John Cameron Mitchell

“Now, this is something I remember very well as a kid. Cooley High was a staple for us, especially Army kids. We loved this film and it was a hit. The other one that was a huge hit was Mother, Jugs & Speed, around the same time, and Car Wash. So I will be grabbing that.”

“Moonage Daydream. Of course, I’m wearing David Bowie today, and I’m going to be doing a David Bowie tour this year in Australia, so I have to get Moonage Daydream, which I still haven’t seen. I know I’m supposed to see it in IMAX, but this is just as good or next best.”

“I should get my favorite musical, really, which is All That Jazz by Bob Fosse. The film probably most responsible for the freedom of style in the Hedwig film was this film, Bob Fosse, an autobiographical classic.”

“You know, I never saw Multiple Maniacs. I think I need to get that one because John Waters is a friend and I feel terrible I haven’t seen this. He feels terrible that people have to watch it. He always jokes about grandma saying, 'I love your work.' And he’s like, 'Did you see Multiple Maniacs?'”

“A great film by Kore-eda, a Japanese filmmaker who I met right after this film. He loved Hedwig. I was there when someone told Kore-eda that the last film that Noah wanted to watch was a film that he helped, which was this. And Kore-eda just started weeping, A beautiful film about a possible afterlife that really is a metaphor for filmmaking. So I’ll definitely be taking After Life home, which will prepare me for my impending end.”

“This is Shampoo. Now, this is a classic ’70s comedy. Funny as hell. I find the women funnier than Warren Beatty, but that’s just me. Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant, brilliant. Also, the great Jack Warden. I love Jack Warden.”

“My own film. I really don’t know what to do with that. Actually, I need an extra copy. Ha! We are independent filmmakers, after all.”

“Network, which is the world we live in now. Sidney Lumet’s one of my tops, along with Altman and Cassavetes. And people forget about Lumet. He worked in very different styles. He came from the theater. But people like you to do the same style. It’s called a brand. But we theater people change depending on what the subject matter or the script is. And this is a perfect example of a highly theatrical screenplay done brilliantly.”

“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Combination of two geniuses, Paul Reubens and Tim Burton, making something absolutely unique, and yet somehow weirdly familiar, with a little bit of B-52s thrown in, maybe. And queer undertones. Just so damn good. And I can’t wait to see the extras on here, too.”

“I might have to get The Wes Anderson Archive, which is like a boom box of things, with the great Rushmore, of course.”

“The Cassavetes box set. I mean, the greatest independent filmmaker in America ever. And probably my favorite film ever is A Woman Under the Influence. There’s also an incredible doc about– like, a three-hour doc about how he worked, which was very singular, with the great Gena Rowlands, maybe the best film actress of all time.”

“All right, Pasolini, a queer icon, an intellectual icon, a Marxist icon in Italy. So moving, The Gospel According to Matthew. He was Catholic, but in the deepest way that is much closer to socialism, when you think about it. And that film– I remember Lazarus coming out of the tomb to the sound of an old American ancient blues song, and it somehow worked. Teorema, one of my favorite films... Of course, Mamma Roma, the great Anna Magnani. Brilliant Performance. Yeah, so this is great.”