25. Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn)
Its just such a unique spin on the super hero genre. Very fresh and relentlessly energetic. The kind of movie you can watch over and over again.

24. Filth (Jon S. Baird)
Its just so filthy, you know. Filthy and cool, and uhm filthy.

23. Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt)
Very cool and masterfully directed drama.

22.. X-Men: Days of Future Past (Bryan Singer)
Very smart, and directed with class and attention to plot and characters than I’ve ever seen in recent super hero films. And just awesome action sequences.

21. Captain America: Winter Soldier (Russo Brothers)
I just love it when big budget movies are more about characters, plot and story telling than CGI and explosions. Like the directors are trying to compensate for something.

20. Calvary (John Michael McDonagh)
Because its such a beautiful film. Philosophical but not pretentious philosophical. And because Brendan Gleeson could never do wrong. Like ever.

19. Noah (Darren Aranofsky)
This is Aranofsky having fun. This is him in his element having a laugh with all the visual symbolisms and gnostic allegories that has become his signature over time. Anyone expecting to see a biblical interpretation of Noah will be grossly disappointed.

18. Enemy (Denis Villeneuve)
Because Denis Villeneuve is such a Master and an artist. And his ability to weave the most sincere and heart wrenching stories is almost second to one.

17. 22 Jump Street (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)
Hahahaha Because its such a hilarious movie. And its a sequel that makes fun of itself being a sequel. I mean who does that. Brilliant!

16. Cold in July (Jim Mickle)
Its just one of those movies that sneak up on you.

15. Cold Comes the Night (Tze Chun)
Anything, and I mean anything with Bryan “Walter White” Cranston in it is awesome. That’s all.

14. Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)
Because its shockingly brilliant.

13. Raid 2: Berandal (Gareth Evans)
If you saw Raid: Redemption and thought that was the shit. Watch Raid 2. I have no words, but Wow.

12. Jodorowsky’s Dune (Frank Pavich)
Even though its a documentary, but its special. and a gem. An insight into what is quite possibly the greatest film never made. And cinephiles get to see the Master Guru Alejandro Jodorowsky in a rare light. Something of a gift and a treasure to cinema.

11.Omar (Hany Abu-Assad)
One of the greatest foreign language films you’ll ever see.

10. Borgman (Alex van Warmerdam)
Because its one of those films that leaves you starring at the screen in shock, long after the credits start rolling.

9. Joe (David Gordon Green)
Joe is such a beautiful film. and the directing is classic David Gordon Green. Southern. Deep. And we get to see Nicholas Cage in one of his greatest performances of recent memory. Makes you go “Ah. that’s the Cage I know. That’s the guy who won an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas.”

8. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch)
Because Jim Jarmusch is such a Master. and every film he gives us is a gift. And the fact that we little filmmakers are privileged to be in the same profession as him.

7. Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
If you saw Sexy Beast by Jonathan Glazer you would understand the frequency at which this man operates. Under the Skin is the kind of film you see and wish you had made.

6. Maps to the Stars (David Cronenberg)
Cronenberg is definitely one of the living Masters. Maps to the Stars proves that.

5. The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam)
Terry Gilliam is one of those filmmakers who can never do wrong in my book. The Zero Theorem is Gilliam in his finest, most eccentric, most ambitious element.

4. Snowpiercer (Bong Joon-ho)
Bong Joon-ho is a filmmaker genius! And genius in the true definition of the word. Not like the way people use it anyhow these days. Snowpiercer is everything a film ought to be. Engaging, Suspenseful, and Unpredictable.

3. Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
Filmed for 32 days in a 12 year period, Boyhood is such a work of genius that there are hardly any words to qualify it. The beauty of Boyhood isn’t just in its story, acting and directing though it has all that in crazily immense amounts. The beauty of Boyhood is its subtlety. You get to watch 12 years in the lives of all The actors and get to see them transform before your very eyes. Its coming-of-age like you’ve never seen. This one will go on to become Masterpiece.

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
Wes Anderson is quirky, hilarious, eccentric and we love him for it. The Grand Budapest Hotel doesn’t fail to impress. With its classic Anderson lush scenery, colours, cinematography and over the top performances – you just never get weary. Its a near perfect work of cinema.

1. The Dance of Reality (Alejandro Jodorowsky)
And this for me was the best film of 2014. The Master Guru Alejandro Jodorowsky comes out from a 23 year hiatus to make a film and he kills it. In The Dance of Reality, Jodorowsky goes full throttle in his occultic, theological and
philosophical style. He asks all the big questions. Some he attempts to answer, and others he let’s you answer. The Dance of Reality is just gorgeous and funny and so brilliant. That’s all.

Worthy mentions (These are films that didn’t make the top 25 cut, but are brilliant in their own rights. Therefore worthy of mention)
Ping Pong Summer (Michael Tully)
Godzilla (Garreth Edwards)
Oculus (Mike Flanagan)
Kid Cannabis (John Stockwell)
The Lego Movie (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)
Devil’s Due (Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin)

Regrets (These are films that I haven’t seen yet, but general consensus say that they’re brilliant works of art)
Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu)
Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller)
Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Gone Girl (David Fincher)
Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)
Selma (Ava DuVernay)
Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski)
Dear White People (Justin Simien)
Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
The Babadook (Jennifer Kent)
Venus in Fur (Roman Polanski)