Our world is so glutted with useless information, images, useless images, sounds, all this sort of thing. It's a cacophony, it's like a madness I think that's been happening in the past twenty-five years. And I think anything that can help a person sit in a room alone and not worry about it is good.
It seems to me that any sensible person must see that violence does not change the world and if it does, then only temporarily.
Any film, or to me any creative endeavour, no matter who you're working with, is, in many cases, a wonderful experience.
Very often I've known people who wouldn't say a word to each other, but they'd go to see movies together and experience life that way.
Working with HBO was an opportunity to experience creative freedom and 'long-form development' that filmmakers didn't have a chance to do before the emergence of shows like 'The Sopranos.'
It did remind me of something out of Greek mythology - the richest king who gets everything he wants, but ultimately his family has a curse on it from the Gods.
The fact that food plays such an important part in my films has everything to do with my family.
A lot of what I'm obsessed with is the relationship and the dynamics between people and the family, particularly brothers and their father.
The fact that food plays such an important part in my films has everything to do with my family.
Working with HBO was an opportunity to experience creative freedom and 'long-form development' that filmmakers didn't have a chance to do before the emergence of shows like 'The Sopranos.'
I love studying Ancient History and seeing how empires rise and fall, sowing the seeds of their own destruction.
There are two kinds of power you have to fight. The first is the money, and that's just our system. The other is the people close around you, knowing when to accept their criticism, knowing when to say no.
I think there's only one or two films where I've had all the financial support I needed. All the rest, I wish I'd had the money to shoot another ten days.
Young film makers should learn how to deal with the money and learn how to deal with the power structure. Because it is like a battle.
Very often I've known people who wouldn't say a word to each other, but they'd go to see movies together and experience life that way.
I've seen many, many movies over the years, and there are only a few that suddenly inspire you so much that you want to continue to make films.