“If you ride like lightning, you’re going to crash like thunder,” sounds like something Dennis Hopper would have said in the 1970s (and, actually, the 80s, too), but the always-compelling Ben Mendelsohn gets the line in Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond The Pines . Although you only hear Mendelsohn deliver it in voiceover in this trailer for the feature, it’s a warning he delivers to his partner-in-crime motorcycle stuntman-turned-bank robber Ryan Gosling in the film. As you can piece together from the clip below (which comes via Yahoo! ), Gosling turns outlaw to support the surprise son he finds out he has (thanks to a fling with Eva Mendes’ character) and ends up on a collision course with a cop played by Bradley Cooper. (That tear Baby Goose sheds in the church is over his little boy, who’s played by a kid named Anthony Pizza, believe it or not.) But don’t be like the guy in Yahoo! comments section who thinks the trailer gives away the whole movie. The Place Beyond the Pines is way more complex than a heist flick. As the tag line in the trailer reads: “One moment defines your life. One decision becomes your legacy.” I’m curious to see whether Cianfrance has re-edited the film since I saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival . I thought the way he structured the movie was daring and inspired, if a bit unwieldy in places, but there was some grumbling among the crowd that the movie’s three interlocking stories didn’t fit together so well. The movie opens theatrically March 20. RELATED: Ryan Gosling: ‘I’m Not Allowed to Have An Opinion’ About The Media’s Coverage Of My Life The Principals Behind The Pines : Gosling and Cianfrance On Robbing Banks, Fatherhood, Face Tattoos, And More [ Yahoo! ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Judd Apatow knows that in casting his real life wife and children in his latest film, the seriocomic Knocked Up spin-off/sequel This Is 40 , he’s inadvertently invited the world to peek into his own life, marriage, issues, and neuroses. Still, despite the many parallels one might draw between Paul Rudd ‘s Pete (now a struggling indie record label owner) and Leslie Mann ‘s Debbie (whose own small business and marital woes are nothing compared to impending big 4-0), Apatow insists most of This is 40 is fictionalized. Okay, much of it. Well, he doesn’t escape to the bathroom to play games on his iPad like Pete does. “I’m more about reading the Huffington Post ,” Apatow joked. Apatow may have built his comic empire on R-rated man-child tales rife with fart and dick jokes (not to mention sweet, sweet bromance) but with This is 40 the writer-director takes a considered look inward at marriage and relationships. They’re never perfect — even between Hollywood creatives like Apatow and Mann, whose daughters Maude and Iris play heightened versions of themselves in the film — but as Apatow mused in our conversation rife with relationship real talk, personal reflections, and necessary tangents about Maude’s real life LOST obsession and Apatow’s 1995 kids’ camp movie Heavyweights : “Imagine that you had to spend every second of the rest of your life with your best friend. How often do you think they would annoy you?” Out of all the characters you’ve created onscreen, you spun off Pete and Debbie into their own film — the two characters whose lives are closest to your own. What was the impetus for wanting to explore this particular relationship further? I have two interests; I’m trying to make funny movies and I also want to explore the human condition, and I want to be truthful about it. And the truth is in any relationship you have good times and loving times, and sometimes it goes really dark. And sometimes out of nowhere, something just blows. People bring a lot of baggage into their relationships and I think most people are pretty neurotic. Life is pretty overwhelming for most people. If you have any concern about being a good spouse and parent and having your job work out and your health — you’re just spinning too many plates. And once in a while we snap, so I was trying to show a truthful version of what happens when that occurs — sometimes that’s really funny and sometimes it’s just sad, and people’s fears come out. When you first began working up the seeds of This is 40 , was there any hesitation knowing that people out there might watch the film and wonder, ‘So that’s how it is in their family?’ about you and Leslie? For some reason I didn’t worry about because I thought we already did it with Knocked Up. And it is a mutated version of us. It’s very heightened — a lot of the moments, the worst moments, for dramatic and comedy purposes – but for the most part we’re pretty boring. Once in a while it does go the wrong way, but then you have to figure out how to get it back. That’s what a long-term commitment is about; sometimes you make mistakes and you have to apologize and be kind to each other again. I always say to my kids whenever they ask me, ‘Why do you guys fight?’ — I say, ‘Imagine that you had to spend every second of the rest of your life with your best friend. How often do you think they would annoy you?’ And, you know, that’s how we feel about it. We love each other but we’re complicated people — and it’s hard for me to know if part of it is this is why we’re in this business, because we’re sensitive, complicated, wounded people and we’re trying to get along with each other. [Laughs] But most of it is fabricated. Nothing in the movie feels specifically true, it didn’t happen to us, but the emotions are very truthful, the feelings and the conflicts are all based on things that we relate to. Even so, you know that some folks out there are going to imagine you sitting on the toilet playing Words With Friends on your iPad every morning. I’m more about reading the Huffington Post . [Laughs] I would sit on the toilet all day if my legs wouldn’t go numb. If I could create a toilet seat that didn’t lead to my legs going numb… This is 40 is also a rare opportunity to see Leslie front and center; she has this wonderful ability to play deep sadness and humor simultaneously. Do you have a favorite scene of hers from the films you’ve worked on together? My favorite scene that we’ve ever done together was the scene in Funny People where Adam Sandler’s character apologizes to her character for cheating on her when they were young, and ruining their chance at having a long-term relationship. We shot it with three cameras and it was very emotional, and I was proud of both of them. Of everything I’ve done it’s one of my two or three favorite scenes. She has a way of being very funny while also being deeply emotional, so she can be dramatic and show pain and get laughs at the same time. I’m not even really sure how she accomplishes that, it’s just some aspect of her vibe which allows her to do many different colors at once. That’s the fun of working with her. And she’s always willing to do whatever it takes to get to an honest moment. She never says, ‘I don’t want to do that,’ or ‘That would be embarrassing,’ if anything she pushes to go farther and wants to get to the core of her character. There were definitely moments when we were making [ This is 40 ] when we said, ‘What are we doing? This is crazy’ — especially if there was a day when we weren’t getting along. We’re making this movie about a couple and their love and their troubles, so on the days when we’re not liking each other it just feels like a complete waste of time. Did it also then help to be making this movie? You have entire scenes where the dialogue pokes fun at couples therapy-speak, and it’s hilarious to point out how much, in the heat of the moment in a fight with your significant other, no amount of preparedness or civility training helps. Yes! I know everything about therapy and so can break every rule of how you’re supposed to communicate in five seconds. You just have to learn to slow your brain down and be patient and not feel the need to win every moment, and I don’t know if there’s anything harder on Earth than doing that. Giving up your need to be correct is brutal, especially for me because I think I have to be very confident in my day job. All day long I’m making decisions very quickly and I have to be very strong about it, so for me to come home and be soft and open and not leap to pounce on a problem and come up with an answer and execute it is hard for me — and it’s truly annoying to Leslie. [Laughs] I can imagine! Any time a problem comes up, my thought is ‘Let’s solve this in the next five seconds and move on!’ And Leslie might want to explore the emotional life of some issue and tell me how she’s feeling for a really long time, and I just want to give her five seconds. That’s a big adjustment. This is 40 is also really about parents and children — every one of us is messed up because of our parents, and by the same token we’re great because of our parents. Pete and Debbie both deal with that burden. Whatever you didn’t get from your parents, you want more of from your spouse. So if you feel like you were abandoned, you’re going to be needy. If you feel like your parents were engulfing, you’re going to want to push your spouse away. It’s really hard to fight against that; I find that the imprinting you have when you’re a kid is really difficult to wipe away. Whenever I’m really upset about something it’s always a result of something from the past. But that’s a revelation that you really only have when you’re in your thirties, maybe. I don’t know that I would have really understood it so much when I was 20. Well, people are so busy trying to earn a living they put very little time into understanding themselves. That’s something that happens later in life, and partially what the movie’s about. I find myself embarrassed that I’m still neurotic about things that happened to me as a kid, because my memory’s disappearing so I don’t even remember the incidents, but I remember the neuroses are and they’re not going away. How do you think viewers of a younger generation will react differently to the film? A lot of it depends on what you’re looking for in a movie. Some people go to movies to escape. I like movies that make me think and feel and I don’t necessarily have to feel good the whole time. So I like movies to be as entertaining and hilarious as I can make them, but I’m also trying to stick in your craw a little bit and talk about some tougher ideas. If that’s what you want, I think it’s a movie you’d really enjoy. But if you really want to shut your brain down, then I have other movies that you can rent. [Laughs]
Dear Bossip , I really don’t want to write this because you usually SLAY people whenever they write you, but I have nowhere else to turn. I need help. I have been in a relationship for the past 4 years with a man and am newly engaged. He plays soccer overseas and I am finishing school to get my bachelors degree, so for the most part, our relationship is primarily long distance. We have found a way to make it work despite being apart for 9-10 months out of the year (I often go to visit him and he comes to visit me). Long story short, I caught him looking at gay p0rn. Actually, all sorts of weird p0rn honestly, but what stood out to me the most was the fat girl p0rn and gay p0rn. Specifically: transvestite sex and BDSM transvestite p0rn. WEIRD to say the least. Anyway, I was devastated and confronted him and asked him if he was gay. He of course denied it and said that he was just really freaky (and he is) and said that he watches so much p0rn because he is overseas and does not want to cheat on me. Eventually he just started getting off to any and everything he could find. During our argument, I repeatedly tried to get him to admit to me that he was gay because of course, looking at gay p0rn obviously makes you gay right? Well, he nicely reminded me that I used to be bisexual and asked if I was gay because I still continue to fantasize about/enjoy watching women. Ironically, I don’t feel like I am gay because I realized that that is not the lifestyle I want to live and ultimately I want to be with a man. Although, I am still attracted to women I have not the slightest intention on being with a woman ever again in that way. So, I said no. But, he’s right. It’s the same shoe, different foot. So, eventually I retreated my threats and after some time I forgave him and remained with him. He said he’d stop looking at it if it bothers me, but I wanted him to stop looking at it because it’s wrong, and it’s gay. He tried to make it seem like any sex is sex and just because that is what he watches it doesn’t mean that’s what he wants to do with me (the BDSM or feeder porn) or anyone else of that matter, it’s just freaky to him. But, men don’t just look at tranvestites, black men especially. It doesn’t help my peace of mind that my butt and breasts are huge and he is in absolute awe of my body, but literally only worships my butt! (Go figure). It’s been a year and I’ve often checked his computer and he hasn’t been on those websites since. Well, at least not to my finding. Am I wrong for feeling like this makes him gay and feeling like he will leave me for a man or something crazy like that because I’m a hypocrite!?! However, I fear that when he leaves again, he’ll start looking at it again once he gets bored or even worse decide to experiment during our engagement or worse after we’re married! I mean he clearly fantasizes about being with, a man or at least a transvestite, right? It is because of this that I am hesitant to marry him and obviously cannot stop thinking about his sexuality. I try to be an open book and keep communication open between us, but this topic clearly makes him uncomfortable to talk about. He treats me like a freaking diamond, is extremely romantic and thoughtful, manly, God-fearing, sexy, and very successful. I absolutely adore his family, and he mine and we pray together. He’s everything any woman would want in a man, except I am not sure if he is gay/bi, even though he tries to make it clear that I am his end all be all. The funny thing is I am so kinky, I could care less if he is bi or previously was as long as his heart is mine and only mine and as long as we enter a monogamous marriage. I don’t want to look back and wish I’d made a different decision, especially if he comes out of the closet on me and embarrasses me later on. We’ve talked about it since, but something is just not right. He wants to marry me soooo badly (so we can finally have kids and live together), but these insecurities are really killing me. I don’t know how to feel, think, or what to do. And, I have not told anyone. I need advice, help. – Concerned About His Sexuality Dear Ms. Concerned About His Sexuality, Girl, there are so many things wrong with your letter, and I’m holding myself back from laying you out!!! You are truly sad. Sad and pitiful. You make lots of accusations, blanket statements, and judgments, but I peeped your game. Ole blankety blank blankety blank so-and-so!!! Holding my tongue. Just holding my tongue. The problem isn’t your man and him watching gay p0rn, the problem lies with you and your insecurities about your own sexuality. The hell you’re going to sit up here and condemn gay people and say being gay is wrong, yet, you’re bi-sexual?!? You sleep with men and women. You have a problem with being gay, so therefore you condemn gays because of your own issues. You are a hot a** mess! You are the worse kind of person. You are the epitome of ‘those’ persons who say they hate and can’t stand gay people, yet, you’re gay and trying to hide behind the façade while throwing stones in a glass house. Well, the glass has shattered! Clean up in aisle 3!!! And, you’re lying to your man and yourself when you say that you will never do it again, but, yet by your own admission you said that you fantasize and are still attracted to women. DO NOT PUT OFF YOUR ISSUES ONTO SOMEONE ELSE. You are the damn problem! You can’t accept who you are, and you have a problem with your own sexual identity. And, because you don’t want to be gay, bi-sexual, or whatever the hell you’re trying to fight, you’re trying to make him the bad guy. Girl, miss me! Ole trifling a**! But, I am a firm believer that you attract that which you are. So, how does it feel knowing your man is watching transvestite p0rn, and getting off to it? Yeah, you’re worried about him, but what are his thoughts and views about you and your sexual identity? Have you addressed that? Obviously not because he threw it up in your face when you tried to throw stones and accuse him. So, for him to throw back leads me to believe that he has, is, and probably thinks you’ll want to be with a woman at some point. So, what is he supposed to do with his feels and thoughts? You are truly selfish, trifling, and so many other things. You’re obsessing over the possibility of your man being gay, yet, you’re gay and trying to fight your urges and deny who you are. YOU ARE GAY YOURSELF, MA’AM!! And, before you two get married, I strongly suggest that you two go to marriage counseling, and you need to be in personal counseling to deal with your own personal issues around your sexuality. To sit up here and say you’re bi-sexual, but you’re not interested in that lifestyle, and you feel you’re not gay and that you prefer to be with men. HUH? What? Being LGBT is not a lifestyle. It’s who you are!!! It’s not an option on an application form that you check. Chile, you folks with these issues about your sexuality are truly not going to do me today. For the record, rich is a lifestyle. Hip Hop is a lifestyle. Being LGBT is not a lifestyle! Ugh!! But, hold up, at the end of your letter you write, “The funny thing is I am so kinky, I could care less if he is bi or previously was as long as his heart is mine and only mine and as long as we enter a monogamous marriage.” What the hell!?! So, if you don’t care if he is bi-sexual, then why did you write the letter? Marry him and go be happy in your own damn warped shaped dark bubble. Oh, but, I get it. You think he will eventually one day go out and be with a man. He will not feel satisfied in the relationship with you, and he will go fulfill his desires and needs with a man. Actually, it’s the thoughts that you have about your own damn self that you are projecting onto him. You’re the one who actually feels that your desires and needs to be with a woman will come surging back, and you’ll step out on him. You’re the one who is having thoughts about him not satisfying you, and you will need to be with a woman to make you feel good. Because you’re in denial about your sexuality you feel he is denial about his. I get it. Be honest with yourself, and then you can be honest with him. But, your lies will be the downfall to your marriage. Trust me. Keep lying to yourself, to him, and to everyone else, but one day you will have to face the truth. Wake your a** up! This is why you need to be in therapy to deal with your issues and your sexuality. Free your mind and the rest will follow. You’re dragging him into your insecure and unstable a** life. Your life is not together, but you want to marry someone else to make you feel better about yourself. You’re questioning your sexual identity, and in denial about who you are, so you figure marrying him will make you not desire women any longer. LMBAO! Girl, I can’t! And, now that you’ve caught him watching some gay p0rn, you can’t handle the heat in the kitchen. Let me wrap this up because you’re not going to have me caught up in your trick bag. Does your man watching gay p0rn make him gay and want to eventually go out and try it? Possibly. Who knows. But, I don’t know any straight men who purposely sit down to watch gay p0rn no matter how freaky they are. No matter how much they want to get off, and how freaky they may be, there are thousands upon thousands of freaky a** videos and naughty sites that will fulfill his desires to get off. And, I’m sure many straight men have vivid imaginations whereas it won’t take much for them to get themselves off. Therefore, him purposely watching gay men, and in particular transvestite BDSM could be a fetish or desire he may have. Whatever it is, you won’t know what he’s doing because 9-10 months out of the year you’re not together. And, you can monitor and snoop through his computer all you want, but you can’t monitor his d**k. BOOM! BAM! POW! I just hope he’s strapping up before he gets it in. – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter : @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook , click HERE! Make sure to order my books Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15), and Straight From Your Gay Best Friend – The Straight Up Truth About Relationships, Love, And Having A Fabulous Life (Agate/Bolden Books – November 2010; $15). They are available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
The payoff in this official trailer for Daniel Schechter’s Supporting Characters is in the very last line, delivered by the always acerbic Kevin Corrigan ( Pineapple Express ). I’m not going to spoil it, so check it out for yourself. Along the way you may also feel like you’re watching a preview for an episode of Girls since Alex Karpovsky has one of the lead roles in this film and Lena Dunham also makes a brief, tattooed appearance. (Karpovsky was also memorable as the very frank stand-up comic Ian Gilmore in Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk with Me. ) Here’s the official synopsis for the picture: Best friends Nick (Alex Karpovsky, Girls ) and Darryl (co-writer Tarik Lowe) are a New York film editing duo hired to salvage a botched comedy from a manic director (Kevin Corrigan, Pineapple Express ) gone AWOL. But what starts as a simple job quickly sends their relationships—with their significant others and each other—reeling. Amidst trouble with his fiancée (Sophia Takal, V/H/S ) , Nick finds himself falling for the film’s flirtatious ingénue (Arielle Kebbel, 90210 ); Darryl, meanwhile, struggles to focus on his editing work in between fights with his tempestuous girlfriend (Melonie Diaz, Be Kind Rewind ). With real humor and heart, Supporting Characters offers a sharp, knowing take on life and love in the big city. Schechter, by the way, is slated to direct the Jackie Brown prequel that’s currently in pre-production with Jennifer Aniston , John Hawkes and Mos Def. Supporting Characters is available on VOD on Jan. 22 and opens in select theaters Jan. 25. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Dear Bossip , I’m a 38 year old woman and I’m dating a 26 year old man. I’m writing you because I’m so depressed and hurt. I’ve been feeling this way for about the last two years. I first met “Charles” about six years ago and we haven’t always been in a relationship but we have always “acted” like we were until we made it official a couple of years ago. We have had many ups and downs and there is too much history to repeat. When Charles and I first met, he was very nice and lots of fun. We got along so well and I looked out for him while he was still in college. Well, he graduated a few years ago and we have never really stopped “talking.” Only a few times and for maybe a couple of months at a time. Anyway, we are in a very bad place. I feel like he doesn’t really love me anymore and I absolutely adore him and love him so much. Charles is very mean to me! He started having back problems about two years ago and he really started to be mean then because of the pain. Well, I do my part and I try to see about him, but he’s unrelenting. For the past 8 months strong, Charles has really been acting a donkey. He is so mean to me. I can’t really say anything to him without him going berserk. If we’re on the phone and there’s a period of silence he goes into a rage. He says that he’s smarter than me and says I always do stupid stuff and that I’m childish….which I’m not. He makes me cry about 5 days out of the week. Whenever I talk to him I’m always on the verge of tears and I’m afraid that I’m going to say the wrong thing to him and set him off. He’s not physically abusive to me, however I will say that I think he is verbally abusive. He yells and screams at me always as if I’m a child. I’m so depressed and unhappy. I don’t want to leave the house anymore and I’ve found myself being withdrawn from family and friends. Let me give you some examples: If I ask him what he’s doing this evening and he’ll say probably nothing. I’ll say okay and we’ll most likely get off the phone after chatting for several more minutes. Well, later on that evening I might ask him again if he decided to do anything and he’ll go off and curse me out and tell me how stupid and dumb I am and that I don’t listen or do what he tells me to do. I just sit on the phone like are you serious, what did I do? He’ll continue to berate me. I’ll only ask him the question because he had said that he didn’t know and I’m just making conversation. He tells me that we would be okay if I listened to him and did everything said. Charles gets mad if I have an opinion about something he does and I may question him about it. He gave me a list of things of what not to do and that I don’t have to do because he says I don’t do -ish for him anyways. I cook for him, iron his clothes, make love to him, call him, wash his clothes sometimes and whatever he asks me to do really. I don’t have a problem doing these things, I just don’t think it’s enough for him and I don’t think he appreciates me. Here’s the list of things he told me to follow: Don’t ask the same question twice because it pisses him off. Don’t ask him if I can cook for him. Don’t ask him to have sex. Don’t ask him why when he wants to get off the phone. Don’t call back when he hangs up the phone on me. Don’t talk when he says he’s going to bed. Don’t call back and ask a question when he says he’s going to bed. Don’t talk when he’s talking. Don’t ask dumb questions. When he says hang up the phone don’t keep trying to talk. Do what he tells me to do and don’t get on his f****** nerves, and stop f****** crying. He makes me cry by the way he talks to me so badly. He says the meanest things and always tells me that I’m f****** another man. Which I’m not. It’s to the point now where I’m so afraid of him. I’m afraid to express myself and I just hold my head down. I try to tell myself to leave him and I just can’t. I know that I don’t deserve this, I just can’t walk away. We don’t have any kids together and he doesn’t have any either. I feel like I’m disposable. I have no self-worth. I’m so unhappy. I’m so sad and depressed. I don’t feel like I’m loved by anyone. Please guide me through this with some advice. I know you’re going to tear me apart. I do pray about it and I know it’s a toxic relationship. I just keep thinking that he’ll change back into the person I first met. Charles says that until I learn to do what he asks, I’ll continue to get the same treatment. But, I’m not doing anything wrong and I’m never mean to him, which even he admits. I just love him. – Always On The Verge Of Tears Dear Ms. Always On The Verge Of Tears, Where do you women meet these men? Seriously, please provide the locations and areas so we can all avoid them. Ma’am. Please leave. Please. For your own sanity, health, and well-being. Please leave. He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love himself. And, if he doesn’t love himself then he can’t love you. It’s impossible. A man who berates, yells, screams, and demeans a woman is not a man. He is not wonderful, loving, caring, or considerate. He’s slime. He’s a bum. He’s an a**hole. He’s a jerk. He’s a sorry excuse of a man. What’s so sad is that you are not even at your wits end. You are not even fed up, so telling you to leave is pointless and useless because you’re hoping and wishing he is going to change back into the man you fell in love with. You’re hoping he is going to have this big revelation and ‘aha’ moment and apologize for his behavior. He is not. He is not going to change. He is not going to be the man you fell in love. In fact, he is that same man you fell in love, you just didn’t recognize the signs early on. He’s always been that man, and he was slowly working on tearing you down, and negating who you are. This is not new. This is not an overnight thing. He’s been doing it for a while. And, unfortunately, it’s just that you’re now waking up and seeing it. And, you think he just became this man. Sorry, boo boo, Charles is, was, and will always be an a**hole. So, pull yourself together, and exit stage left. Girl, girl, girl, girl, the fact that he gave you a list of things not to do to piss him, then you should have politely given him your list of things not to do to piss off a woman. And, you should have given him a list of things to do to make a woman happy. Because when a woman’s fed up! Ba-by!!!! I don’t see why you won’t boil you some grits the next time he wants to yell, and scream at you. Yeah, that will fix his a**! But, on the real, as soon as he provided you with that list you should have accommodated him and left his narrow broke back a** alone! That’s what he wants from you. He wants you to leave him alone. So, leave his a** alone!! So, let’s get you together and get you out of this situation. You’ve admitted that you are aware it’s a toxic relationship. And, a toxic relationship with a toxic person will kill you. And, he’s killed your spirit. He’s killing you bit by bit by bit, and you’re allowing him. Then, he had the gall to say that until you learn to do what he asks you’ll continue to get the same treatment? Honey, he has back problems, well, he would have leg and d**k problems. When someone doesn’t make you a priority in their life, then stop making them a priority in yours. Stop making someone the lead character in your life when you are an extra in theirs. Let me ask you this: What about you will allow him to treat you in this manner? Why do you feel you deserve this treatment? Why do you give him that much power over you to make you cry and tear at your soul? Never ever give someone that much power over you and your life. Never ever allow someone to berate and demean you. And, never ever let someone call you out of your name. As soon as someone calls you out of your name that is when you make your exit. Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what they call, but what you respond to.” Well, stop responding to what he is calling you. And, let him know that he is not going to disrespect you, demean you, or devalue you. He is not going to keep treating you like you are worthless. He is not going to keep screaming, yelling, and bullying you. It’s time you start learning how to love yourself because only someone who does not love themselves will allow someone to treat them like they are trash. You are not trash! You are not some gutter woman. You do everything for this man, and he wants to show you his a** to kiss, well, tell him to bend over and shove a big dildo up his a** and tell him to choke on that. Girl, you’re too valuable to let a man tear you down. You’re too important to let someone treat you like you’re unworthy. And, you’re too wise to let a man make you feel unappreciated. So, gather yourself, get your backbone, and lift your head and round your shoulders. Since his a** wants to be left alone, then stop answering the phone, calling him, and doing anything for him. Let him sit over there and stew in his own hatred. Let him sit alone in his own misery. Change your number, change your email, and block him out of your life. It’s time to rebuild yourself and reclaim your life without him. – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter : @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook , click HERE! Make sure to order my books Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15), and Straight From Your Gay Best Friend – The Straight Up Truth About Relationships, Love, And Having A Fabulous Life (Agate/Bolden Books – November 2010; $15). They are available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
To cast Sergeant Calhoun, the no-nonsense video game heroine with a heart in Wreck-It Ralph , director Rich Moore looked no further than Hollywood’s favorite ball-busting dynamite gal: Jane Lynch . Alongside John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and a cast of fellow character actors and comic veterans, Lynch brings Calhoun to life with pathos and dimension, not to mention a burning passion for blasting evil space bugs into pixelated oblivion. Movieline sat down with Lynch to talk Wreck-It Ralph , the fun of bringing Calhoun to life, and how the film’s deeper themes of self-determination and destiny resonated with the once-aspiring actress who left home to pursue her dreams. But first, the whip-smart Glee fave spitballed an impromptu back story for her space warrior alter ego, known in the film only as Sergeant Calhoun… Only after watching the movie did I learn that your character’s full name is Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun. How much of a life before the game within the movie did you imagine for her? Tamora Jean. Tammy Jean! Get out of town. I’m going to write a whole story about her right now: She grew up as Tammy Jean in Alabama, and when she joined the military right after high school she said, “I’m no longer Tammy Jean – I’m not even Tamora Jean. I’m just Calhoun !” You know, there was a back story for my character that is revealed in the film; she was in love, and her husband-to-be was killed by the Cy-Bugs. Cy-Bugs! Her mortal enemy ! I wasn’t sure if anyone involved had seen MacGruber , but MacGruber shared a similar fate. With Will Forte? I love him. I wonder if we ripped it off from him… Did it mean a lot to you to be a part of a Disney film like this? How did you get the call to voice Calhoun? It was huge working with Disney – I mean, to be in a Disney animated film was so preposterous it wasn’t even on my bucket list. So that was a huge thing. Then John Lasseter, who heads up Disney Animation these days, invited me and Jack [McBrayer] and Sarah [Silverman] and a bunch of other great character actors to fly up to San Francisco about two and a half years ago to do a table read. It was like a field trip, we all met at the airport and jumped on a plane, then jumped on a bus… We spent the day with John and within six months we were recording here in L.A. They showed us a rough rendering of our characters and everything involved; Richard, our director, has been working on this for four years. He’s been in a little cave literally for four years and is just now seeing the light of day. Researching arcade games must have been more fun than your average movie prep work. I learned a lot about this world because I’m not a gamer, and am still not a gamer. But the whole world of the arcade, that resonates with a lot of kids. It’s geared toward children of today who know games like Call of Duty, which Hero’s Duty is based on, but there’s a lot more for the now-grown adults who played 8-bit games as children decades ago. Were those games in your life at all when you were a kid? Not a lot. I think I played Pac-Man a couple of times and I played Asteroids in college, but not obsessively or anything. Just at the bar. Your character is, interestingly enough, one of the only representations in Wreck-It Ralph of modern gaming – she’s the heroine of a first-person shooter called Hero’s Duty , and one of the sole female characters in this male-dominated world. But she’s also got a soft core inside that Jack’s character, Fix-It Felix, is able to find . He fixes my heart! And he doesn’t even need to use his magic hammer. No, just by looking at me with the honey glow. “Well, I’m getting the honey glow!” You two have so many great lines; were they all written beforehand or did you slide in some improvisation? They were all written, so I can’t take credit for them. We did improvise a little bit because I got to work with Jack in the sessions, but not a lot, but that always brings the chemistry element into it. Rich really loved that and the stuff we did in those sessions, he used it all. My favorite Calhoun line is “Flattery doesn’t charge these batteries.” I might try to use that in real life, maybe in a bar situation. Go for it! [Laughs] The big theme in this film for Ralph is that he’s turning 30 years old, facing a life crisis. He’s turning 30! I’d never looked at it that way – I’ve been going into adulthood, have been doing the same thing for 30 years and now I’ve got to shake it up. Wondering if you’re on the right path in life, or if that’s even something you can change – is that something you feel you can relate to? Oh, yeah. More about when you’re 20 and stuff like that, but when you’re going into 30 there’s a certain set of expectations that you should be into your adult life now, you should be into your purpose, and a lot of people aren’t. And, you know – should’ve, would’ve. Who knows when the right time is for that? But I think Ralph is at a point where he’s been doing the same thing over and over for years, how many times a day, countless times a day, and he’s not getting any appreciation for it. He’s not enjoying it. He’s not getting invited to any of the parties; he sleeps in the garbage dump. It’s awful. So he says, “You know what? I’m not going to do this anymore.” He thinks being a hero is about getting a medal, but he finds out that being a hero is all about his relationships. He meets Vanellope and cares about her and champions her, and he comes back to where he started, like Tennyson says, and it’s like he’s seeing it for the very first time. Everybody appreciates him now because when he left the game fell apart; he’s like the prodigal son. He takes pride in his work and he knows it’s not about a medal. I love the end of the movie; I burst into tears at that moment. Have you had any Ralph-like moments of revelation in your own life? Getting out of my hometown; going to college was what everybody did, but when I went to graduate school I didn’t have any support for that. Wanting to be an actress, it was like, find something you can do and learn to type. I got offered a scholarship to Cornell to go to graduate school and although my parents were like, “Wow! That’s really great,” they were like, “Theater? Theater ?” I was like, I’m going to do it anyway. I hopped on a train and went to Ithaca, New York. I worked to make money and was given a fellowship, and I taught a class in order to make money, but I did it on my own. What did you teach? Acting. It was part of my fellowship. I think we made $120 a week or something, but it was enough. It was enough in those days, anyway, to pay my rent and keep me in beer and coffee. The essentials! So I think we all have those things where we go, you know what – I’m not getting a lot of support here for this, but I just have to go. I have to go do what I need to do, and I have to take the chance. I can’t take one more day of being in the doldrums because that hurts too much. That’s what I love about this film; these are games, but they’re such metaphors for life. You’re playing your game, but you can “jump” your game. Wreck-It Ralph is in theaters; read along as Movieline gets way existential with star John C. Reilly here . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Barbara Broccoli was born into the world of James Bond ; along with co-producer Harry Saltzman, her father, Cubby Broccoli, brought 007 to the big screen with Dr. No when Barbara was only two years old. It would be inaccurate to say Broccoli inherited the Bond legacy — she’s made it her own, serving as producer from Goldeneye onwards, and in many ways, ushering cinema’s favorite secret agent into the modern era. The Skyfall producer rang Movieline to talk about the early days, Bond’s role in the cultural conversation over the years, and what the future holds for the character who, fifty years later, is still synonymous with effortless cool. Tell us a little about the beginning of the Bond film franchise. How did your father, Cubby Broccoli, along with Harry Saltzman, make the decision to adapt Ian Fleming’s spy novels? My father had wanted the rights to the films early on, but they eluded him. Harry Saltzman had an option, and my father heard this, called him up, and they joined forces just as the clock was ticking down, as the option was about to expire. Fortunately, they went to Arthur Kremp, who my father had a relationship with, and asked him if he would finance the film ( Dr. No ). David Picker, who was the young executive in the room, loved the Bond books, and he persuaded United Artists to take a shot and make the film, which was a huge commitment then. A million dollars for a budget, at that time, was significant. They were a force to be reckoned with. Cubby and Harry were both very passionate, determined men. They were driven. They wanted to see this series of books made into a film, and they were very passionate about their choice of Sean Connery, who was an unknown. They fought for him, and there was a lot of resistance because he wasn’t well known at all. The studio wanted a star, they wanted an American and all these various things, but [Broccoli and Saltzman] stuck to their guns, and the rest as they say, is history. Bond is turning 50 this year. In 2012, he’s still going strong. Why has the franchise endured? It basically comes down to Ian Fleming. I think he wrote a very complex character that has been able to evolve through the decades, with the assistance of the extraordinary men who have played the role, starting with Sean Connery who established the role to great effect in Dr. No , and all the subsequent actors have taken it and made it their own and made it of their time. I think Bond the character is distinct: He’s British, he has a certain code that he lives by, he’s incorruptible… he’s a classical hero, but he’s also fallible. He has inner demons, inner conflicts, and he’s a romantic. He gets himself caught up in all kinds of situations because of his heart, which gets broken in Casino Royale . He knows at the end of that first story that in order to do the job he does he has to make a lot of personal sacrifices, and one of them is that he cannot really have a proper relationship or a family, and that is a burden to him. By that same token, how do you think the character of Bond has evolved over the years, beginning with Sean Connery and running up to today with Daniel Craig ’s portrayal? With Daniel, the first film he did was Casino Royale , which was the first book, so that’s very much about how Bond became the Bond that we all know and love. It explains a lot about his history and why he got to be the way he is, particularly in his relationships with women, as I described. He knows he’s unable to really form a proper commitment with a woman because he may be captured, tortured, as he is in Casino Royale … he can put himself in that situation but he couldn’t put anyone else he loved, like a wife or a child, in that kind of jeopardy. So, I think with Daniel, it’s sort of come full-circle. We started with Fleming and fifty years later, we’re back to Fleming again: He’s very much central to the making of these films. The spirit of Ian Fleming is always with us and we particularly honor and celebrate him now, fifty years later, during this anniversary. Can you talk a little about your own relationship with 007 from a personal standpoint and how it’s changed from your childhood to the present? I was born in 1960, my father did the deal in ’61, and the first film was made in that year and released in ’62, so my life is synonymous with Bond. Growing up he was a huge figure in our lives, so much so that I thought he was a real person [laughs]. But it soon dawned on me that he was a fictional character. I spent a lot of time on the sets growing up. We would go on vacation from school, go on location, where the films were being filmed. Wonderful places: Exotic locales like Japan and the Bahamas, and the people making the films were part of our extended family. My father would be with them all day long and they would all come home for dinner. We were always together. It was a very large, happy family. Do you think Bond’s place in the pop culture spotlight has been constant, or has it fluctuated over the years? What kinds of challenges arise in making this franchise relevant to audiences today? There have always been challenges. I remember when we were doing Goldeneye and people were saying “The Cold War’s over, the wall’s down — does the world need James Bond anymore?” Of course, the answer was a resounding “Yes!” Just because the wall came down didn’t mean the world was at peace. In fact, good and evil were slightly blurred, and we didn’t know who the enemy was. I think we’re always trying to come up with intriguing storylines and villains for Bond to go up against, and when you look at Skyfall , and you look at Javier Bardem you’ll find… [laughter] he’s sort of the ultimate Bond villain. He’s provided a very exciting counterpoint to Daniel. How did Sam Mendes get involved with Skyfall ? Well, Sam and Daniel had worked together on Road to Perdition , and they’d had a great collaboration. When we were looking for a director, Daniel called us up and said “Oh, I was just at a party last night with Sam and I asked him if he wanted to do a Bond film — it turns out he’s a huge fan. What do you think?” And we said, “Oh my goodness, do you think we could actually get Sam Mendes? He’s a consummate film director, Oscar-award winner. Do you really think he’d be interested?” So we met with him, and it turns out — who would have known it – he’s a big Bond fan. So we snapped him up. He’s made an unbelievably terrific film, so we’re delighted. Has it been a little different working with a director like Sam, who is such a force of nature, on a franchise project like Bond that in the past has largely been producer-driven? I guess our attitude towards Sam was “We have a set of parameters as far as what we feel a Bond film is, but within those parameters…” There’s no point in hiring someone like Sam Mendes and then tying their hands. We wanted him because of his talent and his vision, and we worked together very closely on the script, and set the parameters together. He wanted to make a great Bond film, so it all turned out extremely well. As it turns out he was just like a kid in a candy store [laughs]. He loved the challenge, he lived up to it, and he exceeded all expectations. So I think the film has got all the wonderful, dramatic intriguing storylines and characters — we have a wonderful cast, many of whom were attracted to this because of Sam — and he’s also delivered tremendous action and excitement. He’s ticked all the boxes as far as I’m concerned. Learn more about Barbara Broccoli and the Bond legacy in the EPIX documentary Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 . Read more in Movieline’s ongoing Bond at 50 series leading up to the November 9 release of Skyfall . John Jarzemsky is a contributor at LitReactor, Twitch, and can be read semi-regularly at his personal blog, the ineptly named Super Roller Disco Monkey Hullabaloo! or on twitter @jtjarzemsky . He is big in Japan. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Dear Bossip , I’m a 32-year old woman working in corporate America and I’m doing really well for myself. Ok, I met this guy (let’s call him ‘Andy’) in 2008 through a dating website and we hit it off really well, until I found out through a mutual friend (talk about six degrees of separation), that he was “unhappily” married. I broke it off immediately, despite the fact he said that he was separated and living in another state from his wife. (Thank GOD I didn’t sleep with him). My gut told me to break it off and I did. He tried calling me, sending me flowers, and showing up at my job unannounced for almost 3 months until he gave up. I moved on with my life and focused on myself. I left the dating websites alone after I kept having one bad date after another. In late 2010, I leave my company for another company who’s offering me a much better position, better hours, and a very much better salary. But, there’s one problem: I’m going to be Andy’s manager (Can you say awkward?). He’s now seeing this woman at our company who works in a different department. Every time he gets a chance he talks about her to other people around me. I’m not going to lie, it kind of hurt because I do have feelings for him but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of knowing. About 9 months later I start to receive flowers, candy, and jewelry from a secret admirer and I’m sure it’s him because he’s the only person who knows my favorite kind of jewelry and flowers. Plus, the flowers came from the same company he used back in 2008. He finally admits it’s him and I lied to him and said I had no feelings for him, plus he’s seeing someone else and we work together, so it’s not going to work. I told him if he brings it up again I’ll be forced to let HR know. Let’s just say he stopped everything all together. About another 6 months later he quits his job and as soon as he quits his job he tries to pursue me yet again. Foolishly, I’ve been accepting his phone calls and text messages. He’s no longer seeing the other woman at my job and admitted to her that he has feelings for me. He also tells me his divorce became final in the middle of 2009, but he’s since had a son by another women (let’s call her ‘Robin’) that he’s not with. We start seeing each other again and I’m having the time of my life. He takes me everywhere. He’s very attentive and he never once pressured me for sex. He introduced me to everyone in his family, including his adorable son who I absolutely love. I feel he’s the man of my dreams. I decided to take the relationship to another level by getting physical with him and I’m not going to lie, the sex is absolutely phenomenal. Just as soon as our relationship is doing well I get a call from Robin and she tells me she’s 8 months pregnant with his child. I’m upset, but at this point in time we’ve only been seeing each other for 7 months, so it’s not like he’s cheated on me (at least not that I know of). I confronted Andy about it and he admitted to me that he knew all along she was pregnant, but was too scared to tell me in the beginning because he knew I wouldn’t want to be with him. Robin admitted that their relationship is non-existence and that Andy has never slept with her during my relationship with him. She only called me because Andy was taking too long to tell me he was having another baby. I’ve met Robin 5 times, and all 5 times we have been very cordial even though she’s admitted to me she still has feelings for Andy. Andy has since proposed to me, but I didn’t give him an answer because I’m not sure if he proposed to me because he thinks I’m going to leave him. I think it’s way too soon for marriage considering we’ve only been dating for almost 8 months. He’s assured me he has no feelings for Robin and their relationship was only a physical one. I’m not sure if I should stay with him because this is not the first time he’s omitted information of this magnitude from me. I know he loves me and I love him too. My question is should I stay with him or leave well enough alone? – Confused And In Love Dear Ms. Confused And In Love , Is there a man shortage? Really? Is there? Ladies, ladies, ladies – This is what happens when you have sex with a stalker with that bomb penis! He lays it on you and you lose all sense of sensibility because the “phenomenal sex” convolutes your judgment and you misconstrue love with sex. Ma’am, this man has been stalking you since day one when you initially broke it off four years ago. Didn’t you say that after you broke it off with him, because he lied about his relationship with his WIFE, that he started calling you non-stop, sending flowers, and showing up at your job for three months? Ma’am, that is a stalker. He’s obsessive. And, it happened yet once again when you started working with him and you started receiving these mysterious gifts in the workplace, BY THE SAME MAN you broke it off with before. STALKER! But, hold up. When you confront him about it, and you warn him about it he stops. Then, he quits, and starts the behavior, yet, again. And, you find this –ish flattering? You think this is cute? You truly are touched in the head. Why don’t you see what’s obvious and blatant? Why are you letting his nut juice damage the little brain cells you have left? Wait, a minute, let me back the hell up a bit and address these freaking lies. Let’s go ahead and call a spade a spade. He is a liar and he’s been lying to you for the past four years. 1.) Lie number one – When you initially met, on a dating website, he lied about being married. He told you he was separated and that his wife lived in another state. You discover the truth and end it. 2.) Lie number two – You work together and you start receiving mysterious gifts. You confront him, and he finally admits it’s him. 3.) Lie number three – His baby momma, Robin, confronts you and tells you that she is pregnant with his second child. You confront him, and he admits he’s known all along but didn’t tell you because he felt you would leave. And, you’ve been with him for seven months. So, in those seven months he never once thought to tell you the truth? He never once felt it was important to let you know that he was expecting a second child while laying up in you raw? Yeah, you’re having unprotected sex with him because you’re not the brightest in the bunch. So, now you’re asking me if you should proceed further with him because, in your own words you stated, “This is not the first time he’s omitted information of this magnitude from me.” So, let me ask you this, SMDH. In knowing he’s omitted very important, and key information, do you feel that you should proceed in a long term relationship with him? If he has a propensity to lie, deceive, manipulate, and omit information from you, and he’s done this over the four years of you knowing him, then what makes you think he is going to change now? Mind you, that two of those incidents involved two different women. Here’s what I want you to do: Ask to see his divorce papers from his wife. Ask Robin if he ever proposed to her, or if he at one time ever promised her that he would marry her. Then, ask yourself, “Why am I dating this man whom initially in my heart of hearts knew that he was not to be trusted? Why am I trusting him when he’s lied not once but several times? Why am I claiming love with a man who has lied to me over and over again? Why am I dating a stalker who has shown the potential to be obsessive? What is it about me that my self-esteem is so low that I’ve allowed myself to be with a man who is divorced, and is expecting a second child with a woman he claims there is nothing between them other than sex?” You claim you’re a professional career woman, but, yet your common sense clearly is something to be desired. You would actually consider being with a man who has continuously shown you who he is, and you are willing to overlook everything and dive in p***y first because he is blowing your back out? I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, d**k is addictive. It will make you lose your mind and do some asinine –ish just like that which you are doing. My grandmother told me as a young boy, “Always follow your first mind.” And, it is something I live by, and has never failed me. So, I’m passing it along to you. If your first mind was to end it with him and eliminate him from your life, then FOLLOW YOUR FIRST MIND. There is a reason your instincts, your heart, and your intuition told you to end it and leave him alone. Follow them. Uphold yourself in a respectable and dignified manner. You’re better than this, and him. Why would you knowing put yourself in a situation where Robin has told you that she still has feelings for him, she’s carrying his second child, and she and those children will forever be in his life, and if you’re with him, then they will be in yours too? You don’t have time for baby momma drama. It can get messy, ugly, and stressful. Leave. Get out now. Save yourself, your sanity, and your emotional well-being. And, why would you knowingly be with a man who cannot be honest with you? This is indicative of what you should expect with him moving forward. Nothing is going to change. Trust me. He is not going to change. – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter : @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook , click HERE! Make sure to order my books Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15), and Straight From Your Gay Best Friend – The Straight Up Truth About Relationships, Love, And Having A Fabulous Life (Agate/Bolden Books – November 2010; $15). They are available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
Rust and Bone is essential. It’s life and death. It’s like fucking at a funeral. It throws the grit of existence in your face and while you reel at our insubstantiality and balk at our crudity as human beings, it shows you that love is the only transcendent force we possess. What separates man from beast. There is no doubt it will polarize. There is nothing commercial here apart from the pulling power of Marion Cotillard . Cinematographically it is an expressionistic essay; intellectually, a two-hour conversation with its filmmaker. And physically it is a kick in the teeth, a depiction of poverty, sex and violence which crosses most known codes of acceptability. Spoilers follow. I would expect nothing less from director Jacques Audiard . From Read My Lips to The Beat My Heart Skipped to A Prophet , (the latter both also shot by Stephanie Fontaine) this is as ever courageous work. He is skilled at combining grainy realism with something esoteric — beyond romance. He creates criminal heroes within almost apocalyptic fairy tales. The premise of Rust and Bone is unbelievable — risible, even — and sounds more French farce than dramatic arc: A love story between a bare-knuckle street boxer and a woman who trains orca whales and loses her legs after a Seaworld accident. Adapted from a series of short stories by Craig Davidson, Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), homeless and penniless with his five-year-old son Sam (Armand Cerdue) on his shoulders, turns up at his estranged sister’s in Antibes in the South of France. She houses them in her grimy garage, he gets a job as a bouncer in the local nightclub and rescues Stephanie (Cotillard), bloodied after a brawl. They don’t see each other again until after the accident; until after Stephanie has lost both legs to a killer whale. She calls him. He shows her no pity, and from there a relationship develops. As we move forward the stakes are raised and the scales turn. Audiard uses his common thematic – the juxtaposition of two characters, one the likeable criminal, the other the vulnerable — as Ali, involved in illegal street fighting and surveillance crime, compromises his relationships with Stephanie, his son and his sister. Simultaneously Stephanie begins to find her new identity and gets released back into her life, with or without him. Relative unknown Matthias Schoenaerts ( Bullhead ) is astonishing as Ali. He does nothing and everything, and, looking like a pit-bull, is at once a combination of unhealthy-yet-attractive and physically fit. And the bond between him and child actor Armand Cerdue is also extraordinary, almost symbiotic. This is also the best work I have seen Cotillard do. There are multiple moments in the film which are almost transcendent and indelibly stain the mind’s eye. Your heart leaps when Ali and Stephanie first have sex and you see that she has found renewed hope; a will to live, the will to return to work and confront her assailant. You feel empowered when you see her amputated legs resplendent with fresh tattoos (reading ‘Droite’ and ‘Gauche’). And you reel when she walks, prosthetic limbs on display, into the middle of a fistfight — possibly one of the coolest female character moments I have ever seen. It is all-physical. This is apt because Rust and Bone is corporeal. It tells you this in the opening shot sequence, when a montage of water and feet in sandals is accompanied by the overbearing sound of breathing and footsteps. The film is all about the body, about control and the loss of it. About the dichotomy between unwanted pain and pain sought — the accident and the bare knuckle boxing. The violence, the sex, is thus immediate and visceral. And whether you want to be or not, you are there — you can almost touch it, feel it, reach them with your hands. The fine lines between power and death are visible here too. The metaphors are clear; from the force of the whales leaping in and out of the water to the unseen dangers of ice and snow, we know that nature is bigger than us and in that terrifying reductivity there is love between father and son, man and woman. It is terribly intense, and French. There is no other way to describe it. And whereas I went out and bought the soundtrack (Bon Iver, Lykke Li, with score by Alexandre Desplat) and want to go back and see it again, the ferocity with which I liked it — was moved and haunted by it, and found it real and refreshing — could also be the ferocity with which it is loathed and eschewed for being pretentious and even sentimental. But like Audiard, Cotillard, Schoenaerts and I suspect everyone else who worked on the project, I’m happy to have that argument and suggest that this film is so good, it stands alone. This is not half-baked ennui — whatever anyone else thinks about it. Read more from the Toronto Film Festival. Follow Lorien Haynes on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
