20s Movie Review - The Substance

Director: Coralie Fargeat
Genre: Horror/ Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 141 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Demi Moore, Margaret Qually, Dennis Quaid

Description: A fading celebrity (Demi Moore) takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself (Margaret Qually).

Review: Elizabeth Sparkle has spent years making viewers at home happy with her sexy looks on her fitness television show. She is living the life she has always wanted, full of fame, money, a stunner penthouse and her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But the studios decide it’s time for a new star. A breath of fresh air. However, Elizabeth knows it’s because of her age.

When Elizabeth receives a mysterious note, she learns about “The Substance”: a procedure, which you can do from home, that promises to transform you into a younger, more beautiful and perfect version of yourself. Elizabeth decides to take a chance. And a better version of Elizabeth is born, in the form of Sue. I’m not going further into the plot, because it’s best to just experience it.

The perfect world that is portrayed is reminiscent of Barbie. But the underlying theme is quickly apparent: society forces women to adapt unrealistic standards of femininity and appearance.

Virtually all scenes with Sue are overly sexual in depiction. Of course this is intentional. Especially to eventually show the contrast between Sue and Elisabeth. And in contrast with the body horror scenes. Because, be aware, this movie is not for the faint of heart.

Demi Moore and Margaret Qually portray the mounting tension between the two women phenomenally (please give Moore the Academy Award). Together, they paint a compelling picture of the internal struggle an aging woman can have with herself.

Director Coralie Fargeat does not shy away from the gore. Some scenes reminded me of David Cronenberg films. The practical effects and body horror are perfectly executed and not for tender souls. But the ending took it a bit too far for my liking.

This film is a bizarre ride, the chilling world of show business is painfully exposed and it shows how quickly you can become irrelevant in this world. The film is very strange, but utterly fascinating with a mix of dark humor and horror. Be warned, this is not for everyone.

Rating: 4/ 5

20s Movie Review - Strange World

Director: Qui Nguyen, Don Hall
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Adventure
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, Alan Tudyk

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 23: A DISNEY ANIMATION
 
Description: The legendary Clades are a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission.

Review: In “Strange World” we are introduced to three generations of the legendary Clade family, as they try to work together and navigate the unknown, treacherous land beneath their own world. Searcher is a family man who is out of his element on an unpredictable mission, he rather stays on his farm. Jaeger is Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father. Ethan is Searcher’s 16-year-old son, who secretly wants to adventure like his grandfather, much against his father’s will.

I totally missed out on “Strange World” when it first came out. It only played in theaters for a short amount of time, before it hit Disney+. And in case of “Strange World” it says something about the quality of the film. It’s one of the worst films by Disney I have seen in years. The animations are very different from what we are used to from them and the story itself doesn’t really hit any nerves. It’s all about family relationships and that has been done way too many times, and much better. The film doesn’t really connect with the viewer, because you don’t know who to sympathize with.

Strange World doesn't really connect with the viewer, because there are too many main characters, and so as a viewer you can't really choose who to sympathize with. Is it the father, the son, the grandson, mother, expedition members, etc. The out-and-out story where Strange World is now set has its origins in American and Asian cultures, but is not so familiar that it really evokes recognition in the viewer.

One thing I did like, was the LGBTQ+ representation and different ethnicities were represented as well. Kudos for Disney to bring that to the attention.

All in all, there is a reason why many people missed “Strange World”: it’s just not a very good animation, it doesn’t have a memorable story or characters and I already forgot most that happened. So you can see that even Disney has a miss ever once in a while.  

Rating: 2,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Soul Surfer

Director: Sean McNamara
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Sorbo, Carrie Underwood, Ross Thomas, Chris Brochu, Lorraine Nicholson, Jeremy Sumpter, Sonya Balmores

Description: Teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) overcomes the odds and her own fears of returning to the water after losing her left arm in a shark attack.

Review: The true story is about surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm at the age of thirteen due to a shark attack. The start of the film shows us Bethany growing up in Oahu, Hawaii, along with her two brothers Timmy and Noah. It soon becomes clear that she was born to surf and that her parents Tom and Cheri have supported her from the beginning in realizing her dream of becoming a professional.
But when she and her best friend Alana go surfing on the morning of Halloween, a shark attacks her and she loses her arm. She does survive and from that moment on everything becomes a challenge. Yet Bethany is determined to get back into the water as soon as possible.
There is a strong emphasis in the film on faith in God, and how anyone can achieve the impossible through His help. Bethany is a huge go-getter and doesn’t let anything stop her, but this is mainly because she is convinced that God has a plan for her and will use the very loss of her arm to bring something beautiful out of it. For me, that makes the film a bit to sugar-sweet, but might be inspiring for many. It is very beautiful to see how her family and friends support her and give the necessary advice, but also how Bethany responds and seems to do the same in return. This could be a very inspiring film and story for you g boys and girls.
There is one scene, that really made me cringe though. We see that the shark who attacked Bethany (which is not a very spectacular scene by the way) was caught and everyone, including Bethany’s father, stand around it. As he is some evil being. Yeah, the film really lost a point here.
It is inspiring how Bethany Hamilton overcame such a traumatic experience and got back on the surf board to become a successful professional surfer.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # What to Expect When You're Expecting

Director: Kirk Jones
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Elizabeth Banks, Ben Falcone, Jennifer Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid, Anna Kendrick, Chace Crawford, Chris Rock, Joe Manganiello

Description: A look at love through the eyes of five interconnected couples experiencing the thrills and surprises of having a baby, and ultimately coming to understand the universal truth that no matter what you plan for, life doesn't always deliver what's expected.

Review: The title tells you everything: all the ins and out about pregnancies and babies. The movie follows five different stories about this subject. First we have Jules, the presenter of a weight loss program, who is having a baby with her partner Evan. There is Gary and his wife Wendy who have been trying to get pregnant for two years. But when it finally happens, it’s not as fantastic as she always thought. Gary’s father Ramsey and his very young new wife Skyler are also expecting, and she does have the glow that Wendy was always hoping for. The young Rosie gets pregnant after a one-night-stand with Marco, the guy who left her on prom night. And finally Holly and Alex who are trying to adopt a child. Holly is ready, but Alex clearly isn’t.
It’s very clever to make an ensemble film out of this concept, multiple storylines work well very often. And various genres are mixed as well. This makes it to an unbalanced film. Over-the-top slapsticks switch to dramatic moments that don’t really fit in here.
Although I love Cameron Diaz, she isn’t the real star in this film. Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone, who play Wendy and Gary, and Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford, as Rosie and Marco, have the most interesting storylines and are the most convincing. I especially think that the last two actors where underused.
It’s definitely an entertaining movie, but it never really hits the mark.

Rating: 2,5/ 5