"Published just before he died of AIDS, Wojnarowicz’s memoir is a classic of outlaw literature and political fury. Wojnarowicz — who was a great artist as well as writer — wheels through his wickedly difficult childhood, the deaths of friends and lovers, great sex writing, thoughts about art, screeds against the likes of Jesse Helms, all the while facing down his own imminent demise. It’s sad, funny, angry and transporting, a kaleidoscope on fire."

"Life of Brian is the one Monty Python movie that really works as a movie (they’re all funny). The hardest I ever saw my dad laugh is when it cuts to the Sermon on the Mount and the camera slowly zooms back to reveal a huge crowd of people listening and finally settles on Terry Jones, playing Brian’s mother, at the very back, and he shouts “Speak up!” One of the best comedies ever."

"People talk about Fellini and Mastroianni, but for me it’s all about Fellini and his wife, the endlessly watchable and entirely unique Giulietta Masina. This is one of the most beautiful, sad, and funny human stories ever told. I love all sides of Fellini so much, but if I must choose, it’s this—for its heart, Giulietta’s face, and an ending that is a testament to the resilience of the human soul."

"This book doesn’t fit neatly into a category. It’s personal but also global. It doesn’t prescribe anything; it raises questions. It allows the reader to feel as if they are watching this brilliant woman think in real time. It seems as if you are inside her mind with her. It’s funny and sexy and made me cry. And it is one of the best books on being a stepmother I’ve ever encountered."

"I moved to Brooklyn from Panama when I was twelve going on thirteen. I saw Do the Right Thing on VHS. No film has struck more of a chord with me on the subject of race in America. It’s funny and saturated and larger than life. There’s a danger lurking early on. The film’s explosive opening signals that something big will happen. When that big arrives, it’s a knife in the middle of your chest."

"Whimsical, original, hilarious, brave and addicting. At any moment, I can pick up the book, turn to any chapter (even ones I’ve already read) and be transported by the funny, fun, feminist, filmmaker/writer. I reread her adventures and re-experience them. Delightful and surprising, she bares her soul as freely as she bares her body and I’m transported back to my wild and woolly childhood, teenhood and womanhood aches and thrills."

"I would say, Vacances romaines. I don’t know the English title. With Audrey Hepburn. Roman Holiday? I was not at all a baby girl who just wanted to be a princess, at all, but the fact is, in my movie choices, I was really obsessed with those beautiful and strong and funny and fragile women. [laughs] I was not wearing any princess dress or things like this, but in movies, I was very into it."

"For me, this was one of the biggest inspirations to my songwriting. The way she uses layers and orchestral arrangements is amazing, and the way she's created this world - artists like her and Sophie create a whole new world. A whole package. The way she talks about it is great as well, instead of being direct she creates characters. I think she's really thought about how to address issues, she's very funny with it"

"Rock films, or rock bands for that matter, were never looked at quite the same way after this film was released. Rob Reiner, er, Marty DiBergi gets the director credit, but somehow I feel the combined improvisational talent of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer has an awful lot to do with the sublime content within. Yes, it’s funny, but it’s also as painful as any Bergman epic. Such is life."

"Virtuosic linked stories, all but one set in Rumania, Austria, or Germany before WWII, whose charming, maddening, light-minded narrator has no particular need to notice that murderous thugs are rising up and closing ranks right in front of his nose. The book is an exceptionally vivid evocation of pre-war Central Europe, and it’s also terrifyingly funny in its examination of specious reasoning, casual complicity, and the obtuseness that’s the hallmark of privilege."