Pick of the Week
The Substance Film
Director Coralie Fargeat's daring satire addresses the demanding standards for female beauty and the dreaded aspects of growing older. Hollywood star Demi Moore offers a masterful performance as Elisabeth, a mature film star forced into presenting a workout series on television. Edged out by her deceitful superior her manager Harvey, she seeks out a secretive and horrifying treatment called this experimental method. This generates a younger clone called Sue, leading to a progressively vampiric relationship between them. October 17th, the streaming service Paramount+
This Mystery Thriller
This Agatha Christie-esque story includes Keira Knightley as Laura, a top-notch writer who decides to take a break from covering global conflict to join a high-end voyage with an ailing Scandinavian billionaire and philanthropist, her partner, plus additional affluent guests. But after an unknown lady disappears from the ship one night and the entire crew insists she wasn't real, the reporter's sleuthing skills awaken. Available now, the Netflix platform
Presence
The acclaimed director challenges his creative boundaries through this clever ghostly tale captured wholly through the eyes of the phantom. When a household with Lucy Liu as Rebekah and her distressed teen Chloe settles into their fresh home, the camera – as the unseen entity – shadows their actions. The teen shows signs of aware of the poltergeist, and it seems protective of her. But why? It's a fun idea that remains concise, with a twist that may be unexpected. This Saturday, multiple showings, the Sky channel
This Self-Referential Film
Nicolas Cage fully commits to his cult stardom in this autobiographical spoof. He acts as a narcissistic Hollywood actor playing himself who accepts a $1m payday to attend a birthday party at a Mediterranean location for the rich Javi Gutierrez. Contacted by the intelligence agency to gather intel on the alleged criminal, his “nouveau shamanic acting ability” proves useful. This Saturday, 9pm, the Channel 4 network
This Creepy Thriller
Scott Derrickson's contained scarefest holds up well without requiring a continuation. Located in the late 70s in Denver, multiple child abductions has rendered the children on edge. Once Finney is taken by “the Grabber” and locked up in a cellar, he dreads a fatal end. Yet the disconnected phone mounted nearby repeatedly calls, with eerie communicators offering help, while the prophetic visions from his sibling Gwen may be his salvation. A genuinely scary movie. This Saturday, nighttime, on Film4
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
In the battle between God and Mammon, the winner is obvious for materialism in this director's wonderfully garish film adaptation of the disgraced televangelist plus her lawbreaking partner. Andrew Garfield portrays the greedy Jim, who proclaims at the beginning, claiming divine approval for wealth. He and Tammy Faye begin profiting from the American public's Christian beliefs. It's a riot of poor styling, overdone appearance and insincerity, however Chastain manages to present the character with compassion. Next Tuesday, late night, the Film4 channel
This Espionage Thriller
This week's second offering from Steven Soderbergh is a espionage tale as sharp like the turtlenecks worn by the actor's UK spy. His assignment is to discover a mole among the team out of five possibilities – one of whom is his spouse. The two stars are experts of deadpan cool, leading to a delightful mental battle of fact versus fiction develops. Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris and Marisa Abela take part the clever spy entertainment. October 17th, various showings, the Sky channel