MOVIE: The Substance (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
The Substance Year: 2024 Rating: R Length: 141 minutes / 2.35 hours Social commentary is a fine line to walk for any film. Most times, the message is too heavy handed that it beats the audience over the head with it. The Substance (2024) leans into this and literally beats the characters over the head with the harsh reality of aging—especially for women in show business. While uncomfortable to watch on an enormous movie theater screen, this modern adaptation of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is almost perfect with only a few plot choices that left a bad aftertaste. The premise of The Substance is so simple and easily understandable at its core. Take this drug and split into two bodies, one of which is a younger and more attractive version of yourself. The packaging, font, and presentation of the titular substance was top-notch and a definite highlight of the film. Of course, one could argue that the secondary message aside from the unending obsession...
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MOVIE: Nightmare Alley (2021)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Nightmare AlleyYear: 2021Rating: RLength: 150 minutes / 2.50 hours I appreciate Guillermo del Toro for his sense of artistic style. His genius usually comes out in movies set in the 1940s and 1950s, with such hits as Pan's Labyrinth (2005) and The Shape of Water (2017). And while there are fun popcorn flicks of his that I enjoy (like Hellboy (2004) and Pacific Rim (2013)), I feel Nightmare Alley (2021) is my favorite work he has done to date. After all, his best work comes from showing the audience that humans are the actual monsters of the story. A story told in a solid three acts, Nightmare Alley is a beautiful uroboros of fame and hubris. The all-star casting of Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, and Willem Dafoe helped to sell the story of a grifter who gets too greedy for his own good. The twists and turns are exciting, if not wholly predictable, but that's part of the fun of...
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