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