Highlighted Choice
The Substance
Director Coralie Fargeat's bold commentary examines the tyranny of female beauty and the perceived horrors of growing older. Demi Moore delivers a masterful portrayal as Elisabeth, a mature actress forced into starring in a fitness program on television. Forced aside due to her unscrupulous employer her manager Harvey, she seeks out a mysterious and terrifying procedure known as "The Substance". This creates a youthful duplicate named Sue, leading to an increasingly vampiric relationship between the two. October 17th, the streaming service Paramount+
This Mystery Thriller
This classic whodunit story stars the talented actress playing Laura, a skilled journalist who decides to take a hiatus from reporting on world issues to embark on a high-end voyage accompanied by an ailing Norwegian shipping heiress and charitable figure, her partner, plus additional extremely wealthy passengers. But after an unknown lady disappears from the ship overnight and all passengers insists she wasn't real, Laura's investigative instincts awaken. Available now, the Netflix platform
Presence Film
The acclaimed director pushes his directorial skills in this nifty supernatural story shot entirely from the perspective of a ghost. After a clan with Lucy Liu as Rebekah and troubled teenage daughter Chloe moves into their new suburban house, the filming device – AKA the Presence – tracks their movements. The daughter appears conscious of the ghostly being, and the entity appears protective of her. Yet what is the reason? It's a fun idea that avoids overstaying, with a twist you might not see coming. October 11th, afternoon and evening times, the Sky channel
This Self-Referential Film
Nicolas Cage embraces his cult stardom in this autobiographical spoof. He portrays an egotistical film star playing himself who agrees to a million-dollar gig to attend a celebration at a Mediterranean location for the wealthy superfan Javi. Contacted by the CIA to gather intel on the potential kingpin, his unique performing skills is put to the test. Saturday 11 October, 9pm, the Channel 4 network
The Black Phone Horror
Derrickson's contained scarefest stands strong even without a follow-up. Taking place in 1978 Denver, a series of child abductions has made the children frightened. Once Finney gets captured by “the Grabber” and imprisoned in a cellar, he fears the worst. But the disconnected phone in the room continues to ring, with eerie communicators providing assistance, and the prophetic visions of his sister Gwen might rescue him. A genuinely scary movie. October 11th, late evening, the Film4 channel
This Dramatic Portrait
In the struggle between God and Mammon, the winner is obvious for Mammon in this director's delightfully tacky film adaptation of the disgraced TV preacher and her criminal husband. The actor plays the greedy Jim, who states early on, claiming divine approval for wealth. He and Tammy Faye set about profiting from the American public's spiritual convictions. It's a riot of poor styling, excessive cosmetics and insincerity, though the lead actress achieves to depict Tammy Faye with compassion. Tuesday 14 October, late night, on Film4
This Espionage Thriller
This week's second offering from Steven Soderbergh is a intelligence thriller as tight similar to the collars used by the actor's UK spy. He receives a mission to discover a traitor inside the organization out of five possibilities – among them is his own wife. Each performer excel of understated style, so a delicious mental battle of truth or lie develops. Additional actors participate the clever spy entertainment. Friday 17 October, 8.05am, 12.55pm, 8pm, the Sky channel
