Highlighted Choice
The Substance
The filmmaker's bold satire examines the oppressive nature of feminine aesthetics along with the dreaded aspects of ageing. Demi Moore delivers a brilliant performance playing Elisabeth, an aging celebrity demoted to starring in an aerobics show on television. Pushed out due to her deceitful superior Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid, she turns to a mysterious and gruesome process called "The Substance". This produces a youthful duplicate portrayed by Margaret Qualley, leading to a steadily more vampiric relationship between them. October 17th, Paramount Plus
The Woman in Cabin 10
This classic whodunit mystery includes Keira Knightley as Laura, an ace reporter who decides to take a break from covering world issues to board a high-end voyage accompanied by a terminally ill wealthy inheritor and donor, her spouse, plus additional extremely wealthy passengers. Yet once an unknown lady disappears from the ship one night and the entire crew insists she wasn't real, Laura's investigative instincts awaken. Streaming currently, the Netflix platform
Presence Film
Steven Soderbergh tests his creative boundaries through this clever supernatural story captured wholly from the perspective of a ghost. After a clan featuring mother Rebekah plus Callina Liang as Chloe settles into their fresh home, the lens – as the unseen entity – shadows their actions. Chloe seems conscious of the ghostly being, and it looks like guarding her. But why? This is an entertaining concept that doesn't outstay its welcome, with a twist that could catch you off guard. October 11th, multiple showings, Sky Cinema Premiere
This Self-Referential Film
The iconic actor fully commits to his unique fame through this meta comedy caper. He plays a narcissistic film star named Nicolas Cage who agrees to a lucrative offer to appear at a celebration on the Spanish island for billionaire Javi, played by Pedro Pascal. Recruited by government spies to spy on the potential kingpin, the actor's “nouveau shamanic acting ability” is put to the test. Saturday 11 October, 9pm, Channel 4
The Black Phone
Derrickson's locked-room horror holds up well without requiring a continuation. Set in 1978 Denver, a series of child abductions has made the children anxious. After Finney is kidnapped by the villain and imprisoned in a cellar, he anticipates a fatal end. But the non-functional line on the wall keeps ringing, with ghostly voices offering help, and the intuitive nightmares from his sibling Gwen might rescue him. A solid creepfest. This Saturday, nighttime, the Film4 channel
This Dramatic Portrait
In the conflict between spirituality and money, the winner is obvious for Mammon in Michael Showalter's wonderfully garish film adaptation of the disgraced TV preacher and her criminal husband. Andrew Garfield plays the greedy Jim, who states early on, “God does not want us to be poor,”. He and Tammy Faye set about monetising the American public's religious faith. It's an extravaganza of poor styling, bad makeup and hypocrisy, though Jessica Chastain succeeds to present Tammy Faye as a sympathetic figure. Tuesday 14 October, late night, Film4
The Spy Mystery
This period's additional entry from Steven Soderbergh delivers a espionage tale as sharp as the polo necks used by Michael Fassbender's UK spy. He receives a mission to identify a mole inside the organization from five suspects – one of whom is his spouse. The two stars are masters of understated style, resulting in an engaging mind game of fact versus fiction develops. Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris and Marisa Abela participate the clever spy entertainment. This Friday, 8.05am, 12.55pm, 8pm, Sky Cinema
