Whiplash

SF: I'm going to have to find out if Miles Teller was a drummer before this film or not, because his playing is incredible. I had no plans to see this as the trailer didn't interest me but something about this film is truly compelling. The performances were fantastic, the pace is good, the characters could have more development but really you're so taken in by the music, don't think I'd want more, or even notice. The whole film is held together by just two characters and works so well you are totally drawn in, cringing and wincing along with Andrew. I can't really describe what I liked so much but I will say go see this, you won't be disappointed. 8/10

50Eggs: Awesome. The last music based film I saw was 'Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit', so you can imagine this isn't the sort of film that would ordinarily temp me to the cinema. So glad I did though as its 2 hours of intense, nail biting drama. JK Simmons deserves all the plaudits for his role as the conductor, but lets not forget Miles Teller who manages to get us to like his character, then hate him, before finishing somewhere between the two. 9/10

DonkeyB: I've liked this film more and more this week as I've got further away from having seen it. I think it is the best film about music I have ever seen, the final scene which is really just a ten minute drum solo perfectly captures what jazz is, the danger and thrilling tension had me on the edge of my seat. I've liked a lot of films we've seen this year but I don't often feel like I have to tell everyone I bump into how great they are (Boyhood excepted I will continue to tell everyone I ever meet how much I loved Boyhood). I found the parts in between the musical performances fell a bit flat but the further I get from having seen it, the more I think that is because of how extraordinary the tension in the music and J K Simmons performance is. 9/10

Overall: 8.8/10