The film’s review says: “MaXXXine” is a extremely sleazy, sleazy good time, but it laughs at its most radical choice
In “MaXXXine,” Ti West is the closest to being truly bold in his attempts to mock the notion of a monster and the actor as interchangeable.
By Sammie Purcell
Jul 05, 2024 10:00 AM
Ti West’s “X” trilogy has always been about film – making films while watching them and then participating in them, as well as acting in. But none of them are as closely tied to Hollywood mythology as “MaXXXine. “
The third film by director George West is a follow-up to”MaXXXine” is a sequel to the film “X” and “Pearl,” however it’s an instant sequel to the film. The film follows porn actress Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) in her quest to make herself as a household name in the 1980s in Hollywood. Through the course of the movie Director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki) is seen guiding Maxine who’s set to be in the forthcoming horror film about Bender and afflicted by the slaughter of her farm that she was in a position to escape from in “X” – on a tour around the backlot of a Studio.”MXXXine,” the third film from director John West, is a s “MaXXXine,” West doesn’t give any excuses for his affection for the era the period Hollywood or the glamorous, sleazy, and hazy atmosphere that was the 80s B films however, her monologue as she takes Maxine for a ride begins to introduce the main theme of the film.
As they move across the lot Bender is frank about the resentment of Hollywood of true artists, and about her plan to make a “B movie with A movie ideas.” She informs Maxine that because of her sexually explicit past, it was made clear that the studio couldn’t pick her to play the role. In trying to determine whether Maxine is qualified to succeed in a business that does not wish to see her succeed she asks a fundamental question: Do you have a ruthless streak?
“MaXXXine” slots into that “B movie with A movie ideas” mold. One of the major ideas is this brutality which is the foundation of our perception of Hollywood. The film begins with two important quotes which represent Maxine’s own personal mantra throughout the whole production (“I will not accept an existence that I don’t merit”) and the other quote comes of Bette Davis”The monster “In this industry, unless you’re considered a monster and you’re not considered an actor.” However “MaXXXine” is tremendous fun however, its principal ideas are too abstract and hidden to provide anything unique. However, West gets closest when West rants about the idea of monster and star being the same thing.
“MaXXXine” picks up six years after “X,” smack dab between all the great things the 1980s brought, such as the censorship issue, Satanic Panic, tirades against films that abused the general public, and that of the serial killer Richard Ramirez – better known as the Night Stalker. Maxine is still afflicted by the events as a character in “X” at the hands of a brutal elderly couple (one of their stories will be unveiled in the second installment of”X” in the series “Pearl”), but she’s achieved her place in the limelight by putting her heart and soul into it. As her fame grows and she gets more famous, a person who is more knowledgeable about her history is in the shadows, looking to do her harm but she’s determined to fight back without a fight.
Though some of the concepts discussed the film “MaXXXine” don’t run too far from a stylization point of view, it’s a lot of fun. The style director J.D. West and cinematographer Eliot Rockett bring to life is a mix of soft neons and sparkling glamour, and homages to horror movies appearing everywhere that range from Dario Argento to towards Alfred Hitchcock. Everything from decorations for the setting and the outfits of Marie-Ana-Ceo which are adorned with sequins and acid wash as well as sequins, screams the glam of the 1980s but with a gritty underside. “Fascinating that something can look so believable when in reality, it’s all a facade,” Bender says as he drives by the studio’s parking area. The quote applies to every frame of “MaXXXine,” the film captivating combination of dark and fascinating and glamorous, but the glamour just obscures the shadows underneath.
It could be the case with Maxine herself. One of the most memorable scenes “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood plays as Maxine with hair that is teased, crimped and a striking pink stripe pulled across her eyes like she’s a pro-wrestling queen and seduces a private investigator who’s on her trail (Kevin Bacon) by stealing a lightbulb from a strobe ball. While she’s traumatized by the horrible experiences she went through as the character from the film “X,” Maxine is not content with playing the character of a delicate flower and is determined to pleasure in the thrill of violence when suitable for. If she’s satisfied with her performance, she walks through a different group of hopefuls, telling them to return home. If someone who is an impersonator of Buster Keaton impersonator follows her in an alleyway with bad intentions, she lets him to believe she’s in her corner, before taking his joke literally.
Maxine’s outlook on life is identical regardless of the circumstances regardless of whether you’re trying to play a part in a film or confronting a person who isn’t a good one All she has to do is an individual woman. When people around her turn up dead or dead and dead, the detectives Williams together with Torres (Michelle Monaghan as well as Bobby Cannavale) try to influence Maxine to assist with the probe. They are acting in their own version of the action film featuring cops with Cannavale portraying a brawny, masculine character as well as Monaghan plays the role of a sexy female police officer who is traumatized by brutal nature of her job. One scene sees Williams insists on Maxine to convince she that with assistance they might be able to help a girl who is killed or getting killed. “Maybe she should save herself,” Maxine declares in a humorous tone.
It’s a truly radical idea to create one female character who has experienced trauma however, she doesn’t allow it to affect her person in any way and is determined not to let it to make her an innocent or heroic. The application of uncompromising ambition we encounter when reading Hollywood films to Maxine’s strategy of battling violence is a fascinating way of creating a horror film in America and bringing life to the Bette Davis quote to the forefront of this film.
Sadly, when “MaXXXine” nears its end, West hedges on that choice. Maxine may not be keen to play as either a victim or hero however, in the third scene, the film decides to play the character. In the evening, the movie “MaXXXine” is unwilling to let the protagonist be ruthless and be apprehensive about the consequences if she decides to become.
