I have no clue why I skipped out on a review last week, but here’s the haul from then and now.
The Substance – This is maybe one of the most wild movies I have ever seen. Maybe it’s because there hasn’t been a lot of body horror in my life, but this wasn’t just weird. It was fun, too! Demi Moore plays aging superstar, Elisabeth Sparkle whose fame flame has almost gone dim as she hosts a fitness show. After hearing she’s going to get the boot for someone younger, she reaches out to a secretive organization (?) that provides her with the titular “substance.” A younger version of her literally pops out from her spine, but there are explicit instructions with this plan, and we get the distinct pleasure of seeing what happens when her younger version, Sue, starts taking some extreme liberties. This is certainly not for the faint of heart, but I hope to see this get some rightful awards season buzz.
Coup! – I mean, how was this supposed to live up to The Substance from the night before? It just can’t. As quirky and delightful as this drama was at times, it ultimately just had a hard time holding my attention. Jay is a prolific newspaper writer who, from the safety of his quarantined island, writes about the war, the Spanish flu, and how things need to shut down to keep people safe. He acts as though he’s in the heart of the tragedy, but he’s ultimately just a really good writer. His life becomes a nightmare when a murderous con-man shows up as the new chef. He challenges the way of life for the staff and eventually gets them to rally against the family. Again, just not fully my cup of tea, but I liked how it kind of mirrors what we experienced back in 2020.
Wolfs – I am conflicted. Apple+ has released two perfectly good crime comedies in the past few months, but with super generic names and nothing outright incredible about them, they are virtually forgettable. And that’s a real bummer. Because both The Instigators and this newest release, Wolfs, both of which have huge lead actors, are good, and fun! In this film, Brad Pitt and George Clooney play professional fixers who both get sent to take care of the same job. Only it turns out their dead body isn’t actually dead and that the web of trouble he is in is rather complex. I love that Pitt and Clooney play almost an odd couple who are begrudgingly getting through this night while slowly gaining respect for one another. Their “kid” was also a hoot and can run pretty good in New York almost naked. For a guaranteed good time, definitely give this a watch.
My Old Ass – It felt so strange saying the title of this movie out loud when I went to get my ticket at the theater, but I appreciate the humor here. What presents itself as a doofy comedy about an eighteen year-old named Elliot who talks with her older self while high on mushrooms actually turns out to be pretty dang sentimental. A few tears almost escaped, but I managed to blink them back in time. Elliot has this strange encounter just a month before she’s set to move to Toronto. She’s given the advice to interact and be there more with her family and to at all costs avoid a seemingly super nice guy named Chad. Elliot is annoyingly gen Z, but she comes around. I know I didn’t see what was coming, so I hope others don’t either.
Sleep – I just had to see this crazy film again! Finally available to rent, I had to relive the crazy twists and turns this South Korean masterpiece took. Soo-jin and Hyeon-soo are a cute, young married couple eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child. One night, Hyeon-soo violently and severely scratches his face in the middle of the night. It ruins some of his acting gigs, but his sleep walking becomes more intense when he starts eating raw food out of the fridge and even more traumatizing things. When medication doesn’t seem to work, Soo-jin takes her mother’s advice and hires a psychic who claims a recently deceased old man that lived below the couple is now inhabiting Hyeon-soo’s body and won’t stop until it’s just the two of them. I can’t reveal how this film ends because it’s just too crazy and too fun. You must all experience this at least once – I’m begging you!