Movie critic Bruce Miller says "Maxxxine" doesn’t accomplish much or really scare. It’s a visual treat but a scary movie dud. It’s merely an attempt for a director to walk in other’s shoes, not blaze new trails.
The stars come out for “MaXXXine,” but the third film in Ti West’s trilogy is hardly a glittering affair.
Occurring six years after “X” (the one about gonzo filmmakers shooting a porno in the country), it doesn’t quite have the surprise element of the first or its prequel, “Pearl.” Instead, it rides the wave of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” recapturing a specific period in filmmaking and leaning in on the threat of a serial killer. In this one, it’s the Night Stalker offing women on the streets of Los Angeles.
There’s a suggestion that Maxine (Mia Goth) might be involved but, first, there’s a movie to be made. It’s “The Puritan 2” and it’s directed by a real stickler (played by Elizabeth Debicki) who insists it’s a “B movie with A ideas.” Maxine is game, but she has others to worry about – including an investigator (Kevin Bacon), two cops (Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan) and a Buster Keaton impressionist who doesn’t remain silent once the actress gets ahold of him.
As Maxine weighs her options, the ranks close in and, soon, she’s forced to walk the mean streets alone.
West conjures plenty of â€80s horror and manages to reference everything from “Psycho” to “Chinatown” until his day pass on the Universal lot is up. Then, it’s a lot of dark alleys and soundstages to walk by. Goth may have perfected the disconnected porn star guise, but it’s of little value to something like this – a film that would love to be seen as an homage to some of the greats.
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She underplays everything and doesn’t quite understand the vibes Debicki is giving. If West wanted to up the value of his trilogy, he should have encouraged Goth to do more than show up.
When Bacon finds the sizzle, she’s hiding out in the “Psycho” house, oblivious to his Jack Nicholson tribute.
West’s details, however, rival Tarantino’s. He captures many of the era’s hallmarks and manages to make the Universal Studios Tour look like something you might want to revisit. When the Hollywood sign becomes a player, you realize this isn’t in the same league as Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood.” He got the sign’s dimensions right and managed to send up the industry without picking at its bones.
"MaXXXine" brings the woman's story full circle and helps explain why various things happened but it's of little consequence without the other films as context. See it alone and you'll wonder why the fuss.
Movies in a minute with film critic Bruce Miller
Movies in a Minute: "Saturday Night"
Movies in a Minute: "Joker: Folie `a Deux"
Movies in a Minute: "Megalopolis"
Movies in a Minute: "Transformers One"
Movies in a Minute: "Speak No Evil"
Movies in a Minute: "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
Movies in a Minute: "Reagan"
Movies in a Minute: "Blink Twice"
Movies in a Minute "Alien: Romulus"
Movies in a Minute: "It Ends With Us"
Movies in a Minute: "Trap"
Movies in a Minute: "Deadpool & Wolverine"
Movies in a Minute: "Twisters"
Movies in a Minute "Maxxxine"
Movies in a Minute "Despicable Me 4"
Movies in a Minute "A Quiet Place: Day One"
Movies in a Minute: "Thelma"
Movies in a Minute: "Inside Out 2"
Movies in a Minute "Bad Boys: Ride or Die"
Movies in a Minute: "Jim Henson Idea Man”
Movies in a Minute: "Summer Camp"
Movies in a Minute: "The Blue Angels"
Movies in a Minute: "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"
Movies in a Minute: "The Fall Guy"
Movies in a Minute: "Challengers"
Movies in a Minute: "Abigail"
Movies in a Minute: "Civil War"
Movies in a Minute: "Monkey Man"
Movies in a Minute: "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire"
Movies in a Minute: "Late Night With the Devil"
Movies in a Minute: "Snack Shack"
Movies in a Minute: "Cabrini"
Movies in a Minute "Dune: Part Two"
Movies in a Minute: "Drive-Away Dolls"
Movies in a Minute "Bob Marley: One Love"
Movies in a Minute: "Lisa Frankenstein”
Movies in a Minute: “The Greatest Night in Pop”
Movies in a Minute: "Poor Things"
Movies in a Minute: Best Actress nominee Sandra Huller
Movies in a Minute: "Mean Girls"
Movies in a Minute: "Anyone But You"
Movies in a Minute: "The Color Purple"
Movies in a Minute: "The Iron Claw"
Movies in a Minute: "Wonka"
Movies in a Minute: "May December"
Movies in a Minute: "Wish"
Movies in a Minute: "Next Goal Wins"
Movies in a Minute: "The Marvels"
Movies in a Minute: "The Holdovers"
Movies in a Minute: "Five Nights at Freddy's"
Movies in a Minute "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour"
Movies in a Minute: "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Movies in a Minute: "The Exorcist: Believer"
Movies in a Minute: "Fair Play"
 Bruce Miller is editor of the Sioux City Journal.Â
“A Quiet Place: Day One” offers a tremendous performance from Lupita Nyong’o as Sam, a terminally ill writer, who’s trying to protect her cat …