What do filmmakers do when when they’re not making movies? Well, as Steven Soderbergh recently underscored quite heavily —they watch movies, among other things. And while James Gunn had a busy 2014 putting the finishing touches on the box office smash "Guardians Of The Galaxy" and then promoting the hell out of it, he did manage to catch a few movies, and he’s revealed what were his favorites across the last twelve months.
And while there’s no ranking per se, Gunn says "Whiplash" was his favorite film overall. As for the rest, it’s what you’d expect from someone who loves genre film. You’ll see some of the most acclaimed blockbusters of the year ("Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes," "Edge Of Tomorrow," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," "The Lego Movie"), along with some interesting indie and drama choices in "Begin Again" and "The Drop." We’re glad to see some love for the underrated "John Wick," but we bet there’s one movie you’re really wondering about: "Heaven Knows What."
It’s a film that Gunn saw as the president of the 2014 Tokyo International Film Festival Competition Jury, which awarded Josh and Benny Safdie’s picture the Grand Prix, and he was immediately taken with it. "I started watching it and I instantly was enraptured. It was a movie that was authentic, it was so alive. Listen, I’m a fan of street cinema and what’s called lowlife writing —the works of Charles Bukowski, William T. Vollman…I love all that stuff and this movie was one of the best instances of that in cinema I’ve seen. It’s up there with ‘Trainspotting‘ and ‘Drugstore Cowboy‘ and movies like that," Gunn told us an interview from the fest.
Check out the full list below and let us know what you think of Gunn’s favorites in the comments section.