TV and Movie Reviews! - Week 4

The Movie Maestro - Evan Wade!

First up this week is 2014 drama, Whiplash. Andrew (Miles Teller) is a young ambitious jazz drummer looking to rise to the top of his music conservatory when he joins the class of infamous instructor, Terrance Fletcher (JK Simmons), known for his intense teaching methods and terrifying temper. Andrew's passion to achieve perfection turns into obsession, as his ruthless teacher pushes him to the limits of his abilities, and his sanity. If you enjoy dramas that purely focus on and explore the relationship between two characters, then this is one for you. Miles plays the bold, ambitious Andrew fantastically. Andrew is not exactly a likeable character as some of his actions are questionable as his obsession takes hold, yet he's still admirable for his persistence. But most of the praise goes to JK for his incredibly believable and Academy Award-winning portrayal of Fletcher. Some of his scene's will have you flinching as if you were back in school watching a classmate being scolded by your teacher. Shot beautifully (sometimes excruciatingly during the tough drum practices), every aspect of Whiplash comes together to make a great film.

Second this week is 1999 fantasy/comedy, Being John Malkovich. This is one of the strangest movies I've seen, yet also one of the most creative and intriguing. Now, I won't say too much about this film's plot, but a very brief synopsis is : a puppeteer takes up a job to support his family. While working late one night he comes across a portal that leads directly into the head of Hollywood actor, John Malkovich. A plot which may sound ridiculous (and pretty much is), but is executed brilliantly. What happens from there on is not worth spoiling. The main cast consists of John Cusack as the puppeteer, Cameron Diaz as his wife, Catherine Keener as Cusack's colleague, and of course John Malkovich, as himself. Incredibly imaginative, extremely quirky and very funny at times, if you haven't seen this cult classic, I highly recommend you do.

Lastly this week is 2015 Channel 4 comedy/drama, Catastrophe. Rob (Rob Delaney) and Sharon (Sharon Horgan) are two single people with great chemistry who are thrown into a sudden relationship after Sharon becomes pregnant following a fling while Rob is visiting London on a business trip. Chaos and comedy ensues. Sharon is an Irish woman who works as a teacher in London, while Rob is an American advertising agent forced to work from abroad when he moves in with Sharon. The show is written by both Sharon and Rob and they play off each other brilliantly.Their off-screen friendship makes their on-screen chemistry even better. The rest of the cast are also hilarious, Sharon's friend, Fran (Ashley Jensen), Rob's business friend, Dave (Daniel Lapaine) and my personal favourite, Fran's husband, Chris (Mark Bonnar) who befriends Rob, and is extremely funny. The late Carrie Fisher also guest stars as Rob's mother, Mia. With good chaotic drama and very cleverly written wit, Catastrophe is a must watch comedy. 

And that's all for this week, have a great weekend everyone! Whiplash is available to watch on Now TV and Sky Movies Being John Malkovich is available to watch on Netflix Catastrophe is available to watch on Prime Video, Sky TV and All 4