Whiplash (9.5/10)

This was an incredible movie that told the story of two characters that pushed each other over their limits. And in actual fact, it pushed the two actors to give the performances of their lifetime.

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, who was so smart in choosing his perfect shots. Every frame with J. K. Simmons in it was gold. The little nuances in his facial expressions and body language, even without dialogue or speech; they told the story, the mood, the character. Simmons didn't even need to talk, his eyes could say so much; and Chazelle was so on-point when directing and capturing Simmons.

The same was with Miles Teller. Again, credit to Chazelle for he knew how to bring the best out of his performers. And without Teller's raw energy to bring such a talented and hungry character to life; there would not have been the existence of Simmons' performance as well.

Chazelle's storytelling, from that first shot in the opening of the movie with Teller on the drums from a corridor, it absorbed the audience's attention. The pacing was so engaging that I could watch this movie for another half-hour. But no, it was perfect at where it ended.

The only thing that I thought was lacking was the sub-plot of Teller's personal life with his family members, which we only saw in one sequence, as well as with his love interest played by Melissa Benoist. Granted that the focus of the movie were never on these topics, however, if they had been fleshed out just a little bit more, perhaps another scene or two, would have made the existing shots less jarring.

I also thought that when the Studio Band was performing and Chazelle wanted to show some shots of the band or the instruments in action, the choices of shots didn't come off too smoothly. But this is me nitpicking.

I really loved this movie from start to finish. To experience the motive and drive of Simmons' character, and the ethics of his methods; by the end of the movie you wouldn't know to side with this character or not. And that's the beauty of this story.