Katey Rich: Hello, and welcome to _Little Gold Men_ the award season podcast from _Vanity Fair_. Intro: "It's such an honor to present this next award." "And here are the nominees." "And the Oscar goes to..." "And the Oscar goes to..." "And I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me." "I'm the king of the world!" "There's a mistake, _Moonlight_, you guys won best picture." Katey Rich: Hi, I'm Katey Rich. I'm here with Richard Lawson. Richard Lawson: Hello. Katey Rich: With Rebecca Ford. Rebecca Field: Hi. Katey Rich: I'm with David Canfield. David Canfield: Hi. Katey Rich: And this is the week, the week we have been waiting for, the Telluride and the Venice Film Festivals kick off this week. As you listen to this, probably, uh, everyone that I'm on the line with right now will be in a, some far flung location or on their way to it. Um, Venice kicks off Wednesday of this week, so after you're listening to this episode, and then Telluride kicks off- actually does Telluride kick off on a Thursday or Friday? I don't know. Rebecca Field: Friday, technically is when the screening starts. David Canfield: Yeah. Katey Rich: There we go, a full Labor Day Weekend experience. Um, so now we know the Telluride lineup and we've known the Venice lineup for a while, so we'll talk about those together and what to expect from them. Uh, in addition to a little bit of other festival news, because Toronto is coming a week after that. Tis the season. Um, but let's kick off with Telluride because that's the real mystery as we spend our summers planning for the fall basically. Um, we get hints about what might be at Telluride based on reading the tea leaves of the TIFF lineup as we've discussed. Um, but we now have the full lineup. Um, Rebecca, you were the first one of us to get a look at it. Um, what did you see on there? What's exciting? Rebecca Field: I think they've got a lot and you know, the festival is back to its normal length. Last year they added an extra day, so it feels very packed for the short amount of time we have to see everything we wanna see. Um, we sort of deduced the world premieres already, as you mentioned, um, and were correct. So I think the biggest ones, um, from the lineup are _Women Talking,_ the Sarah Polley film and _Empire of Light,_ the Sam Mendes movie that David and I are both very excited to see on the ground there. And then the other two are, uh, _The Wonder_ and _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ are both also world premiering there, but they have a lot coming from Venice, um, that I think will also be, uh, some of the hottest stuff on the ground there. Katey Rich: Yeah. David, how'd you feel looking over the lineup finally? David Canfield: Uh, I well Telluride always does a trio of tributes and I was definitely struck by opening the program and immediately getting a big fat Sarah Polley tribute, which excited me very much. Uh, leaning fully into, uh, this being a moment for her, um, ahead of _Women Talking_, uh, premiering there and that's gonna be Friday night, so really the big kickoff to the festival and it seems like they are very intently and, um, vocally going all in on, on the movie, which is, uh, exciting to see. As we say every week, we are big Sarah Polley fans on this podcast. Um, and then the other tribute, which I thought was really interesting was Cate Blanchett, because, um, it can, it can be for smaller movies sometimes, um, it's not always, you know, like Will Smith did not attend Telluride as part of the _King Richard_ tour last year. Um, but Cate Blanchett is getting out there and she is going to make a big, big stop for _Tár, _early stop I should say. Katey Rich: Yeah. David Canfield: Uh, on a long campaign season. And then obviously her name has been coming up constantly in our conversations with, uh, people in the know as a Best Actress front runner. Um, Rebecca and I have not seen the movie, but obviously on Telluride, that will be a big topic. So that, that was what stuck out to me. Katey Rich: Yeah, we'll get, we'll get a bit more to _Tár_ and Venice, uh, shortly. Rebecca Field: Yeah. I mean, last year they gave the director's tribute to Jane Campion and I think obviously we saw her campaign just flourish after that and so it is I think really exciting to see Sarah Polley do it, and, and the actor tribute last year went to Peter Dinklage and obviously that campaign didn't take off, but it, I- Katey Rich: That was a good bet though, I'd say. Why not. Rebecca Field: Yeah. And like he's had an interesting career. So obviously that was good to hear from him, but Cate is like, feels like this automatic front runner even though nobody- barely anyone has seen the movie yet. Um, so it is interesting to see that they they've also already sort of given her that spot. Katey Rich: Yeah, the, I think the Sarah Polley Jane Campion parallels feel kind of- because you know, it's like, oh, here we go, like another female director, like coming in strong to the season. Um, but they have the same press representative for this entire season, which I think is a strong indication that like you might see Sarah Polley written about in the similar way to Jane Campion. She might do similar kinds of press. Like I do think those parallels are real and not just us, like with two women directors who we really like. Richard Lawson: And those movies aren't- I mean, I haven't seen _Women Talking_, but we've read the book for the book club here. Those stories aren't entirely dissimilar in theme, you know? Katey Rich: Yeah. Richard Lawson: Um, they're about different kind of characters obviously, but like repression and what the violence that can lead to in isolated communities, you know, like that that's similar. And I think _Women Talking_ premiering at Telluride is kind of perfect because, uh, for people who haven't been, it's this tiny little town that backs up right against these huge mountains, you're very isolated. And I know that the book takes place in, you know, Bolivia, but like something about the, the topography of Telluride, that feeling of, of cloisteredness that you have at that festival, I think will really lend itself well with all the foreboding mountains in the distance, um, to watching a movie that is about this very constricted environment, um, is set against the backdrop of huge rural landscape. Katey Rich: Um, the, so the Telluride lineup also includes, you know, some titles from Cannes like _One Fine Morning, Holy Spider,_ um, there's a bunch of stuff which we'll talk about in a minute. Uh, there's some interesting documentaries in the lineup too, that I had not heard of at all. Um, I don't know if that's because they were secret or just, I hadn't been had them on my radar. Um, but there's one called _The End of the World_ about Bennington College, um, which was a subject of a podcast called _Once Upon a Time at Bennington College_, uh, hosted by frequent VF contributor, Lily Anolik and there's a, another former VF person, Matt Turnour, uh, who directed it. So I think for like literary snob types, who might have joined us for a book club, uh, that one might be a fun one to look out for. Rebecca Field: I also was interested in this documentary _Senior_ about Robert Downey Senior. David Canfield: Yeah. Rebecca Field: You know, the filmmaker and obviously father of Robert Downey Jr. who died, uh, in 2021. I hadn't heard about it. I don't know if it was secret. I tried to look it up and couldn't find anything on it, but, um, Robert Downey Jr. is gonna be at the festival, so that might be an interesting one to catch as well. Katey Rich: Yeah. David Canfield: And to your earlier point, Katey, about some of these Cannes holdovers it's, it's always interesting to see who travels with the movie. Um, you know, in _Armageddon Time_, the James Gray film, you have Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway along with James Gray, um, landing on the ground, which signals that they are coming at to support the movie ahead of release. And, uh, we know Focus Features really believes in it as a potential contender. And then you have, you know, movies like _Broker_ the new Koreeda film, uh, and oh, and _One Fine Morning_, uh, for which Léa Seydoux is traveling with Mia Hansen-Løve, so you're definitely getting, um, a nice collection of new premieres and premieres from back in the spring, um, with talent coming really from all sides. It's gonna be pretty star studied this year, just looking at it quickly. Richard Lawson: I was really glad to see that _Armageddon Time_ was gonna be there because in some ways I think that might be a kind of almost relaunch for the movie. Um, that was, I think, appreciated at Cannes, but people weren't really sure what to make of it. I came down on the positive, more positive side than other people did. I mean, I was not alone in that, but I think it's a very timely interesting thing, um, that it sort of parallels the recent other memoir pieces that big directors have done like Quran and, and like Spielberg will do at TIFF or _Belfast_ even. But like this one is much more critical of the era it's sort of nostalgic for. I don't even know if nostalgia is the right word. Um, so I'll just be very curious to see what an, a primarily American audience thinks of that movie, because it is a primarily American story. And I don't think it got quite the attention it may be deserved at Cannes, but we'll see, maybe I'm totally wrong. And, and people, you know, state side people will be like, absolutely not, we reject this. Katey Rich: And also on the Cannes topic, and this is a movie I haven't seen either, but, um, Rebecca and Richard, you can weigh in. I keep wondering if we should keep a closer eye on Song Kang-Ho who's the star of _Broker,_ um, which was such a huge hit at, um, at Cannes, and obviously he was a star of _Parasite._ Like it, it feels like if that movie's gonna Telluride, he's gonna be in Telluride, like the _Parasite _casts presence on that Oscar circuit was such a big part of that movie's campaign, and I wonder if he's headed for another big run, like that. Richard Lawson: Could be, I mean, he's, he's really good that movie. I think I said this when, when it was at Cannes, but, um, something about _Broker_ makes me a little bit nervous in terms of its politics surrounding, um, abortion. Katey Rich: Oh, interesting. Richard Lawson: Um, and, uh, I don't know that it's necessarily a an anti-abortion film, but it could certainly be read that way. Um, that does not detract from the wonderful performances, the beautiful filmmaking, but, or maybe it does. I don't know. But, um, I'll be curious about that. Similarly, _Holy Spider_, which won the Best Actress prize at Cannes for Zar Amir Ebrahimi um, which is about a serial killer in Iran. I mean, it's based on true story. And, um, Ebrahimi plays a, a fictional journalist who is looking into the deaths and, and given everything that's happening, not just, uh, you know, regarding violence against women as a sort of global awareness initiative, but like specifically with the film industry, Iran, with, um, Asghar Farhadi coming under these, you know, plagiarism charges and all this stuff. Um, I, I think that there could be a lot of eyes on a movie like this that is commenting quite a bit, uh, on gender politics, sexual politics within a country, um, that has had a fraught relationship with those things. I mean, not that we haven't, but in a different way. Katey Rich: Uh, just looking over the lineup more, there's a Luis Buñuel movie from 1953 that's in this lineup. Um, I like, I mean, David, Rebecca, you guys go to Telluride and work really hard, um, but do you have time to just like check out some of the smaller stuff or just, you know, look for Robert Downey Jr. on the streets of Telluride? What, what, what's the vibe gonna be like? Rebecca Field: Well, you get to, you really can run into everyone in Telluride because there's like two streets that you walk. So passing Robert Downey Jr. Is something that could easily happen. For me, I'm bummed the festivals a day shorter because there are so many big things David and I have to see that I don't know, and I do wanna catch up on a couple Cannes titles, like _Broker_ and _Close_, so, yeah, um, I don't know if I'll get to see the sort of fun, random things that I would love to, to go to when some of these, you know, premieres are the big premieres are very late at night or are gonna be like five hours long with the tributes attached to them, so there's definitely not enough time. Richard Lawson: As long as you guys have time to go to that fun A24 party then I think it's a successful Telluride. David Canfield: Yeah. I think that the other side of that is you do have studios on the ground working, uh, and, and bringing journalists and talent together and having these sort of unofficial kickoff events for the season. Um, A 24, as you mentioned, Richard does a very popular, more informal one. Um, but I'm sure a number of these studios will be throwing parties as well. Won't say what we know yet, um, but you do have, for example, again, a lot of Netflix films. Last year, they had individual events for, I believe three movies. _The Lost Daughter, Power of the Dog _and_ The Hand of God,_ all of which went on to Oscar nominations and in _Power of the Dog's_ case, a big win. And you have this year, couple world premieres, uh, in _Chatterley's Lover_ and _Wonder, _which we really don't know a lot about beyond that they have, uh, stars that we like a lot in them and they come from interesting directors. And of course, _Bardo_, which will have premiered at Venice, but is very highly anticipated from Iñárritu, so you have that. Uh, we talked about Focus having both _Tár_ and _Armageddon Time_ and, and a number of other studios that have couple seemingly significant contenders here, um, who are really lining up their flights and using this as an opportunity to make that kind of introduction. Katey Rich: Well, I feel like we've talked around _Tár_ a lot already, and Richard you're coming to us from Venice, um, where _Tár _has premiered this hugely anticipated movie that as we said, is at Telluride as well. Richard, how is _Tár?_ Richard Lawson: Well, first of all, just people are wondering, I will have a next week more full coverage of_ White Noise_ and _Bardo_ and other stuff, but I just thought that _Tár_ deserved its own segment um, because I think it is gonna be one of the movies of the season. Katey Rich: Um, yeah, the anticipation for this I think is already huge and people can see the, uh, VF Italia cover story that Cate Blanchett did that we got to run, uh, the English translation of, um, in which she talks some about this movie, which I think has been semi mysterious. And from what you've told me, Richard, like maybe keeping the mystery intact is, is worth it? Richard Lawson: Yes. I, I, I went in to the movie really having- I knew that it was about a conductor composer that it starred Cate Blanchett and that it was Todd Fields's first film, uh, in 16 years. His last one was _Little Children_. Um, and before that he did _In The Bedroom,_ so this great filmmaker went away for a long time and then came back with this. Um, so I'm reluctant to talk about what the movie is about. And, you know, that will be contained in my review, which will be online when you're listening to this. Um, but I will say generally that in the time that he's been away, Todd Field has clearly not, uh, been just sitting idle. He has been listening and watching and paying a lot of attention to shifts in culture, especially in the last few years. And _Tár _is very responsive to those things in, in sort of a bold and really engrossing way. You know, if people wanna stop listening now, they don't wanna know anything about _Tár_, they can and skip ahead or something, but, uh, for those who do wanna hear it, uh, it is kind of a Me Too movie, um, with the accused at the center. Um, so Blanchett is not playing a good person. A fascinating, brilliant person, uh, but not a good person, which makes the, the downfall or the reckoning that comes in the film that much more um, I think powerful because you have spent the first part of the film being a little afraid of this person's genius, awed by it. Um, and, uh, maybe a little bit put off by her pretension and the pretension of those people who kind of, you know, kissing her ring around her. But, um, you're, you're invested in her as an, as an entity. He, Todd Field really crafts a very credible person. I mean, she does an onstage chat with Adam Gopnik of _The New Yorker_. Like you hear her talking to Alec Baldwin on a podcast. Katey Rich: What at cameo, what a set of cameos really. Richard Lawson: It's really like, he, he really went in on making this a very credible mega celebrity in the high art world. Katey Rich: Well, she's an E- she's an EGOT winner, right? Richard Lawson: She's an EGOT winner. Yeah. Um, they don't say for what, but I think we can, we can kind of make stuff up. Um, I was joking with a friend that she won an EGOT for or her Oscar for writing the score to a JK Rowling biopic, but, um, cause she's problematic. Um, but, uh, it's just, you know, it's, it's a really true piece of storytelling and the, the filmmaking itself is beautiful. The production design, the score, um, and then you have Blanchett who is just, I think, doing some of the best work of her career. And I think fascinatingly and, and hearteningly, she seems to have shaken off a lot of the _Blue Jasmine,_ blanche dubois stuff that was I think kind of trailing her for a long time. She couldn't really kind of shed that. There's still a little bit of that haughtiness, that sort of, um, you know, she, every room she enters is, is hers kind of thing, but it's used to a different effect in this movie and, um, it's really exciting to watch. Katey Rich: Yeah. I had been thinking about her in _Nightmare Alley,_ which like, as a movie, I didn't like all that much. I didn't like her all that much in it. Like that character just felt so like stagey. Um, but I think, I hadn't thought about that blanche dubois thing you said, Richard. Um, but it's just, it's nice to see someone who, you know, is great turn into performance that is like kind of iffy, but then turn around and be like, no, no, no, I still am incredibly powerful, which is what it sounds like Tár is doing. Richard Lawson: Yes. And Todd Field has said previous, you know, prior to the festival in an interview, um, that the project wouldn't have happened without Cate Blanchett. It was written for her. It was meant for her. And you feel the full urgency of that casting and that collaboration throughout this long, almost three hour film, you know? Um, there's just, there's so in sync and I know that people will probably have- will take issue with the fact that it's a Me Too story, but there, but it's a woman who's doing the, the bad things. Um, and that a straight man is making this movie about a powerful and, um, somewhat sinister queer woman. But I, I think because Field worked so closely with Blanchett on the project, that it, I, I think it, it, it transcends some of those concerns, um, and becomes a really damning, fascinating, uh, and also brutally funny movie about the kind, I think I said in my review, like the kind of the end of idolatry. Like the end of, of, of pure unquestioning celebrity worship, you know, which is something that we have had in the real world. You know, like mm-hmm, like milkshake duck, and like, uh, that, that Tumblr, your fave is problematic, like that, that kind of the pick, pick, picking at, at people's behavior and auditing their, their morals or whatever. Um, this is a much more glaring example where it's obviously something bad has happened, but, um, you know, I think that Blanchett is bringing as much to the project as Field is. Um, so it's, it's kind of a perfect, um, duo- a duet. Katey Rich: You know, in her VF Italia story, Cate Blanchett had said the film was originally conceived to be about a man. Um, which as she points out, I think is correct, uh, because it's about a woman, it allows you to enter a more neutral space in which you can examine, not the person, but the system. Um, which is very intriguing to me. Richard Lawson: Yeah. And I think it, it lives up to that, absolutely. Um, maybe I got my details about the origin of the project wrong, but I know that Todd Field said- Katey Rich: I think you closely with him on it. Richard Lawson: Todd Field did say at some point this was only Blanchett, you know, a certain part of the process. So, so yeah, all that over hype, uh, being done, um, it's definitely one of the standout films of the year that I've seen. Um, and I think that, I think the rest, you know, pretty much everyone listening to this hopefully will be equally blown away because I just, it floored me and I'm, you know, it's it... I left the theater kind of reeling. Katey Rich: Wow. Rebecca Field: Richard, are there, are there any supporting performances to watch out for? Is it like purely a Cate Blanchett show? Richard Lawson: Um, but uh, you have Nina Hoss the great Nina Hoss uh, from, you know, _Phoenix_ a few years ago, which is one of the best movie ending scenes of all time. Katey Rich: Oh yeah. Richard Lawson: Um, you have- David Canfield: Yes, indeed. Richard Lawson: Uh, ju uh, Julian Glover, you know, uh, the old venerable, British actor, he's in there. Um, and there's a, a cellist, a real life cellist who is, I guess, also an actor and, and she's quite good in the film, but it is really mostly about Blanchett, um, and, and by design and, um, you really, I think she's in every scene and you are just in her... well, you're not quite in her head. You're sort of just outside of it, which just makes the movie really interesting. Katey Rich: David and Rebecca, when we were kind of getting the lay of the land for the season, I feel like we heard about her a lot and my initial reaction was like, Cate Blanchett's not gonna win a third Oscar. Like she just- like she has two, um, but I obviously there's a lot still to see as the season goes ahead, but the, this kind of review of Tár feels like exactly the kind of thing that get you your third Oscar. David Canfield: Yeah. It, it confirms what we've heard really. Katey Rich: Yeah. David Canfield: I think there's still some big unknowns for this season. Like, um, the Telluride program does highlight Olivia Coleman's performance in _Empire of Light_, which I've started to hear more and more about as people started to see it. Um, we have _Till_ which is, uh, Danielle Deadwyler and what we've heard is a real breakout turn. And of course we have stuff like every- _Everything Everywhere All At Once_ with Michelle Yeoh. Katey Rich: Getting a tribute award at TIFF announced this week. David Canfield: Getting a tribute award at TIFF, which will def, so will definitely stick around. She's definitely gonna be on the ground. But it doesn't feel like anyone has quite the head start that Cate has, especially if the film itself is that good, because as we've learned with the Academy, especially more recently, it helps to have a really strong contender around you. Uh, like _King Richard_ was for Will Smith last year. Richard Lawson: I mean, there's definitely the potential that _Tár_ will alienate viewers, Academy members. Um, you know, it's, it's not a movie that has any kind of righteousness in mind, you know? Um, it, it, you don't leave the theater feeling like there's been a come uppence sort of or, or, I mean, there has been, but, you know, but like, it, it, it, it, it's a complicated, I guess it's a morally complicated movie. And, um, maybe that won't feel as appealing as something that is, uh, easier to embrace, but, um, yeah, I mean, she's, she's incredible and she'll probably win lots of critics awards and stuff like that for this. Katey Rich: I watched _Little Children_ for the first time since 2006, probably, um, but last week, just kind of knowing to prepare for Tár and man, that movie is so good. Todd Field being gone- I, we've all kind of thought about like where in the world is he, but what a absence it's been and so good to have such a major filmmaker back. David Canfield: Jackie Earle Haley was robbed. Richard Lawson: If this is what he produces after 16 years, like maybe he should do another 16 years. Katey Rich: Um, I mean, so Richard, looking ahead to Venice, like you said, we'll talk about it more in depth and you mentioned _Baro_ as a big title premiering and_ White Noise_, what else is feeling major or potentially major to you over there? Richard Lawson: I think the big question that most people have right now is _The Whale,_ um, the Darren Aronofsky film. Um, that is a nighttime press screening, which is sort of rare. It's usually there in the morning and so, uh, there's already kind of clamor about, oh, are we gonna be able to get into that? You know, because there's a ticketing system and all this stuff, and you know, it, it, it feels like I just, a lot of people I've spoken to who are gonna be in Venice, like that's the one they're really targeting beyond these early films, like _Tár_ and _White Noise_. Um, and you know, the big question there is Brendan Fraser and can he have this huge, not just sort of movie star comeback, but like awardsy, a first run at that kind of campaign, which he hasn't really done in the past. Maybe there was a little for _God's and Monsters_ back in the day, but, um, that, that will be really interesting. Um, also of course there is the debate about it's, how it's depicting, uh, people who are, you know, a different body type. Uh, and if it, is it a really negative, nasty interpret interpretation of that is it bad that Fraser's wearing some prosthetics? Uh, I, I don't know until I see it, but I know it will be controversial for a variety of reasons. Katey Rich: Well, David, you've got your first look on _The Whale_ that as people listen to, this is up right? David Canfield: That's correct, and it, it does reveal that I've seen the movie. Can't say anything about it just yet. Um, but I, I do think the movie tackles a lot of those questions head on to Richard's point, and as the first look story outlines, the play was written by someone who's had a lot of struggles with weight. Uh, it really came from a personal and I think empathetic place and, um, Brendan Fraser certainly educated himself fully on this topic and immersed himself in the process of portraying it with, with that level of empathy and nuance, um, that film really rarely provides. Um, as to what that means and how that, how the film works around that, uh, will remain to be seen. But I think in terms of that level of sensitivity, it was definitely there in, in the lead up to the filming- to the making of the movie. Katey Rich: Um, Richard, can you talk a little bit about the umbrella around _Blonde_, which is a movie you haven't seen yet, um, but it's premiering at a weird, at a point in the festival that makes it so difficult too. Are, am I reading too much into the placement of _Blonde_ late in the Venice lineup as maybe not a great sign? Richard Lawson: Yeah. _Blonde, Blonde _is premiering on the 8th, uh, which is after a lot of people are gonna be gone, um, from Venice. Uh, a lot of people heading to Toronto. So, yeah, that could give one pause, but that's not always true of the European festivals. You know, Cannes in particular they'll, they'll hold big things till the very end. Um, like Kelly Reichardt's movie was the last day, this year. Um, Venice is a little more front loaded, so I guess there is some concern. I mean, the thing about _Blonde_ is like, We've been talking about this movie for feels like years, you know. Katey Rich: Literal years. Richard Lawson: Yeah. It was supposed to come out in 2020. It was supposed to come out last year. It was supposed to be a Cannes this year, wasn't, you know, et cetera, et cetera. I mean, obviously the Netflix thing probably is what kept it away from Cannes partly, but, you know, and then we have Ana de Armas who was supposed to be this big breakout star because of _Knives Out_ and _Deep Water, _and then_ Blonde_, it was gonna, you know, be a huge year to 18 months for her that got kind of delayed. The relationship with Ben Affleck came and went. Her star profile has become very complicated, which actually probably fits perfectly for, uh, some version of Marilyn Monroe's story. I, I say some version because it's my understanding just from reading about the film, that _Blonde_ is more arty, it's more sort of experimental. It's based on, you know, the Joyce Carol Oates novel, so there is some sort of linear text that they're following, but I think there's gonna be a lot of surprise in it. And, uh, obviously the rumor, or maybe it's not even rumor anymore, but the NC 17 kind of rating, um, that gives people, I think a lot of questions about the movie. Maybe a little pause about where that kind of rating would come in, which might be in like sexual violence or something akin to that. So I don't know. I know that everyone is dying to see it and a lot of people are upset that they're gonna be on a plane or already back in the United States or wherever they live. Katey Rich: Or, or in Canada. Richard Lawson: Or in Canada, so which where it's not playing, so. Katey Rich: But it'll be on Netflix. I think they announced a September date for it, right? So we'll all get to see it soon. Richard Lawson: I mean, that's the, that's the great thing about the fall festivals. With some exceptions, pretty much everything we're talking about people can see in the next few months. Um, it's not like a Sundance where, who knows. Um, but this is, this is stuff that this is the, the showcase, the, the expo for all the upcoming wearers that will soon be on, on shelves. Katey Rich: And we should look ahead to Venice too, to _Don't Worry Darling_, which is the, the most discussed movie of the last week I think, uh, even though most people have not seen it. Um, it's premiering at Venice, it's coming on this... i, I don't know how to even possibly recap everything that's happened the past week around this movie. Um, but, uh, there's a lot of attention being paid to, uh, director Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles, maybe to a lesser extent. Richard, you've talked about those, you know, screaming fans after Harry Styles, what do you expect the vibes to be around this premiere after this past week of press? Richard Lawson: Fraught. Uh, I believe Olivia, Olivia Wilde said in an interview that like when she was imagining this project or trying to get us financing for it, she had envisioned it as a Venice movie. David Canfield: Interesting. Richard Lawson: Um, so. Katey Rich: That's really setting your, um, like calling your shot, right? Richard Lawson: Yeah, yeah, exactly. So there's even that much more riding on this. Um, you know, and the, the screaming fans for Harry Styles will be there, but now there might be some booze thrown in because people are, uh, upset with him about some queer baiting or whatever he's doing. Katey Rich: Um, Yeah. We talked more about that last week. Richard Lawson: Yeah. Obviously all the stuff with Olivia Wilde and Shia LaBeouf and who fired, who or who quit, what and why, and you know, or does Florence Pugh hate Olivia Wilde, vice versa? Who knows? Uh, maybe all publicity's good publicity. I don't know, the movie has to stand on it own though, you know? And, uh, now that people are going with knives out_ _for it, not critics, we go in neutral, hopefully in the best possible world. But yeah, I mean, I think regardless of, of whether or not people like the movie, it will be one of the biggest premieres here for sure. And one of the, kind of more talked about premiers in a long time. Rebecca Field: And Richard, I should know this, but are they forced to do like press conferences like they do in Cannes at Venice or there's nothing like that where they have to talk in the same room as each other if...? David Canfield: Why do you ask that Rebecca? For this movie of all movies? Richard Lawson: They're, they're in a motorboat and then the, the press runs alongside on the shore and just yells questions at them. Uh, no, they do, I think they do a formal press conference. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so that will be... and you know, the, the European, uh, is... doesn't pull punches the way the US does. So, um, that'll that will be interesting. Rebecca Field: As long as someone asks Florence Pugh a question and calls her Miss Flo, that's all I'm asking for Richard. If you can get in there. Richard Lawson: Yeah. The question is, what accent do you wanna hear that in, you know? Katey Rich: I do think our understanding is that this is because she's filming, um, _Dune 2_ in Budapest, and like she, this is the only press she'll be doing for this movie basically. I, I can't remember where I read that, there's been a lot written about this movie over the last while, so this is, this is kind of a moment of truth. David Canfield: Yeah, in _Variety's_ cover story, they noted, uh, she declined an interview due to filming _Dune_ in Budapest for the cover story on Olivia Wilde, and she's not going to Telluride for _The Wonder_, um, based on what the program says. So, uh, yeah, this appears to be her one pretty significant public appearance, uh, for the next little while, so there will be a lot of attention on that. Katey Rich: Yeah. I mean, we're all in some ways, students of like narratives around movie releases and awards in particular, and I think that the awards feature for _Don't Worry Darling_ is still unclear, but you know, you have to promote your movie to get it released. Is this, is this an all publicity is good publicity thing, as Richard said? Like, is there, is there a master plan at work? What do you guys think? David Canfield: It's pretty early to tell, you know, on her part. I think, you know, not knowing anything about the film, she's someone who has definitely started to generate some chatter as giving a, a performance that will get attention in the room. Katey Rich: Florence Pugh? Florence is what you're saying? David Canfield: Florence Pugh. Yeah, yes. The movie premiere hits theaters in September, uh, as and _Blonde_ hits Netflix in September, can be a bit more challenging. Of course, last year's Best Actress winner, Jessica Chastain, her movie premiered in September before she went on to win. Despite the movie not getting great reviews even, and not doing well at the box office. So it's certainly possible, but there's just, this is a movie where so much is unknown. Both in terms of the actual content and the, what exactly went on behind the scenes. Florence Pugh's level of interest in campaigning for it is so unknown, so it's, it's a huge question mark in the whole season right now, I think. Katey Rich: Yeah. Rebecca Field: I do feel like I've gone to see other movies because I, you hear so much about the drama behind set and you're like, well, I gotta see if any of that's on the screen. Katey Rich: I know, I know. Rebecca Field: There will be people like that I think that will go. And I, yeah, and I do think Florence is just one of those actors that delivers amazing performances in everything she does, you know, so. And obviously the Harry Styles fans will be there. So I, I feel like even with all the drama, this movie has a good chance, but we do definitely have to wait and see. Richard Lawson: I'm, I'm remembering, um, earlier this year being in a very isolated house up in the Catskill mountains, four gay guys watching a screener of _Deep Water_ being like, what is this Ana de Armas Ben Affleck movie gonna be? We like scheduled an evening around, around it. And then we were like, oh, it's just kind of a movie. We liked it. You know, like it didn't really live up to the, uh, the press cycle surrounding it. So I wonder, I mean, _Don't Worry Darling_ is trying to seemingly trying to do a lot more. It seems to be some kind of sci-fi ish thing, and so there's probably a little bit more meat on its bones to, to pick apart. I mean, there was that in _Deep Water_ too, but it ended up just being kind of a little erotic thriller. Um, which I guess we should have, should have known it was because that's how it was advertised, but yeah. Yeah. So we'll, we'll see. I mean, I, I think it it's fun. I, I I'd imagine it's not so fun for the people involved, so we should be mindful of that. Katey Rich: Well, that's our, uh, look ahead, uh, to Venice and Telluride, uh, David and Rebecca, and Richard, you guys will be in those various locations, so next week we'll have so many movies to talk about. And then looking ahead to Toronto, where I will be very, very happily. Uh, in the meantime, you can find us at vanityfair.com, on Twitter, remember follows @HWD, and on our own. I am @kateyrich and Richard? Richard Lawson: @rilaws. Katey Rich: And David? David Canfield: @davidcanfield97 Katey Rich: And Rebecca? Rebecca Field: @beccamford. Katey Rich: Also, please sign up to text with us at joinsubtext.com/littlegoldmen, or text 213-513-7169. Even if we don't get to your questions on the show, I enjoy texting you guys back. Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs, and this week's award for the best description of next week's episode as we go through all of these festival titles goes to Rebecca Ford. Rebecca Field: Five hours long with the tributes attached to them.