Jeanne du Barry is a French period drama, directed and starring Maïwenn (known for The Fifth Element), about the courtesan and the last official mistress of King Louis XV (Johnny Depp) of . The film chronicles her life from her childhood and formative years as a servant's daughter, to her rise in French society through sex, alliances, and strategic marriages. Although well-crafted, it is a very conventional drama that, in its making, invites not very favorable comparisons with Barry Lyndon. While Kubrick's classic manages to be a very subtle satire, Maïwenn's film takes itself too seriously. This, considering its representation of the female gender and the backgrounds of its two main stars, not only does not help but invites questioning the purpose of telling this story, with so little hope for its protagonist. You will enjoy it if you like period dramas with sumptuous costumes, or if you are an avid follower of Johnny Depp.
The Substance is a horror film directed by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat (Revenge), winner of the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. It borrows the premise from The Picture of Dorian Gray, the classic novel by Oscar Wilde, but uses it to comment on issues such as ageism, beauty standards, and body dysmorphia, specifically in the context of Hollywood. The plot follows Elisabeth (Demi Moore), a successful actress who, in the latter years of her career, has become the host of a fitness television show. That is until a studio executive (Dennis Quaid, in a grotesque caricature of Harvey Weinstein) decides she is too old for it and ends her contract. Desperate, Elisabeth turns to the mysterious drug of the title to "activate" a younger and improved version of herself, "Sue" (Margaret Qualley). Both women must maintain a delicate balance for seven days, which begins to unravel when Sue achieves success and starts to resent Elisabeth as a burden. With waves of blood, mutilations, pus, and other bodily fluids that words can't begin to describe, The Substance is a delirious and clever satire of the arbitrary yet predatory and exploitative frivolity with which the media imposes and perpetuates unattainable beauty standards. At the same time, it is an astute representation of the self-destructive extremes many women are willing to subject their bodies and self-esteem to in order to fit into the system and play the game. Regardless of the conclusions, one thing is for sure: you will experience a whirlwind of emotions and have an incredible time... if the nausea doesn't defeat you halfway through.
Just saying that 'Sunset Boulevard' is considered by many to be the best movie about Hollywood ever made. The original title, 'Sunset Boulevard', is a reference to the avenue parallel to Hollywood Boulevard - where, in the Golden Age of cinema, there were great studios and stars lived in their huge mansions. In Billy Wilder's (director of 'Some Like it Hot') masterpiece, we have a very unusual meta-fictional story for its time, which earned him the Oscar for best screenplay (music and art direction were also awarded). It's an essential classic for those who are fans of Hollywood cinema or the seventh art in general.
The backstage of success is not as beautiful as you might imagine. Actors can't seem to shake certain stereotypes or successful roles, interviews are tiresome, there are conflicts and ego clashes, and so on. What 'Birdman' does is take advantage of the recent explosion of superhero films to explore all this complexity. This is not a movie to laugh at but to understand a little bit more those who make us laugh or cry on the big screen.
The first Marvel Studios movie that had, up until then, only licensed its characters to other studios. The beginning with Iron Man had no noble motives: it was just a character that sold more action figures. However, Robert Downey Jr.'s charm in the lead role, combined with Jon Favreau's direction ('Chef'), raised the bar. To give you an idea, the script wasn't ready during filming - not only was there a lot of re-writing, but also a lot of improvisation from the protagonist. Combining humor, action and drama, 'Iron Man' not only defined the foundations of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also dictated what would be done in superhero movies from then on.