Director J.J. Abrams recently discussed some of his favorite movies on TCM.

There were some notable picks from the Star Wars director and some insightful comments that reveal how these movies inspired his filmmaking, The Hollywood Reporter mentions.

J.J. Abrams reveals some of his favorite classic films for TCM

He went through a few of them in detail.

You Cant' Take It With You (1938) is a Frank Capra film he called a sibling film to It's a Wonderful Life. He talks about a lot of the cast being the same (including the raven). “It's sweet and charming,” he said.

As for the Warren Beatty film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), the director had a lot of praise for the iconic film. He said it “portrayed violence in a way that had not typically been seen in American cinema and really ushered in a new age of bold graphic storytelling in a way that you really hadn't seen before.”

The movie Shampoo (1975) reminded him of growing up in Los Angeles during the 1970s. To this movie, he said, “It just feels like Los Angeles in that era, that late 1960s, early 1970s vibe.”

The director also included This is Spinal Tap (1984), the Rob Reiner film about a band that doesn't exist but was filmed as a mockumentary. “It's so accurate. If you spent time with bands, you know, this is what's real,” he said.

Finally, he chose A Night at the Opera (1935) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

J.J. Abrams is known for many memorable films and television, including Lost, Felicity, and Alias. It's interesting to know what films inspired him. Now to watch his TCM picks…