A Reel Review: THE SUBSTANCE

Body Horror is a genre of film that can be difficult to watch. They are horror flicks that violate or deform the human body in grotesque ways. Over the years there have been landmark films in this genre, such as ALIEN (1978), THE THING (1982), and THE FLY (1986). This year, we can add the thrilling, stomach-churning, exquisite and ghastly statement on Hollywood, THE SUBSTANCE. 

 

Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), is a 50-year-old actress whose best days are behind her. After she is fired from her aerobics show by TV executive Harvey (Dennis Quaid), she is given a black-market serum by a mysterious supplier called The Substance, which promises to deliver a younger version of herself. 

 

Written and Directed by Coralle Fargeat, THE SUBSTANCE is an exploration of the human body and how it is perceived by ourselves and those around us. Showing no restraint, the film gets to the younger version of Elisabeth in a shock; the new version (Margaret Qualley), is “birthed” out of her back. Calling herself Sue, she gets her old job back and gets instant fame. But there are hard rules in place. The two have to switch bodies every seven days without exception, but when Sue decides to break the rules, things get gory in a hurry as their bodies begin to deteriorate. 

 

Director Coralle Fargeat is looking at familiar themes of beauty and how mainstream show business treats women after they reach a certain age. Fargeat is heavy on the metaphor, often using mirrors, reflections, billboards, and Walk of Fame stars to help tell her story. There is some excellent filmmaking here, and the contrast between the two women drives the story. 

 

When things get gory, things really get gory. The birthing scene is squeamishly done, and using some great practical effects, the eventual body deteriorations and deformations are stunning. But what really makes it all work is the sound design. Every creak and drip that the human body makes is brought up to the front, and even little things like eating shrimp or using a needle goes right through our ears. Fargeat understands that what we hear is just as important as what we see and blazes some new territory in movie-making. 

 

Acting is tremendous. Demi Moore puts in a career-best, and Margaret Qually is a delight. Dennis Quaid is a pig of a man aptly named Harvey, and chews it up. 

 

THE SUBSTANCE, after a wild third act, doesn’t quite wrap up tightly. The identity of the mysterious supplier or what they were up to is never given, and there is a hanging question if Elisabeth and Sue actually share a conscious; each one acts like they don’t know what the other has been up to, which seems to cheat the experience of using a younger body. Despite that, THE SUBSTANCE is a powerful film that will destroy appetites and change perspectives on show business. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

A Reel 30: ED WOOD

 

“This is the most uncomfortable coffin I’ve ever been in…”

 

This month marks the 30th anniversary of Tim Burton’s ED WOOD. 

 

Based upon the life story of infamous director Ed Wood, Tim Burton’s loose comedic biopic was based upon the novel Nightmare of Ecstasy by Rudolph Grey. The film was the brainchild of writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who as film students at USC originally conceived the project as a documentary. As the project progressed and changed to a feature film, it eventually landed on the desk of strange and unusual director Tim Burton; the man behind hits BEETLEJUICE (1988), BATMAN (1989), and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993). 

 

The pairing of Burton with a story about Ed Wood, a director who would gain notoriety as one of the worst directors of all time, was a perfect one. Burton had always been a fan of the man’s work, and this admiration would seep into the film as ED WOOD would ultimately not make fun of the man, but would explore his passion for storytelling. Burton would also inject his personal relationship with screen legend Vincent Price into the film; his Ed Wood character would strike a beneficial working friendship with horror-film actor Bela Lugosi. 

 

Burton would assemble an ensemble cast. Johnny Depp jumped at the chance of playing the lead, and he was joined by Martin Landau (as Lugosi), Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Lisa Marie, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray, pro-wrestler George “The Animal” Steele, Juliet Landau, Mike Starr, J.D. Spradlin, and a Vincent D’Onofrio as a young Orson Welles. 

 

The film had underperforming box office numbers, but the very strong reviews and accolades for the cast would earn it popularity long after it left the big screen. ED WOOD would be nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Musical or Comedy), and Best Actor (Depp). Rick Baker would win an Oscar for Best Makeup. Martin Landau’s dazzling performance would earn him an Oscar. Over the years, much like the director whose name is on the film, ED WOOD would gain traction as a cult favorite. 

 

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This Blogger’s first encounter with ED WOOD came in the early Spring of 1994, when our film class was shown a work print of the film, nearly six months before it was to be released in theatres. That work print, shown to us in glorious VHS, was an incomplete version…with running time-codes, black spots where edits and effects had to be inserted, and a notable absence of opening and closing credits. The film, even in an incomplete version, was dubbed worthy of being shown in a film class as there was plenty that students of film could learn from ED WOOD. Not only is it perfectly crafted, well-acted, and written to the point where it is infinitely quotable, but Burton was able to find the heart and soul in the story of a very weird man. Burton’s Ed Wood character was the Little-Engine-That-Couldn’t; a very earnest director who spun his wheels really fast and hard but could never quite make it over that mountain. It is Burton’s statement on what is art and who gets to say if it is, which gives it a timeless quality. ED WOOD was a labor of love for Burton, and those are best kinds of film. 

 

“This is the one! This is the one I’ll be remembered for!”

 

James Earl Jones: 1931 - 2024

Actor James Earl Jones has passed away at 93. 

 

An owner of the most distinctive and iconic voices in cinematic history, James Earl Jones was born in Mississippi in 1931. A pre-med major in college, he served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. He would have his Broadway debut in 1957 and would perform in several Shakespeare plays. In 1964 he would have his big-screen debut in Stanley Kubrick’s DR. STRANGELOVE. In 1974 he would co-star with Diahann Carroll in CLAUDINE, which would earn him a Golden Globe nomination. 

 

In 1977, he would land the role that would define him for the rest of his life, when up-and-coming filmmaker George Lucas cast him as the voice of Darth Vader in STAR WARS. He would reprise the role in the direct sequels, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), and RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983). He would come back to Darth over the long Saga, voicing him in REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005), ROGUE ONE (2016), and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (2019).

 

His impressive filmography would include the towering villain Thulsa Doom in CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982), along with roles in SOUL MAN (1986), Francis Ford Coppola’s GARDENS OF STONE (1987), COMING TO AMERICA (1988), FIELD OF DREAMS (1989), SNEAKERS (1992), SOMMERSBY (1993), THE SANDLOT (1993), and JUDGE DREDD (1995). He would have a significant role in films based on Tom Clancy novels, including THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990), PATRIOT GAMES (1992), and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994). 

 

Walt Disney Pictures would further elevate his iconic status when the cast him as the voice of Mufasa in their towering THE LION KING (1994). He would reprise the role in THE LION KING II: SIMBA’S PRIDE (1998), and the live-action/animated remake in 2019. 

 

In his career he would win two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. He would earn a Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2011, he received an honorary Oscar. The former Cort Theatre on Broadway was named the James Earl Jones Theatre in 2022. 

 

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This Blogger still remembers his first time seeing STAR WARS way back in 1977. The dramatic entrance of Darth Vader, the maske intimidating bad guy with the chilling mechanical breathing made an instant impression. As awesome as that moment it was, it was nothing compared to what would come next…hearing him speak. The voice went right through us back then, and it still does now. 

 

James Earl Jones was gifted with a voice that was unforgettable, but he also knew what he was doing as an actor. His roles as a CIA Chief and a baseball-loving writer (where he delivered one of the greatest monologues of all time), also made deep impressions, and he always seemed to make every movie he was in a little bit better. The voice of Darth Vader has been silenced, but it will echo in our core memories as long as the stars burn. 

A Reel Review: BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Strange and unusual director Tim Burton has not had the best millennium; directing an impressive number of stinkers with only the occasional flashes of brilliance that put him on the Hollywood map. After his disastrous DUMBO remake in 2019, he vanished into the underworlds of streaming with success…and this year he returns to the big screen by resurrecting his most iconic creation…the ghost with the most, Betelgeuse in BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE. 

 

Lydia (Winona Ryder), along with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), and her stepmom Delia (Catherine O’Hara), return to Winter River for the funeral of Charles. Once back in their old house, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), is brought back to the land of the living. 

 

Directed by Tim Burton and set 36 years after the events of the first film, BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE is a loaded film. Lydia these days has her hands full with a new fiancée (Justin Theroux), and dealing with her daughter who hates her guts. Astrid in the meantime gets tricked into the underworld in a desire to see her dead father (Santiago Cabrera), which leads Lydia to seek out help from Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse has his own problems, with his ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci), seeking revenge against him, which earns the attention of a ghost detective (Willem Dafoe). 

 

If all that sounds like a lot, it is. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE is at its strongest when focusing on the family issues of Lydia, Astrid, and Delia. But just when the film finds a good groove, it has to cut away for what seems like an intrusive storyline of Betelgeuse’s revenge-seeking ex-wife who is sucking the souls out of dead people in the afterlife. This leads to even more time having to be spent with the ghost detective. While the ex-wife scenes are well-done and Bellucci is well-cast, there isn’t nearly enough payoff for it all. All of it could be exorcised from the film and it would not affect anything save for the run time. 

 

There is still plenty to enjoy here. The atmosphere of the first film is perfectly recaptured; the quirks, the ghostly bits, and even the old cast seems to slip right back into their roles. There is a commitment to practical effects work that really works and adds to the charm, and the setting of just before Halloween gives it an October watchlist vibe. Burton also does well in exploring and expanding the afterlife world with its inner workings revealed. Flashbacks are handled beautifully using Claymation and black-and-white filming, although an extended song-and-dance routine near the end goes on way too long, and the chosen song is a stinker. There are also some weird editing decisions made; the long-awaited big reveal of Betelgeuse's return is lazily handled. 

 

Acting is mostly superb. Michael Keaton brings back Betelgeuse very well and is a blast, but he seems tamer…likely a byproduct of his age. Jenna Ortega is a delight and carries the film. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are excellent. Justin Theroux is just annoying. 

 

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE feels like it was playing with several different ideas and concepts in the writing stage, most of which could have been saved for a third film, but then decided to cram everything in one place in case BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE doesn’t get made. What we are left with is a film that is frustratingly overcomplicated. It’s not dead-on-arrival, but it won’t make your millennia either. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it 

 

 

A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2024 - Episode IX

The Summer Movie Season for 2024 has ended, and the cool winds of Glorious Fall have begun to swirl. This September is packed month, with some heavy hitters swinging for the fences. Here’s what’s coming to the big screen this month: 

 

 

 

 

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE – Tim Burton returns to direct, and Michael Keaton reprises the role of the demonic prankster Betelgeuse in this legacy sequel, which sees the daughter of Lydia (reprised by Winona Ryder), releasing him. The cast includes Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe. 

 

 

 

THE 4:30 MOVIE – Director Kevin Smith (CLERKS, DOGMA), helms this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy based on his youthful experiences of sneaking into movie theatres. 

 

 

 

THE KILLER’S GAME – Dave Bautista (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY), plays a hitman who fends off a hit on himself after he finds out his terminal diagnosis was incorrect. The cast includes Ben Kingsley, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, and Bautista’s GUARDIANS castmate, Pom Klementieff. 

 

 

 

SPEAK NO EVIL – In this remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name, an American couple has their dream holiday in a country house turned into a nightmare. The cast includes James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, and Scoot McNairy. 

 

 

 

TRANSFORMERS ONE – This animated film explores the early friendship between iconic robots-in-disguise Optimus Prime and Megatron. The voice-cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, and Scarlett Johansson. 

 

 

 

SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY – This documentary film explores the life and legacy of famed Superman actor Christopher Reeve. 

 

 

 

 

LEE – In what is expected to be an awards contender, Kate Winslet plays famed war photographer Lee Miller, who chronicled WWII for Vogue magazine. 

 

 

 

MEGALOPOLIS – Famed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (THE GODFATHER, APOCALYPSE NOW), returns to the big screen with his first film in 13 years, which follows a visionary architect who is struggling to rebuild a metropolis after a devastating disaster. The cast includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman. 

 

 

 

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Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of October.