That was the Reagan era, and it was a great time for those kinds of movies ... a time when we wanted larger-than-life heroes.

At the time I came along, Hollywood's idea of teen movies meant there had to be a lot of nudity, usually involving boys in pursuit of sex, and pretty gross overall. Either that or a horror movie. And the last thing Hollywood wanted in their teen movies was teenagers!

Really, we were six or seven years into the AIDS epidemic at that time, and I think it was a move that offered an acceptance. You know, sometimes movies are great because I think they can precondition society for acceptance, and I think when they do that we're really at the statesmanship level of film-making.

I don't take the movies seriously, and anyone who does is in for a headache.

It looks like a fun and exciting time at the movies, which people seem to be going for these days -- nothing really deep or meaningful, or too heavy.

I see about three movies a year, so I'm not a film critic, ... But this movie is a powerful work of art. It shows how ordinary events and lives become something profound.