Cameron Crowe

“How can we forget Amy Heckerling’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High? Had a little something to do with that. I was lucky enough to have my screenplay filmed by Amy, who really wanted to protect the authenticity of the high-school experience. Not a fantasized version of it, but an often raw and realistic, aching version of what it is to be young in the early ’80s. Thank you, Amy. I’ll take this with me.”

“This is one of my favorite movies of the last years. This is Worst Person in the World, which I think really redefined the romantic comedy in such a beautiful way. The performances are incredible, the structure is amazing. And one of my favorites is the moment where “Healing” by Todd Rundgren takes over and you have a beautiful moment where time stops and our leading lady runs to find the true bubbling love of her life in a way that’s so original it took my breath away. And I revisit this movie a lot. Thank you for this copy of Worst Person in the World.”

“Yi Yi. Yi Yi is a movie that takes its time to bring you its magic. A moment in time where you are part of a family and an experience, and nobody’s rushing you, but they’re taking you to a place owned by themselves. The characters all kind of give you their lives in just the quiet moments in between the dialogue. And it’s my favorite kind of movie. An elixir that takes over.”

“Carnal Knowledge, for me… Right here. Carnal Knowledge had performances that I saw growing up, and it made me know that raw, personal filmmaking could be invigorating in a way that I was not aware. And also, once again, Mike Nichols will keep the camera on a performance and let you live through the character. You don’t have to rush things. You know enough about the character, all you have to do is watch the face and the face will tell you what they’re thinking. That’s so true of Nicholson, and Art Garfunkel’s performance is thrilling. And I always think about Carnal Knowledge as one of the great experiences in a theater. And this one lasts forever.”

“For my last pick, I’m going to pick out at random. Yes, Medium Cool. Medium Cool I have not seen for a very long time. My mom took me to see Medium Cool as a little guy, a film by Haskell Wexler. And I remember Medium Cool was a film that looked like a world I didn’t know and I wanted to step into that world. And thank you for reuniting me with a beautiful copy of Medium Cool.”

“I love Monterey Pop. In a world where a lot of people try and do period movies and try and imagine what it’s like to be in the ’60s and what an audience would be like in the ’60s, Monterey Pop is the best examination and the best kind of footage of real life at the time, and it captures that feel in the air. And also the faces are incredible. So Monterey Pop is a moment in time that lasts forever. I love it.”

“And I am going to hold up this mighty collection and say I can’t wait to have this on my shelf. I first met Wes when we were both working in the same building, at Gracie Films. He was doing Bottle Rocket, I was working on Jerry Maguire. And I saw the first cut of Bottle Rocket, which had classical music in it. And the one thing I knew is that Wes had been listening to great rock in his office. So my one note that I gave to him is, “Why don’t you have a rock sensibility in this film?” He said, “I’m going to try it.” And he did. And Wes’s marriage of movie and music thrills me to this moment. This is a generous collection that I am so happy to have.”