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| X (2022) poster |
They started with CGI visual effects, then they continued their backgrounds, then they showed us fake animals, and now we see CGI actors. Does anyone make real cinema anymore, you ask? Many filmmakers still make awesome pictures with practical gore special effects, the fact that you ignore them and opt for buying a ticket to a Marvel blockbuster infested with CGI is your fault. Support real cinema!
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X (2022) poster featuring Mia Goth
X (2022)
Set deep in the
‘Bible Belt’, Texas, and in 1979 when the age of the ‘chic porno’ filmic
movement was pretty much over and done with, this follows the cast and crew of
a Houston adult film production that rents an old couple’s barn in the middle
of nowhere, whereupon they aim to shoot their latest hit, ‘The Farmer’s
Daughter’. Even at first glance the Texan hospitality doesn’t seem to be what
it usually advertises itself as, but things will become even more nightmarish
as the entourage starts getting killed, one member at a time.
A24 and
writer/director Ti West [who had helmed the perfection that is The House of the Devil (2009)] have done
it again, in creating cinema with guts and as such it should be cherished. This
is the most fun I’ve had watching a movie since I can’t remember when. It is
aesthetically perfect as 1979 porn is brought to life without indulging into
any retro-styled anomalies, while the casting is spot-on too and so is the
killer soundtrack. If you can imagine The
Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) for a new generation you’d get a pretty
good idea how awesome this is, but it also nods at other films by Tobe Hooper,
such as Eaten Alive (1976),
especially when a crocodile gets involved along the way. Shot in New Zealand
back-to-back with a prequel called Pearl
and that we’ll see in 2022, this premiered at South by Southwest before
receiving a theatrical release which resulted in love by critics and audiences
alike. It is hands down my favorite horror film of the year.
Pearl (2022) poster
Pearl (2022)
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Set in 1918
during the influenza pandemic (and addressing it a lot, resulting in relevant
storytelling), this prequel tells the story of the titular character (Mia Goth,
in a career-defining starring role), who feels imprisoned in her life as a farm
girl in Texas, oppressed by a psychotic mother and a sick father, and dreams of
making it in the movies as a dancer. But other than her well-meant life goal,
she is also suffering from her own psychopathic tendencies that start – as
usual – with torturing and killing animals and eventually escalates to greater
violence.
Featuring epic
monologues for its star (Mia Goth also wrote the screenplay, with Ti West),
this is masterful cinema (courtesy of director Ti West) celebrating images of
the past, without ever being annoyingly retro. It is homage to the cinema we
grew up with, spiced up with tons of transgression and gore, this is an
audiovisual experience unlike any other, and it should be cherished for ages to
come. Premiering at the Venice International Film Festival, it was loved by
critics and audiences alike, going on to gross $9 million, on a $1 million
budget, essentially becoming an all around success.
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MaXXXine (2024) poster
MaXXXine (2024)
Set in 1985
Hollywood, amidst the murders committed by the notorious serial killer
nicknamed ‘The Night Stalker’ and the satanic panic that targeted music and
cinema, the final act of the trilogy tells the story of the titular porn
actress (Mia Goth) and her journey to becoming a legitimate movie star, but in
reality it is a tale of blood and mayhem.
Debauchery,
drugs, fame, corruption, backstabbing, and an inexplicable desire to become
famous for no apparent reason, are the ingredients of a recipe that many taste
when they try to make it in Hollywood, but as this new film from
writer/director Ti West tells us, the place is a dump and it will devour your
soul. However, this is all the protagonist needs and she will do anything to
become somebody, no matter what the cost may be. It is the most colorful and
vibrant entry of the series, it has the best soundtrack, it was a great
box-office success (it grossed $21.1 million), but most importantly it is more
than great cinema, it is actual fucking poetry.
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