Tag: Mubi

Cinema Dispatch: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

~ Matt Vetrano ~ Leave a comment

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and all the images you see in this review are owned by Mubi

Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

I can’t say I was the biggest fan of I Saw the TV Glow, but it definitely left me with the impression that Jane Schoenbrun was a talented filmmaker to keep an eye on. Perhaps it was an issue of subject matter as I’ve never been much of a fan of Buffy which their previous film took a lot of inspiration from, and am much more of a slasher geek which is what their newest feature is mostly about. Well, that and a bunch of other ideas about identity, sexuality, and the terrifying reality of being yourself, but I think the slasher stuff is what’s gonna clinch it for me. Is this another masterpiece from an up and coming star director, or will this struggle to capture the same lightning in a bottle success of their last feature? Let’s find out!!

Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder) is an up and coming indie filmmaker who has been tapped by a bunch of studio suits to modernize the long running Camp Miasma franchise; a series of slasher films with a problematic past that could use one of those woke adaptations that the kids are all talking about these days. In the hopes of making a truly authentic reboot, Kris goes to see the reclusive star of the original film, Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson) who just so happens to live on the campgrounds that the film was shot on long ago. With the hopes of a young artist and the cynicism of a young adult, Kris tries to sell Billy on her new ideas for the franchise, but she’s gonna need to impress her with more than just meta-commentary and a more diverse cast if she hopes to get her endorsement. Kris is gonna have to delve not just into the nitty gritty of the venerable franchise, but into the depths of her own soul if she’s going to find any way to connect with Billy and get this project off the ground. Will Kris open herself up to the Billy’s eccentric world view and the mysterious nature of this camp? Why does she chose to live here, and is there more to this old set than memories and gaffers tape? I mean, if I was gonna be toyed by a potentially malevolent diva who may or may not be planning a ritualistic murder… yeah, I’d go with Agent Scully too.

“I can tell that this is gonna be good.”     “What, the chicken?”     “No. I mean… it’s KFC. It’s fine, but no.”
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Cinema Dispatch: The Substance

~ Matt Vetrano ~ Leave a comment

The Substance and all the images you see in this review are owned by Mubi

Directed by Coralie Fargeat

The movie-going public tends to focus on the big releases while letting all the smaller and niche films fly in under the radar, but every once in a while something manages to smash general audiences in the face, and it’s suddenly the only thing we’re talking about. The trailer for this certainly offers an intriguing premise with its criticism of societal beauty standards and hints at some seriously icky body horror, so it’s no surprise that this one broke the surface and generated a lot of buzz. Does the film live up to the hype surrounding it, or will its talking points stay relevant longer than the audience’s interest in the movie itself? Let’s find out!!

Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was once a star of the silver screen but has spent the last few years of her career being a fitness guru with her own long-running daily workout show. Unfortunately for her, and pretty much every woman in Hollywood, the whole town is run by sleazy jerks and there are few sleazier than her producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) who unceremoniously retires her from her own show for being too old. Let ready to lie down so easily, she jumps on the latest beauty craze which is a mysterious substance called… well, The Substance, that makes wild promises about what can be done to give her back her youthful glow. In a process that would make David Cronenberg proud, Elisabeth becomes two people with the power of The Substance; former starlet Elisabeth and younger up-and-coming star Sue (Margaret Qualley). Both must coexist in an overly complicated and regimented manner, as there’s always a catch with these things, and like most beauty routines or strict diets, it more or less sets her up to fail, and the two halves start to strain under one another’s existence. Just how far will Elisabeth and Sue go to stay relevant in such a beauty obsessed industry, and will the risk be worth the reward? What is the nature of this mysterious goo they are using, and what will happen if they start to chafe against the rules? Will they both realize the monsters that this is turning them into and rebel against the patriarchal system, or is she going to crash and burn, and we’re just along for the ride?

“Despite all my rage, I am still Demi Moore in a cage!”
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