The Substance 2024 film

Was not expecting a gory horror movie. Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Margaret Qualley one would expect more of a drama or an attempt at a lame horror movie that’s going to be kind of boring. They don’t waste a lot of time in the beginning with character development, just get down into the madness. This is a well-earned R rating. For main stream actors it’s surprising how hard this R is.

A role that has to hit close to home for Demi Moore and most actresses in Hollywood. Her character an aging celebrity, in a sleezy town fixated on beauty, trying to hang-on and remain relevant. To be fair Demi has been acting non-stop since the 80’s. But she delivers a brutal performance that is shocking. I don’t think there is another actress that could play this role, or would want to. For a person who all their life has built and maintained this glamourous image the viewer gets utterly blindsided by her role. Demi does all the heavy lifting and makes this movie. Can’t think of any other actress except Charlize Theron in Monster (2003) that has so drastically laid it all out there in the most unflattering way.

Dennis Quaid has always been one of those guys people like to watch on the screen. He usually doesn’t go to far from the nice guy persona. He goes full Hollywood Sleaze here. It fun watching him embrace the role. Dennis has probably less than two minutes of screen time but he makes it memorable. Margaret Qualley plays the younger, hotter, up and coming Sue. The only role I’d previously seen her in is Maid (2021) which she played a dumpy looking young mother. The make-up and costume people in the Maid deserve an award. Roles like Margaret plays in this movie have been few since the me too movement. Her role of Sue is brutally objectified in the beginning of the film. I thought I was watching a French movie or something.

There is a scene where Sue has on star shaped earrings. The second I saw this it reminded me of Revenge (2017), a movie I haven’t seen in seven years. Looking up the movie, it’s the same director Coralie Fargeat. Also, in a seen it shows a grotesque knee giving flashbacks to the Fly (1986) which is one of the movies Coralie said influenced her. If you haven’t seen Revenge, it’s a great movie, go check it out. Hopefully some studios or Netflix gives her a bunch of money to make more films and we don’t have to wait another seven years to hear from Ms. Fareat again.

YouTube Trailer Substance Movie

One of the critiques I had of Revenge was it was too long at one hour forty-eight minutes. Just really the last scene dragged out. I miss editors and constraints of old media, in a new digital media world (which space is free) the length of a reel is no longer a constraint, bound by seconds and cost (nor the size of the watcher’s bladder) not fitting an article to a small corner on the page everything is just too long for my popcorn brain. It’s a feeling content creators stretch everything out as much as possible (I get it, that’s how you get paid) but as a consumer its less enjoyable. Steven king was forced to edit the Stand book down by 600 pages. I’ve read the original version; it is long and boring. Newspaper articles were short and sweet, written so the average fifth grader could understand it. Now I get to page five of an article I don’t remember who Joe is or why I’m reading an article about him. Substance is two hours and twenty-one minutes. The whole final act goes past what felt like the dramatic end to set up a couple gag shots. The French maybe don’t have end credit scenes? Snippets of this final act would play well during the end credits.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenge (2018) Movie Review

Most will steer clear of this French twist of a rape film. Seventy's sexploitation movies like 'I Spit on Your Grave' (Originally 'Day of the Woman' (1978)) and 'House on the Left' (1972), both inspired by European movies, were more focused on the grittiness of the story. Revenge is a visually stunning cinematic masterpiece. Mixing the beautiful landscape and symbology (yes know, I need to stop watching that movie, it makes me dumber with each viewing) to make the almost two hour run time go flying by. Many directors lose focus during the long process of making a film. Michael Cimino known for making the biggest Hollywood bomb for almost forty years was so caught up in having every shot be a cinematic marvel, nothing else mattered. Heaven's Gate is a very beautiful film that's nearly unwatchable, especially at four-plus hours, unless you're a French film snob.

Most smaller films stretch the run time because they want the film to be a full-length feature and not be confused with being a short. The average moviegoer would rather be blown away with a short film than having to wish for a 'mister fast forward button'. Master's of Horror (2005-2007) showed a really good story could be told in fifty minutes. Director Coralie Fargeat keeps the action moving. While lingering on some scenes that need to be taken in. The two hour run time is justified, Coralie fills it brilliantly. Defining the wolf-pack mentality, building to the assault and transformation of Jen to the bad-ass heroine of death. Any of you prepubescent, vape smoking, basement dwelling, Gargamels, who only going to watch this to see some boobies. Well, be warned not only is there subtitles, but Coralie clearly has a stalkerish thing for male lead Kevin Janssens. You're going to see a lot of his ass and junk.

There are some issues that pull the viewer out of the story. We all love a good movie that sucks the viewer in, where thought and time cease to exist. First, off the twelve gauge shotgun that shoots like a rifle. Why don't people who make movies learn how guns work. Only the French would put a scope on a shotgun. I'm sure someone will tell me about this special French gun they have. But if it looks like a twelve gauge pump shotgun and uses twelve gauge shells, it's a shotgun! Second, the amount of blood used and the length of the final kill both cross over from dramatic to comedic.

YouTube Revenge Trailer

IMDB Revenge page

Revenge is a great movie to watch. The long runtime doesn't seem like it. Old westerns had long run times. And they seemed like it! Anytime the cowboys started to move the heard across the river, you knew you had at least ten minutes for a bathroom break. The transformation of beautiful dainty Jen from party-girl being creeped on, to the angel of death is entertaining as hell!