Sr. producer Phil Brewster has joined postproduction studio Absolute following six years at Saddington Baynes. His new role will see him produce VFX-heavy projects for his new roost’s varied client base.
With an initial spell at graphic design studio Design Shard, Brewster realized his calling was specifically in visual effects and garnered a position at Saddington Baynes. During this time, he was afforded the luxury of producing CG-heavy outcomes direct-to-client for brands including Estée Lauder and Gaggenau, as well as working alongside agencies such as Havas, McCann and Saatchi & Saatchi.
Brewster commented, “The great thing about VFX is that each project hopes to be something new and innovative. It’s an industry that’s constantly evolving, and I’m looking forward to witnessing that progression from my new Soho home amongst talented artists and great clients.”
Absolute production director Belinda Grew added, “The past eighteen months have been a bit of a ride and we’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic creative and directorial talent on some incredibly niche, award-winning VFX briefs. As our client base expands, our in-house talent, too, has continued to grow and I couldn’t think of anyone better to help elevate our production team as we scope out new opportunities.”
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat — who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival — has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive — a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
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