Written and Directed By: Ti West
Starring: Mia Goth, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson
Production Companies: Mad Solar, Little Lamb, Bron Studios
Distributed By: A24
Plot: "In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives."
Trailer:
Reviews:
Variety: https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/x-review-sxsw-1235203851/
But "X," written and directed by Ti West, is an imitation with a difference. For one thing, it could hardly be more upfront about its son-of-"Chain Saw" atmosphere — which is to say it's a deliberate, loving, and meticulous homage that isn't simply trying to cash in on the legacy of the greatest horror film of the last half century.
More than that, it's a movie made with genuine mood and skill and flavor. Your average "Chain Saw" knockoff never seems remotely like a movie from the grainy outlaw '70s. It is, rather, contempo product that feels like product; the movies in the "Chain Saw" franchise itself are made with the worst kind of synthetic digital sheen. But "X," set in 1979, actually achieves the look and atmosphere of 1979: the free-ride waywardness, the needle drops (Pablo Cruise, "In the Summertime"), the local televangelist barking at his stuffy minions on a black-and-white TV set. The film's images have a no-fuss pastoral documentary lyricism, and it's not just the way the shots look. It's the way they're cut together — slowly and calmly, without razzmatazz, so that the film seems to be taking place in real time, at a time when technology was a lot quieter. The folks within those frames actually seem like real people.
IndieWire (B+): https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/x-review-ti-west-1234707894/
While "X" is an ingenious rejiggering of genre archetypes, a few shortcomings hold it back: The instigating reason behind the murders, intoxicating sex, feels underdeveloped. The mystery behind the elderly couple is a tad too cute, too knowingly brisk. Still, the melding of two seemingly different but closely related energies — those of adult films and bloody slashers — is a fascinating angle from which to interrogate the horror of aging in relation to sexual status. The maxim "you can never be too old," applies nearly everywhere, except in West's "X."
But ultimately that aesthetic is an act of subterfuge, just like the conventions of the two stories being told: While you're languishing in the performances and period detail, West is sneaking up to pull the rug out from beneath you, or to raze some outdated cliché. X is bloody, ballsy fun.
Want to watch the movie from home via streaming? Good news! Thanks to A24's Pay 1 Window Agreement, you'll be able to see it via:
If you are a Paramount+ Subscriber who gets the Showtime Bundle upgrade, you will be able to watch this movie (and all other Showtime content) in the Paramount+ app when Showtime content becomes available this summer! The actual movie should be available at latest by this September on the service!
Please note: This will not be accessible to all Paramount+ subscribers. You must pay for the Showtime bundle, which will unlock Showtime content in your Paramount+ UI. This is NOT like HBO Max where content from the premium cable channel is already included in your payment plan.
And that's it! Enjoy the movie!
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