Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) recently gave Esquire his top 10 films of 2014. We adore our mate Edgar (we are mates; we’ve talked to him and stuff) and took great interest in comparing our opinions of this year’s great films with his – the results aren’t all that different either.
Boyhood
What he said: “It felt like several lives flashing before my eyes and I left the cinema wondering if I had done everything I could with the last 12 years of my life.”
What we said: “Captures the incredible complexity, richness and emotion of every one of our unique lives in the process.”
The Grand Budapest Hotel
What he said: “[Wes Anderson] makes possibly his best movie: a funny, emotional, beautiful bauble of a movie.”
What we said: “It’s satisfying to see this level of craftsmanship applied to a film that is often so silly it’s a pure delight to watch.”
Birdman
What he said: “I felt so inspired by watching this movie. It reaches for the sky and never comes back down to earth.”
What we said: Umm… technically we haven’t reviewed it yet, but let’s go with “Good movie is good.”
Snowpiercer
What he said: “With great action, savage satire, and horrific protein bars, it’s a real ride of a movie.”
What we said: “Bonkers, goofy, cartoonish, creative… presents so much inventiveness around every corner.”
Interstellar
What he said: “Chris Nolan’s most personal movie is also the best argument for seeing films on a giant silver screen.”
What we said: “[A] triumph of the imagination where the wondrous universe is the true star.”
Nightcrawler
What he said: “A blackly funny, deadly satire on the media creatures who only come out at night in LA.”
What we said: “This is Gyllenhaal’s film: his best since Zodiac, which it closely resembles.”
Under the Skin
What he said: “Hypnotic, unsettling, and haunting, Jonathan Glazer’s arty science-fiction opus is one that hasn’t left my thoughts eight months later.”
What we said: “A psychedelic, surreal sci-fi, a hidden-camera portrait of Glasgow, and showcase for a stunning performance by Scarlett Johansson.”
The LEGO Movie
What he said: “A truly inspired comic adventure about individualism, imagination, and the creative spirit.”
What we said: “So joyously creative, so continuously hilarious and so hyper-aware of what it means to play with LEGO.”
Whiplash
What he said: “J.K. Simmons is the great cinematic monster of the year, truly terrifying…”
What we said: “As a stress-inducing exercise in cinematic asphyxiation, Whiplash is this year’s Gravity.”
Edge of Tomorrow
What he said: “The smartest movie of the summer… breakneck pace, looping action, and brilliant editing.”
What we said: “A tough, thrilling caper… remembers to stimulate viewers’ brains as well as their eyes.”
