Whiplash
Dir: Damien Chazelle
2014
*****
Everything about Damien Chazelle's Whiplash is sublime. Chazelle knows his music, his passion and knowledge is obvious. I've always rated JK Simmons too so I suppose my only reservation regarding the film was whether Miles Teller could deliver the performance required. He really did. Whiplash is a total surprise, only because one does not expect a really intense thriller from such an ordinary subject. It's so much more than the 'Fame without the cheese' story that I was expecting and far more thrilling than I would ever expect a film about playing a musical instrument could ever be. To project that intensity to so many people who don't play the drums is remarkable, add some of the most strikingly beautiful film work I have seen for a long time and you have yourself something quite special. Then add an unforgettable and profound performance and one of the best final sequences to a film of all time and you have yourself a masterpiece.