Check these out–Or don’t!

“Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell“(2023 Kanopy) Be prepared for a very slow and very gorgeous journey through present day Vietnam, from the chaos of Saigon to its impoverished surrounding rural regions. Director Pham Thien An’s film melds past, present and future Vietnam in a spiritual journey, unmarked by sentimentality and rendered in exquisite cinematography. I love this film so much that I considered simply having it run continuously throughout the day. A large screen greatly amplifies the impact. But if that’s not possible, try watching on a standard one, but in small doses.

“The Substance” (2024 Amazon/Apple)Guest editor for this review is Marna Owen, longtime friend, fellow movie lover and occasional contributor. The italics are mine.

Writer, director and producer Coralie Fargeat wanted to make a film about the societal pressures on women’s bodies and ages and who better to play the central character than the very talented Demi Moore? Moore’s been in the public eye since her debut as a soap opera star on General Hospital in the early 1980’s. In 1996 she was the highest paid actress in film history for her role in “Strip Tease”. Talented, yes, but let’s face it, being gorgeous didn’t hurt! So Fargeat’s casting of Moore (now in her early 60’s)as Elizabeth Sparkle an aging actor and fitness guru whose beauty is looking a little less sparkly is perfect. Like Moore, the woman she plays is still plenty beautiful. But when she stands naked in front of a mirror in her huge, well-lit, starkly white and sterile bathroom, Sparkle sees only ugliness and imperfection. Harvey (Dennis Quaid), the sleazy TV producer who manages Sparkle’s weekly fitness show, tells her in a particularly disgusting close up while he chews and spews shrimp juice, that at age 50, it’s over for her. Out with the old and in with the new.

Enter The Substance. It promises that with a single injection, Sparkle can become a better version of herself—younger, more vital, more appealing. The catch: she can only be the better version for seven days, then must switch back to her old self for a week. The stark white instruction cards that come with The Substance kit warn her to always remember, YOU ARE ONE.

Moore did not disappoint in this movie. I watched, wide eyed and screaming “OMG” as her character, Elisabeth Sparkle, emerges and disintegrates into a bloody, mesmerizing, crawling mess of a ruined life. (Fargeat is drawn to blood and gore. I couldn’t watch her film “Revenge“) It’s a horror movie all right, but not in the traditional sense. There is nothing subtle about The Substance. It’s message is clear. The monster is the culture and for us women it’s in ourselves. (makes one think twice about having “work” done, no matter how tempting)

Hat’s off to Demi Moore, who no doubt has dabbled in her share of cosmetic surgery, but was brave enough to bare her 62 year old body and soul in front of a camera to help make the point. If you are a horror movie fan (unlike me)you can ignore the cautionary subtext and just enjoy the great cinematography, colors and special f/x. On both those levels it’s a great movie. (and yes, I liked it very much!)

“La Chimera“(2023 Prime/Apple) Madly in love with “My Brilliant Friend” (both books and streaming series) I was looking forward to this movie directed by Alba Rohrwacher, the charismatic star of the series. Critics rave about its magical realism, its tender love story, its setting, etc. BUT did we watch the same movie? Yes, the setting is Italy–always love that. Yes, she explores the culture of the tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders–very interesting. And yes, Isabella Rossilini! (unafraid to portray a slightly demented, very old music teacher in a crumbling palazzo–an inspiration to the once beautiful everywhere) And yes. I really like Josh O’Connor–so great as Prince Charles in “The Crown”. And who doesn’t love Fellini? So why didn’t I love it? I think because it feels derivative, without any unique touches. It has all the Fellini signature elements but none of his incredible flamboyant, baroque style. There is even a not so sly visual reference to the “La Dolce Vita” opening scene where a Christ statue is being transported by helicopter hovering over Rome. In “La Chimera” a looted Etruscan beheaded statue hovers in the grip of a crane and lowered into a transport box. The narrative, like Fellini’s, moves back and forth between reality and fantasy, memory and nostalgia. But in this film it feels confusing and unfocused. Rohrwacher uses a cantautori to relate some of the plot and while it is definitely one of the more enjoyable parts of the film, it does very little to elucidate it overall. I’ve been thinking about the film and trying figure out why it doesn’t work for me? Perhaps it’s the cinematography–too many long shots, a lot of cliches, too long? Josh O’Connor?–while I really like him–no Marcello Mastroianni. But please watch it. I want your opinion.

“The Split” (2018 Kanopy) Season One of this series about divorce lawyers and their own tangled lives is pretty good, but by the last episode or so was left with little desire to move on to Season 2.

“Unreal” (Netflix) Season 1 of this series about the manipulations of a fictional dating show (kind of like The Bachelor) is fantastic–real binge worthy production. But by the end the characters are so despicable they become almost uninteresting and I need a break from moving on to Season 2. (but I know I will, because it’s that kind of show).

“Anora” (2024) I certainly enjoyed it. Excellent acting, dialogue, theme, and quite moving in the end. If you haven’t watched the recommended “A Life in Dirty Movies” it’s an interesting contrast. Oh we have come so far! (pardon the pun).

“Emilia Perez” (2024) Also quite interesting but except for that one (ok no spoiler alert for the few readers who haven’t seen it) element, it has conflated all the other Mexican cartel films I’ve seen and I’ve a hard time sorting out which scene went with which movie.