#pearl review

[hannahwatcheshorror]

PEARL (2022)

A character study about a young woman finding her way through some complicated feeling no one else seems to have. Throughout the film you can see Pearl struggle with her humanity and it is rather fascinating. You get to see how things got set up for the previous movie in the series, “X,” or you can just enjoy this as a stand alone film. The pacing is very good, it wastes no time getting things going or keeping them there. Not a perfect film but a weird one that I think fits nicely into the Horror genre.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Hello Herman” vibes right out the gate, “you’re a superstar, yes you are, yes you are,” but also killing small animals is surely a sign of what's to come in Pearl’s future, I mean, honey… (At least Maxine was just a coke fiend before she met you.) I like that she feeds Theda the alligator but it debunks my “she's a witch” theory from “X” and also I wish she didn’t feed the gator with a pitch fork, what if she stabbed the poor thing and it couldn’t death roll a certain hot blonde in the future?

Pearl exhibits some strange behavior from the beginning of the film, it’s hard to tell if it’s mental illness, a reaction to the stressors of life, or if she might just be a little evil. She doesn’t have the easiest life with her husband at war, her strict mother, her disabled father, and her dashed dreams of dancing for an audience, but she isn’t entirely without. When the man working at the cinema encourages her to live her youth, you feel that she is entitled to spreading her wings a bit, but then we get a harsh reality check at dinner when Mama informs us how tight money is.

The only thing tighter than the money was how tight the women in that house were wound up because it came to physical blows very quickly. The worst part is they both had reasonable points but things heated up so quickly. Speaking of heating up quickly, Mama. Pearl accidentally (on purpose) pushed Mama into the fire and her dress caught up and burned her badly. Papa watched the whole thing (remember, disabled). Mama was sent to the punishment basement to die while father got his favorite pillow. Pearl goes to the cinema worker to run away but he takes her home first and gets spooked and tries to leave so she freaks out and kills him, classic Pearl! Here we get to see her iconic pitchfork before it was iconic.

When the church dance audition rolls around, Pearl really hams it up… Which the Church folk don’t want, they want someone cute and blonde like Pearl's sis-in-law. Pearl gets all her anger and sadness off her chest to her Sissy-in-law before taking a lot of Sissy’s chest and back and everywhere off with an ax. Finally, her husband returns to the gruesome stage Pearl has set with her parents at the table, complete with a roast pig in the middle, rotten, maggoty, and molding. He is horrified at his wife, his Pearl, and all she can do is smile and cry. The unease you feel as Mia Goth grits her teeth at the camera while tears roll down her cheeks, the tendons in her neck splaying out, as the screen slowly closes around her in a black circle, evokes just the final feeling we needed. I felt such sympathy for both characters in that moment though after I remembered what they both got up to in “X” I felt much less bad for them. This movie posed the idea that misery breeds misery. The old “If I can’t be happy, no one can be.” Which is a sickening mindset to have but could explain a lot about the events in “X.”

[wroteonedad]

Pearl (2022)

I go onto my Letterboxd and I type in my silly little review about the horny grandma in X (2022), within minutes of posting the review I have one of my friends messaging me, insisting that I watch Pearl straight away. I couldn't bare to put myself through a movie double bill, but if I watch X again, I know I'll have to watch the two movies back to back.

Pearl is perhaps a movie that didn't really need to happen, but I am so glad it did. After watching this film, I think I understand why Pearl was the way she was in X (2022). The way in which the film is laid out is brilliant. X being chronologically the sequel to Pearl is about a 70s porno. The way in which the film is edited and shot very much suggests mid 70s. Pearl does exactly the same thing. As it's the first story in the trilogy, the film opens and closes exactly how an Audrey Hepburn movie would. The music, many of the credits at the beginning, the overbearing smile at the end; it all resembles that show girl aesthetic that women were dying to have during the War.

The storyline is also weirdly wonderful. Pearl is left with her German family working at their farm, waiting for the return of her husband Howard who is fighting in the war and dealing with life changes from both the war and the Spanish Influenza; the area is in lockdown and Pearl is left wearing a face mask every time she goes into town to run her errands. Her strict mother, the lockdown and her need to break free, to become her own woman gets the better of her and she starts to end up going a bit crazy. Her mother essentially becomes cruel towards Pearl, not allowing her to speak to people in town in fear of someone coming after them for their German heritage. Her father has had a stroke and is left needing 24 hour care.

Lusting for men, doing anything out of her power to ensure she's the star at the dance and ultimately killing the people who were looking out for her the most out of spite and jealousy, this movie makes for a remarkable modern horror. I am so for these forms of non conventional horror movies because there is nothing more boring than when you spend the whole film waiting for the jumpscare to happen and nobody to have any character development through the whole picture.

Pearl wants to be seen by everyone all the time. She wants to be the ladies in the dance films, and when everything becomes too overwhelming for her, she turns to the animals at the farm. Sometimes it's dancing on top of hay and performing with a pitchfork, other times its to impale them, to feed them to her best friend, an alligator which seemingly seems to reside pretty much at the end of the farm land. The story of Pearl follows how she went from lockdown insane to becoming a serial killer.

The way in which Pearl failed to achieve any of her dreams makes sense why the way she is the way she is in X (2022). Everything she does, everybody she kills seems to foreshadow exactly the way in which the story will pan out over 50 years later.

The colouring and setting of this film is very different to X. The outdoor shots of the farm and towards the town are bright, rich in colour. Like something out of a book, something like what you saw in the original Wizard of Oz movie. Inside on the other hand is dark and dingy, possibly reflecting how Pearl felt trapped, as if it was her parents who were holding her back from everything that she wanted to accomplish. Despite the grittiness of the movie and the relationships she both begins and ends, the actual death scenes themselves very much resemble something out of a dark comedy. I think it is perfect, I think that Mia Goth is the perfect person to be playing a character like Pearl and for that I cannot wait to see how the third movie will pan out in the X universe.

Pearl is currently not available on any streaming services. Legal ones anyway.

[specrapular]

A woman seeking movie stardom at any cost is hit with a very harsh reality check. Feminism is so weird, bro.

The Specrapular Spooktacular begins with the 2022 movie, Pearl! IN VIDEO FORM! Guest starring Megan!

Directed by Ti West. Starring Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, and Emma Jenkins-Purro. It is available on Netflix.

Every movie we discuss will be available on either: Netflix, Hulu, HBO MAX, Youtube, Tubi, Freevee, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime.

You can request movies by emailing us at specrapular@gmail.com

Follow our Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19tl25wWzLeEFGLC5nr1ld?si=20525bf1d1ad4b85

Follow our Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/@specrapular?si=REUiwMHvXLOe-NXs

The next movie we are going to discuss is Saw (2004). Directed by James Wan. Starring Cary Elwes, Tobin Bell, Leigh Whannell, Michael Emmerson, and Danny Glover. It is available on Max.

Intro music by: Luis. Outro music by: Cairo Braga - Revision of the Future

Find more music from Luis at: instagram.com/breatheinstereo

Season 7 Episode 1

[horrorlamb]

Pearl (2022)

Pearl was written by Ti West and Mia Goth during a mandated COVID quarantine before they filmed X. This review will be a little different from the norm. Because life is currently kicking my ass, and I don’t have a huge amount of spare time. If you like this style of review let me know. If you hate it, also let me know. This movie shows how Pearl became the vicious killer that we see in in X. Mia…

[pricelessreviews]

[rosenotactuallyquartz]

here’s why the situation with bismuth says a lot about rose’s dynamic with pearl

surprisingly, the bismuth episode says a lot about rose’s feelings for pearl.

rose kept many secrets, but pearl carried some of the heaviest ones. at first, rose felt guilty about the fact that pearl was keeping such big secrets for her.

but by the end of the war, rose was keeping a huge secret from pearl

“we thought you’d been captured. or worse, shattered.” — pearl, bismuth

rose knew how close pearl was to bismuth, but she lied to everyone about what happened, claiming bismuth had been lost in battle. she even acted “worried sick,” as pearl describes when bismuth comes back. for thousands of years, pearl believed bismuth was probably dead.

as we know, rose was deeply ashamed of herself and her past. she believed that everyone around her was better than her & she also really admired pearl. the guilt of lying to pearl was overwhelming, but rose was very afraid to tell pearl the truth. she also couldn’t bear the thought of losing her… but at the same time, the guilt made her feel unworthy of being close to her.

this guilt caused rose to become avoidant and distant—not because she didn’t care, and not because she didn’t trust pearl.

she didn’t trust herself. she couldn’t imagine a life without pearl, but she also felt like all she did was cause pain and she was terrified of hurting pearl again.

rose’s dishonesty (and being too afraid to tell pearl the truth) is also very related to rose’s trauma on homeworld. when it was known that she messed up, rose would be met with pain (punishment) or abandonment (being locked in a tower). rose trusted pearl, but taking accountability scared her because on homeworld, these situations never ended in anything positive, such as forgiveness and fixing things for the better. rose also believed she deserved to be abandoned if she messed up. self-compassion was something rose struggled with deeply.

pearl, on the other hand, didn’t understand rose’s avoidance and hesitancy until much later, after learning the truth about bismuth

before this, pearl was insecure & she struggled with self blame. this is tied to her homeworld trauma—the belief that her worth is defined by what she can do for others. she wondered if she had done something wrong and she questioned whether she “wasn’t good enough” for rose to love her as much as she loved rose.

but rose was very, very in love with her; it’s been confirmed that their love was never unrequited, so it’s funny that some people in the fandom assume this before thinking about bismuth

rose never distanced herself because she didn’t love pearl; she did it because of guilt and shame. she did it because she didn’t believe she deserved someone who made her so happy.

& here’s something interesting: pearl continued to love rose after she found out the truth. she showed no signs of wishing she left her. in reunited, she thought everything i do, i do it for her while she was fighting. she would never see this action as being okay or defensible, and she likely felt some bitterness for awhile which is understandable. but she never stopped loving her, nor did she want to abandon her.

by the way, i think that lying about bismuth was one of rose’s worst actions. i don’t think this makes her a bad person, especially because she felt guilty about this lie. i just hope you guys know that this analysis isn’t me trying to justify what she did. it wasn’t okay! the whole purpose of writing this is just to show that rose really was in love with pearl. her behaviours are never from a place of not being in love with her—they’re from a place of having her own issues and feeling undeserving of love from someone like pearl.

[askmovieslate]

You know how adventure movies go back and forth in their level of quality and execution and what not? It feels like during the early 2000's, adventure movies really hit a great stride and were nothing but great, and at worst they were just OK.

Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Atlantis, Stardust, National Treasure, A Knight's Tale, there were just so many and such good ones.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is definitely up there, and while it's not perfect it sure is memorable and fun. And there's no denying the influence of Sam Raimi in its tone and goofiness.

Also, hot take, Johnny Depp should've gotten that Oscar. The Academy are a bunch of cowards.

[infizero-draws]

QUICK haters are asleep, post MOUNDERS YAOI

[hyog-blog]

The Story of Pearl Girl (ep. 16)

Okay, we have seriously entered the fluff zone here. So much so that I'm already bracing myself for what's going to come next XD Never ever believe a sweet romantic candy relationship period in a cdrama - as a rule, it will come and bite your bums hard later in the series.

But for now, I just can't with these two :3 I know that the transition from boss/subordinate to a romantic fling might be too fast, but I'm letting it slide just because they're sooooo sweet together. It's like drinking a marshmallow cocoa on a chilly autumn day, guys.

Yan Zijing is all smiley and lovey-dovey, Duan Wu can't look anywhere but at him. This is exactly what happens when you fall hard for someone (well, when it's mutual). I've watched the scene at the market a few times - it's just oozing cuteness.

Well, they have been through a lot together. Seeing your future hubby the man you really like all poisoned and chained inside a mine can do things to a girl. And she seems to be straightforward in everything she does, so Duan Wu told YZJ she'd be protecting him from now on XD Made him promise not to risk his life anymore. Actually, I love this girl-protecting-her-boo trope. Especially when it's Liu Yuning we're talking about, with his height and gorgeous looks XD

God bless Yan Zijin's makeup)) Magnetic eye-stare, while Duan Wu is realizing she doesn't want to see this man get hurt, not on her watch.

She goes for the hug. At this point, they both realize the feeling is mutual. It does feel natural tbh.

Yan Zijing gently hugs her back and presses to himself :3 Cuteness overload, hearts are flying everywhere, the audience goes totally ~awwwww

And then there's Kang Ju XD The embodiment of the whole fandom, just standing there and staring at them because he 'accidentally' entered the room (the door was open, ya know?)

After this, things went bonkers and now the whole team knows they're kinda sorta into each other and the two pf them even had a coming out as couple (yes, just like that). Makes me wonder about the 17 ep, and I'm gonna watch it now, so fearless I am XD

But to tell you the truth, it would be refreshing just to watch them grow closer and become a power couple in the second half of the show. Maybe have kids and grow old together. Is it just me wanting a full-on happy relationship show? XD I guess so, ah)))

[thecomicsnexus]

Turtles vs. The East River Three: The Pearl Heist - Tales of the TMNT

Join me as we dive into the tale of the East River Three and their quest for the Pearl! In this video, we explore how different views of 'home' can lead to unexpected betrayals, all set against the backdrop of a stormy New York.

[fictionadventurer]

The worst part about reading in a genre where you have low expectations (in this case, Christian historical fiction) is that when a book impresses you, you have no idea if it's actually good or if you're just overly impressed because it was a fraction of a degree better than the usual garbage.

[percyjacksonfan3]

Okay I said I'd wait until the season was done before forming final opinions and I WILL but-

- what the fuck was that

[strawbrryscone]

queens of fall🍁☕️🪓

[r1k11]

Alright first thoughts on MaXXXine

Loved the music, loved the visuals, loved Mia Goth. A Psycho reference is always welcome

The whole setting/cinematography/makeup and everything is so much 80s, just like with X they did an amazing job on the aesthetic

It was a bit slow sometimes but it didn't really bother me. The mystery gave me some Italian giallo vibes but I think it could've been better. And the third act.. wtf? I think this is my biggest problem with the film. I still have questions about - spoiler - Maxine's father and his motives because the movie didn't care enough about its characters. I just kinda lost the plot in that whole sequence...

There's a lack of action/gore and the film focuses more on the aspect of fame and how terrifying it can be, so that's fine ig

It's the weakest of the trilogy. If I had to rank it it'd be Pearl > X > Maxxxine but I think it's still a good conclusion on Maxine's story

I overall really like Ti West's trilogy because it feels kinda like a modern classic to me but I think it deserved a better finale honestly based on its predecessors

[goldensunset]

everyone told me she was terrifying but they didn’t tell me she was so cool and nice

[thethirdbill]

“Ranking” is a stretch, since they’re all above simply “good” but I did share my thoughts on every Steven Universe song to celebrate 5 years since listening to them for the first time!