On March 14th in Austin, TX, I headed into the World Premiere of "Elektra Luxx" at the Paramount Theater and boy was I in for a treat. I was so pumped just being at SXSW but sitting a few seats away from me were Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Emma Bell, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and director/writer Sebastian Gutierrez. About an hour into the film, the worst thing that could ever happen to a director happened...the movie screen went blank during the world premiere. Within a few minutes, Sebastian Gutierrez appeared on stage doing a one man show entertaining the audience to the highest level possible. After about 20 mins, the cast came on stage to help fill the time. This is when my brilliant ass decided to ask the most awkward question to ask a filmmaker period, let alone during a chaotic screening. I began to ask "how do you make a sequel to a film that no one saw the original of?" After that sentence came out of my mouth, I actually felt really bad for asking it because I didn't realize how harsh it sounded but luckily for me Sebastian Gutierrez decided to answer it honestly and poke fun at me a bit in the process. The guy is awesome. I have met a ton of directors and celebrities and he ranks up there as the coolest guy I met in showbiz. He just seemed like the kind of guy who really valued his fans and I truly admire the man now. But as the 45 minute mark drew near, Janet Pierson let everyone know we would not be able to see the ending of "Elektra Luxx" tonight as the projector could not be fixed.
About two weeks ago, I was browsing online and came across the Gen Art Film Festival and to my surprise "Elektra Luxx" was playing at the festival. I knew I had to get tickets and surely enough just a few days later I did. So finally on Friday April 9, 2010...I entered the theater took my seat right across from Mr. Gutierrez again and shortly the film began...
"Elektra Luxx" is the sequel to the film, "Women in Trouble." For the most part, this film focuses around the life of "Elektra Luxx (played by the beautiful and very talented Carla Gugino) and her retirement from the porn industry. In the film, Elektra is trying to just live a normal life by teaching a class called "How to have sex like a porn star." Shortly into the film, her past comes back to haunt her as she gets a surprise visit from Cora (Marley Shelton) who has some information about her husband. The film only continues to get more interesting as it goes along.. A lot of laughs and some dramedy filled moments ensue...
"Elektra Luxx" has a cast of some of the most beautiful women in showbiz and surprisingly all of them are great actresses as well. Carla Gugino's lead role as Elektra is not only fun but a very good performance. Her character isn't as simple as you may think and Gugino plays the role with such passion that you just enjoy every moment she is on screen. Marley Shelton plays Cora and is very good even though she has very limited screen time. Emmanuelle Chriqui is always pleasure to watch as Bambi. Her role of playing the all business & no fun girl perfectly offsets her partner in crime Holly Rocket played by Adrianne Palicki. Holly Rocket is is my favorite character in the film as well as the funniest. She seems dumb on the surface but if you actually pay attention to her character, she really isn't and that's what I love about it. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great in the film as Burt Rodriguez. Levitt steals the show every moment he is on screen. Malin Akerman's character Trixie isn't in the film all that much but for what little screen time she has, her character looks like it's going to show some promise in the next film. Overall, everyone does an amazing job even the host of people I haven't listed but these are the main ones.
Sebastian Gutierrez pulled a "Woody Allen" so to speak and directed, wrote, and produced the film. He is truly great at doing all of those things. I guess having done a lot of writing for "Mainstream Hollywood" it is nice to see him create something more independent. After having seen two different Q&A sessions with Sebastian, I would have to say that he is one of my most driven and passionate directors in the biz. He loves film and he loves his cast and it truly shows. One thing I have to mention is that everyone in the cast pointed out was that Sebastian treats everyone like family and that shows. These films "Women in Trouble" and "Elektra Luxx," are his babies and while some may not appreciate them for what they are, I really enjoy the films thus far and can't wait to see the final chapter "Women in Ecstasy" next year. Great Job Sebastian! I applaud you and support your work. I would love to be in or work on one of your films one day.
Bottom Line: "Elektra Luxx" isn't for everyone and with that being said you have to have a good appreciation for fun independent films in order to appreciate the film. Horny guys seeing this film hoping to see a lot of sex will surely be disappointed. This movie is very much a character driven film that tells a lot of interesting stories. There are a lot of laughs to be had but also quite a few heartfelt moments thrown in as well. "Elektra Luxx" is a movie that is definitely geared towards a mature and smart audience. It has a beautiful and talented cast and I highly recommend it.
MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Elektra Luxx" is a 9/10.
About two weeks ago, I was browsing online and came across the Gen Art Film Festival and to my surprise "Elektra Luxx" was playing at the festival. I knew I had to get tickets and surely enough just a few days later I did. So finally on Friday April 9, 2010...I entered the theater took my seat right across from Mr. Gutierrez again and shortly the film began...
"Elektra Luxx" is the sequel to the film, "Women in Trouble." For the most part, this film focuses around the life of "Elektra Luxx (played by the beautiful and very talented Carla Gugino) and her retirement from the porn industry. In the film, Elektra is trying to just live a normal life by teaching a class called "How to have sex like a porn star." Shortly into the film, her past comes back to haunt her as she gets a surprise visit from Cora (Marley Shelton) who has some information about her husband. The film only continues to get more interesting as it goes along.. A lot of laughs and some dramedy filled moments ensue...
"Elektra Luxx" has a cast of some of the most beautiful women in showbiz and surprisingly all of them are great actresses as well. Carla Gugino's lead role as Elektra is not only fun but a very good performance. Her character isn't as simple as you may think and Gugino plays the role with such passion that you just enjoy every moment she is on screen. Marley Shelton plays Cora and is very good even though she has very limited screen time. Emmanuelle Chriqui is always pleasure to watch as Bambi. Her role of playing the all business & no fun girl perfectly offsets her partner in crime Holly Rocket played by Adrianne Palicki. Holly Rocket is is my favorite character in the film as well as the funniest. She seems dumb on the surface but if you actually pay attention to her character, she really isn't and that's what I love about it. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great in the film as Burt Rodriguez. Levitt steals the show every moment he is on screen. Malin Akerman's character Trixie isn't in the film all that much but for what little screen time she has, her character looks like it's going to show some promise in the next film. Overall, everyone does an amazing job even the host of people I haven't listed but these are the main ones.
Sebastian Gutierrez pulled a "Woody Allen" so to speak and directed, wrote, and produced the film. He is truly great at doing all of those things. I guess having done a lot of writing for "Mainstream Hollywood" it is nice to see him create something more independent. After having seen two different Q&A sessions with Sebastian, I would have to say that he is one of my most driven and passionate directors in the biz. He loves film and he loves his cast and it truly shows. One thing I have to mention is that everyone in the cast pointed out was that Sebastian treats everyone like family and that shows. These films "Women in Trouble" and "Elektra Luxx," are his babies and while some may not appreciate them for what they are, I really enjoy the films thus far and can't wait to see the final chapter "Women in Ecstasy" next year. Great Job Sebastian! I applaud you and support your work. I would love to be in or work on one of your films one day.
Bottom Line: "Elektra Luxx" isn't for everyone and with that being said you have to have a good appreciation for fun independent films in order to appreciate the film. Horny guys seeing this film hoping to see a lot of sex will surely be disappointed. This movie is very much a character driven film that tells a lot of interesting stories. There are a lot of laughs to be had but also quite a few heartfelt moments thrown in as well. "Elektra Luxx" is a movie that is definitely geared towards a mature and smart audience. It has a beautiful and talented cast and I highly recommend it.
MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Elektra Luxx" is a 9/10.