I read the novel, and I think about it a lot. It does have a few problems, chiefly with the completely unsurprising "twist" that Kalden is actually one of the three "wise men", which I'm hoping they've fixed in the movie, and the ham-handed symbolism of the aquarium, which I hope they cut entirely. But it has some…

My wife has a childhood memory of her mother's friend saying "Shit on '78!" so we are saying "Shit on 2016!"

In early 2002, she auditioned for an indie film that I was making. I did not cast her. I'd like to think that somehow this makes me responsible for all the success she's had ever since.

Harvey Manfrenjensenden.

I thought it referred to the pain one feels after getting one's ass kicked.

Very much looking forward to Doctor StrangeLove SquarePants.

I disagree - I think Bening's complex, believable work in The Kids Are All Right was better than Natalie Portman chewing the scenery in Black Swan. Just my opinion.

Smartly stated, Mr. Poopy Butthole.

I hope I'm doing the spoiler tag right… First, there's a moment where a cow's eye is being cut (the cow's head has already been severed). Then we get an unexpected glimpse of Alicia's mom being bludgeoned to death by an intruder. Then the intruder's eyes and tongue are cut out, though only the aftermath is shown.…

I'm surprised you didn't also add that she is George Bush's sister.

I'm surprised whenever someone dismisses 50 Words for Snow. I think the epic "Lake Tahoe" and "Misty" are among the best things Kate's ever done. Even if the other tracks don't quite reach those heights, the album is a great listen on a quiet night at home alone.

It's more moody than scary. Some sick shit happens, but there are no jump scares, not much heightened tension, and very little on-screen violence.

I wouldn't come down quite so hard on the film myself – I liked the look and the sound of it – but I agree that it is a bit ponderous, and gets repetitive quickly: psycho woman does psycho things, no story required.

I hope Santa gives you some punctuation marks for Christmas.

I bet they'd call it Departure.

The only movies Amy Adams was good in were all the movies she's been in.

Be fair and don't spin it by omission - the rest of that particular comment was: "And I say that as a bleeding heart liberal and disillusioned former activist of the early 00s who knows all the tricks."

Bradford Young might snag a Best Cinematography nom for Arrival.

You know that scene in Trainspotting where Ewan Bremner shits the bed and tries to sneak out with the sheets, then his girlfriend's mother tries to take the sheets from him, and everyone ultimately gets splattered with his diarrhea? This feels like that.

That's cool. And yeah I thought you'd understand my meaning that, while it's the third sentence in your review, it's the first sentence that's actually directly about the film and not about the Cannes jury. Thanks for your thoughtful responses.