Movie Review: Whiplash [2014]

How far would you go to challenge yourself and be the number one?

We all will probably do a lot, but not everything. Unlike us, Andrew Nieman (Miles Teller) went all the way to be the best at Shaffer Conservatory of Music, in New York, in the whole world. At Shaffer, being the best means to be accepted by Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) at his class and still, it's always just the beginning and the road is never easy. Fletcher is an eccentric, charismatic, harsh, indifferent asshole. He is the best teacher and the worst person the same time, so it's always intense to be in the same room with him. Nieman, to the contrary, is an young boy full of dreams, skills and guts who is just starting to step into the jazz world. His temper and obsession with jazz grabs Terence's attention who invites the newbie to the class.

Even though Andrew has heard a lot horrible things about Fletcher, he experiences something only one man had experienced before - and he then committed a suicide. Even though Teller's character is extremely talented, there is never enough for his teacher, who does literally everything to turn his students into someones exceptionally brilliant. Unheardly difficult practice sessions are the least of problems, when you might be thrown a chair at, if you play a note slightly faster or slower.  But Nieman is never ready to give up - ends relationship, sleeps with drums and does everything to get a permanent drummer place. And it all ends up with mind blowing competition between two brilliant minds creating a spectacular journey from day one of their meeting to its end.

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Movie Review: The Skeleton Twins [2014]

The Skeleton Twins is director Craig Johnson's second movie, starring Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as twins who've been apart for a while and are reunited after Milo's (Hader) suicide attempt. Every siblings' story has a background, deeply buried in their memories but somehow sticking up to the surface of each's mind time after time. Maggie and Milo have their own.

Milo is out gay man with romance history with his professor, whose career and life was almost ruined when Maggie learned about their relationship. Even though all went well, Milo lost love of his life, which contributed him moving to L.A. to pursue an acting career. Just because he dreamed too big, he kept feeling like a real loser which boiled down to unsuccessful act of suicide. Now Maggie - who really enjoys playing a big sister - is the one to take care of him. When they are forced to go back to each other, they re-examine their relationship and personal lives.

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Movie Review: The Theory of Everything [2014]

The Theory of Everything is a James Marsh's movie about the life, struggles and greatest discovery of today's greatest physic Stephen Hawking (played by Eddie Redmayne). The movie starts when Stephen - a Cambridge science student meets Jane, his future wife, an arts student and leads to the point where they divorce and Mr. Hawking becomes widely acknowledged scientist for his black hole theory. Anthony McCarten's screenplay tells the whole story in between, how those two fought against motor neuron disease, Stephen was diagnosed while attending Cambridge.

This movie caught my attention from the very first trailer, which gave a brilliant idea about masterful acting of Eddie. It's always fancy to watch an actor playing someone living in the same decade as you, a person you have admired, read about, watched and especially, if that person has such some kind of disability - it definitely makes acting work a lot harder. So, I was very much wanting to know how Redmayne, who I'd loved for Les Miserables, dealt with it. Accordingly, it would be fair if I start with performances and especially him.

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