When Norah Jones was cast as the lead in My Blueberry Nights, the English language debut of maybe my favorite living director, Wong Kar-wai, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

There's a bigger story here, though, one that all of us can relate to, one that will force all of us to feel, think, believe.

After two or three days of shooting, John kept on saying, "Pull back, pull back from character," until eventually it was just me saying the line as meself, and he was like, "Perfect." The closer we got to non-acting, the happier John seemed to be.

Henckel von Donnersmarck's remark about it being easier to make a cold film than a warm one really struck me. Pulling off true emotions without seeming annoyingly sentimental is a serious accomplishment.

"We became writers; we became producers; we became actors; we became financiers. You just build yourself up with more responsibility. I think that's the key to everything: empowering yourself to get it done."

"That's why we all got into the creative world, because we want to do stuff, and we want people in large numbers to enjoy it. I'd rather go through a studio route and then put my personal stamp on—bring that personal experience, bring that love of character, bring more human and real reasons why a character is doing something, and add that to a bigger thing."

Warning: This interview is intended for those readers who have already seen Clerks II, as it gives away plot points and things that are best left unknown if you plan on seeing the film. So, if you haven't already seen it yet, go away.

Listen, why can’t Dr. Dre be in the puzzle? Or why can’t the Indigo Girls be in the puzzle? Why does it have to be obscure language that no one’s ever heard?

“This film is an underdog. I’m an underdog. We’re all out there just trying to make our way a little bit.”

“It became very fashionable there in the 1950s; we destroyed New York, the Capitol in Washington, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Eventually I wanted to get away from the ‘monster on the loose’ picture.”

Perhaps the reason Tsotsi was noticed by spread-thin festivalgoers in the first place was that it was touted from the start as being “this year’s City of God,” although in reality, this comparison is lazy and not entirely apt.