"The 400 Blows by Truffaut is a real canonical film that everyone’s seen — and yet, there are still a lot of people who haven’t seen it! It’s Truffaut’s first film. He did it in his 20s, and it’s about a few days in the life of his young, 13-year-old hero, Antoine Doinel, who went on to do four more films in character. Truffaut, of all the great the directors, I think, had the most sensitivity toward children ultimately. He made this film, which is widely considered to be the best film about a kid, and went on to do The Wild Child and Small Change. He was just a good director of kids and this is one of the great kids movies — a young hero and his family life. It’s incredible."

"I would say my third one would probably be The Black Cat, 1934. Lugosi, but with Karloff, who also is demented, as a Satan worshiper. David Manners, who is in Dracula, again giving another bizarre, stiff, wooden performance, except this time it’s more obvious, because you have two guys who are amazing surrounding him. It’s always weird watching these sort of straight-up leading men being destroyed by these freaks. I don’t know, it’s kind of weird. I guess these guys don’t really get the credit that they deserve for their acting, because they were always in horror movies, but Lugosi and Karloff are just incredible. I mean, they create these iconic moments that define what cinema is, and they’re sort of brushed off. But I guess that’s the way it goes"

"This Is Spinal Tap. Let’s put that one on there. This list is gonna get really long in a minute. I mean, I love all of Christopher Guest’s movies, but I’ll put that one up there. I could easily say Best in Show as well. I don’t know, there’s just something about the Britishness of the rock and roll, which has always made me laugh, in a way. It seems to say a lot about the age that I grew up in and just before I came along. At the age I first saw it, I was very right for watching a satire about the ’70s and ’80s and a culture that had just come before, I guess. The performances are so delightful. I also really like Waiting for Guffman. God, he’s wonderful director."

"This adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence novel examines the relationships between two sisters and their respective romantic partners in post–World War I England. Ken Russell does a fascinating job of exploring themes of jealousy, lust, homosexuality, fidelity, and social class in a challenging and often pointed way. He turns the notion of virtuous love on its head and, in true Russell fashion, throttles the characters and the audience, unflinchingly asking them the deeper questions that we typically dare not even ask ourselves. There are breathtaking locations, arresting cinematography, and a wrestling scene that makes Viggo Mortensen’s nude knife fight in Eastern Promises look tame. As with all Ken Russell movies, be prepared to have this one on your mind for a while after the credits have rolled."

"There is an embarrassing story flying around about me faking appendicitis when I was eleven years old. Sadly, it’s true. The upshot of the experience is that whilst I was in hospital my parents bought a beta VCR player. So on the way home after being released, we stopped at a very small garage (or gas station) which had a few shelves of movies. There were no video stores yet. We hired The Sound of Music for two weeks and I watched it repeatedly, several times a day, while I recovered. Needless to say, I know every word and love it dearly. I guess I love the way the family slowly embraces Maria. She has such a good heart, and it finds the perfect home. How do you solve a problem like Maria?!"

"What can I say about The Third Man that hasn’t already been said? This is the first film that made me look at movies in a new way. It made me fall in love with everything about them. You’ve got to hand it to Carol Reed for making a movie that is all about a character (Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles) who doesn’t even show up until three-quarters of the way in. The Anton Karas score remains one of the best ever for a film. I bought a zither just to learn to play Harry Lime’s theme. If I’m having a hard time getting into working, I often put The Third Man on in the background, as it always puts me in a mysterious and creative mood. The music is truly upbeat."