I devoted myself to writing for years without representation or a promise of anything. And there were times when I felt quite down about my prospects.

The brutality that can take place in a crime film heightens the tenderness that can also be there.

I don't have to go into outer space to write about an astronaut.

My M.F.A was in directing, and all the films I've made, for film school and after, I've written, directed and shot.

New Year's Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.

I think Steve Wynn, who was like my mentor and a second father, has been a great inspiration. He's a great mentor because he's a guy who's had great business success but also has always been driven by creativity - and inspired creativity.

If you can't find your inspiration by walking around the block one time, go around two blocks-but never three.

I want people to be true to themselves and believe in themselves. I want people to stop looking to celebrity idols and look to themselves instead, because we need real people to inspire us.