LOS ANGELES — X3 event organizers have unveiled the lineup of movie screenings taking place at the 2023 edition of the expo — sponsored by AEBN, Falcon and Nakedsword — a roster that features 2023 XBIZ Award-nominated movies “Deranged,” “Going Up,” “Grinders,” “S.I. — Sexual Intelligence” and “Spideypool XXX” in R-rated versions edited exclusively for the event by their respective directors and studios.
Wicked Pictures’ “Deranged” is Seth Gamble's feature directorial debut. Produced by Axel Braun, the eight-part series stars Kenzie Taylor and Tommy Pistol in a moody psychosexual thriller written by Gamble. The star-studded cast includes Maddy May, Jane Wilde, Lily Larimar, Mick Blue, Codey Steele and Derrick Pierce.
“I am thrilled to be showing ‘Deranged’ to a live audience at X3 Expo,” said Gamble. “It is a very unique project among this year’s Best Feature nominees, and one dealing with a challenging topic. Movies in this territory often deal with betrayal and danger and characters incapable of trusting one another, but paradoxically, trust between the performers and the director is paramount. It's the one quality absolutely necessary to make a really great psychological thriller, and we have that with my wonderful wife Kenzie and a consummate professional like Tommy.
“Kenzie’s dedication and the amount of intelligence, cunning and drive she brought to the character of Charlie was inspiring — and literally chilling,” Gamble added. “Honestly, I was hesitant to cast my wife in my feature debut, but she did fit the role perfectly, and I knew she had the passion to deliver an outstanding performance. I was also extremely fortunate to have had Tommy. I’ve worked with him before, of course, but always as a fellow actor. The rapport we've developed over time as performers held us in good stead during this shoot.”
Gamble also highlighted the work of his seasoned crew, particularly cinematographer James Avalon, whom he praised for “finding and maintaining a consistent look. You know, anyone can make certain things look great and make one location look spectacular, but when you put it all together and you watch the movie back, there needs to be consistency. James knows that we have to create that consistency every day when we go to work and maintain it under so many diverse conditions.”
“I'm incredibly grateful to be working with such gifted professionals," Gamble concluded.
Lust Cinema’s “Going Up” is studio contract director Casey Calvert's banner production of the year. The story follows the Curtis Theater Group as they do all they can to keep their show, “The Voices Are Loud,” from falling apart. The ensemble cast is led by Seth Gamble, Maya Woulfe, Victoria Voxxx, Charlotte Sartre and Tyler Knight, and includes Lilly Bell, Sonia Harcourt, Kira Noir, Derrick Pierce, Ryan Keely, Brad Newman, Anna Claire Clouds and Isiah Maxwell.
“I’m so excited to be screening ‘Going Up’ at this year's X3 Expo,” Calvert told XBIZ. “Last year's screening of ‘Primary 2’ was so much fun, and I'm excited to bring what we do at Lust Cinema to the screening room again.”
Calvert described “Going Up” as the biggest, most complex movie she has shot.
“It had a ton of moving parts to manage,” Calvert said. “Huge cast, big crew, lots of big Steadicam shots moving throughout our location — all to tell a story about the opening night of a play that is falling apart as we watch. This year has been all about pushing myself and working to expand my creative boundaries. I hope I succeeded, and I can't wait to share this film with everyone at X3 Expo.”
Adult Time’s “Grinders” is director’s Ricky Greenwood’s “Best Feature” nominated retro drama about skater kid in late-'90s Los Angeles who has the potential and talent to go far, but is stuck in a dead-end life amongst his coterie of criminally delinquent friends. The cast is led by Lucky Fate, Maya Woulfe and Tommy Pistol, and also features Vanna Bardot, Lilly Bell, Vicki Chase, Robby Echo and Charlotte Sins.
“I'm honored to be showing another one of my films at X3 Expo,” said Greenwood, who last year screened his werewolf feature “Blue Moon Rising. “I’m looking forward to being able to share ‘Grinder’’ with fans attending the expo and with the industry. The film turned out exactly as I envisioned it — from the perfect retro wardrobe, to the outstanding skateboarding skills of Lucky Fate, Robby Echo and Nathan Bronson, to Maya Wolfe's and Tommy Pistol's stellar acting performances.”
Greenwood added that “Lucky, Maya, and some of the other cast members will be joining me for the screening so there's that to look forward to also."
Model Media’s “S.I. — Sexual Intelligence” is the industry debut of filmmaker Max Landers. The “Black Mirror”-style near-future tech dystopia co-stars Maddy May, Codey Steele and Dick Chibbles.
“I am beyond thrilled and honored to introduce and screen ‘S.I. — Sexual Intelligence’ to a live, beautiful audience at this year’s X3 Expo in Hollywood,” said Landers. “With over five nominations this year, it's been an incredible ride. This is my very first adult featurette produced by Model Media Group and the response has been tremendously overwhelming.
“I’ve always been attracted to what's behind the curtain,” Landers revealed. “Under the bed. In the shadows. Stories rooted in darker themes and unexplored subjects. Leaving the audience with a sense of wonder — and of course, a hard-on. Coming from mainstream cinema, ‘S.I.’ was a chance for me as a filmmaker to break down that wall between mainstream and adult and merge a narrative storyline with a sexual experience. The plot mixes sci-fi and real, human, sexually driven emotions. When you’re watching it, you're not just watching an adult film but something real.”
Finally, Wicked Pictures’ “Spideypool XXX” is Axel Braun’s FX-filled superhero parody featuring Marvel franchise icons Spider-Man and Deadpool. Although the two characters — here embodied by Tyler Cruise and Seth Gamble respectively — have been combined in bromance situations by fan culture, they had never been together in a live-action film until this project.
The Cruise/Gamble-led cast co-stars Kenna James, Kenzie Taylor and Blake Blossom, along with Ana Foxxx, Ryan Driller, James Bartholet, Marc Kramer and Braun himself.
“It’s an honor to have ‘Spideypool XXX’ screened at X3 Expo,” enthused Braun, “and I am very much looking forward to sharing what I consider my best and funniest parody not only with the fans, but also with the cast and crew who worked so hard to help me bring my vision to life.”
Parodies, Braun explained, “are a whole different animal from a normal adult film production. The costumes are very challenging, there’s tons of visual effects, and total respect for the source material is paramount, so in order for a project to be successful and for the process to be enjoyable, everything needs to fall into place — which is exactly what happened during this shoot.”
Brown added that he and the “very talented” people working with him “just wanted to raise the bar and do something epic and totally awesome. Together, we gave comic fans the movie that mainstream would never dare to make — and that is, without a doubt, the biggest reward.”
X3 takes place Jan. 13-14 at the world-famous Hollywood Palladium. Purchase tickets here and visit X3.show for the official event website; follow X3 on Twitter and Instagram.
