John August’s Sweet 16

Sweet 16 is our rapid-fire Q&A series.


John August is a screenwriter best known for writing Big Fish, Go, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and other movies. He is also the co-host of the Scriptnotes podcast and forthcoming book—out on December 2 and available for preorder now!

John took time to answer our 16 questions about the movies and movie experiences that have made his life sweeter.


1. First movie you fell in love with

9 to 5

2. Last movie you fell in love with

Twinless

3. A movie scene you’ll never shake

Jennifer Lopez on the roof in Hustlers

4. A movie scene that never gets old

Ripley washing Newt’s face in Aliens

5. Favorite movie theater

The ArcLight in Hollywood (sigh)

6. Theater snack of choice

Basic-ass popcorn, nothing fancy

7. A performance that makes you laugh

Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids

8. A performance that makes you cry

Madonna’s Evita singing “You Must Love Me” in Evita

9. Favorite childhood movie memory

Seeing The Muppet Movie with my mom

10. Movie you’ll defend forevermore

Point Break (1991)

11. Movie you want to live in

The Spy Who Loved Me

12. Movie quote you use a lot

“We’re not in Kansas anymore.”

13. Favorite movie GIF:

(Honestly, I’m not a big gif user.)

14. Movie you want played at your funeral

If they’re screening one of my movies, it has to be Big Fish

15. Screenplay you wish you’d written

Clueless

16. Movie you’d pair with Scriptnotes

Because we have a special deep-dive chapter on it: Die Hard

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Paul Thomas Anderson movies, ranked by how much they make you cry in the shower

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Ken Vasoli of The Starting Line picks 5 movies to pair with ‘Eternal Youth’