Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

MaXXXine 

This film gives a great conclusion to the X trilogy! So many people have given this film mixed reactions upon its release and I don’t know why as it is in my opinion the second best next to Pearl. You can see the artistic influence  that Ti West is taking from Bryan DePalma and B horror films to showcase  his style on this film and it never feels like a rip off of their voices but more of a homage to slashers and horror films of the 80’s as the film itself is soaked in this neon Noir visual that is very striking but paints the frame to make you feel transported to that kind of filmmaking and time in Hollywood. This film is definitely Ti West at his most stylistic as X and Pearl are also period piece films which perfectly match the setting they take place in but the way MaXXXine is done you can see Ti West having fun paying respect to old school Hollywood films and using that as a way to bring his audience into this murderous 80’s slasher landscape.  It is both a love letter to slasher films of that decade that truly changed the landscape of that genre while also delving into the mind of Maxine one more time to give her the satisfying close on her arc that shows Mia Goth operating at her finest hour of the character we have come to love. 

Firstly, Now The way this film deals with the setting is perfect as it is able to take real life events and incorporate it into the fictional setting, using things like the night stalker and having film references to things like Chinatown, psycho and many more I think was really cool as it Shows that it wants to be a massive homage to Hollywood and the filmmaking process but it never gets to caught up in the visual nature of it all and never felt lazy in its execution in its’s story. This film picks up where X left off and we See the final girl Maxine trying to carve a name for herself in the industry she has been chipping away at for years to break into. The film delves with a bunch of tones that I think Ti West balances beautifully as it is about seeing your dreams become fully realized and not giving up but at the same time where do you draw the line of what you will do in order to make those dreams a reality. As The lead character has always had the mindset of doing whatever it takes to be the girl she knows she is and having that moment in the spotlight she has been dreaming of for years and then incorporating her past catching up with her and a serial killer on the loose I think was a great way at throwing obstacles at her and also showing how her mental strength has strengthened since X. Ti West brings viewers into this nightmarish view of Hollywood that shows in many ways how its was back in those days and how hard it was to break out among many people sharing the same dream of wanting to be a big star. The film though is still the horror thrill ride we hope it would be he never looses sight of that and using the night stalker as a side plot was great as it made the story become even more unpredictable of where it would turn as you never know who will end up dead next as any character could turn down the street and be taken out so it keeps you on edge just by using that as a plot device which I think was really smart. Then having references to X is so important as it also shows her progression she has made since the events of the massacre in that film and having it be a integral part of acknowledging your past was a fantastic way for her character to come to terms with what happened before she arrived in Hollywood. As she refuses to think or even talk about it so having the character played by Kevin Bacon being that eerie reminder of not letting her forget who she is no matter how hard she tries to compress it I thought it was such a great contribution to the narrative. Ti West leans into the style a little more then Pearl and X did and some are saying he is doing a lot more style over substance here but I think he brought the right amount of style and he never looses focus of what is important for the character he has crafted and the themes of the film he takes on as well. Overall the way the film uses its style and explores its themes of this trauma victim becoming more emotionally stronger I think is such a smart way into closing this trilogy and the writing is solid and the style is so fun especially if your a huge film fan. 

Secondly, The performances from Mia Goth and Kevin Bacon are terrific! Now the film shows Maxine in a very different place than we last saw her in here she is more emotionally centred and you can see she is more sure of who she is. Mia Goth explores the strong wielded character she has crafted herself into since her time spent in Hollywood she has this iron clad will power that she won’t stop at anything until she gets what she set out to do and she has this confidence in herself that she has made for herself that just works amazingly well. You can See Mia Goth having a full grasp of who this character is and what is needed in order to show what the best course of action is for her to close out on in this final chapter of this trilogy and I think what she brings to the screen in this film is the best work she has given of this character! Kevin Bacon is outstanding in this film he has a scene stealing supporting turn that is this sleazy, Private investigator who is tasked to scare Maxine but you can see he goes beyond what his job requires of him and you can see him having some sick satisfaction in scaring her which Kevin sparks to life in such a brilliant way at showing this slimy character stop at nothing in order to run her out of town. He plays a very dark character with a twisted mindset and it was so great to see Kevin Bacon channel a character that was a lot more sinister as we don’t get to see that often and I think it is on of his finest performance he has given in years! The whole cast is great in this film but the two stars that walked away with the film in terms of performance is Mia Goth & Kevin Bacon. 

Lastly, MaXXXine is a fitting closing chapter to what I think is one of the best horror trilogies ever crated! You can see the amazing vision Ti West had from the beginning with X being a take on 1970’s low budget horror films, Pearl being a twisted Wizard Of Oz that takes place in the past and then MaXXXine being a homage to 1980’s slashers and a commentary on the film industry at that moment in time and each film style wise being very different then the next. He really took his time to bring audiences into this world he made with Maxine and Pearl and fleshed them out in an amazing way that got you to really care about them. The film uses Trauma and the theme of making your dreams a reality and what happens when someone will do whatever it takes to make it happen that is the beating heart of all three films and MaXXXine truly closes the trilogy in a way that is respectful to its characters and the world it has crated. Ti West knocks it out of the park giving a great finale that is fitting for its central character MaXXXine is a fantastic third act film to this great  trilogy I recommend everyone go see this film. 

This film revolves around Maxine so closely getting her hands around a part in Hollywood every actress is after but when a shady character comes to town reminding her of her past she has to put her past behind her for good

Rated R : Gore|Drug Use|Strong Violence|Graphic Nudity|Language|Sexual Content

Mia Goth : Goth delivers a fantastic final outing of this final girl that has classic horror icon written all over her. Now when we first met her character back in X she was a very quiet person with big dreams and ideas for her future. Seeing how confident she is only Is possible after many years of her doing her best to work on herself since the Massacre that deeply traumatized her. She shows the amount of growth she has had since the moment that changed her life on that ranch. She has focused on being the best version of herself she can be and not look back yes it in many ways has shaped her into the person she is in that current moment in time but she dose not need the reminder of what has molded her though. So when she is near the moment of having her time in the spotlight and someone comes in her life causing her to have to deal with her past she is not exactly excited to have to but she will deal with It in ways she deems will put those stories of who she was before arriving to LA to rest for good. Mia Goth never plays a crying helpless character she refuses to put her character through that she focuses on showing the strength she has in her and how she carries herself through situations where she won’t get stepped on by anybody regardless of who it is. She surrounds herself with people that will bring the best in herself out and challenge her to be even better then who she currently is and when those people start dropping like flies due to the murders around town she has no choice but have to deal with the issue head on which she didn’t want to as she had dealt with a similar like situation many years ago so having the not wanting to co-operate approach she thought would be best to protect her mind. She constantly is using her wits to have the upper hand in every situation if it’s verbal or even psychical she will not be a victim and she will use any resource in order to squash the problem. Mia Goth brings that empowering side of Maxine in such a great way that never felt forced or cheesy but worked so well for the arc of the character and seeing her have a no non sense attitude was perfect for the evolution of her role because of what she has been through she has a tougher way of dealing with things. That fierce and bubbling anger she lets out within seconds if someone disrespects her is shown in such a genuinely powerful way as she is still able to have moments where she is genuinely scared but won’t let many people see that vulnerability she keeps a lot of her insecurities to herself as she has a new outlook on dealing with her feelings due to what happened to her. I think having that approach of how she was able to explore the mind of Maxine this time around and her being emotionally aggressive at times really worked for her but also switch it up and have her be this person that still has a heart of gold  that will look out for people she cares about I think was a great balance because Mia Goth had so much character work to explore and really go places she never got to with the character the first time around. Here she gets to show why she is the way she is while also covering new ground and showing parts of her we had yet to see. Mia Goth delivers a performance that I think is the best portrayal of this character it isn’t as good as her work in Pearl but it is very close Mia Goth is outstanding in this film. 

Kevin Bacon : Kevin delves into one of his most darkest roles in a long time and he is outstanding in this film! Now Kevin Bacon is a character actor that has quite the impressive body of work from Footloose, Mystic River, A Few Good Men and many more he is a truly solid actor that has turned in some truly amazing performances over the years so it should be a surprise to no one that he has given a great performance in this film. Here he plays this sleazy, low life, bottom feeder private detective that looks like he just crawled out of a gutter and Bacon knew what was needed to spring this character to the screen and he is explosively good onscreen. He is hired with the task of scaring the daylights out of Maxine but he has no idea who he is messing with as to him she is just some girl who is like the rest and he can collect his pay and be on his way. Now he does not take that approach to the situation when he sees who she is and what she has gone through instead of just sticking to what he was told to do he goes out of his way to truly torment her and try to get her to leave town and never come back. She won’t back down from a fight and he has no intention of going home without being compensated for his work he has put in to following her around so he won’t back down either so it very much feels like a constant battle between the two and Kevin has this way of speaking, walking and the sheer look of him that just makes you repelled at the sight of him but the way he speaks his dialogue to the cocky smirk he gives he is mesmerizing. He has this twisted playful aspect to the character that is scary to an extent but the other side is he has no idea how he is so much over his own head because he thinks he has the upper hand in this situation and that over confident nature and shady way of dealing with things that makes him incredibly unpredictable as you never know what he will do next in his attempt to terrify her which is horrifying as he will do about anything to show her that he isn’t going to be pushed around. Bacon you can tell was having so much fun bringing this despicable human to the screen and making him stand out with all the small things that made him really memorable from his speech pattern, to his over confident nature, the way he dressed he knew from head to toe how to portray this character in the best way possible. Bacon gives a great performance that I think is among one of the best of his career he plays a supporting turn and I hope his performance isn’t overlooked at it is a playful and sinister role that he really got to sink his teeth into and he gives a truly outstanding performance that you cannot look away from. 

Ti West : West brings a great conclusion to this trilogy with MaXXXine! Now as I mentioned earlier Ti West had a vision for this trilogy since 2022’s X and Pearl which both came out the same year and it quickly became one of the most talked about horror trilogies as so many people were waiting in anticipation of how he was going to wrap up the trilogy with the third film. As creatively he could of gone anywhere as Pearl took place before the events of X so he could of explored more of that but instead he chose to do a direct follow up to X and pick up where that film ended and I think going from that angle was a smart move as so many people wanted to know how she was affected after the events of that film. Having the film take place in the nights of LA in the 1980’s was perfect as Maxine had always dreamed of being a movie star so what better way to end the trilogy then having end in the place she had always dreamed of working in. It also feels very much like a love letter to the industry with constant callbacks to movies like Chinatown, Psycho and even classic Brian DelPalma films you can see the sheer love and passion Ti West wanted to throw into this film about the industry while also delving into the heart of Maxine one more time and giving her the proper send off for the character that she deserves. The film delivers with its horror elements once again with great moments of suspense and thrills that have you on edge the whole time and it never felt like a retread of what we had seen in the previous films he keeps pushing himself to go places with this character and go places she hasn’t been to emotionally so were constantly finding new areas of her heart. He shows the themes of Trauma, not being a victim after a tragic moment and not letting it define your personality but rather use that trauma and turn it into strength instead of sadness. Ti West also makes it feel like a murder mystery in many ways as you don’t know who is behind the killings until the last act of the film which was amazing he has so many things in this film that I loved the love letter to the industry, the horror style that people have come to love and then the deep emotional heartbeat he has woven into the narrative. He did such a fantastic job at giving a great finale to this character that felt right and he never in my mind felt over indulgent in the style he was presenting to the audience he always seemed focus on making sure the world he crafted was done right and he delivers a truly fantastic final film in the trilogy Ti West delivered resulting in one of the best horror trilogies ever put to screen Ti West did a incredible job with MaXXine.