TRAVIS BYRAM'S MOVIE REVIEWS

As of the publication of this post, no one has gotten more Oscar buzz for acting this year than J.K. Simmons as Fletcher in Damien Chazelle's Whiplash . Based on his short film that Simmons also starred in, billed only as "Band Teacher," Chazelle expanded his work into a full length feature, and let me say the results paid off handsomely. Whiplash is not only one of 2014's best offerings, but seeing it assured me that Simmons will indeed be walking up to that podium come February. The movie shows Andrew (Miles Teller) practicing on his drum kit quite well, only to be interrupted by Terrence Fletcher, who passively aggressively lets Andrew know he's interested in him. Fletcher is the (in)famous music conductor of Shaffer Conservatory, a prestigious college Andrew's been accepted into, what he calls the best music school in America. Initially showing kindness and even warmth toward Andrew, auditioning him and nurturing him into his band, Andrew is excited to p

I just watched The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1  yesterday, and I have to say it is the polar opposite of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman or (The Virtue of Ignorance) . Despite the pretentiously long name (just pick one or the other!) Birdman  is the movie with the Hollywood cast that's very Broadway, very independent, and very...alive. Of course, anyone who has seen it knows that Michael Keaton's Riggan berates a critic, saying that he takes risks being an actor, but what does she have to lose? This in effect makes this movie critic proof...but Inarritu and his brilliant cast need not worry, this movie is fantastic, and will surely pick up a trophy or two come Oscar time. Mid-life crises, putting on troubled plays, family dysfunction are all themes here that have been explored to death in other movies, but Birdman has a way of taking them, flipping them on their head and analyzing them in a way that feels fresh and electric. The closest thing I can say it is co

As a part of my First Year Seminar, I had to watch Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Schindler's List and write an essay of it. I watched and reviewed The Reader as well this year, but looking into the film as the paper required me to, I found it fairly innaccurate of its depiction of the aftermath of the Holocaust. But this is an important film, an essential film every college-age person should see to inform them of the Holocaust. Aside from this, the acting, script, score, direction and cinematography aren't bad either. Without further ado, here's my paper/review of the film: (kind of spoiler alert, but everyone casually familiar with the movie already knows how it ends) "As a movie buff, it is unavoidable in the discussion of great cinema to not talk about Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg’s film regarding the heroic actions of Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust. Ranked among the finest motion pictures of all time, the movie not only daunted me by its time dur