Pick of the Week
This Satirical Thriller
The filmmaker's daring satire tackles the oppressive nature of women's appearance and the perceived horrors of advancing years. Demi Moore offers a masterful portrayal as Elisabeth, a mature film star forced into presenting a workout series on TV. Edged out by her deceitful superior Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid, she undergoes an enigmatic and horrifying procedure titled the Substance. This creates a youthful duplicate portrayed by Margaret Qualley, resulting in an increasingly parasitic dynamic between the two. October 17th, Paramount Plus
This Mystery Thriller
This suspenseful mystery includes Knightley in the role of Laura, a top-notch writer who opts for a hiatus from writing about global conflict to join an opulent ship accompanied by an ailing Scandinavian billionaire and donor, her partner, as well as other extremely wealthy individuals. Yet once a mysterious woman goes overboard during the evening and all passengers insists she wasn't real, her journalistic curiosity awaken. Streaming currently, on Netflix
Presence Film
Soderbergh pushes his creative boundaries through this nifty paranormal narrative shot entirely from the viewpoint of a ghost. As a family including mother Rebekah plus Callina Liang as Chloe settles into their new suburban house, the camera – AKA the Presence – tracks their movements. The teen shows signs of sensing the ghostly being, and it looks like defensive toward her. However, the motive remains? The premise is enjoyable that avoids overstaying, featuring a surprise that may be unexpected. Saturday 11 October, afternoon and evening times, the Sky channel
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
The iconic actor embraces his unique fame via this self-referential adventure. He plays an egotistical celebrity named Nicolas Cage who agrees to a million-dollar gig to appear at a celebration on the Spanish island for billionaire superfan Javi. Recruited by government spies to gather intel on the potential kingpin, his “nouveau shamanic acting ability” proves useful. Saturday 11 October, 9pm, on Channel 4
The Black Phone Horror
Derrickson's claustrophobic thriller remains effective despite the lack of a sequel. Taking place in the late 70s in Denver, a series of kidnappings has rendered the local kids on edge. After Finney is kidnapped by the villain and held captive in a dungeon, he fears a fatal end. However, the disconnected phone mounted nearby continues to ring, with eerie communicators providing assistance, and the intuitive nightmares of Gwen, his sister could save him. A genuinely scary movie. October 11th, nighttime, on Film4
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
In the conflict between spirituality and money, it's a knockout win for Mammon in Showalter's brilliantly over-the-top true story of the disgraced TV preacher plus her lawbreaking partner. The actor plays the venal Jim, who states at the beginning, “God does not want us to be poor,”. He and Tammy Faye commence monetising the nation's Christian beliefs. It's a spectacle of poor styling, overdone appearance and insincerity, yet Chastain achieves to show Tammy Faye as a sympathetic figure. October 14th, 1.15am, the Film4 channel
Black Bag
The current week's second offering by the same director delivers a espionage tale as tight like the turtlenecks used by Michael Fassbender's British agent. He receives a mission to identify a double agent among the team out of five possibilities – one of whom is his own wife. Each performer are masters of deadpan cool, so a delicious mind game of truth or lie develops. The supporting cast take part the intelligent intelligence fun. Friday 17 October, 8.05am, 12.55pm, 8pm, the Sky channel
