Low Key

THE SUBSTANCE is almost a perfect partner to the last film we discussed, A DIFFERENT MAN. It's about aging and beauty standards, but also the kindnesses and harms we do to our future selves.

A Different Man stars Sebastian Stan as Edward, an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis who, through a new procedure, gets the face he's always wanted. But then he meets a different man, Oswald (Adam Pearson) who thrives in a play based on Edward's previous life — and makes Edward question everything about himself.

We like Creature Commandos, and are endlessly amused that it is the first project under DC Studios leader James Gunn to be canon in the new DC Universe.We also have some thoughts on the weird relationship between Batman and Robin.

We also plan to rewatch The Wiz sometime soon.

Has James Patterson already used TRIPLE CROSS as the title of one of his dozens of Alex Cross novels? We don't know. If not, Mr. Patterson, it's all yours. On this episode of LOW KEY we talk about DC cop/psychologist Alex Cross, played in the new Amazon Prime series CROSS by the always good Aldis Hodge. We think it has crossover appeal.

Woman of the Hour starts out with a deliciously trash concept: a woman (Anna Kendrick) goes on a dating show where one of the three bachelors is a serial killer. But it takes a serious turn when almost every man in sight fails as a human being — except for George Elliott. We talk this episode about how to be a real man.

We discuss the new City of God: The Fight Rages On, a series sequel to the iconic 2002 film about violent kids growing up in the desperate slums of Rio De Janeiro. The kids are all grown up, and some are actually doing OK — at least in the pilot.