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I bought the Substance and Nosferatu at the same time. I watched Nosferatu a few weeks ago and just watched the Substance tonight.

=== MILD SPOILERS ===

The Substance is the best movie I've seen in a long time.

There were references to Kubrick (2001, The Shining), Lynch (Elephant Man), and Carpenter (The Thing). Maybe even Hitchcock (Vertigo). Probably others I missed.

The story and themes were so strong these did not feel gimmicky at all. They worked well -- and I liked noticing them.

I'm not going into details about the movie other than to say I think it's great. Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid and Margaret Qualley all gave powerful performances.

The Substance is going to stick with me for a while.

I watched Nosferatu only a couple months ago and already I don't remember much about it. I think it started off promising. The storyline with Hoult and the Nosferatu felt like it was leading up to something but it didn't seem to materialize.

After that the story felt clunky and aimless. She was sick, she was better, she was sick she was better. He was sick, he was better, he was sick.

I never found the premise that supposedly set everything in motion very convincing. She was so lonely and isolated and horny she saw no alternatives than to fuck the monster. Maybe I missed something important. I understand there are other themes but if I can't get invested in the premise then I'm not going to feel the other themes are important.

The characters referenced things being "fated" several times. I guess if you don't have a good plot to move things along you have to rely on fate to do it. People are doing things that don't make sense? Oh, it was fated. Right...

There was a scene in this movie, after I had pretty much given up on it, that referenced The Exorcist. I remember thinking I wish I had watched that movie instead.

I think Nicholas Hoult did the best he could with what he had to work with.

The Willem Dafoe character was over the top. I was laughing out loud at some of the things he said - and I don't think they were supposed to be funny. I was thinking why would anyone listen to this clown. He's a nut. Not like an eccentric and misunderstood genius. Just a nut.

Lily-Rose Depp was there. There was one scene where I thought oh, this is going to improve. She's going to get agency over herself and what is happening. Nope. Didn't happen. I guess it was fated.