I've never been a big fan of the music-video style of editing movies that crept in the last few decades. I like stuff that's able to take its time.

The Exorcist' is amazing because it recognizes that silences can be as powerful as sound effects.

One of my favorite movies of all time is 'It's A Wonderful Life', which is a pretty interesting choice for a seasonal Christmas favorite, because it's about a guy who wants to commit suicide and is presented with reasons not to.

I'm still learning. It's all a learning curve. Every time you sit down, with any given episode of any given show, it is a learning curve. You're learning something new about how to tell a story. But then, I've felt that way about everything I've ever done - television, features or whatever. Directing or writing, it always feels like the first day of school to me.

Stanley Kubrick was a big inspiration. People accuse me of never using my own material. But when did Kubrick? You look at his films and they are completely unique... completely separate entities.

The amazing thing about any movie is not whether it's good, but that it got made at all.

I spent 20 years of my career primarily being a writer for hire.