If I hadn’t seen Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie” at a young age, it’s hard to imagine how my life might have changed.

Not to undersell the influence of my parents and those who actually knew me. But without Richard Donner directing Superman, I might never have opened a comic shop, worked at a newspaper, written a movie. For someone I’ve never met, Richard Donner had an outsized influence on my life. For that matter, without the Superman films, Annette and I might never have dated, which would change a lot over the course of more than two decades of marriage and three kids!

Other Donner movies have meant a lot to me, as well — if you watch “The Posthuman Project” you’ll probably see a little bit of “The Goonies” influence — but “Superman: The Movie” is practically part of my DNA. So I guess what I’m saying is, thank you, Richard Donner. RIP.

You made me believe a man could fly.