It often strikes me that the actors in high school movies look too old.

And yet, even so, there is a way to find happiness. That is to be curious about all of the interlocking events that add up to our lives. To notice connections. To be amused or perhaps frightened by the ways things work out. If the universe is indifferent, what a consolation that we are not.

The movie "Ed Wood," about the worst director of all time, was made to prepare us for "Stargate."

One difference between film noir and more straightforward crime pictures is that noir is more open to human flaws and likes to embed them in twisty plot lines.

What makes people interesting is the spirit that shines through.

I am, beneath everything else, a fan. I was fixed in this mode as a young boy and am awed by people who take the risks of performance.

Cinema, for me, has always been something like music composed with photographic images.