"One of my favorite love stories. A deaf-and-dumb garbage man/surfer and his deaf girlfriend who is in complete admiration of him. I remember thinking of them when I saw a group of surfers on a beach at 5 a.m. in Japan. They were waiting for waves that never came... This is the moment I fell in love with Japan."

"Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, not the new one, the old one. The cartoon Alice in Wonderland is high on my list. Alice is my favorite. I grew up in Orlando, Florida, and my dad worked for Disney. So growing up, I actually had the Alice dress, and I had long blonde hair and blue eyes, and so I looked just like her."

"I’m going to sound super-cheesy, but I’ve got to go with Notting Hill. That’s probably my all-time favorite romantic comedy. That’s high on my list. I’ve fallen in love with London, and there just something about what I love about London, combined with a romantic comedy. And then of course, Julia Roberts; I mean she’s just romantic comedy gold."

"For instance, A Tree of Wooden Clogs, which would have to be one of my favorite films. A year in the life of a peasant commune in Italy — again, it’s poor souls living through a year, so you’re getting a sense of seasons and hardship and community, and a simple, very basic deprived existence. I think that’s a masterpiece, that film."

"This was one of my favorite films when I was in high school. It’s funny and has a great soundtrack. Sal reminded me of my grandfather in his Canarsie store. The film helped humanize the perspective from both sides of the counter. It was the first film I saw that shed light on the African-American experience in a changing New York City."

"Well I think we just have to have a shout out to the rom-com genre in there and it’s a perfect example of the two, you know, really lovable, flawed characters — perfectly flawed for one another. As my grandmother used to say, “There’s a lid for every pot.” So I think that out of that genre that’s probably my favorite."

"I don’t think this movie will ever be considered tame. Subversive in every way, this is my favorite of the Monty Python movies because it houses a refined and philosophical look at organized religion, delivered in the most absurd and profane manner. Incredible jokes, great performances, and it’s almost a musical except for all the blood—kind of like the Bible."

"A completely different kind of samurai film. Actually, it’s a French gangster movie. It’s clear that director Jean-Pierre Melville digs old American gangster movies and filters that affection into creating his own unique genre. This is my favorite of his films. I first saw this baby when it was rereleased in theaters a few years ago, and was completely entranced."

"My favorite von Trier film. Everything from Emily Watson's breakthrough, tour-de-force performance (I’ve never seen an actress break the fourth wall to the camera like this before) to the haunting title cards set to Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Elton John, David Bowie, and Procol Harum. Such a heartbreaking story of what desperate measures love can drive you to."

"I only saw this a few years ago, and I think it’s become my favorite of the French New Wave. I think it’s virtually impossible to make a film about complex ideas and yet at the same time make it feel as light as air. It’s a thrilling film that feels very much of its period but also completely timeless."