Prime Television Picks: Seven Can't-Miss Motion Pictures This Coming Week
Top Selection
The Substance
Director Coralie Fargeat's bold commentary tackles the tyranny of women's appearance and the perceived horrors of growing older. Hollywood star Demi Moore delivers a masterful performance playing Elisabeth, an aging film star forced into starring in an aerobics show on the small screen. Pushed out by her slimy boss Harvey, she seeks out a secretive and gruesome procedure called "The Substance". This creates a youthful duplicate named Sue, leading to a progressively vampiric relationship between them. This Friday, the streaming service Paramount+
This Mystery Thriller
This classic whodunit story features the talented actress in the role of Laura, a top-notch writer who opts for a break from covering international wars to board a high-end voyage alongside a gravely sick wealthy inheritor and donor, her spouse, and other extremely wealthy individuals. Yet once an unknown lady goes overboard during the evening and all passengers insists she wasn't real, Laura's investigative instincts awaken. Streaming currently, on Netflix
Presence
Steven Soderbergh pushes his creative boundaries through this innovative supernatural story filmed completely from the perspective of the phantom. As a family including mother Rebekah and troubled teenage daughter Chloe settles into their recent residence, the camera – as the unseen entity – tracks their movements. The daughter appears conscious of the ghostly being, and it looks like defensive toward her. Yet what is the reason? It's a fun idea that avoids overstaying, with a twist you might not see coming. Saturday 11 October, multiple showings, the Sky channel
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
The iconic actor embraces his cult stardom in this autobiographical spoof. He plays an egotistical celebrity called Nicolas Cage who takes on a million-dollar gig to visit a celebration in Mallorca for the wealthy superfan Javi. Contacted by government spies to investigate the potential kingpin, his “nouveau shamanic acting ability” is put to the test. Saturday 11 October, prime time, Channel 4
The Black Phone
The director's locked-room horror remains effective without requiring a sequel. Taking place in 1978 Denver, a series of disappearances has rendered the children frightened. When Finney is taken by the kidnapper and imprisoned in a basement, he dreads a fatal end. Yet the disconnected phone in the room continues to ring, with eerie communicators providing assistance, and the intuitive nightmares from his sibling Gwen may be his salvation. A genuinely scary movie. Saturday 11 October, 10.50pm, on Film4
This Dramatic Portrait
In the struggle between faith and wealth, it's a knockout win for greed in Michael Showalter's wonderfully garish true story of the disgraced televangelist plus her lawbreaking partner. Andrew Garfield portrays the greedy Jim, who declares at the beginning, asserting religious justification for riches. He and Tammy Faye set about monetising the American public's Christian beliefs. It's an extravaganza of bad interior design, bad makeup and insincerity, though the lead actress achieves to depict Tammy Faye as a sympathetic figure. Next Tuesday, early morning, on Film4
This Espionage Thriller
This week's second offering from Steven Soderbergh delivers a spy mystery as sharp like the turtlenecks used by Michael Fassbender's intelligence officer. His assignment is to discover a mole among the team out of five possibilities – among them is Kathryn, played by Cate Blanchett. The two stars are masters of deadpan cool, so a delicious psychological game of truth or lie develops. Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris and Marisa Abela take part the intelligent intelligence fun. This Friday, 8.05am, 12.55pm, 8pm, Sky Cinema
