Pick of the Week
The Substance Film
Director Coralie Fargeat's bold commentary addresses the tyranny of feminine aesthetics and the feared consequences of growing older. The veteran actress offers an inspired portrayal as Elisabeth, a 50-year-old actress forced into presenting an aerobics show on the small screen. Pushed out due to her deceitful superior Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid, she turns to an enigmatic and horrifying process known as this experimental method. This generates a youthful duplicate called Sue, resulting in an increasingly vampiric relationship among both women. October 17th, the streaming service Paramount+
The Woman in Cabin 10
This suspenseful story stars the talented actress playing Laura, a skilled journalist who takes a hiatus from writing about world issues to embark on a luxury cruise accompanied by a gravely sick Scandinavian billionaire and donor, her spouse, and other extremely wealthy passengers. Yet once an unknown lady goes overboard during the evening and the entire crew denies she ever existed, her journalistic curiosity awaken. Streaming currently, Netflix
Presence
Steven Soderbergh tests his film-making abilities through this clever supernatural story captured wholly from the perspective of a ghost. As a family including mother Rebekah plus Callina Liang as Chloe occupies their fresh home, the lens – as the unseen entity – tracks their movements. The teen shows signs of conscious of the ghostly being, and the entity appears protective of her. But why? It's a fun idea that remains concise, featuring a surprise you might not see coming. October 11th, afternoon and evening times, Sky Cinema
This Self-Referential Film
The iconic actor fully commits to his unique fame through this meta comedy caper. He portrays a narcissistic film star called Nicolas Cage who agrees to a $1m payday to appear at a birthday party in Mallorca for the rich superfan Javi. Recruited by government spies to gather intel on the suspected cartel boss, his unique performing skills proves useful. This Saturday, 9pm, the Channel 4 network
The Black Phone
Derrickson's contained scarefest holds up well despite the lack of a follow-up. Taking place in 1978 Denver, a series of disappearances has left the children frightened. After Finney is taken by “the Grabber” and held captive in a cellar, he dreads a fatal end. Yet the disconnected phone in the room continues to ring, with spooky callers offering help, and the prophetic visions of Gwen, his sister might rescue him. An effective horror. This Saturday, 10.50pm, on Film4
This Dramatic Portrait
In the struggle between faith and wealth, the winner is obvious for Mammon in Showalter's wonderfully garish biopic of the disgraced TV preacher plus her lawbreaking partner. The actor portrays the greedy Jim, who declares early on, claiming divine approval for wealth. He and Tammy Faye set about profiting from the people's religious faith. It's an extravaganza of tacky decor, excessive cosmetics and hypocrisy, however Jessica Chastain achieves to present the real-life figure with compassion. Tuesday 14 October, 1.15am, Film4
The Spy Mystery
This week's additional entry from Steven Soderbergh is a intelligence thriller as sharp similar to the collars used by the actor's intelligence officer. His assignment is to identify a double agent within their ranks from a group of five – including is Kathryn, played by Cate Blanchett. Each performer are experts of calm composure, resulting in an engaging psychological game of fact versus fiction unfolds. Additional actors take part the clever spy entertainment. October 17th, multiple time slots, Sky Cinema Premiere
