Pick of the Week
The Substance Film
Coralie Fargeat's unflinching commentary addresses the tyranny of female beauty and the feared consequences of ageing. The veteran actress delivers a brilliant portrayal as Elisabeth, a 50-year-old film star reduced to starring in a workout series on TV. Edged out due to her deceitful superior her manager Harvey, she turns to a secretive and horrifying procedure known as "The Substance". This generates a younger clone named Sue, resulting in a progressively vampiric relationship between them. Friday 17 October, the streaming service Paramount+
The Woman in Cabin 10
This Agatha Christie-esque story includes Keira Knightley playing Laura, a skilled journalist who decides to take a hiatus from covering global conflict to board a luxury cruise accompanied by a terminally ill Norwegian shipping heiress and philanthropist, her spouse, and other extremely wealthy individuals. But after an enigmatic female disappears from the ship overnight and the entire crew insists she wasn't real, her journalistic curiosity awaken. Streaming currently, Netflix
Presence
Soderbergh tests his film-making abilities with this innovative paranormal narrative captured wholly from the viewpoint of a ghost. As a family including mother Rebekah and her distressed teen Chloe occupies their new suburban house, the lens – AKA the Presence – shadows their actions. Chloe seems sensing the ghostly being, and it looks like protective of her. Yet what is the reason? The premise is enjoyable that avoids overstaying, including a revelation you might not see coming. This Saturday, afternoon and evening times, the Sky channel
Nicolas Cage's Meta Comedy
Cage fully commits to his cult stardom via this meta comedy caper. He acts as a self-obsessed film star playing himself who agrees to a lucrative offer to appear at a celebration at a Mediterranean location for billionaire Javi Gutierrez. Hired by the intelligence agency to investigate the suspected cartel boss, his unconventional method proves useful. Saturday 11 October, 9pm, Channel 4
The Black Phone
Derrickson's locked-room horror remains effective without requiring a continuation. Set in 1978 Denver, several kidnappings has rendered the youth on edge. When Finney is kidnapped by the kidnapper and imprisoned in a dungeon, he dreads a fatal end. Yet the non-functional line in the room repeatedly calls, with ghostly voices providing assistance, and the prescient dreams of Gwen, his sister might rescue him. A genuinely scary movie. Saturday 11 October, nighttime, the Film4 channel
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
In the battle between spirituality and money, the winner is obvious for materialism in Showalter's delightfully tacky true story regarding the shamed religious broadcaster and her felon spouse. Andrew Garfield plays the greedy Jim, who declares early on, asserting religious justification for riches. Both individuals begin capitalizing on the people's spiritual convictions. It's a spectacle of poor styling, bad makeup and bad faith, yet Chastain succeeds to present the real-life figure as a sympathetic figure. October 14th, late night, the Film4 channel
Black Bag
The current week's additional entry from Steven Soderbergh presents a spy mystery as precise like the turtlenecks worn by Michael Fassbender's intelligence officer. He receives a mission to discover a mole among the team from five suspects – one of whom is Kathryn, played by Cate Blanchett. Each performer are masters of understated style, leading to a delightful mind game of fact versus fiction unfolds. Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris and Marisa Abela join in the clever spy entertainment. This Friday, 8.05am, 12.55pm, 8pm, Sky Cinema
