MaXXXine
SimilarAmerican Psycho (2000), Bad Education (2004), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Blue Velvet (1986), Chinatown (1974), F9 (2021), Fargo (1996), Freaks (1932), Frenzy (1972), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Happy Death Day 2U (2019), Insomnia (2002), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), Léon: The Professional (1994), Memento (2000),
Mississippi Burning (1988) Mystic River (2003), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006),
Primal Fear (1996) Rope (1948), Se7en (1995), Secret Window (2004), Silent Hill (2006),
Strange Days (1995) Street Kings (2008), Swimming Pool (2003), Taxi Driver (1976), The 39 Steps (1935), The Big Lebowski (1998), The Omen (2006), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Usual Suspects (1995), True Romance (1993), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988),
Watch afterA Quiet Place (2018), Poor Things (2023),
StarringGiancarlo Esposito,
It’s disappointing and fitting that director Ti West’s MaXXXine is undone by its sheer ambition. Throughout West’s licentious slasher series, his films have always featured titular heroines whose dreams were never commensurate with the limitations of their present circumstances (cue Mia Goth’s iconic “Please, I’m a star!” diatribe in 2022’s Pearl). In a similar vein, MaXXXine follows Maxine Minx (played once again by a show-stopping Goth) as she struggles to make a name for herself in Hollywood despite a less-than-savory past (for starters, she’s the sole survivor of a brutal massacre, as depicted in the first film of the series, X).
Like its titular protagonist, MaXXXine has high ambitions, attempting to weave in commentary about the dignity of sex work, the glamor and exploitation of Hollywood, the soul-crushing dogmas of conservative Christianity, and the pitfalls of fame all while delivering bloody genre thrills. It’s an admirable attempt, but, unfortunately, that desire to cover so much thematic ground does a disservice to the film as a whole, ultimately rendering MaXXXine a sizzle reel of iconic 1980s set pieces in a desperate search for a more compelling story to thread them together.
Taking place in 1985 and six(xx) years after X, the film follows Maxine as she carves a successful name for herself in the pornographic film industry. Still, she’s convinced that she’s meant for greater things, hoping to make the leap into non-stag films. She gets her big break when she lands the lead role in the horror film The Puritan II, but cannot rest on the laurels of her inchoate movie career. A serial killer known as the Night Stalker has been brutally murdering young LA hopefuls, and after three of the victims have a direct connection to Maxine, she realizes that her past has caught up with her. In between her blossoming movie career, she strives to stop the Night Stalker, lest her dreams are thwarted. Continue Reading →
Windfall
SimilarBatman (1989), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000),
Watch afterNightmare Alley (2021),
Without any awareness of the Hitchcockian tag—impossible, what with it being The Point in the marketing, but let’s try—Windfall is the best advert yet for Ojai, California. Right from the get-go, director and co-writer Charlie McDowell serenely guides viewers around a gorgeous hacienda with an Eden of Pixie tangerines and the Topatopa within eyeshot. In short, this is a fetching property, easily bearing a price tag in the millions. It’s an item someone in the style of our unofficial tour guide (Jason Segel), a daring blend of off-duty Sheriff Hopper and the designer-disheveled-ism of modern tech bros, would possess. Or maybe host the Roys if they are to reattempt family therapy. Continue Reading →
Emily in Paris
Similar3rd Rock from the Sun, All in the Family, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Komi Can't Communicate, Madan Senki Ryukendo, That '70s Show,
StudioMTV Entertainment Studios,
Full disclosure: I was going to start this review with a Peloton joke given show creator Darren Star’s recent track record. Then out of nowhere, there was an actual Peloton knock-off storyline in this season of Emily in Paris. So my joke told itself. Points to you, Emily in Paris. Continue Reading →