"I’ve heard the opinion that Criterion releases too many Rainer Werner Fassbinder movies, which is madness, because the best one, In a Year of 13 Moons, isn’t among them yet. But I think Criterion should release every single one, including those that no one’s ever heard of, like Bremen Freedom and Das kaffeehaus, and once those are out they should delve into the R. W. F. Extended Cinematic Universe until they’ve exhausted every last Ulli Lommel direct-to-video true-crime movie, culminating in DC Sniper (2010)."

"I was a young kid when it came out, and I sat in the dark and listened to dialogue that was at a level I had never heard before. And I think that’s when I began to pay attention to dialogue in movies. When the show ended, I stayed and I watched it again. I didn’t know about screenwriters, and I waited to see the credits. Who wrote this? And from that day on, I paid attention to who the writer was for every movie I saw."

"This is such a simple and funny movie that tells what is at its core a very sad story about a young woman trapped in Communist Czechoslovakia. The actors and faces that Milos Forman cast in all the roles are fantastic and real, and the young piano player’s tired and fed-up parents are two of the funniest, most subtle characters I’ve ever seen in a movie. This is one of my favorite movies to turn people on to, since very few people have ever seen it."

"The granddaddy of all modern comedies, Spinal Tap set the gold standard for the mock documentary. Just like with Stranger Than Paradise, I had an encounter with this film when I was in film school: I drove past the set one day in downtown L.A. and saw the band in their wardrobe walking to the set, and thought it looked like some dumb movie with crazy costumes. Little did I know I was so close to the set of one of the funniest movies ever made."

"So, actually, 25th Hour is my favorite Spike Lee movie for a whole bunch of reasons irrelevant for our purposes. But there’s no denying the power, the heat, and the energy—the perfection, really—of Do the Right Thing. And the cultural impact of it alone is worth the price of admission. It’s also one of my favorite New York movies. And one of my favorite modern fables. It’s stupid that I’m still typing. I don’t have to sell anyone on Do the Right Thing."

"I love adventure and this was a near perfect adventure. The character of Harrison Ford was cool and amusing. He was part cowboy, part naughty boy, he was smart and the character was different and fresh. You had a sense of movies from the old days but done in a modern form. The movie had a great pace, it just kept moving. The sets and back drop were interesting and dramatic. I am a big fan of Spielberg and this was a great movie."

"Terms of Endearment. I absolutely love that movie, with Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, and Jack Nicholson. One of my first tearjerker films. It was so good to see that mother-daughter dynamic, the love story kind of playing out, and just to see their love, and dealing with men. Shirley MacLaine — the acting between her and Jack Nicholson was just awesome. It was just really one of my first tearjerker movies. I remember going, “Oh my God! I love that!” That was a good movie.”"