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" I've been a huge fan of Hal Ashby forever. And I think that the distinctive thing about 'Coming Home' is the love story, and how - kind of emotionally real it is, and how these two characters allow each other to see their - kind of vulnerabilities. And it's great because it's a love story that's not really that cheesy, either. "

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" I always look at myself as kind of a work in progress. I hope that's not always the case. But for me, every film is a learning experience. "

Jonathan Levine

Learning

Work

Myself

" There's so often - in filmmaking, you're backed into something that already has these set parameters, whether it's a sequel or a book that people love. "

" I'm always walking around with headphones on, creating my own soundtracks to whatever the day is. I think I have a poppy sensibility. "

" Do I wish I was Martin Scorsese? Yeah. But am I really proud of the movies I've made and really happy that I get to keep making them? Yes. "

" After 'Mandy Lane,' I didn't really know what to do because I didn't know anyone who'd made a feature yet. "

" I used to obsess on critical reactions to my films, and it's really not a healthy way to live your life, so my new take on it is simply, 'I hope people like it!' I'm not going to be looking at the tomato meter for at least a year! I was very lucky on '50/50' that most critics really liked it. "

" As I continue to evolve as a filmmaker, I'm going to continue to do different stuff. "

" For me, I just value my friendships so much. I mean, I love my family, too, but my friends - I have a really special connection with my friends. "

" I really like it when movies take a song and use it to counterpoint a scene. "

Jonathan Levine

Scene

Movies

" I definitely think New York is a very, very vibrant, wonderful city, but I certainly, of course, can't help but miss a lot of the stuff that's no longer there. "

" As a director, there's no natural career progression. So after 'The Wackness,' which was very personal to me, I was very, very picky about what I was going to do next, to the point where I think that I was almost too picky. "

" I was Paul Schrader's assistant for six months before I went to film school, and he's very much about knowing what's going to happen on every page before you even start writing dialogue - the entire plot and character arcs are mapped out. "

" I think I'm always conscious of not letting things fit into a specific box. Being a filmmaker and trying to chart a career, you never want anyone to be able to pigeonhole you into one specific thing. "

" I think people will always want to go see a movie, whether it's a comedy and you want to see it and laugh with people, or whatever. "

" In rehearsals, I like to create an honest environment that is kinda free and fun. "

" Genre is a really great shorthand you can have with an audience. In the same way you can use music to create a connection with an audience, it brings so much of their knowledge of what genre really is to the table. You have a shortcut to connect with them. I really like that. "

" For me, the best high school movie is, like, 'Fast Times' and what Cameron Crowe is like. "

Jonathan Levine

Fast

School

" I feel like comedy is where I'm most at ease, but I also have an allergy to silly jokes. "

Jonathan Levine

Silly

Jokes

" I used to drive a convertible around L.A. a lot. "

" I kind of viewed '50/ 50' and 'Warm Bodies' both as my next films after 'The Wackness.' In my head, I was just like, 'I'll try the big, fun, adventure-weird movie, and I'll do the small, heartfelt comedy-drama, and one of them will probably work out, and I'll get to work more.' "

" I just think a lot of movies are too long. I want to know how to make my movie as tight as possible. "

" For me, it's always more interesting to look at things when you don't really have a horse in the race, so to speak. "

Jonathan Levine

Look

Speak

" I was intimidated by Malkovich for, like, a couple of days, and then I wasn't. He's awesome. He's so cool. He was so wonderful to work with. "

Jonathan Levine

Awesome

Work

" I've had a couple of family members deal with cancer, and I remember that moment where they're going into surgery, and you just have no idea what's going to happen, and it's really scary. "

" There are things that I can tell my friends that I just can't tell my family, just as far as how I'm feeling about things. My friends know me the best in a certain way. I just think old friends are really, really important. "

Jonathan Levine

Old Friends

Family

" For whatever reason, the films I gravitate towards do have these strange sort of tonal balances to them... I kind of realized on '50/ 50' why I liked these blending of tones, because I think it's kind of what life is like: funny one minute, sad the next, scary the next. "

" I was actually shooting 'Warm Bodies' on the day that '50/50' came out, which I don't recommend to other filmmakers because I was sort of a wreck. Actually, it was good for me, because I had work to do, so I couldn't obsess all day and be checking how '50/50' was doing! "

" That's the great thing about being a director. You have your list of things you have to worry about and things you don't have to worry about. If you can hire someone or cast someone who equates to not having to worry about, it's great! "

" Usually, the kills are almost Wile E. Coyote kind of things in horror movies. "

" If you know how to shoot a scene, then you know how to shoot an action scene. If you've seen an action movie, and you watched it, and you paid attention to how scenes are constructed and where the camera is and how the camera moves, then you know how to do it. "