Tag: X

REVIEW: After strong start, ‘Maxxxine’ loses moxie in third act

After a trip to the past in “Pearl,” the “X” series has gone back to the present, which for the franchise’s characters, is the 1980s.

“MaXXXine” is set in 1985, with its titular character trying to make it in Hollywood after the events of the film “X,” which took place in 1979. With the stage name Maxine Minx, the protagonist (Mia Goth) is an adult film star who gets a chance at the studio system via a role in a horror flick.

It’s a dangerous time for women in Los Angeles, though, as the Night Stalker murders have recently been taking place. It only gets more dangerous for Maxine, when a mysterious person with knowledge of 79 begins stalking her, leaving dead bodies in their wake.

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REVIEW: Getting to know ‘Pearl’ is amusing and frightening

The beginning of Pearl’s path from sweet farm girl to the woman she became in the film “X” is on full, technicolor display in this prequel.

Taking place in 1918, “Pearl” follows the titular character, played by Mia Goth, as she descends into madness. There are a few factors pushing her there, but the main one is her mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright).

Ruth is a domineering woman, never showing compassion to her daughter and instead deriding her for wanting something beyond the farm life. That something is a career in dance, but as time gets closer to an audition that could give Pearl an escape, things begin to happen that awaken a darkness in the character.

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