Grade: A
Whiplash is a worthy bookend to Birdman, my other favorite Best Picture nominee. Those who thought Birdman was too “out there” would probably enjoy Whiplash more – it’s closer to a conventional movie, yet still off-beat enough (you will get the pun that was not intended if you see the film). JK Simmons plays the meanest, roughest band teacher I’ve ever seen; he is Mr. Holland from hell. Sometimes, when an actor wins an award, it can often be more that the character is so great and not so much the performance. Here, the character is one of the most memorable I’ve seen this year, and luckily as well, nobody could play it like Simmons, an actor I’ve been familiar with since Broadway’s Guys and Dolls in 1992. He is not a one-dimensional hard-ass. He instills fear, laughter, wisdom, and so much more as we are taken through some surprising twists and turns. The ending, such as it is, happens during the climax. I wanted more, and thought we would get more, but then wondered what possible denouement could have happened without making the movie screech to a clumsy, too-tidy halt. What we get – and don’t get – is just right, as it stays true to the tone that has been set. Whiplash pops, taps, bangs, dings, and clicks along. Sometimes it drags, sometimes it rushes, and it plays us like the most daunting piece of jazz with the wackiest time signature.
Grade: A
Film Reviews by Mark 
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