Just the Ticket #170: MaXXXine
MaXXXine Review
by Sean Wilkinson,
Typically, when one sees that the same person (Ti West, in this case) wrote, directed, produced, and edited a movie, it is safe to expect something akin to the kind of backyard mockbuster fare that certain "big box" stores use to fill their movie shelves (and which populate bad, obscure, or knockoff list videos on the Movie Timelines YouTube channel). But that is not the case with MaXXXine (or X or Pearl) because as I said above, none of those jackoffs-of-all-trades is Ti West, and none of them could afford Giancarlo Esposito (The Usual Suspects), Kevin Bacon (They/Them), Lily Collins (Mirror, Mirror), Halsey, Bobby Cannavale (The Station Agent), and Michelle Monaghan (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Somewhere, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Machine Gun Preacher), or held on to a relatively unknown powerhouse lead like Mia Goth.
a.k.a. The Ticketmaster
The movie industry loves alternative history narratives, whether it be Quentin Tarantino vs. Nazis and the Manson Family, Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich hiding evil alien robots on the moon, Marvel's pioneers creating an ageless, super-strong personification of the United States to literally punch Hitler in the face (granted, it was a comic book first, but it eventually became a good movie, too), or the director of Wanted adapting a book where Abraham Lincoln hunted Confederate vampires.
Today's movie up for review in the month of female-led Hollywood horror, MaXXXine, almost fit that mold as well, and I can't decide if I'm impressed or disappointed that it didn't go there.
Whether you're impressed or disappointed, I'd still appreciate it if you would please remember to Become A Ticketholder if you haven't yet, leave a comment at the bottom of this post, help out my ad revenue as you read so I don't have to accept a life I do not deserve, and follow me on BlueSky, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest news on my content.
Whereas Pearl thrived by twisting the bright allure of the Golden Age "studio system" and X wallowed in 70s-era exploitation and road trip slasher grime, MaXXXine finds its (and her) footing amidst the video rental boom, "Satanic Panic," and Night Stalker-terrorized streets of the 1980s.
Having survived (but not psychologically overcome) the events of X and made her way to Hollywood offscreen, Maxine Minx (Goth), née Miller, has matured into an ambitious, ruthless, prominent name in the adult film industry, thanks in part to the words of her estranged father (whom I neglected to mention was the televangelist shown on Pearl's television throughout X, and is played in both movies by New Zealand actor Simon Prast) and efforts of her charismatic manager Teddy (Esposito, bringing more warmth to the role than usual, but still playing a character with a ruthless edge).
But as Maxine's star begins to rise after being cast in an upcoming horror sequel (the fictional The Puritan II, the original of which starred Collins' character), her friends and co-workers (one played by Halsey) are targeted by a serial killer with terrifying grip strength and an unknown personal connection to our self-focused heroine, two detectives investigating the Night Stalker case (Canavale and Monaghan), and a slimy private investigator (Bacon with a level thirteen Cajun Foghorn Leghorn accent that would confuse even Tom Hanks' dialect coaches) who is crushed to learn he isn't as good at his job as he claims.
So, for the majority of the film, it seems like MaXXXine will play out as a "fictional character kills Richard Ramirez and saves lives that were lost in real world history" movie, only to subvert expectations in the most predictable, thematically powerful, "we suddenly need a way to end this somehow" way possible (Maxine just knows who the killer is out of nowhere, and winds up with a massive film career despite shotgunning him in the face, in full view of a police helicopter, in front of the Hollywood sign).
I enjoyed the psychological suspense, mystery, atmosphere (both the seedy L.A. nightlife and the Hollywood nostalgia, including some scenes that were shot on the Psycho set at Universal Studios), and strong, sometimes forgivably
hammy performances. Maxine is among the most morally interesting final girls in horror and has a character arc that transcends genres. But the movie's strengths leave it feeling indulgent, forcibly ill-paced, and...competently unfocused by the end.
B-
I am also feeling competently unfocused and forcibly ill-paced as I indulge in my need to transcend genres and social platforms, so please remember to Become A Ticketholder if you haven't yet, leave a comment at the bottom of this post, help out my ad revenue as you read so I don't have to rely on divine intervention or accept a life I do not deserve, and follow me on BlueSky, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest news on my content.
Ticketmaster,
Out.
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