TORONTO (AP) — Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
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you → stop → this
Martin McDonagh has unveiled a dark comedy of mischievous wit and melancholy soulfulness, and it’s immediately been hailed as one of the best movies of the year.
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it → unveil → year
The film, which has played to standing ovations across the Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA officers who have recently laid the groundwork for the 1973 coup in Chile.
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who → play → Chile
But they’re now taking a trip to Easter Island, as one says, “to see the heads” — the Moai stone sculptures.
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one → take → heads
Chris (Malkovich) is dying of cancer and increasingly loose-lipped about his colorful CIA past, including a presidential assassination.
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Chris → die → assassination
Their conversation, as is typical in McDonagh’s brilliant, barbed dialogue, is laced with deeper ruminations on regret and death, with more absurd digressions mixed in.
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conversation → lace → digressions
In one memorable scene, Chris traces a connection between democracy, homosexuality and good cheese.
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Chris → trace → democracy
“I wanted those guys to feel like an old married couple in a way,” McDonagh says.
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McDonagh → want → way
He recently met a reporter for coffee in Toronto to talk about “Wild Horse Nine” and why he’s so eager for the conversation it might generate.
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it → meet → conversation
Searchlight Pictures releases the film Nov. 6.
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Pictures → release → film
You wrote “In Bruges” after a trip to the Belgian city.
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You → write → city
This came out of a trip to Easter Island.
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This → come → Island
I love to travel.
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I → love → ?
I like traveling alone.
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I → travel → ?
It always prompts some kind of thinking.
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It → prompt → thinking
Bruges was just a weekend trip for fun and the town became a character literally while I was there.
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I → become → fun
Fifteen years ago I went to Easter Island with the hope that something similar would happen to the Bruges scenario.
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something → go → scenario
It looked like a beautiful backdrop to some kind of story to tell but it took a bunch of iterations of it before it became what you saw.
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you → look → what
Do you feel like being removed from regular life frees you?
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removed → feel → you
McDonagh: Maybe things seem much more cinematic.
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things → seem → ?
I never had any desire to write something set in London, for instance, and I never have.
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I → have → instance
I don’t see it with fresh eyes.
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I → see → eyes
I do like traveling around America.
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I → like → America
I used to get trains around America a lot.
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I → use → America
It feels like a CinemaScope window across the West.
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It → feel → West
I feel like finding the place is going to be key to my next project, which I don’t have right now.
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I → feel → which
Part of that is: Where do you want to spend six months of your life?
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you → want → life
South of France sounds good!
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South → sound → France
And where is cinematic that hasn’t been captured before?
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that → capture → ?
Do you tend to start with two characters talking?
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characters → tend → ?
Some of your films are centered on odd couples.
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Some → center → couples
The odd couple talking thing, I did three or four versions of that.
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I → talk → that
They were talking fine but there was no purpose or reason for them to be there.
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them → talk → ?
When I thought about that, everything fell into place.
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everything → think → place
It wasn’t just two cranky old guys talking.
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It → talk → ?
I’ve never seen a CIA agent character like Malkovich’s character — a guy who just wants to spill all the beans.
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who → see → beans
I don’t think they’re as classy as John.
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they → think → John
I think we’re painting way too good a picture of the CIA.
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we → think → CIA
He’s erudite.
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He → ’ → ?
He’s got a sense of humor.
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He → get → humor
…and 45 more, not listed.
The Aporia
