"It’s unfortunate that there aren’t more movies about working-class people killing rich perverts and taking their money. Paul Bartel is one of the great gonzo satirists of cinema, and with apologies to Costa-Gavras or whomever, this is probably the most common-sense, pragmatic political film in the Criterion Collection. Also one of Mary Woronov’s greatest roles."

"You know which one is one of my favorites? Betty Blue. Oh, if you’ve not seen it — you have to see it. It’s amazing. What a great film. It’s not without its faults, which sort of parallels life, you know — you feel like you’re living with these people for two-and-a-half hours. It’s really great. Loved it."

"Jacques Tati is one of my heroes, and this film, I believe, is his best. It parodies the influence of modern architecture and design in the late 50s. Also, Mr. Tati used just the visuals to tell a story and make people laugh. Very deadpan. I also generally discard dialogue to make the imagery carry the plot and humor."

"This book has fascinated me since I was a child. I’m always dipping into it and finding new things. Some of his Anglocentric conclusions date horribly, but the material gathered gives a magical insight into the people that have populated our planet and the rituals we observe. The illustrated edition was a later discovery and it’s an ethnographic treat."

"Waking Ned Devine. Loved it. There’s something about aged, experienced, mature people acting like kids. This whole town bands together to pull a ruse, to win a lottery ticket and split lottery ticket winnings; it was kind of morally wrong, and yet also giddy and made you clap your hands and say, “Go you guys, go!”"

"D.A. Henderson is another hero of the global-health world who worked closely with Bill Foege on eradicating smallpox. By showing people that it really was possible to eradicate a disease, he helped lay the groundwork for the work we’re doing now to get rid of polio (which I’m optimistic will be done in 2018) and malaria".