I think as an American society when we're paying too many taxes or dealing with war we don't want to see sad things at the movies.

Movies as evidenced by a chorus of protesting and celebrating Americans influence broader trends.

If military movies were automatically successful we'd make nothing but military movies. But seriously patriotism is one thing that all Americans have in common.

When we talk about Oscars it's almost as a symbol of excellence and the American public and the worldwide public accept that symbol. So a movie like 'The Artist' that costs $14 million has to go out and compete with movies that cost $140 million. How does David deal with Goliath?

We can now have action movies with two stars where one might be African American and one might be Asian American. One of them doesn't have to be white and the other one doesn't have to be the ethnic sidekick. We're way over that. And I think it's happening in society too.

I was sick and tired of being an English actor who did a lot of American movies because I was cheap and good.

I look at American movies the big muscles and try to apply that to Chinese film-making.

The whole world loves American movies blue jeans jazz and rock and roll. It is probably a better way to get to know our country than by what politicians or airline commercials represent.

Citizen Kane is perhaps the one American talking picture that seems as fresh now as the day it opened. It may seem even fresher.

I get up at an unholy hour in the morning my work day is completed by the time the sun rises. I have a slightly bad back which has made an enormous contribution to American literature.

Congressman Berg will repeatedly talk about Harry Reid and Barack Obama and I find it interesting because this morning when I woke up and brushed my teeth I looked in the mirror and I did not see a tall African-American skinny man. So let's make it clear that my priorities are North Dakota priorities.

This morning in the Washington Post there was a statistic about how 85% of Americans are Christians.

Probably millions of Americans got up this morning with a cup of coffee a cigarette and a donut. No wonder they are sick and fouled up.

I blend my green drink every morning. I also fix my son a full-on American breakfast with bacon and toast.

It's a privilege to serve the poor to be servants of noble Africans but I better belong in the rehearsal room or in the studio with my band. That's where I want to be and I still wake up in the morning with melodies in my head.

And this President wakes up every morning looks out across America and is proud to announce 'It could be worse.' It could be worse? Is that what it means to be an American? It could be worse? Of course not. What defines us as Americans is our unwavering conviction that we know it must be better.

If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings then there are undoubtedly several million fascists in the United States.

Our American friends offer us money arms and advice. We take the money we take the arms and we decline the advice.

As Americans we realize that there is no taxpayer money that wasn't first earned through the sweat and toil of one of our citizens.

I pity the French Cinema because it has no money. I pity the American Cinema because it has no ideas.

In the seventies a group of American artists seized the means not of production but of reproduction. They tore apart visual culture at a time of no money no market and no one paying attention except other artists. Vietnam and Watergate had happened everything in America was being questioned.

American men as a group seem to be interested in only two things money and breasts. It seems a very narrow outlook.

If we think we have ours and don't owe any time or money or effort to help those left behind then we are a part of the problem rather than the solution to the fraying social fabric that threatens all Americans.

The more money an American accumulates the less interesting he becomes.