Whiplash

Tali: Whiplash tells the story of a promising musician and his brutal, to-the-limits instructor and their complicated relationship. New York Magazine says it best: "a gut-­twisting, appalling two hours, writer-­director Damien Chazelle has you wondering two things at once. Will Andrew finally succeed in wowing this most exacting of judges? And, more important: What can be gained by doing so when the man is manifestly psychotic?" Though at times both extremely painful and incredibly exciting to watch, this film left me with some very mixed feelings. On the one hand, both J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller were very great; on the other, was this film just a vehicle for Simmons to throw chairs and homophobic slurs at Teller and to get a reaction out of the audience? I haven't quite figured this out yet. Perhaps Leo can sway you one way or another. 76/100.

Leo: This movie was awesome and though on its surface it was just a well done "practice makes perfect" sort of movie, I thought it captured so much more. The one line in the movie that stuck with me (besides the various "I'm trying really hard not to laugh at these politically incorrect insults but it's not working" lines ) is that the words 'good job' "are the two most harmful words" anyone can tell you. While I don't think this is always true, the movie illustrates how much better someone can be when pursuing greatness and how much better it feels once it's achieved after never being told "Good job". Maybe altogether validation is nice to get, but it's that much better when it's genuine. Aside from that message, I thought it was an expertly done movie in terms of its cinematography with the drums (which was to be expected) and of course acting, especially by J.K. Simmons, who's character had, to quote R v Lohnes (a supreme court of Canada case) "an impressive command of the obscene vernacular". That being said, the movie did not have as much substance as its Oscar-nominated counter parts, even if I enjoyed it more. Leometer: 87/100.

American Sniper

Tali: American Sniper tells the story of "The Legend" - a US Navy SEAL, who during the War In Iraq is credited with the most kills but a single person. OKAY, SO. This film is made by a man who is recently most famous for publicly talking to an empty chair. This film wasn't bad per se, but I am not used to consuming such pro-America media. It took a lot of mental gymnastics for me to take this film apart as I was watching it, otherwise I would have been totally fed up (ex: all of the Iraqi's are nameless and are otherwise refered to as "evil," "savages," etc.). I felt the most sympathy Sienna Miller, who seemed to be the only one in the whole show that recognized that invading Iraq for no reason would be a huge mistake, and would cause such catastrophic problems on both macro and micro levels. Ultimately, Bradley Cooper was fine, the movie was fine, but the message was VERY clear and I knew I wouldn't be drinking the Kool-Aid by the end. 69/100.

Leo: I was sort of surprised this movie was nominated since it seemed so.....well.....unoriginal. And it was, but I can't say it wasn't well done. I do think Bradley Cooper deserves the nomination he got for it if only because I think he isn't totally believe in everything he was saying and actually made it seem like every shot he took at some child or woman took a bit out of him, even if the character would refuse to admit. Sienna Miller was also very good. I do like how the biopic did not picture "the Legend" as a saint, but at the same time it was not pretending to be an anti-war movie like The Hurt Locker, which I think is important for a biopic (and I think one of my criticisms of Selma - not that I believe the movies are even comparable in quality....). It was what it was meant to be, and frankly, as much as it's an annoying pro-America narrative, it was well done. Except for those plastic babies apparently (I thought I saw one twitch during the movie but I guess not). Leometer: 75/100.

The Theory of Everything

Tali: The Theory of Everything tells the compelling story of Stephen and Jane Hawking, and what looks like the most difficult and drawn out marriage ever. In all seriousness, continuing with the Oscar biopic marathon we are on, we all know Stephen's narrative already. But, what we don't know, is how humourous he was (is?) throughout his bodily decline, how dedicated his wife was to him, and what this ultimately says about the human condition. I was more than a little nervous that this film would just be an exercise in crip drag, but thankfully, it wasn't. Eddie Redmayne's performance is what (Oscar) dreams are made of - just totally superb. But, the movie was slow in parts, and the ending made my jaw drop and I wasn't too happy. 81/100.

Leo: I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. It wasn't all science, but it was enough that I felt it gave Stephen Hawking's brilliance at least some standing within the film rather than simply just repeating it. Eddie Redmayne was outstanding, but the supporting cast was not quite as good (except somehow Professor Lupin is back from the dead and teaches physics instead of defence against the dark arts and Owen from Boardwalk Empire was up to his old sneaky tricks). It was odd that I sort of felt that the humour Stephen was constantly showed made perfect sense. I'm usually the first one to make a joke about something serious and I think a quote from the movie V for Vendetta really applies here:

              Evey Hammond: Is everything a joke to you, Gordon?
              Gordon Deitrich: Only the things that matter.

I like that someone else has taken that perspective. As for the movie and story....as tragic as it was I feel like the story was slow and slightly wishy-washy. Jane Hawking has an interesting perspective and the complexity of her and Stephen is very interesting, but Felicity Jones merely delivered the frustrated narrative effectively but not any others. And I think the score was outstanding. Leometer: 84/100.

Selma

Tali: Selma tells the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his work for voting rights and justice for blacks in Selma, Alabama in 1965. It just may be one of the best movies I've seen, and it couldn't have come out at a more important moment in American history. Pick these characters up and plop them down in Ferguson, New York City, or anywhere in America for that matter, and you'll see just how little society has come decades after the events in the film. The imagery is intensley powerful, the characters have depth and soul.  Haters gonn' hate, but this film is not about LBJ. If that is your concern, I think you are missing the point. Political critiques aside, this film is just so so so well done. After seeing it, I told Leo, "that was wonderful." Although I instantly regretted that word choice, I must say, it was damn near close. 94/100.

Leo: If I had to summarize my thoughts on this movie into one word, it would be "powerful". The message of this movie was so strong and delivered so clearly that I just wanted to get out of my seat and march with them (though I would probably be horrible at non-violence if someone attacked me). While it had this crazy effect on me, I do not think it was the "best" movie of the year....I have a critique. I was sort of unsure of whether or not this was a biopic or a retelling of the event, not that it has to be one or the other, I just thought it would have spent time a bit more...relevantly. What I mean is this: in their time half-telling MLK's personal story and struggles, they glossed over a lot of supporting characters (I'm not just talking about Viola Liuzzo, but people like Diane Nash as well). Even if they aren't as important, I thought it was very....odd to have them come on screen, say "Hi I'm <insert name>" then basically nothing about them until their respective blurbs at the end. When comparing this movie to others I would definitely say this: as a technical film it had its hiccups, but in conveying the message it sought to convey, it was one of the best I've ever seen. Leometer: 89/100.

The Imitation Game

Tali: The Imitation Game tells the true story of Alan Turing, a brilliant but misunderstood mathematician who created what was essentially the first digital computer - all to win the war against the Nazis. Those this film is billed as a "wartime thriller," and it is, there is very little action involved. There is nothing exciting about watching a few nerds in a room try to dicect code. The film draws on the performances of the cast, along with the weight of importance of the mission itself, which makes this movie a heavy hitter. Cumberbatch, Knightley and even ol' Papa Lannister are all perfectly cast and are just wonderful to watch. An excellent, must-see film, especially since the Golden Globes are only a week away. Also, if you're interested, here is a nifty little piece about Joan Clarke, the female codebreaker featured in the film. 85/100.

Leo: I am a  fan of this movie for a lot of reasons so I'll try to summarize them quickly. First and foremost, I actually enjoy the code breaking and math puzzles aspect of this movie. It made me want to go do some logic games from my LSAT books (am I kidding???) and I definitely understood his excitement to solving the "unsolvable" machine. Next up, the performances. Benedict Cumberbatch killed it. He really sold me that Alan Turing was both fragile and unshakeable at the same time. You couldn't help but tear up (not cry, I don't do that) at certain parts of the movie. All of my favourite British people like Tywin Lannister and Ozymandias (he actually plays an American in that movie) were great in supporting roles. Lastly, the message. The power of the message through text is surprisingly common in movies this year and even more surprisingly, effective. Leometer: 87/100.