Little Gold Men by Vanity Fair

Elon Musk’s presence in our lives is inescapable: his cars roam our streets, his satellites orbit our skies, and his purchase of X—formerly known as Twitter—has reshaped the social-media landscape. The staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss a recent biography of Musk, by Walter Isaacson, tracing the familiar archetype of the genius tech founder from the nineteenth-century robber baron to “Batman” ’s Bruce Wayne. The critics examine how, in recent years, the idea of the unimpeachable Silicon Valley founder has lost its sheen. Narratives such as the 2022 series “WeCrashed” tell the story of startup founders who make lofty promises, only to watch their empires crumble when those promises are shown to be empty. “It dovetails for me with the disillusionment of millennials,” Fry says, pointing to the dark mood that the 2007-08 financial crisis and the 2016 election brought to the country. “There’s no longer this blind belief that the tech founder is a genius who should be wholly admired with no reservations.” New episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A look at the events that may look a little more normal now that the writers are back to work, and how quickly the actors might follow suit. Plus, discussion of the New York Film Festival, Lily Gladstone's jump to lead actress, and the fascinating international feature race. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The actress worked hard to snag her first lead role in the indie drama Monica, and now finds herself in the odd position of being able to talk about it while still being on strike. (Monica has an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA) She talks to David Canfield about digging deep for the role, advocating for herself, and the potential to make history as a trans actress in the awards race. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rise of American Fiction, the imminent return of Maestro, the mystery of Napoleon, and much more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The director of Sing Street and Once thought at one point he might be done with music movies, but was inspired by his relationship with his mother, and his own misspent youth, to write Flora and Son, about a mother and son who both find their own kind of salvation through music. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We handicap the titles most likely to win the festival's coveted Peoples Choice Awards, our personal favorites, and more highlights. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The director watched the 2021 GameStop stock frenzy unfold within his own home— and then was totally surprised to find himself making a movie about it. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's festival season, and there's so much to talk about! We dig into Priscilla, Poor Things, Saltburn, All of Us Strangers, Maestro, Hit Man, and much, much more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Toronto International Film Festival prepares to kick off, the CEO of TIFF reveals how the SAG-AFTRA strike affected this year's event, how the festival's international focus got even stronger this year, and how he went from attending TIFF as an aspiring film critic to one of the most influential film programmers in the world. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your guide to the biggest premieres at both Labor Day weekend festivals, from Ferrari to Janet Planet and beyond. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we’ve pulled interviews out of the archives with two filmmakers who are up to big things this year. First we go back to 2019, when Julie Miller talked to future Barbie director Greta Gerwig about her adaptation of Little Women. Then we hear Julie again in conversation with Emerald Fennell, talking at the time about her debut feature Promising Young Woman, and back this fall with Saltburn. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rumaan Alam’s apocalyptic, domestic thriller published in 2020 is only more unsettling today, which might make it the perfect time for the upcoming Netflix adaptation. Plus, a look ahead at festival season thanks to our first-look features on All of Us Strangers, Foe, Fingernails, and many more. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two conversations with Emmy-nominated directors who surprised us this year. First, Hoar digs in on the making of The Last of Us's emotional love story "Long, Long Time." Then, Trachtenberg reflects on the long journey that brought the ambitious horror movie Prey to Hulu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martin Amis's 2014 novel set at Auschwitz is very, very different from Jonathan Glazer's film adapted from it — but that doesn't mean they don't shed light on each other. Plus, Chris Murphy talks to Professor Stacy L. Smith of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative about their new study tracking representation in Hollywood, and how much further the industry has to go. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 , @christress Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Emmy-nominated editor of The Bear shares how the surprise hit comedy came together in its first season, and how she and the series creators learned to break their own rules for season two. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Priscilla Beaulieu Presley met Elvis when she was 14, divorced him when she was 27, and was only a minor figure in last year’s blockbuster film about Elvis’s life. In Sofia Coppola’s new film Priscilla will take center stage, and in her memoir, which Coppola adapted, Priscilla tells her side of the story. The episode also includes discussion of And Just Like That, Red White & Royal Blue, and the new season of Only Murders in the Building. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 , @hillibusterr Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The writer and director discusses his provocative new movie, the hurdle of its NC-17 rating, and how seeing 197 movies over the course of three months changes his life. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A dive into David Grann's 2017 nonfiction book that Martin Scorsese has adapted for his upcoming film. Plus, a look at the state of the strike and festival season, and a celebration of the new season of Heartstopper and Ira Sachs's new film Passages. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a conversation recorded on the eve of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the Emmy nominee and Oscar winner reflects on what it took to get to this point in her career, and what she learned from the decade-plus journey to get George & Tammy to the screen. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lineups for two of the biggest fall film festivals have been announced—and they are stacked, despite the strike. This week's Little Gold Men takes a look at the films soon premiering at home and abroad, plus a Barbenheimer post-mortem. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @vfawardsinsider Email us at littlegoldmen@vf.com Follow our hosts: @kateyrich, @rilaws, @beccamford, @davidcanfield97 Our editor and producer is Brett Fuchs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices