No town understands the wanton desire for adoration and notoriety more than Hollywood. (except maybe Washington! amirite? #cool)
On the occasion of Maxxxine —the third installment of Mia Goth and Ti West's X trilogy— we're going to indulge in some of her fellow marquee-seeking Machiavellis who are going to make sure you remember their name... no matter what.
For Your Consideration
Guest and his usual suspects turn their finely-tuned comedic sesibilities on their own industry in this satire of the Hollywood PR machine. A modest independent film production turns into a circus after the tiniest mention of awards buzz. The attention blows hot air into the ensemble cast, particularly the two middle-aged leads (Catherine O'Hara and Harry Shearer) whose heads grow exponentially from the old tinseltown trade variant of Zika.
Drop Dead Gorgeous
In a premise as conceptually undeniable for fame monsters as a regional beauty pageant, a young, sweet Kirsten Dunst baton-twirls her way through the faught and fixed Sarah Rose Cosmetics American Teen Princess pageant in this dark comedy alongside a murderer's row cast including: Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley, Allison Janney, Mindy Sterling, Ellen Barkin, early Amy Adams, and America's Angel —Brittany Murphy.
SCRE4M (Scream 4)
Look, I know there's a lot of these and it can be hard to keep track, but we can't forget Wes Craven's before-its-time depiction of the clout-chasing Jill who dons the Ghostface mask out of jealousy for Sidney's "victim fame". Sorry, spoilers for this decade-old movie.
All About Eve
Showgirls
A.K.A. Maxxine's godmother. The film that simultaneously killed and immortalized Elizabeth Berkley's career.
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
Britain's ever-present media personality, Alan Partridge, gets twisted up in his own relentless effort to remain relevant when his regional radio station faces a refresh by its new corporate ownership.
Unlike the character's shameless attempts at ascending the cultural ladder, Steve Coogan has been able to consistently offer fresh applications of the media personality by keeping the sad egoist archetype at Partridge's core.
Babylon
God. Remember Babylon? I sure do. Damien Chazelle's historical-fiction about that time when Hollywood thought "what if you could hear the words?" centered on the rise of Nellie LaRoy, a gal with gumption who gave the camera everything it didn't even know it wanted. Nellie's journey is like a rocket heading toward the heavens, perpetually rising until it breaks the bounds of gravity and gets lost in the ether.
Amadeus
One of the more memorable stories about a dude telling the story of another dude he's obsessed with (like Gatsby, ya know?). F. Murray Abraham's Salieri has endured as this delightfully complex depiction of maybe the most jealous son of a bitch to ever live. The hate... the admiration... all so relatable to those of us who come across those glorious so-and-sos who are just effortlessly better at whatever craft we hold dear.
The Prestige
Boogie Nights
PTA's enduring portrait of the "chew you up and spit you out" nature of fame set within the irresistible world of 1970s porn featuring a lightning-in-a-bottle performance by famed Catholic, Mark Wahlberg. Scotty belongs on Mount Hoff-more as one of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's best.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Rocky IV
Judy
Tar
Todd Field's engrossing take on cancel culture gave us the singular TÁR with a top-of-her-game Blanchett as the celebrated conductor whose boundless ego engulfs any and everything in its way until it collapses on top of her like a big, problematic bridge.
The King of Comedy
Connecting the desire for validation with mental illness, Scorsese presents one of cinema's classic cringe characters. When being polite gets you nowhere, a delusional comedian kidnaps his hero to show the world its better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime
One of the reasons we remember the name Rupert Pupkin is thanks to DeNiro flexing his range in an unexpected role despite its attachment to his most expected collaborator.
