“Redbelt” is not a martial arts movie. Instead, it takes a look at timeless themes such as honor and respect through the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the fast-growing sport of mixed martial arts–two subjects that have never been featured in a film before–David Mamet

?¢¬Ä¬úI was in Oman and in Lebanon, two amazing countries. I was struck by how little I knew about the region, about the people, about the culture. Our country is so involved politically and militarily there, but with all the news and the headlines and the drama, we can forget that there are human beings on both sides of this. How can I eliminate that a little bit That always is my call to arms?¢¬Ä–Tom McCarthy

?¢¬Ä¬úJason Segel went away to Hawaii, and he actually wrote a hilarious script. From the get-go, everyone was shocked at just how good it was. He is just so funny as a guy desperately in love, jealous and insane?¢¬Ä–Judd Apathow

“I?¢¬Ä¬ôm fascinated by corruption in law enforcement and what can happen psychologically to someone trusted to exercise deadly force. Giving someone the potential to take a human life is incredible power and I like to explore what change the perpetrators of violence, even if it?¢¬Ä¬ôs on our behalf, undergo psychologically?¢¬Ä–David Ayer

“Growing up during the 1960s in San Francisco Chinatown, Flower Drum Song was the first English-language film I ever saw in a theater. It was booked in a neighborhood movie house where I usually saw only Chinese imports from Hong Kong. This was a big event: the theater was packed with all sorts of Chinese folks and there was a communal buzz in the air. What a treat to gather together and see Chinese characters, even if they weren‚Äôt all played by Chinese, in a widescreen Hollywood musical”–Arthur Dong