the bickering of the cops, the over-the-top villain, the seedy private eye, the gunfights – but these come across as clichés rather than effective satire, as their inclusion lacks any twist or fresh commentary. . In « X » and « Pearl », every detail was carefully calculated, deliberately included to heighten the emotion of each scene. Here, it feels like West is throwing tropes around just for fun, leaving one to wonder about their purpose. Effective satire dances on the edge, teasing its subjects without falling into their traps; « MaXXXine » limps along – sometimes clever, sometimes clumsy.
Additionally, the supporting characters are underplayed, lacking depth or personality
However, he risks losing the very essence that made his first films shine. There’s no reason to care about any of them, as most don’t stay on screen long enough to make any impact. The ones that are start out as clichés—a pragmatic director, a lecherous Southerner, two cardboard cops—and then don’t change. Given West’s brilliant characterization in previous films, this is rather disappointing.
Leave a Comment