The X Finale - Maxxxine
Film
After the trials and tribulations of X Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) has finally rolled over the competition, and made her way to "glamorous" Hollywood. But not everything is glitz and glamor in Ti West's MaXXXine, the final installment of his X trilogy. A sinister serial killer known as the Night Stalker is on the loose, murdering young woman in an apparent satanic fashion. Not only does Maxine have to navigate the pitfalls of 80's Hollywood and a serial killer, but throw in the sleazy PI John Labat, played effortlessly by an exceedingly wild Kevin Bacon, who's hot on the trail of what remains of the Texas ranch massacre from X.
West's MaXXXine deals with the meta commentary constructed in Pearl and X, with how the entertainment industry can be a ruthless wasteland. The latest feature going as far as representing this through the Night Stalker's vicious murders of young women trying to make it in Hollywood. Even thought the messaging is consistent throughout the trilogy, as we saw with Pearl and X, West refuses to replicate the style for each subsequent film. Pearl was an homage to the Technicolor era of movies in the 30's, X tackled the grainy slasher like the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and now MaXXXine combines Italian Giallo and neo-noir mysteries of the 80's.
Taking place in Hollywood, with many pivotal scenes occurring on the Universal lot itself, West's film showcases a lot of the tumultuous change across the filmmaking landscape. The rise of horror, along with the growing presence of satanic elements and sex within horror films are noticeable through constant protestors seen marching around the lot. Of course these ideas are consistently applied throughout the trilogy, but provide a larger focal point in MaXXXine. West even goes as far as magnifying questions of Maxine's past, not the violence of it, but her start as an adult film star and how dubious producers are based on that. The only way she's able to get her big break--other than a fantastic monologue delivered directly to the camera as if auditioning in the eyes of the audience--is through the backing of Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), the director of the film Maxine auditions for.
The rising presence of sex in mainstream moviemaking throughout West's trilogy along with MaXXXine's grimy, B movie atmosphere deliver another fantastic aesthetic for more of West's twisted storytelling. Mixed with the neo-noir lighting and the score from Tyler Bates, the seedy underbelly of Hollywood is the perfect vehicle for the finale of the trilogy.
But even with West's stylish vision, MaXXXine suffers from serious shortcomings in the story. Pearl and X were foreboding, ominous films that culminated in thrilling finales. No matter what expectations were held, West was able to circumvent the conventional. Delivering some wild scares, along with some general unease. That very same thrill simply doesn't exist in MaXXXine. Telegraphed kills are carried out exactly how they're anticipated, lacking any interesting elements from West's prior films, relegating any feelings of horror into predictable disappointment. But most of the disappointment comes from nothing other than the evaporation of Mia Goth. Maxine's role, and Goth's acting, in X was more mild but matched the tone of the film, making it more effective in the long run. Then her role as Pearl was truly transcendent. West wrote a much more intriguing script as a whole, along with an infinitely juicier character for Goth to sink her teeth into. Following up that performance with a lackluster role in MaXXXine prevented Goth from delivering another horror classic, dragging down the film.
Froth
For West's X finale, even if I was ultimately disappointed I think it deserves a triumphant beer to mark the end of A24's first ever trilogy. Well, that and the fact that I really did love X and Pearl so even if the third installment came up short, West did treat us to some fantastic films on the way. In order to match the dark, oft satanic, tones of MaXXXine in a complementary way, we may as well indulge in a dark beer. Lantern Brewing's Oneux is a simple stout whose appearance of damn near complete black is a reflection of West's dark universe. Filled with dark roasted malt, Oneux boasts a strong roasty flavor, but is never overpowering. That in part is due to the chocolate sweetness that comes on the backend, lifting up the heavier elements of the drink. The finish is lighter than the start, much like West's trilogy, but presents a nice lingering roast and malty flavor that refreshes and fills at the same time.
