"I thought its arc of character was beautifully captured. [Martin Scorsese] has got so many dramatic views — men fed up with life, the situation, the system. These days people are more experienced [as filmmakers] but we’ve just been poorly making movies lately. We used to tell beautiful, humane stories. We used to care about characters instead of just blowing some f***ing building down."

"I always grew up loving Life Is Beautiful. It was one of my dad’s favorite movies, and the story is just so moving. You know, the ultimate sacrifice that a parent makes for their kid is just… I mean, the fear that must have gone along with it, but that will to overcome it for the sake of your child is just gut-wrenching."

"I had been thinking of this book of essays since I saw the Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro last year, and dipped back into it recently—I hadn’t read it since high school. Back then, it hit me hard. I realized there was a counter-narrative to all the history I had been taught, and I learned that lesson through Baldwin’s beautiful anger."

"I thought for years that Wings of Desire was my favorite film. It might still be; I’m not sure. It’s filled with so many beautiful images, and the score by Jürgen Knieper is one of the most gorgeous things I’ve ever heard. I went to the movie theater alone and was high for days after seeing this. Peter Falk is incredible in this as well."

"I remember Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid being one of the first movies I saw as a kid. So I’ll also always equate it with discovering what a movie was. Being a young boy, and here’s my introduction to movies — it still feels like the most gigantic movie in terms of how big and beautiful it was, and the cool factor. Two amazing guys to watch."

"The Thin Red Line is my favorite film, and that’s probably the film that had the most impact on me as a human being. I feel like it really rescued me from a depression and gave me a lot of faith in people. I just thought it was beautiful. I saw it when I was nineteen or twenty. I’m a huge fan of Terrence Malick’s work."

"Let’s start with Love Jones, which is just a classic. One of the first times I saw myself reflected on screen in a way – just a beautiful story, a love story that felt textured and layered and interesting and beautifully shot, with Black people in the lead positions. The music, all of it, just touched a deep place in my soul and was fantastic."