"Dorothy Norwood came from the gospel group the Caravans. She’s one of the great gospel luminaries who could just bring a song to life. She sang these songs with such great, passionate gospel fervor. “What does it take to deliver a proper gospel medley? “I would tell them maybe this year, or some time in the spring, come to my class, and they can learn all. I’m going to be doing some teaching somewhere here in the Detroit area. And I expect probably to do something from Carnegie Hall, a master class from Carnegie Hall. And I’d love to do that"

"A modern classic. So original and exciting to watch. The premise itself is like a science fiction story, except that it is all very human and emotional. I think it’s Jim Carrey‘s best and most relatable performance. Kate [Winslet] is always amazing, but here she gets to do something she’d never done before. She’s so scattered and passionate and real. It’s heartbreaking because it’s about heartbreak and vulnerability and the inability to navigate through it all, which is, of course, an essential part of the human experience. It’s entirely unique, from an original voice, and that, in itself, deserves applause. The music is brilliant also."

"The Count of Monte Cristo, which I happened to have been in. Only because, man, I really dug how Edmond Dantes went about, his passion in getting his revenge. The movie just looks absolutely beautiful, but, like I said, it was just the story and how well it was made into film. Not just how it was a guy who’s like, “Okay, we’re gonna go get our stuff, we’re just gonna shoot this guy, we’re gonna have a shootout…” No, Dantes really processed his revenge in such a passionate way. Makes you wish other people went about doing thing more thoughtfully and more passionately."

"This is about what a music student who really wants to be great has to sacrifice to pursue greatness. It reminded me a little of my own experience at university, and how there’s such a difference between studying music, which is quite sterile, and then actually going out and doing it. You have to unlearn everything and just try to be honest, using your instrument to speak in a way that people can understand. Andrew’s (Miles Teller) relationship with his music teacher in the film is very extreme, but I had music teachers at school who I felt really passionate about and who I wanted to get better for, so they would believe in me."

"I remember hearing ‘African Bombaataa’ by Planet Rock and at the time time I was way into breakdancing and that was my whole life at maybe 9/10 years old. But those sounds for those records were so futuristic and I was way in into robots as a kid and science fiction and that music completely sounded like it was from another planet. And at that point I knew I wanted to make and create music and do something futuristic of that sort. Obviously I took another path or different style to the music we ended up creating as my job but even to this day electronic music I’m still very passionate about."

"This is such a fiery and entertaining crime film. It’s epic yet completely domestic and simple. While it’s somewhat of a departure from his canon, Kurosawa’s stamp is everywhere. He manages to expertly adapt American source material and place it in Japan (the irony, of course, being that America would adapt his stories for years to follow).Passionate, personal, and uplifting documentary filmmaking. This is a true example of the power of the art form, and a terrific movie too. Rarely do you find filmmakers with such an insight to the world of sports, and the ability to examine the personal politics that run underneath it. This should be required viewing for any sports or film fan."