Whiplash

When I learned that Whiplash was coming to Montreal, I got very excited. The movie has been in limited release for months and I was afraid that I would never get to see it in cinemas. Well, after finally having seen it, I have to say that Whiplash is definitely one of the best films of 2014!

The story follows Andrew, a student who is obsessed with becoming one of the great drummers in history as he faces the single toughest teacher ever put to screen. I really loved the plot of Whiplash. It wasn't really what I expected. I won't spoil anything, but there are a couple of twists that worked amazingly. The finale was the best finale of the year, and maybe one of my favourite endings ever! You'll know what I'm talking about when you see the film.

The acting in this film is some of the best I've seen all year. Miles Teller gives a brilliant performance and actually learned how to play the drums for this film! That's extremely impressive, considering how he plays in the film. J. K. Simmons is... wow. J. K. Simmons gives one of the best performances of the year, and must win Best Supporting Actor. His character was so brutal yet so believable. I felt his presence each time he entered a room. The rest of the supporting cast were basically background characters for the two leads, but they all did fine jobs.

The writing in this movie is (I keep repeating myself) some of the best of the year. The scenes where Andrew and Fletcher (the teacher) were talking were incredibly intense and kept me on the edge of my seat. The dialogue was brutal and often hilarious. Director Damien Chazelle directed this movie to near perfection with beautiful cinematography and some fantastic shots.

The reason that Whiplash effected me so much was because of how intense the whole film was and the ideas it brought up. I was actually shaking at one point at just two characters talking. Whiplash is really about ones passion for an art form, and the extremes they could go to. I could relate to this with my love for movies, and that nobody really understands it.

I was going to give Whiplash a 9/10, but then I realized that the movie was flawless. I could not thing of one single problem with this movie! That rarely happens for me, so to that, I say bravo!

Overall, Whiplash is an intense and flawless film with amazing characters and some of the best acting I've seen all year. See it ASAP!