MaXXXine stars Mia Goth as Maxine Minx, an adult film actress who aspires to become a more serious movie star in Hollywood where a serial killer, the Night Stalker, searches for his next female victim. She lands a role in a demonic possession movie called "The Puritan 2" directed by Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki). Meanwhile, Detective Williams (Michelle Monaghan) and Detective Torres (Bobby Cannavale) want to question her about two porn actresses she was friends with who were found murdered. Labat (Kevin Bacon), a mysterious private investigator, somehow knows that she survived a massacre back in Texas and blackmails her, so she seeks help from her agent, Teddy Night (Giancarlo Esposito). The screenplay by writer/director Ti West feels like it's trying to merge 3 different movies all at once which makes the plot, set in 1985, feel needlessly convoluted and tonally uneven. As a tongue-in-cheek dark comedy, it often succeeds, but as a crime thriller/horror film and character study, it's rather underwhelming. There are a handful of gruesome kills that will make the audience squirm in their seats, so at least in terms of violence, MaXXXine tries to push the envelope and delivers the goods. Unfortunately, a few twists late in the third act doesn't quite stick the landing with clunky exposition that's more silly than provocative, scary or shocking. The film has plenty of visual style, though, with great use of lighting, camera work, and grainy cinematography Once again, Mia Goth gives a radiant performance that oozes with charisma and has some fun in her role. So, even when the narrative momentum wanes, Mia Goth's performance keeps the audience engaged. At a running time of 1 hour and 41 minutes, MaXXXine is a gritty and wickedly funny blend of dark comedy, suspense and horror, but it's tonally uneven, overstuffed and undercooked with style over substance. It opens nationwide via A24.

 

       In Mother, Couch, David (Ewan McGregor) and Gruff (Rhys Ifans), his older brother, shop at a furniture store with his elderly mother, (Ellen Burstyn), but they end up in a challenging situation when she stubbornly refuses to get up from a very expensive couch. Soon enough, their sister, Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle), arrives to try to talk her off the couch to no avail. Bella (Taylor Russell), an employee, happens to be the daughter of the store's owner, Marcus (F. Murray Abraham), who has an identical twin brother, Marco (F. Murray Abraham). Oh, and David has a wife, Anna (Lake Bell), and daughter. Writer/director Niclas Larsson has woven a heavy-handed, meandering and contrived drama about a dysfunctional family with a matriarch who's almost as toxic as the mother from Mommie Dearest. The film's uneven tone makes for a very frustrating experience with an ending that goes over-the-top while the attempts at comic relief fall flat. Taylor Russell has been in a far more sensitively-written film that tackles similar themes with better use of visual poetry: Waves. Mother, Couch ultimately bites off much more than it could chew and has very little narrative momentum, but at least Ellen Burstyn gives a strong performance to keep the audience mildly engaged. The modicum of poignancy comes from her performance, not from the screenplay. At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, Mother, Couch opens at Angelika Film Center via Film Movement. For a much more bold, profound and powerful portrait of an adult child of a narcissistic mother, see Beau is Afraid.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       In The Nature of Love, Sophia (Magalie Lépine-Blondeau) teaches philosophy at a university while stuck in a stale marriage with her husband, Xavier (Francis-William Rhéaume). When she meets Sylvain (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), a contractor who works on their home, she begins a sexually-charged affair with him behind her husband's back. Another French movie, another movie about infidelity. The plot is essentially like Mademoiselle Chambon, but with the genders reversed and not quite as moving. Writer/director Monia Chokri doesn't earn any points for originality. The uninspired screenplay tries to be beguiling, provocative and funny, but doesn't quite stick the landing. To call it a romantic comedy wouldn't be fair because, at its core, it centers on a deeply unhappy and insecure woman who's stuck in a rut and cheats on her husband with a guy that charms her with his personality and good looks. Obviously, their relationship is toxic and destined to fail. Sophia comes across as intellectual, but, ironically, not very emotionally mature. The Nature of Love asks the audience to consider the complex meaning of love. However, it doesn't have anything interesting or new to say about it nor about relationships for that matter. Chokri does deserve to be commended for a refreshingly dark, understated ending, although it's not as grim or bold as Adrian Lyne's Unfaithful. Magalie Lépine-Blondeau's radiant performance keeps the film afloat, though. Shirley Valentine is a better example of a much more profound, funny, poignant and witty exploration of love, marriage and, a topic that this film neglects, self-discovery. For a better modern film about infidelity that's also French, see Woody Allen's Coup de Chance which deservedly played at the Quad Cinema for over 2 months this year. At a running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes, The Nature of Love opens at IFC Center via Music Box Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      Ben (Grant Rosenmeyer) copes with the recent death of his wife by reading a self-help book that teaches him how to fly. The mysterious self-help guru, who just goes by the name of Mealworm (Paul Raci), arrives in front of Ben's house in his motorhome. Meanwhile, a police detective (Rosa Arredodo) investigates the death of Ben's wife to make sure there was no foul play. The Secret Art of Human Flight is a witty, breezy and quirky comedy that embraces its offbeat humor and bizarre premise. Screenwriter Jesse Orenshein grasps the concept that comedy is often rooted in tragedy. Fortunately, he finds just the right tone within the first few minutes and maintains that balance throughout without going over-the-top or too deeply into its darker elements. It knows when to takes itself seriously and when not to. Admittedly, the scenes with the police detective are very contrived because she doesn't behave like a professional police detective would, so that subplot falls a bit flat. The surreal elements of the film can be seen as a metaphor which is left open to interpretation. Paul Raci gives a charismatic performance as the eccentric, enigmatic and somewhat creepy Mealworm. He and Grant Rosenmeyer are both very well cast. The ending won't be spoiled here, but it's worth mentioning that it's equally delightful and thought-provoking. The Art of Human Flight opens at Cinema Village via Level 33 Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2