James Gunn discusses the politics of ‘The Suicide Squad’
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James Gunn names his favourite movies and directors of all time
How long did it take for James Gunn to become one of the most important filmmakers of modern cinema? The answer; not long at all. Quickly rising the ranks of cultural pertinence, Gunn is responsible for such hits as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, helping to sculpt the superhero landscape by infusing his funny bone and unique taste for bombastic fun into both the Marvel and DC universes.
Whilst he is now a major filmmaker, his career started as a scriptwriter, taking his pen to several high-profile films including the much-beloved Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, as well as Dawn of the Dead by director Zack Snyder. His path to being a filmmaker was kickstarted in 2006, however, when he released the gooey horror comedy Slither, starring Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillion.
Becoming a figure of much public adoration, in 2016, Gunn treated his fans on Facebook by posting his ten “favourite directors and my favourite film by each of them”. Creating a buzz of fan excitement, the director named several predictable filmmakers along with a few idiosyncratic ones too.
Among the most influential names were Sergio Leone, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, with Gunn picking out the respective movies, Once Upon a Time in the West, Taxi Driver and Jaws as his favourites from their glittering filmography. A lover of horror and monster flicks, a similar approach to Spielberg’s shark movie can be seen in 2006’s Slither where Gunn explores a group of townsfolk setting out to stop a beast in its tracks.
Other such notable filmmakers on his list include Quentin Tarantino and his movie Jackie Brown, along with Francis Ford Coppola and his sequel, The Godfather: Part II. In addition, both David Cronenberg and Paul Greengrass get a mention, with Gunn opting for their movies The Brood and the 9/11 drama, United 93, which was nominated for Best Achievement in Directing in 2007.
Names such as Wong Kar Wai, Lukas Moodysson and Preston Sturges are perhaps a little more unpredictable, with Gunn being a lover of In the Mood for Love, Together and Hail the Conquering Hero.
Whilst Wai, the idiosyncratic Hong Kong filmmaker is fairly well-known, the Swedish novelist and filmmaker Lukas Moodysson has a good reputation in European cinema and Sturges was something of an icon throughout the golden age of Hollywood in the 1940s.
Take a look at the full list of James Gunn’s favourite movies and directors, below.
James Gunn’s favourite movies and directors of all time
- Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
- Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
- Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
- In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar Wai, 2000)
- Together (Lukas Moodysson, 2000)
- The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979)
- The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
- Hail the Conquering Hero (Preston Sturges, 1944)
- United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)
- Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997)
