A pricey art film Hollywood wouldn’t touch looks more relevant thanks to the Holmes–Cruise divorce and heated interest in the strange, secret world of Scientologists. Paul Thomas Anderson reportedly had difficulty finding backing for $42 million “The Master,” about an L. Ron Hubbard-like figure, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who creates a faith-based organization circa 1952. (Billionaire Larry Ellison’s daughter, Megan, finally put up the dough, and Harvey Weinstein will distribute.) Anderson was concerned enough about backlash that he screened the film, out Oct. 12, in May for Tom Cruise. Hoffman reportedly said, “It’s not about Scientology.” But any similarities to the religion suddenly seem like a selling point.