X/Pearl/MaXXXine (Ti West, 2022-2024)

[The Curious Sofa]

Visually, all three films are distinct from each other. X replicates the rough look of the 16mm-shot Texas Chainsaw Massacre, using 8mm for the porn movie within the film. Pearl has a highly saturated, Technicolor look, with Pearl a psychotic Dorothy who dreams of Hollywood fame instead of Oz. MaXXXine has the sleek, blue-tinged look of an '80s giallo; Tenebrae comes to mind.

While none of the films are masterpieces, Pearl is the best of the lot, it's basically a showcase for Mia Goth's riotously unhinged performance. MaXXXine is the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker of this trilogy, pulled in several directions at once, its an incoherent misfire.


The Innkeepers remains my favourite film by Ti West. Though not a period piece, it captures the cosy atmosphere of a 1970s haunted-house movie you might stumble across on late-night TV. At heart, it’s both a hangout film and a character study of a man-child nearing middle age, stuck in a dead-end job and nursing a crush on his teenage co-worker.Though seemingly easy-going, his immaturity and spinelessness

Spoiler

ultimately let the girl down when it matters most.

The film also features a memorable supporting performance by Kelly McGillis, who was in the midst of her comeback/horror phase at the time, playing a washed-up soap actress turned professional psychic.

[pianocrash]

The fact that A24 keeps releasing these horrid oversized monstrosities of their films is befitting to a T, but at the very least, it seems that they require a director commentary for a majority of these releases, which almost evens the odd orbit. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for West in almost every way, I'll easily sit through all three commentaries, especially since the production designer will be sharing a few of the tracks.

As many have already said, West really has nothing to offer by way of new or interesting ideas, save a few technically beautiful moves from time to time. After making my way through his filmography recently, I really hit a precipice of how Hollywood exists to sell your soul for profit and/or fame, use your talent for good or evil in the world, as well as your precious time either indulging in it or becoming a cog in the endless churn. Mia Goth is always enjoyable, even in the most half-witted scenario you'd might imagine, and I'll side with Pearl as being a sort of crossroads of that collaboration with West. Extremely superstupid, but she's absolutely captivating. MaXXXine had the most potential to actually say something (anything at all, just maybe?) about the previous entries, a wafer-thin premise of a character, the industry, society, etc., but instead chooses to completely blow it all into a nothingness of tropes & truly excellent production values (and, by that measure, doesn't hold a candle to it's main inspiration, Robert Vincent O'Neil's Angel, which still feels absolutely insane for an actual 1984 production, especially in comparison). But I haven't met an actual Ti West devout yet, but I also don't watch movies to rank the coolness of kills, Argento nods, or willingness to indulge the worst parts of my psyche for fun and/or someone else's (Sam Levinson's) profit.

[nicolas]

Second Sight LE and standard editions of Pearl and MaXXXine upcoming on November 17 with exclusive interviews with Ti West.

https://secondsightfilms.co.uk/collecti ... -available

https://secondsightfilms.co.uk/collecti ... -available

[domino harvey]

Those seem much more in line visually with what I’ve seen of these films’ marketing