TIFF rolls on

We’re approaching the final days of TIFF, but premieres are going strong. For instance, Danny Boyle’s Ink, about Larry Lamb and Rupert Murdoch revamping The Sun. The premiere was yesterday, with Boyle and stars Guy Pearce and Jack O’Connell.

Lainey has developed a real Jack O’Connell problem lately, so this is for her:

Ink is one film I was bummed to miss at TIFF, though the confirmation that Boyle used generative AI in the film is disappointing, to say the least. AI was used to create mice running through the newsroom, and to animate photographs. These are both elements that human VFX artisans could produce, too, so a couple people lost out on some work because Danny Boyle cut corners (that’s what AI use looks like—cutting corners). Great job everybody.

Another film I missed at TIFF is La Bola Negra. It premiered at Cannes and co-directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (collectively known as Los Javis) won the Best Director prize. This is yet another of Penelope Cruz’s films out this year, and she wore a fun feathered frock to the premiere:

REALLY curious to see which film Cruz chooses to concentrate her efforts for an Oscar run. She could, of course, receive multiple nominations, but it’s more likely she’ll focus on one film so as not to divide her own vote. Of her films, The Invite has the best overall reviews, and she is on screen for so much of the film, I wonder if that ends up being the one she backs. But Netflix is pushing La Bola Negra HARD, though I heard some people at TIFF comparing it to Emilia Perez, which is…yikes. I simply must see it for myself!

Finally, Tom Hiddleston made a back-to-back return to TIFF for Tenzing, in which he stars as Edmund Hillary and Genden Phuntsok stars as Tenzing Norgay. It looks fine. Hiddleston wanted to make an Edmund Hillary movie forever, but I am glad that ultimately the focus is on Norgay, who is historically not as widely recognized as Hillary, at least in the west. Give that man his due!

Also, I find it beautiful that Hillary and Norgay never clarified who summited Everest first. Norgay said they did it “together”, and they never specified who actually stepped up first. It had to be one of them, because the summit of Everest is mere feet and only one person can summit at a time. But that they chose to acknowledge their partnership over achieving singular glory is really admirable and the best spirit of sport. I hope that moment is a big deal in the film. To me, their partnership is more interesting than actually climbing Everest. I used to think people should stop climbing Everest—it’s an environmental disaster—but lately I’ve been thinking we should encourage more billionaires to get into extreme mountaineering. Or deep-sea exploration. Or cave diving. Anything to keep them occupied that isn’t our f-cking livelihoods.

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What else happened today…

The Pitt crew went hard at the pre-Emmy parties. The cast is made up of either newbies, or veterans who are on their second or third career wind. You can tell everyone is appreciating the success of The Pitt and the moment it is affording them. (Go Fug Yourself)

Catherine Zeta-Jones is offended on her children’s behalf by the term “nepo babies”. Guess what, Cathy, they ARE nepo babies. But if either Dylan Douglas or Carys Douglas, her and Michael Douglas’s children, turn out to have actual talent, the term will fade. No one picks on Maya Hawke because she’s got the goods. They’ve just got to prove themselves first. Also, it would be helpful if everyone would acknowledge how incredibly hard, borderline impossible it has become for regular people to break through in the industry. Just acknowledge what we can all see with our eyes! It’s not about you or your kids, really, it’s about the system! (Celebitchy)

Oh my god, comedy queen Kate Berlant is making her comedy special debut on HBO. I put Berlant on the level of Chris Fleming, Anthony Jeselnik, Rory Scovel, and John Early (with whom Berlant often collaborates), they’re all hugely unique comedians and performers with incredibly individual styles that no one else can replicate, and they all have total control over their stage presence and performance. None of them perform in traditional standup styles—Jeselnik is the closest, but he’s turned “slow comedy” into a thing absolutely no one else can do—and each of them has specials that are infinitely rewatchable. I cannot wait to see Kate Berlant’s special, Parmesan. It debuts on HBO/Max on October 16. I will be seated. (OMG Blog)

Kim K and Lewis Hamilton are on a boat, they’re on a boat, they’re on a motherf-cking boat with their flippy floppies on. (Page Six)