"Being John Malkovich mashes different genres and spins everything on its head. Spike Jonze tends to do that — he’s got his own unique take on the world and I love it. He’s probably the number one director that I would love to work with. Charlie Kaufman is one of my favorite writers too. John Cusack is so good in that movie — just so sad but yet so funny — and Cameron Diaz killed it in that role too. That’s my favorite of hers. The fact that Malkovich even agreed to do the movie is such a fun element within itself. It works on many levels."

"Oh man, is there a funnier and more poignant film that captures the anarchic irreverence of that period? It’s just perfect, from start to finish, in my book. Ridiculously quotable with mad, perfect performances across the board. Richard E Grant is pure genius, but everyone in the film gives amazing and hilarious and heartbreaking performances. Again, I think loneliness and isolation, and a desire to belong play big parts in this one. The story is as much a love story between the two leads as anything, with a very sad break-up of sorts taking place at the very end; with Withnail left out in the rain."

"This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read, which is the main reason I recommend it to people. But there is a sadness in it as well. I think Thompson loved America despite himself, and this is a lament for the passing of a time that we’ll never see again. He was such an intelligent and socially aware person; he knew even when he wrote this in 1971 that a decade like the ’60s could not happen again. And it is kind of sad to read it now because I know I will never have the feeling of living in a time that fresh and with so few boundaries."

"This was made before George died and released shortly after, so you can’t watch it without a lump in your throat. He’s such a brilliant musician, an effortless singer, but also just an ordinary, interesting guy with a natural gift. I used to have this unhealthy habit of playing his songs when I was drunk and maudlin. I love how this film shows how he took control of his image early on, and how we see the lyrics to Freedom as being so astute, not vacuous at all. He’s also funny and filthy – the kind of person you’d love to have a drink with. It’s so sad that he’s not here."

"Oh, The Godfather. If it gets any better than that… I mean, it’s so beautifully shot. I’m not a fan of violent movies, but that one is such an epic film. The violence is part and parcel of the story they’re telling, so, it’s legitimate. In a weird way, I find there’s no gratuitous violence in it. Even though there’s a lot of shooting in that thing, every time there’s a shootout, I found it upsetting and horrifying as opposed to films which just trade on mowing human beings down. Those I find pornographic and not sad. I think it does damage to our society, personally."