An Oscar-winning writer-director, Gondry is known for trippy music videos and mind-bending films including " Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. " His latest is " Be Kind Rewind, " a comedy about video-store employees who reshoot classic films. His list:

My Five Most Important Movies

1. "L'Atalante." Full of surrealism without being part of the surrealist group, it's the most poetic love story told on film.

2. "The Great Dictator." Shot before America was clearly against the Nazi regime, it shows Chaplin once again on the side of good.

3. "Le Voyage en Ballon." The first film I ever saw was this simple tale of an inventor traveling across France in a balloon.

4. "Groundhog Day." The perfect example of an accessible comedy with an incredibly smart concept. Bill Murray is a genius.

5. "Stuck on You." I saw it after my girlfriend abandoned me, and I totally felt like Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear: separated twins.

A film that you return to again and again: It's not a film, but "Mr. Show," an HBO comedy series from the 1990s. I'm addicted to it and I know it by heart. It's still so complicated and unique.

A film you hope parents will show their children: Well, my son watches a lot of Stanley Kubrick, but I wouldn't really advocate that. "Le Voyage en Ballon"? Like pure poetry, it gives you the feeling of flight.