During Screen Talk Live at the Toronto International Film Festival, host Anne Thompson and guest host Kate Erbland banter about the movies they were catching at TIFF. Clearly, they agree, the leaders of the pack are the Cannes hits from Sean Baker (Neon’s “Anora”) and Jacques Audiard (Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez”). This year’s fest is dominated by sales titles (Ron Howard’s “Eden,” David Gordon Green’s “Nutcrackers”), with a smattering of Oscar contenders like Ralph Fiennes vehicle “Conclave” (Focus), from Edward Berger.
But who will win the coveted People’s Choice award that leads to an inevitable Best Picture Oscar nomination, from “Chariots of Fire,” “Argo” and “Slumdog Millionaire” to last years’ “American Fiction”? Both Kate and Anne wonder if Universal’s family-friendly “Wild Robot” might not grab the prize and contend for a rare Best Picture slot for an animated feature.
Kate and Anne also welcomed to “Screen Talk” a special guest, documentarian R.J. Cutler (Oscar shortlisted “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”), who premiered his latest music portrait, “Elton John: Never Too Late” (Disney+), to rousing applause at Roy Thomson Hall, with John on hand. Cutler talks about how he was brought into the project by David Furnish, his co-director and John’s partner, how they worked together combing through the massive Elton John archive, and how he structured the film with two through-lines, the pop star’s last tour, and the five-year ‘70s peak of John’s career. The movie is emotional, as the pop star confronts age and commits to serious family time. Cutler explains why “Your Song,” especially, tends to bring audiences to tears.
Cutler has another documentary coming up on Netflix, “Martha,” which he made with the participation of his subject, mighty entrepreneur Martha Stewart. He had final cut, but they worked together as partners as they finalized the edit of the movie, which reveals her to be a controlling authoritarian and pioneer brand-builder and influencer who lost much of her media empire’s billion dollar worth when she was targeted by New York lead prosecutor James Comey for insider trading. Except, Cutler explains, she was finally not accused of insider trading, but of lying about it to the authorities. She survived her 10 month sentence (five in prison and five under house arrest) and emerged ready to reclaim her identity.
Watch the full episode above or listen to it below.
Screen Talk is produced by Azwan Badruzaman and available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify, and hosted by Megaphone. Browse previous episodes here, subscribe here, and be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear the hosts address specific issues in upcoming editions of Screen Talk.
