Review CLX - The Maxx

Review 160
The Maxx (1995)

I've been meaning to write another review, but I always seem to get caught up in something with school. Soon exams will come and summer will return once again. Can't wait! But for now, let's talk about Sam Kieth and Bill Messner-Loebs' The Maxx. A classic MTV-aired series back in the mid-nineties, the show is an adaptation of the comic series created by Sam Kieth back in 1993 continuing until 1998. Now, while I have the comics somewhere on my hard drive, I never got around to reading them. However, I have a reason for this apart from having no time - I didn't grow up watching The Maxx, my boyfriend did. I watched it, what, four years ago about with him, and the meaning flew right over my head. I downloaded the comics as a means to further understand the series (something I will explain after), but when I started reading, my mind was just not there. So I stopped maybe one issue in (there are thirty-five issues)? However, armed with more (basic) psychology knowledge and a greater understanding of symbolism in film, not to mention a sudden hit of nostalgia, I decided to conquer The Maxx once again.

The Maxx (voiced by Michael Haley) is a giant, purple, masked vigilante who switches between reality where he protects a freelance social worker, Julie Winters (voiced by Glynnis Talken), and the Outback, a completely sub-conscious place where he protects the Jungle Queen. Throughout his attempts of protection, serial rapist and murderer Mr. Gone (Barry Stigler) prowls the night after new victims, focusing on his fixation with Julie and her ties to The Maxx.

I think it's important to note straight off the bat that The Maxx is not exactly clear in all it wants to say sometimes. This is partly because the series does not really explain the origins of the characters considering the origin stories started in the comic series after issue eleven, where the television series stopped. So, instead, we get an episode in the middle where Mr. Gone explains the problems of the characters to a doctor, but to us as well. Now, while I did appreciate the extra help, it does piss me off that Mr. Gone reveals a trauma Julie went through in college all nonchalant when it was NEVER BROUGHT UP PREVIOUSLY. And while The Maxx loses his mask at one point, leading Julie to say things had changed, it's never revealed to the audience what he looks like, or what happened. What the hell? I mean, I understand you're following the comics and all, but if some origin was given already in the comics during the release of the series, maybe you should include that! Maybe you can be like Akira or other animated films based on a series of comics/anime which are released before the end is completed and instead provide a different ending. I get not putting anything, but seriously, The Maxx does not provide a lot, leaving you confused and wondering what was real, what was not, who was who, who was what.

Okay, breathe... Now that we have that out of the way, we can discuss the series itself. So the series depicts loneliness, seclusion, Freudian psychology, sexual assault and rape, abandonment, suicide - the right stuff for a first date. The Freudian psychology in The Maxx is, well, maximised, so I'd brush up at least on the understanding of the id, ego, and superego should you have no idea about it since, as the show itself says, "this isn't psychology 101". That - at least, to me - is the extent of the psychology used, which does make me sad considering Freud was a psychopathic idiot, but you know, I don't know what else I'd expect from a Western approach to psychology in an art form. This seems like I'm insulting the creator and show, but in reality, I think they do present the ideas accurately, though using Freudian psychology is probably the easiest psychology they could have gone for... Wow, this is coming off as very catty, so let's restart. The idea of recessing to a more primitive time in your life is another Freudian idea used, but it works well with the series. It helps you understand this jump back to the sub-conscious world, while not acknowledging your concerns. I can't say it's my cup of tea because Freud, but for a college presentation, I think The Maxx would be great for an analysis.

Apart from the Freudian connections, The Maxx takes its turn in discussing feminist propaganda, but looking at both sides. Again, I can't say I was a big fan. The series is very obviously trying to show us the sexism that exists in the world, either through dialogue, or through the actions of our characters. However, it takes on this strong-woman-who-don't-need-no-man ideal of a female most of the time in order to show that women are strong and can take care of themselves. While I do not deny that women are capable of living on their own and all, it's again low-brow and just annoying. I don't care for all this shitty feminist crap, and hearing it in The Maxx made me sad. But - and this is a big but - Julie Winters, given her rape and near-murder - will come out and claim this feminist stuff is crap, at least later in the series. The thing is, given her earlier monologues, I'm not really sure if this is giving another perspective, or showing that her rape made her very bitter and led her to reject these "important" notions of feminism. I don't know, man, and frankly, I don't care. While rape and sexual assault make you aware of your femininity (assuming this happened to a woman) and break down these walls of positive feminism that you built around yourself (at least, this is what I believe), I think that should have been a bigger focus than the arguments over feminism. I know Sara's mom (Sara being the teenage character who comes later) represents this hippy movement about women empowerment, whereas Julie is the modern feminist (second- versus third-wave feminism?), leading to a lot of fights, but I was just waiting for them to move on. But I guess if you're going to discuss rape and sexual assault, you need to discuss feminism. I mean, I'm not saying everything that was said was bad - I mean, rapists will target the skanky and the modestly-dressed - it's true that it doesn't make a difference, but dressing like a whore doesn't exactly help out your situation with getting a certain type of attention. Okay, let's tl;dr this: bottom line, I didn't care for the feminist drivel - I would have preferred sticking to the personal conflicts and mentality changes associated with rape and sexual assault. Feminism will be made a focus in this discussion, but how about you show how feminism is crap?

While I bashed the hell out of The Maxx, I still liked what it did. The changing animation was pertinent to the ideas being conveyed, and for that, it deserves all the stars. And any time feminism was not being explicitly stated, I did enjoy what they did. I hate Freud, and while it was obvious what they were doing, the emotions of the characters were great. I feel like nostalgia keeps me blinded from actually completely hating it, but what can I say? The animation really was great, and it did depict character interactions quite nicely, with a bit of blood and guts.

The Maxx is not complex by any stretch, but if you're looking for an idea of Freudian psychology and an interesting examination of female characters, then give it a watch. I wasn't into the feminist propaganda, and the Freudian psychology was not my interest, but the interesting animation and relationships (and nostalgia) kept me watching. Give it a watch - love it or hate it, it'll have you thinking.

Review CLIX - Paris, Texas

Review 159
Paris, Texas (1984)

Welcome to the month of March! Guys, we're three months into 2017 - that's insane. I remember rolling in the new year, and now we're approaching spring (though the cold temperatures here seem to contradict that). Since it's a Friday evening and I worked today, I figured I'd snuggle up with some nice tea, listen to a poppy rock track, and write a review. The film is Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas starring Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clément, Nastassja Kinski, and Hunter Carson. I remember trying to watch Der Himmel über Berlin, or Wings of Desire in English, by Wim Wenders, and I couldn't get into it, but since that film had gotten such high praise, I never forgot the name. I feel like Solaris has prepared for any super long, winding films... Enough of this tangent, let's continue with this review!

Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton) is found wandering through the desert, refusing to speak a word to the doctor who finds him. His brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell), is quickly contacted and picks him up after thinking he was dead over his disappearance four years prior. Returning to Walt's house, Travis is re-united with his son, Hunter, who is now seven years old. However, his wife, who also vanished, leaving Hunter in the care of Walt and his wife (Aurore Clément), is Travis' one desire. With a hint to go by, Travis heads out to find his ex-wife, and Hunter, the mother who left him.

Paris, Texas hits hard - I'm warning you now - but it's pretty grand, at least toward the end. But let's start small. I'll try not to ruin too much of the film, but I can't guarantee I won't give some stuff away, so if you want to go in with a clean slate, read this review later.

Our protagonist, Travis, is a lost soul. At first, I gotta say, I wasn't digging him at all. The whole "not talking" thing got old pretty quickly to me, and I was worried we'd have to deal with a whole film of silence from this guy, but thankfully, Walt gets him to talk maybe twenty minutes in. Then we slowly get a development in his character, which turns out to be pretty depressing. His relationship with his son is strained - obviously - but thankfully, through a heartfelt scene of walking, the two come to an understanding and bond. And it only gets stronger from there. As for other characters, well, Walt does his job - can't say I got much attachment from him. And his wife, Anne, was so touchy-feely with Travis that I was sure Hunter was going to be the illegitimate son of Anne and Travis; however, my boyfriend would only comment that she was "freeeench". That leaves us Jane, but I don't want to talk about her too much since she's at the end. Suffice to say, her character is equally as depressing as Travis.

As for Hunter, well, here I have some beef. There are little scenes which are very endearing, but Wim Wenders liked to project through this character a bit. It's something you find pretty often in films. One example would be Clerks which had Dante and Randolf speaking monologues so cut and paste and unnatural between two people, it was insane. Otherwise, I didn't finish the film, but Vanilla Sky seems to suffer this with Penélope Cruz's character as well, speaking very intellectually to the point it just sounds unnatural. Now, kids are observant and all, but when he would discuss Travis with Anne, claiming all this "ceci n'est pas une pipe", it just sounded too heavy-handed, especially from a seven-year-old. It's too much of a "what's that? Is that the script?" moment. It just ruins the film for me, even if it's proving a good message through it. It makes it seem more like a lecture than a movie, you know?

However, I still liked the movie. One reason is because of its message on multiculturalism and American pride. I seem to be on a roll with these movies, eh? Anyway, just pay attention to the narrative about Paris, Texas (yes, it's a place), and Travis speaking of how his father wanted to make his mom a big "star" from France. It's not shoving it down, but it nonetheless shows how you should be proud of where you come from, regardless of its fanciness, or lack thereof. The other reason is that "final" monologue and beautiful cinematography which just ties everything together. When Wim Wenders does it right, he does it very right.

I guess that's all I have to say about Paris, Texas. It's a bit slow at the beginning, it starts improving in the middle, and it comes full-throttle at the end. I'd give it a watch, but be ready for some pretty depressing moments, especially at the end. Happ- err, sad viewing?