4K UHD Review: MAXXXINE (2024)

MAXXXINE

Written & Directed by:  Ti West

Distributed by:  Second Sight Films

 The final installment in Ti West's X Trilogy, MAXXXINE is once again a very different style of film as the first two films.  X was a dark and grimy 70's style horror film, while PEARL was a vibrant and colorful nod to old Hollywood, disguised as a horror film.   MAXXXINE is set in 1980's Hollywood and was very reminiscent of Hollywood slashers of the 80's.  

 Here is the basic plot synopsis, courtesy of Second Sight Films:

An adult film star in 80s Los Angeles tries to cross over to the mainstream by starring in a new horror film, but her past soon catches up with her and friends and colleagues start turning up dead.

  This film immediately made me think of Robert Vincent O'Neil's 1984 film, ANGEL.   While that film focused on a serial killer targeting prostitutes,  the killer in MAXXXINE was targeting female adult film actresses.  West did an amazing job of making this film feel like you were watching something straight from the 80's.  The wardrobes and hair styles were spot on.  Also worth noting was the amazing soundtrack featuring tons of 1980's hit songs.  

  Mia Goth again stars as Maxine Minx, the character she portrayed in the original film, X.   If you'll remember from my review of PEARL, she also plays the character of Pearl, the woman that owned the farm Maxine shot the adult film at in X.   Confused?  I was too at first, but somehow Mia Goth pulls it off and makes it work.  I think that is a testament to the talent that she is. 

  As with the previous installments, there are some great effects, with lots of blood and gore.  One scene in particular made me physically cringe, and I expect most males that watched this did the same.  That should be a good hint and what part of the body that effect involved!  

 Director Ti West once again does a wonderful job and makes another very stylistic horror film, and a nice wrap up to the X trilogy.   While I personally think MAXXXINE was the weakest of the 3 films, it was still very good and definitely worth a watch.     Second Sight Films again does a remarkable job with this 4K release.  The picture and sound quality is amazing, and as you can see below, these releases are loaded with some awesome Special Features!

MAXXXINE is available now in 4K UHD and a 4K UHD Limited Edition set.   The standard edition contains the following Special Features:

• Presented in HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

• New audio commentary commentary by Bill Ackerman & Amanda Reyes

• Back to the Blank Page: a new interview with Director Ti West

• Money on the Screen: a new interview with Producer Jacob Jaffke
  
  
• B-Movie Aesthetic: a new interview with Director of Photography Eliot Rockett 
  
  
• Curating Space: a new audio interview with Production Designer Jason Kisvarday
  
  

• The Whole World's Gonna Know My Name: Kat Hughes on MaXXXine

• The Belly of the Beast

• XXX Marks the Spot

• Hollywood is a Killer

• Q&A with Ti West

The Limited Edition set contains all the Special Features from the standard edition, plus the following extras:

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by OC Agency Group

• 120-page book with new essays by Reyna Cervantes, Sarah Miles, Sam Moore, James Rose, Rebecca Sayce and Michelle Swope

• 6 collectors' art cards 

CLICK HERE to purchase the 4K UHD

CLICK HERE to purchase the 4K UHD Limited Edition set

4K UHD Review: PEARL (2022)

PEARL

Directed by:  Ti West

Distributed by:  Second Sight Films

 I was a big fan of Director Ti West's 2022 film X starring Mia Goth, and I was aware of the other two films in the trilogy, but had just not watched them yet for some reason.   I finally got to check out the 2nd film in the trilogy, PEARL, thanks to the new 4K UHD release from Second Sight films. 

 Here is the basic plot of the film courtesy of the Second Sight Films website:

A troubled young woman pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the boredom, loneliness, and lovelessness of life in her small town. As life on her parent’s farm grows more and more frustrating, her mask of sanity slowly starts to slip.

  PEARL is actually a prequel to X, and like X, PEARL also stars Mia Goth, but this time she's playing the part of the farm owner killer from X. 

 This film was much different than the first film.  X was very dark and dirty feeling.  It had a very 70's Grindhouse horror look and feel to it.    Pearl was vastly different in that it is set in 1918 and is very vibrant in both the tone of the film and the look of the film.  The colors burst off the screen in this new 4K UHD release.   I love the way they made the film look like an older film, especially with the title font and the classic credits that look like they are from an old black and white film.    The film has some a few very gory scenes, mainly at the end, but they are done in such a beautiful and artistic way.  You'll have to check it out to understand, and you'll know what I mean by this as soon as you see it. 

  The acting in PEARL is incredible, with Mia Goth giving another remarkable performance.  All the actors did great, all giving top notch performances.   This is a very interesting film, as it doesn't seem like you are watching a horror film at all.  It is too clean, and pretty.  Later in the film, you'll definitely know you are watching a horror film, as Pearl does some truly awful things to her controlling Mother and her terminally ill Father. 

 Since this is a prequel, you don't have to have seen X to enjoy this film, you can definitely enjoy it for what it is on it's own.  If you have seen X, though, that does add a bit more fun to it as you know who Pearl grows up to be and you understand why she did the things she did in X. 

 This is a great film, and is definitely as good as X, but I might even go out on a limb and say it's probably actually a better made film than X.   Both are enjoyable films, so check them out if you haven't seen them yet.   This new release from Second Sight Films is a perfect way to enjoy the film in pristine picture and sound quality. 

 PEARL is available now in 4K UHD and a 4K UHD Limited Edition set.   The standard edition contains the following Special Features:

• Presented in HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

• New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

• Bold Choices: a new interview with Director Ti West

• The Mother: a new interview with Actor Tandi Wright

• Absorb the Aesthetic: a new interview with Director of Photography Eliot Rockett 

• Going Technicolor: a new interview with Production Designer Tom Hammock

• Hollywood Goes West: a video essay by Joe Wallace

• Coming Out of Her Shell

• Time After Time 

  The Limited Edition set contains all the Special Features from the standard edition, plus the following extras:

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Thinh Dinh

• 120-page book with new essays by Jenn Adams, Joel Harley, Mo Moshaty, Tori Potenza, Vannah Taylor and Nadine Whitney

• 6 collectors' art cards 

CLICK HERE to purchase the 4K UHD

CLICK HERE to purchase the Limited Edition 4K UHD