"It's that rare feat, a tremendous philosophical insight presented in a way that anyone, at any age can grasp! Wow. Of all my childhood books, The Giving Tree and Hope for the Flowers really did change my early world, but after reading Momo in my thirties, I thought, ‘Ahhhhhh this is the one book I wish I had read as a kid! Then re-read at every subsequent chapter of my life.’ Yes, this sounds cliche but I truly think this is essential reading for—here goes—children of all ages!"

"The plot centers on Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, sentenced by communist authorities, in 1922, to life imprisonment in the Metropol hotel in Moscow, with the warning, “should you ever set foot outside of the Metropol again, you will be shot.” Within the hotel’s walls, Rostov builds around himself a world of great vivacity and charm, aided by a troupe of eccentric characters including two savvy young girls, with the result that the book achieves that thing all writers hope for but rarely accomplish, a magic that transcends the words on the page."

"For me, Criterion was an entry point for Asian cinema, which was really awesome. I started picking out films like Good Morning. Ozu is so beautiful. You look at the colors he’s working with, the stillness, the beauty. I tried not to put another Ozu on this list, but I had to include Tokyo Story also. I remember watching it for the first time and was like, man, so little happened but so much happened, and there’s such a wise grace. I hope we can see more films like this again."

"For me, Criterion was an entry point for Asian cinema, which was really awesome. I started picking out films like Good Morning. Ozu is so beautiful. You look at the colors he’s working with, the stillness, the beauty. I tried not to put another Ozu on this list, but I had to include Tokyo Story also. I remember watching it for the first time and was like, man, so little happened but so much happened, and there’s such a wise grace. I hope we can see more films like this again."