Mastapiece

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2018)

Visuals: Nothing fantastic, but didn't have to be. It was sufficient and didnt negatively affect it at all. Some on stage shots look pretty good especially at the end in the third act. There's use of slowmo during some of the drumming scenes and it's to good effect. Seeing the blood vibrating on the drum face in slow motion really helps echo the perfection that Simmons character expects.
Audio: Music in the movie is fantastic. The only music you'll here is music being played by the characters and it definitely helps the movie. The main two songs the movie revolves around don't get boring even after hearing them multiple times. The mixing was actually realistic, and it sounded like actually being on stage every time it cut to a behind the shoulder shot of Tellers character. The car crash scene was particularly good. The whole scene after he gets in the crash, you hear the ringing like he does and it doesn't stop until the music starts going and Teller eventually fails. Small stuff like that really elevated it.
Plot: Movie is legitimately intriguing. Main character feels like he has something to prove (although it seems a little cliche at the family dinner scene). Social commentary was very shallow, but it didn't need to be anything special. Should be the benchmark for how to end a movie. Perfect resolution and doesn't need anything more or less. The main drive of the main character is to be the best, and J.K. Simmons tells him how this can be done. Then he does it, simple as that. He didn't need a happy ending with his family, or his girlfriend. He just did what he did for himself. The whole folder scene never gets resolved and we don't know how it disappears. It literally vanished in the time it took Miles teller to put two quarters in a soda machine and grab the drink. They never resolve it and it's only there to push the plot. A lot of people view this as a negative, but I think it adds to the experience. Not knowing who took it allows you to theorize who did and their motivations for doing so. Simmons character is he best if these because he's trying to see if Tellers character is legit. What might have just been an oversight turned into one of the best scenes in the movie for me.
Characters: J.K. Simmons is the best part of this movie. Every time he walks into a room or a scene,you know it's gonna be good. That's not to say the other performances weren't good. Miles Teller does pretty well too and does a good job in the final scene with the emotion he showed. Also he's a real good drummer for just learning for the movie.
Notes: Cannot stress how good J.K Simmons is in this enough. Seriously one of the best performances in the last 20 years.
++Performances (J.K Simmons)
+Music
+Third Act
+Interesting Plot
Overall: 10/10