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| The Substance |
It's surely no mistake that the leg warmers, make-up and general vibe of Coralie Fargeat's body horror extravaganza recall the Eighties. Those of us who were hitting our teens then are now hitting our fifties - the age at which the central character of Elisabeth (Demi Moore, rarely better) finds her body, and since it is heavily reliant on that, her life - start to rebel against her. Canned from her fitness show by her venal boss Harvey - a name also presumably chosen because of its echoes in real world horror, and played by Dennis Quaid - she is tempted by the promise of a return to youth if she follows the rules of The Substance. It's not her that gets the makeover, as such though, instead a younger, more vibrant version of herself (Margaret Qualley) is hatched from within... but what happens when the cool kid doesn't play by the rules? As a scrutiny of ageing, not just from outsiders but from the inside, this hits the spot, although you could argue that towards the end Fargeat punches that spot a bit too repeatedly. One too many endings also threaten the final act but this is, overall, a smart satire that doesn't just use schlock to shock.
Road To Perdition, 10.45pm, ITV1, Tuesday, November 12
This menacing and moody period gangster film is worth watching for the cast alone. Tom Hanks plays against his usual nice-guy type as hitman Michael Sullivan, raised by the ruthless John Rooney (Paul Newman) as his own, even as Rooney has protected his actual son Connor (Daniel Craig) from his business. An act of violence sets Sullivan on a road to vengeance, while also trying to keep his son (Tyler Hoechlin) alive. In addition to the main cast, Jude Law is also on fine form as another hitman. Beyond the plot and cast, Road To Perdition is gorgeous to look at thanks to cinematographer Conrad Hall - who won the Oscar posthumously. Rain has rarely looked so ravishing and relentless.
Emilia Perez, Netflix, from Wednesday, November 13
Jacques Audiard's mob boss musical - yes, you did read that correctly - also features an outstanding ensemble cast. It is led by Karla Sofía Gascón as drug cartel boss Manitas Del Monte, who is determined to leave this old life behind and undertake gender affirmation surgery to become Emilia Pérez. Enlisting lawyer Rita Moro Castro (Zoe Saldana) as a helpmate, Emilia finds it impossible to part with her kids, leading to a melodramatic set-up that simmers with tension as it brings her back into the orbit of her wife Jessi (Selena Gomez), who has no clue about her husband's new existence. Featuring some hot as hell musical numbers - including one revolving around vaginoplasty, of all things - trans star Gascón is magnificent in the central role and there's also a surprisingly poignant undertow regarding guilt and redemption. Read what Audillard and Gascón said about the film in Cannes.
Four Weddings And A Funeral, 10.40pm, BBC1, Friday, November 15
Hugh Grant has been turning his hand to darker fare lately with the likes of Heretic, but he will forever be associated with a sort of posh slightly hapless charmer and is at his bumbling best in Mike Newell's comedy drama. Four Weddings whips along at pace as romance rises and falls in the English upper middle-classes. It marked the first big-screen role for John Hannah and is especially worth seeing for the lovely supporting turn by Charlotte Coleman, who sadly died at just 33 back in 2001.
Women Talking, 11.05pm, BBC2, Friday, November 15
Jennie Kermode writes: Today, in light of the Gisèle Pelicot case, the particular horrors at the core of Sarah Polley's drama feel all the more resonant, but really there are any number of forms they could take. That men frequently abuse women is not a new story, and it's not one that the film concerns itself with in detail; there is nothing gratuitous about it. Rather, its focus is on how women might react. Here, the options seem limited and clear. All of the men from their small Mennonite community - apart from a sympathetic young gay man and a younger trans man who has himself been abused - have gone into town to arrange bail for a man whom the women dared to accuse. They have given the women an ultimatum: forgive them completely or face eternal damnation. The women now see themselves as having three options: stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. The film follows their discussions as they are determined to make their choice together. It is not a perfect film and parts of it drag, but the stellar cast makes quite an impact, and Polley's willingness to explore the mechanisms of power between the women as well as externally give it real depth.
The Jungle Book, 3.15pm, BBC1, Sunday, November 17
Disney's live-action remakes haven't always delivered on their promise but the best of them - including this and Mulan - succeed by bringing a sense of action adventure to the stories. Writer Justin Marks captures the spirit of Rudyard Kipling as Mowgli (Neel Sethi), the man child, finds himself on the kill list of Shere Khan (voiced with silky menace by Idris Elba) and embarks on a coming-of-age adventure with his friends Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) and Baloo (Bill Murray, in a part he was surely born to play). The jungle here may be a CGI creation but you can feel the rustle of every leaf, while director Jon Favreau embraces the darker elements of the jungle as well as the light. The end result is a gripping family adventure that nods to the animation without being slavish to it.
Ender's Game, 4.40pm, Great Movies, Sunday, November 17
There was a call to boycott this movie on release, thanks to the extremist homophobic views of Orson Scott Card, on whose book it is based. Gavin Hood's film, however, actively makes the case that prejudice is a terrible thing and that compassion will always be a better route to choose than violence. Military recruit Ender (Asa Butterfield) is one of a raft of children preparing for an alien invasion on a future Earth. As we watch Ender becoming dehumanised by the process - urged on by a gruff commander (Harrison Ford, never gravelier) - the film turns over complex questions of morality. Needless to say there are also the usual action movie trappings, but it's also a teen-accessible consideration of the politics of war that recalls some of the themes of the much more adult-oriented Starship Troopers.
This week's short selection is Welcome To A Bright White Limbo, the inventive profile of Oona Doherty and her show Hope Hunt And The Ascension Into Lazarus. Pop over to RTE to see it for free.
