dex14

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/...pearl-at-sxsw/

CyberpunkCentra

That was fast.

dex14

Trailer out tomorrow.

dex14

Dan

looks great!

Crocker Jarmen

I like X a lot, hope this one has the same energy.

DJariya

I enjoyed X a lot. I know some didn't. It had a really dark and dirty feel that added to the horror element. I'll check this one out. It looks like Goth's character is the psychopath.

Throwing Copper

Hell yeah. X is one of the best of 2022. Glad they’re capitalizing on this now.

Giantrobo

Shit. Now I gotta go back and watch "X".

asianxcore

clckworang

That makes sense since



dex14

Some reviews from Venice: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pearl_2022

Brian T

Got X from the library here a couple of nights ago and was reasonably impressed, despite the overall familiarity it radiates. I was familiar with Mia Goth from SUSPIRIA, A CURE FOR WELLNESS, HIGH LIFE and even EVEREST, but thought Maxine was a great character for her.

But this sequel? Holy shit is she good in it. The character of Pearl in the first movie was kind of skeevy and not quite fleshed out enough for me, which I now suppose was intentional. I didn’t feel like there was much to her beyond her need to be wanted or get laid or whatever, though that certainly made for a more well-rounded and sympathetic character than I expected.

PEARL the movie, though, provides Pearl the character with so much fascinating backstory – and Goth with such meaty, complicated scenes – that it almost becomes overwhelming (in a good way!) when the film and the actress kick into overdrive in the third act. I haven’t read the legit reviews yet, but surely there must be some awards talk for her performance in this, beyond whatever awards Fangoria hands out these days? She’s got a phenomenal extended monologue here that lays the characters psychosis, and her awareness and growing acceptance of it, right on the table, unfortunately opposite someone who immediately regrets hearing it. Great stuff. Tandi Wright also has a plum role as Pearl’s tyrannical German immigrant mom, and likewise gets a standout monologue (during a raging thunderstorm no less) where she belittles her daughter’s dreams. Seems she’s been largely stuck in TV and small movies in New Zealand for the past 20-plus years, and was an intimacy coordinator on X and a few other recent films. Hopefully this gets her some bigger roles.

The murders and gore are there, and they’re reasonably nasty and fairly organic, but like the first film, I don’t think they’re the star of the show. It’s more of a character study of someone desperate for fame but doomed to failure. Based on Goth’s performance in X, I was hoping for more of that here, and got it, undoubtedly due to the fact that she co-wrote the screenplay.

I do think this is one of those rare horror sequels that matches and supersedes it’s predecessor instead of just being more of whatever worked the first time (like so many others), and it actually makes that film a richer experience in the bargain (i skimmed through the library disc again tonight and saw all sorts of little references)

- - -

So I just skimmed the legit reviews (which are pretty positive, so that’s nice to see) and it would appear the epic post-credits sequence at the TIFF screening tonight – which got a wild response – was not included at the Venice premiere, presumably because the filmmakers knew that the Midnight Madness crowd would deliver a more robust response than the snobs in Italy. The TIFF programmer was as surprised as the audience that it was there. I won’t be the one to spoil it, but I can imagine it will be blabbed across social media soon enough. 😄

Rival11

I'll probably watch this since I've already seen X but I'm not expecting much. I've already read a bunch of non-spoiler reviews that say like X, it doesn't know what it wants to be.

Brian T

Interesting. I didn’t see that in most of the Venice reviews. Guess I need to read the IMDb reviews or some genre sites. I felt the film was extremely clear in what it wanted to be – a character study of a deeply selfish and sociopathic young woman who desperately wants a better life at all costs – but as with any sequel that stylistically diverges from its predecessor – as PEARL does with its Technicolor palette, vintage Hollywood aesthetics (like a 1940’s film set in 1918), and lush orchestral score (including a glitzy musical number in the protagonist’s head), all of which reflect the main character’s increasingly deranged fantasy life – I do wonder if fans/critics who liked/loved X maybe weren’t comfortable with such a stylistic about-face. It’s quite different.

in light of the teaser for MAXXINE – which I see got it’s own thread almost as soon as I posted here last night 😄 – I’d wager we’re in for another major style change with that film, presumably incorporating VHS-style video to reflect the mid-80’s porn aesthetic, among whatever other touches West incorporates to flesh out what I presume will be Maxine’s transformation into a sociopath like Pearl.

To be fair, I don’t think either of these films are outright classics, nor are any of West’s films that I’ve seen, but I do admire his approach with this unexpected series (or trilogy, or whatever) of balancing the horror elements with compelling character development, moreso in this film than X.

Brian T

BTW, here’s the Q&A from last night’s show, with the usual apologies for resolution, bad filming, whatever. I was in the back row and didn’t feel like moving! 😄

It’s loaded with spoilers, so if that’s not your thing, I’d recommend avoiding it:

Perkinsun Dzees

I thought this was okay. It held my attention, but wasn't anything special, and I enjoyed it less than X.

Mia Goth is fantastic here and the movie's opening scenes promise something unique, but story-wise, Pearl is sort of like a less interesting version of DePalma's Carrie (minus the telekinesis) crossed with Leave Her to Heaven. The title character's descent into madness has a slow and effective build-up, but it feels a bit contrived (there's a big dance audition plot device that kind of recalls a similar plot "event" that set things in motion in Carrie), and the story's dramatic payoff just doesn't go nearly as off-the-wall bonkers as I was hoping for. The killings are largely perfunctory and unimaginative (although the last one is nicely staged) and Goth has a long monologue near the end that she delivers flawlessly, but which kind of stops the film's momentum dead in its tracks.

As with X, the story in Pearl revolves around oppressed desire turning into something horrific, but unlike the previous film, this one falls short of being an over-the-top B-movie/slasher fest. Instead, it takes itself a bit more seriously and adds more substance to its style, but as a dark character study of obsession it suffers from a familiar and overly predictable narrative that is redeemed mostly by Goth's central performance.

MysterioMan007

I saw this last night. While I enjoyed X more than this, I thought Mia Goth's performance was terrific and I still managed to enjoy this one as well. Goth's monologue at the end, imo, was the best part of her performance. But, wow, Pearl was a nutcase. Looking forward to Maxxxine.

Dan

Enjoyed it for the most part. As others have said, it's an entirely different beast than X was, and I'm looking forward to see what West & Goth do with MaXXXine.

This one gets three

out of five.

Mondo Kane

As of now, I liked this more than X. More multi-layered than it's predecessor and far more gorgeous to look at. And although it's quite brief, I really wasn't expecting the porno-connection to link up with this installment!

dex14

Enjoyed it. Really great production design and direction.

Crocker Jarmen

Glad to read other's thoughts here, as when the movie was over I expected the response to be very divisive.

X is one of my favorite movies of the year, because it created a mood that was so effective and enjoyable. I had no hang-ups about the thinness of story, or it being "pointless", because it delivered a thrilling experience. I went to see it a second time.

Pearl is a very different movie. I "enjoyed" it in the sense I was engaged from start to finish, both by this new setting/time period, and the characters. I found the movie very sad. I was sad for Pearl. I was sad for her hurting. I was sad for the people she hurt. She was so pitiful I did not hate her. Why do I want to do to the movies to have a sad time? I'm not sure, I guess I enjoy how these illusions can provoke emotional responses. Whether that emotional is happy or unpleasant, I admire the movies that do it strongly.

The movie seems like it's mainly a showcase of Mia Goth as a performer. She is outstanding in this. Such a surprise that the climax of the film is not a horror-movie-rampage, but her giving a lengthy (five minutes? nine minutes?) monologue, confessing her pain and the terrible things she's done and her acceptance of them.

I loved the image of the rotting pig her mother was too stubborn to accept. I can think of few things more shameful than for an animal to be raised for meat that spoils and isn't eaten. Their entire life and slaughter was meaningless. The image of Pearl setting the final dinner with that maggoty pig is an image I'll remember whenever I hear of this movie.

Ti West certainly helped to make this a memorable year at the movies with these two movies.

dex14

Hazel Motes

I’m glad I’m in good company with Scorsese because this film hasn’t been getting nearly the talk I think it deserves. I found it to be absolutely phenomenal! Film of the year for me so far. I didn’t care much for X but this was nearly perfect. The acting was superb. Mia Goth SHOULD but WON’T be nominated for an Oscar. The cinematography was breathtaking. The script was both sad and twisted at the same time. The visuals were haunting. I gave it a 4.5 out of 5. Far and away Ti Wests best film. First movie I’m gonna see twice in theatres in sometime. I can’t say enough good things about it.

Mondo Kane

Agree with all the above!
And I guess Scorsese will watch a Horror movie only if it's released by A24 He raved about Midsommar too.