Pick of the Week
The Substance
Director Coralie Fargeat's daring commentary examines the tyranny of female beauty as well as the dreaded aspects of growing older. Hollywood star Demi Moore presents an inspired performance as Elisabeth, a 50-year-old celebrity forced into starring in an aerobics show on TV. Pushed out by her deceitful superior Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid, she seeks out a secretive and gruesome process known as "The Substance". This creates a youthful duplicate portrayed by Margaret Qualley, culminating in a steadily more vampiric relationship between them. This Friday, Paramount Plus
The Woman in Cabin 10
This Agatha Christie-esque story stars the talented actress in the role of Laura, a skilled journalist who opts for a break from writing about world issues to board a luxury cruise with an ailing wealthy inheritor and donor, her partner, plus additional filthy rich guests. But after a mysterious woman falls into the sea during the evening and the entire crew denies she ever existed, Laura's investigative instincts awaken. Out now, Netflix
Presence Film
The acclaimed director pushes his directorial skills in this nifty supernatural story filmed completely from the viewpoint of the phantom. As a family with Lucy Liu as Rebekah plus Callina Liang as Chloe moves into their fresh home, the camera – as the unseen entity – tracks their movements. Chloe seems aware of the poltergeist, and it seems defensive toward her. However, the motive remains? It's a fun idea that avoids overstaying, including a revelation that may be unexpected. Saturday 11 October, multiple showings, Sky Cinema Premiere
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Cage wholeheartedly adopts his unique fame through this autobiographical spoof. He portrays an egotistical film star named Nicolas Cage who takes on a million-dollar gig to appear at a birthday party on the Spanish island for the rich Javi Gutierrez. Hired by government spies to investigate the potential kingpin, his unconventional method proves useful. This Saturday, evening, on Channel 4
This Creepy Thriller
Scott Derrickson's locked-room horror stands strong without requiring a sequel. Set in the late 70s in Denver, multiple child abductions has made the children frightened. After Finney gets captured by the villain and locked up in a dungeon, he fears the worst. Yet the old telephone in the room keeps ringing, with spooky callers providing assistance, as the prophetic visions from his sibling Gwen may be his salvation. An effective horror. This Saturday, 10.50pm, on Film4
This Dramatic Portrait
In the battle between faith and wealth, the winner is obvious for greed in Showalter's delightfully tacky true story about the fallen TV preacher plus her lawbreaking partner. Garfield plays the venal Jim, who declares at the beginning, “God does not want us to be poor,”. He and Tammy Faye set about capitalizing on the people's spiritual convictions. It's a riot of poor styling, overdone appearance and bad faith, though Chastain manages to depict the character as a sympathetic figure. Next Tuesday, 1.15am, on Film4
This Espionage Thriller
This week's second offering from Steven Soderbergh is a espionage tale as precise like the turtlenecks sported by the actor's intelligence officer. His assignment is to identify a double agent within their ranks from a group of five – including is his spouse. Both actors are masters of calm composure, leading to a delightful mind game of truth or lie develops. Additional actors take part the smart espionage amusement. This Friday, multiple time slots, Sky Cinema Premiere
