Top 90 Quotes & Sayings by Bennett Miller - Page 2

I think, when I meet a person, in general, it's not my habit to conclude anything about people. Not completely. Even people you know well constantly remain open.

A lot of the time, excess on a film set is just damaging.

I like to have something that I can challenge common-sense notions about, challenge the apparent truths, and really look past the many faces of a thing to see what's behind it.

If you have a vision for something, things are navigable. If it gets fuzzy, then obstacles become much more formidable.

I am attracted to these outsider characters who just don't belong anywhere, and who are operating in worlds they sort of don't fit, coupled with huge ambitions.

I'm attracted to stories of people who don't belong together, who embark on something and find themselves in places they don't belong.

My films are inquiries. I've chopped down all the signposts, I really resist taking moral positions.

I think Will Ferrell is probably completely evil, the darkest of them all. He is known among comics as the dark knight. An evil, evil man and a dangerous soul.

You can recognize almost immediately if the film you're watching is the product of some kind of a hive mind or the result of a personal vision and genuine collaborations. 'Manchester by the Sea' reminds us of the potential of the latter and, for that reason, is the kind of work that makes me, as a filmmaker, want to continue. It's inspiring.

I am and always have been fascinated with people, and I have a very good time coming up with the narratives of people's lives, exploring how a person thinks and feels.

I'm interested in telling stories that add up to more than the entertainment of the story. That's what does it for me.

I think it's fair to ask how truthful a film is as opposed to how factual it is.

As a filmmaker, you want people to understand and get what you do, and it's a lot to ask for.

I'm actually not a big reader.

Filmmaking requires the participation and cooperation of many people. It's unrealistic to expect that you're not going to be challenged by unforeseeable forces from every direction.

I know what it's like to be genuinely intrigued and compelled by a story and to have a sense that there's an adventure to be had and a film to be conjured.

I do have that compulsion to organize moments into a larger thing.

One of the biggest turnoffs is being presented with an idea that's already, to a degree, complete. That's not an adventure, and it's not a learning experience. It's more of a chore. Then you become a technician with taste, as opposed to an explorer and an author.

What I will say - one thing that is attractive about getting a real film made within the studio system is that studio systems, with their marketing and distribution, have real power.

As a filmmaker, one tends to want to evolve evermore towards a place of independence.

There is a paradox in politics that what it takes to get elected is not necessarily what it takes to govern, and my feeling is that trying to control things too much feels icky to me.

Kenny Lonergan, as a filmmaker, doesn't tell stories so much as he observes them, which is to say, his films don't come pre-digested. You have to bring your own enzymes. It's a more gripping and challenging experience.

If something is to be quietly powerful, it requires more balance than a film that allows for more freneticism.

My entire life can fit into a knapsack.

I like to rehearse. We did a lot of rehearsals for 'Moneyball,' but it is really individual to the actor. It's not like, 'Here is my process, everybody. Fit in.'

I don't have many rules, but one of them is, 'Do not make a movie you yourself would not want to see.'

My nature is to try and look past apparent truths, to pull back layers and understand the psychological motives behind phenomena.

If you find yourself considering a project that seems like a layup, then you're diluted, or that movie's probably not the right movie for you to be making.

I feel like what I'm after is not easy for me to find, and to want it to be easy... it would be absurd for me to have that ambition.

Film as a medium, like a novel as a medium, possesses a unique ability to communicate. Film is capable of communicating in a way that no other medium can, and I would say the same for the novel.