Freewheelin

It was a weird question to ask him, since both instances were minor and well and truly dealt with in the past, but here's what he's referring to.

Fincher: PTA saw Fight Club right after his dad had died of cancer and hated how the movie (arguably) made light of the disease. In an interview he said "I wish David Fincher testicular cancer, for all of his jokes about it", but then retracted his comments shortly afterward:

Just to clarify: My comments about Fincher and Fight Club were stupid. Wishing anyone testicular cancer isn't funny and I did end up seeing the film. I had a problem with the violence and the cruelty -- I just couldn't get past it -- blah blah blah....I wrote a letter to Fincher apologizing for my comments.....he was cool about it.

Kevin Smith: Smith had a bit of a vendetta against Magnolia for a while there because it was getting award attention where Dogma was being ignored, and he said this about it:

”They sent me an Academy screener DVD [of ”Magnolia”] this week. I’ll never watch it again, but I will keep it. I’ll keep it right on my desk, as a constant reminder that a bloated sense of self-importance is the most unattractive quality in a person or their work.”

PTA never responded. A few years later, during one of his "An Evening with Kevin Smith" things (which doesn't seem to be on youtube anymore), Smith was asked about it and said that he ran into Paul at the doctor's a few years later and was struck by how nice and classy he was, didn't mention the Magnolia comments at all, and he said he now felt bad about dissing it.

Please make a film here! It only rains 95% of the time.

It was actually Leslie Manville speaking on his behalf.

Hi Don, It's Such A Beautiful Day changed my life, etc.

You've previously (in an interview at some point) said you've always considered yourself essentially a live-action filmmaker who happens to animate, and that your heroes are mostly live-action filmmakers. Why is it that you decided to take the animated route? Is it a route you'd recommend for aspiring writer-directors, regardless of their technical ability?

Also do you have plans to make something entirely live-action? Sorry if it's already common knowledge that you are/are not, I'm bad at keeping up with this kind of thing...Thanks!

I think it's also the first time he's actually answered that question. He's been asked a few times in the past.