Riding a wave of critical good will that began at Fantastic Fest ‘07 and continued through this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo’s zippy Timecrimes finally arrives commercially this weekend. Recalling both Philip K. Dick and David Cronenberg (who, along with Steve Zaillian, has been mentioned as a possible helmer for a planned English Language remake), this time bending thriller is the brain child of the ever prolific master of the low-fi, who spoke with us about wanting to adapt Steven King, his favorite genre traditions and getting Gasper Noe a time machine.

What films or television shows have you seen recently?

I try to update my tastes, but I’m also a fan of some classics. Recently I’ve seen the awesome last season of The Shield and re-watched The Prisoner.

Which ones stuck with you and why?

The Prisoner, for example, is a series that sums up all the modern counterculture. It’s awesome. At the same time, modern shows like Lost and The Shield are opening doors to new kinds of storytelling. That’s so cool!

How, if at all, does your interest in and appreciation of your favorite types of cinema inform your own work as a director?

I love genre traditions that dare to experiment with substance and form, like the Giallo, the spaghetti and the Hitchcockian thriller tradition. When a movie like De Palma’s Body Double is so funny and, and at the same time, deals with complicated stuff like the nature of point of view…that’s perfect as inspiration.

How often do you read fiction?

Reading fiction (comic books and novels) is my first hobby. The one that takes the most time and money from me. I’ve been lately enjoying videogames — which can be called another kind of fiction.

What would be your ideal literary adaptation and why?

I’d love so much to adapt contemporary horror writers like Lovecraft and Stephen King. I think they haven’t been taken to the screen with the amount of realism that books demand.

How, if at all, has literature informed your work as a director?

Absolutely. For example, genres like science-fiction have been taken to the edge mostly in literature. Movies have been lazier in this sense. Most of the time books dare to challenge customers more than movies.

What are you listening to recently?

I’ve discovered so late LCD Soundsystem. I’m amazed (and a bit embarrassed).

If you could collaborate with one musician on a film, who would it be and why?

I’d love to work with Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave or James Murphy. They know about pop excellence and unique textures at the same time.

What would be the ideal pairing of filmmaker and musician for a concert film?

I’d love to see Gaspar Noe shooting a Suicide Live concert in the seventies. Yes, he would need a time machine…