News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday December 21st 2025
The Substance (2024)
from the series Movie Corner…
4 out of 5 Stars
Horror/Drama
Working Title Films
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
The Substance is no ordinary horror-drama film. A good part of the film’s strength lies with the actresses Demi Moore (Elisabeth Sparkle) and Margaret Qualley (Sue) and the other is the social piece dealing with society’s preoccupation with being young, especially for women. The premise is that Elisabeth Sparkle is a fitness presenter/trainer on a national morning TV show. (Many of you who read this column may not have been born when the late Richard Simmons had a TV fitness show in the 1980s.) Ms. Sparkle is fired by her self-serving television executive boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid) whose only problem with her is that she is now “too old”. She’s mystified and disheartened by her cruel dismissal from her career.
Rather than moving on to a less glamorous job, she stumbles onto a black market lab that promises cell-replicating drugs that she can use to restore her younger, vibrant and more shapely form. The proviso is that she is only able to spend seven days as each person. The younger version is named “Sue” (Margaret Qualley) who becomes the replacement for Elisabeth on the fitness TV show.… Read the rest “The Substance (2024)”
Around Town December ’24
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Keep citizen journalism alive!
One Last Fling
from the series Raise Your Voice…
By PETER MOLENAAR
Responsible neighbors who sought their polling places remain aware that the back page of the ballot was devoted to the election of numerous judgeships. For me, this was as daunting as a college entrance exam! Why do respected election officials not inform us that our ballots count if not fully filled out? Let us enhance voter participation, not suppress it, please.
Now hear this: Trump won’t be winging it this time. Rather, he will commence with a fully worked out billionaires’ agenda. So, expect another round of tax cuts for the rich, coupled with public service cuts for the rest of us.
How was it possible for such an outstanding citizen to win once again? Was bigotry the key ingredient? Actually, I prefer to think that skillful agitation of economic angst won the day. Truly, one wonders if the capitalist system will collapse before the end of this century.
But guess what? It was price gouging by Trump’s corporate boss buddies, which gave us inflation. A trade war with China will exacerbate this problem, on top of which, the expulsion of millions of immigrants will cause a serious economic dislocation.… Read the rest “One Last Fling”