Simmons is mesmerising

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2015)

The theme in 'Whiplash' could apply to anything at all in the world almost and I think that's part of what has made the film so popular. The movie chooses drumming as the subject for this particular story but showcases it in a way that makes people think "wow, I wonder if I had someone to push me at *insert hobby/passion* and I was willing to devote my life to it, could I be the greatest of all time?" It's an interesting notion. The answer sadly for 99.9% of people would still be no, but what's to stop them trying? Was the character in the movie ever going to be one of the greatest of all time? That's up for the viewer to decide but it doesn't even really matter. What matters is that he had both the person to drive him and also the capability to devote himself to it. So one way or the other, he was going to find out.
J.K Simmons has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at the the Academy Awards for his role in 'Whiplash' and is almost certainly to win. And rightly so. He is absolutely perfect in his role with shades of R. Lee Ermey in 'Full Metal Jacket' coming to mind. Every scene he is in is captivating to watch. We the viewer are actually as nervous as the characters are supposed to be at what his character will say or do to them next. A real pleasure to watch.
The film is far from being simply for music lovers. I was surprised how entertaining I actually found the whole thing. A lot of the scenes (mainly the ones with Simmons) were very funny in quite a dark way but also Miles Teller played his role very well and was enjoyable to watch. The final scene is absolutely brilliant and tops off the movie perfectly. A deserved nominee for Best Picture without a doubt.