Jurassic World (2015) - ★★★½

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Writers: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly

Stars: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, BD Wong

Jurassic World is one of the most financially successful films of all time. The sheer spectacle of having dinosaurs battle it out while humans become food is a good enough reason to push people out of their living-rooms and into the cinemas. The intense action and visual grandeur of the film were fantastic, but some of the characters were piss-poor time-wasters. They really let this film down. 

I rolled my eyes a lot during this film, but there are some truly great elements in it. I saw Jurassic Park as a young boy, yet even then it didn't make me feel as tense as Jurassic World. What Jurassic Park lacked, Jurassic World fixed. However, Jurassic World lacked what made Jurassic Park a legendary film. 

Spy (2015) - ★★★★

Director: Paul Feig

Writer: Paul Feig

Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Serafinowicz

Spy is a damn hilarious film. Not everyone can identify with Melissa McCarthy's humour, but I sure can. The way she improvs her lines gives the legends of cinematic comedy a run for their money.

It's a star studded, action-packed entertainment extravaganza that surprisingly won favour with many critics the world over. Is it one of the greatest comedies of all time? No. However, it manages to deliver the laughs in both clever and crass ways.

This is the kind of film I could watch about 10 times and still laugh. I'm going to give Paul Feig a big thumbs up and say, "you outdid Bridesmaids." 

Who Should Have Won at the 2015 Academy Awards!

After watching at least 100 films from 2015, I've compiled my complete list of who I believe should have won at the Academy Awards.

I really hope you guys enjoy the video!

Don't forget to tell me who you believe should have won / deserved to win the Oscars!

Whiplash (2014) - ★★★★★

Whiplash has been nominated for 5 "Academy Awards" this year, including for "Best Picture." It is nominated alongside 7 other films, each very memorable in their own right. For a film with quite a small-scale story, Whiplash has rightfully emerged as one of the biggest films of 2015. 

It doesn't have the panoramic cinematography of "American Sniper," but it has an intensity that matches it. It doesn't contain the moving true story that "The Imitation Game" or "The Theory of Everything" does, yet it's every bit as interesting to watch. I think the ace up Whiplash's sleeve is the ICONIC performance of J.K. Simmons. While the other "Best Picture" nominees each contain their own wonderful performances by an array of great actors, J.K. Simmons managed to create something unforgettable with his role. This is a truly intense movie that is both entertaining and cringe-inducing. It won't win "Best Picture", but I would be cheering the loudest if it did. 

You can just feel the electricity in the room crackle between Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. 

Whiplash follows Andrew (Miles Teller), a young drummer who is enrolled at the best music conservatory in America. He is mentored by Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a great musician and teacher whose teaching methods are so cruel they're borderline torturous. 

The reception this film received from critics has been insanely good. It scored an 88/100 on Metacritic, and 8.7/10 on IMDB (averaged score from 52,115 users). That doesn't surprise me. There's never a dull moment. Something worth mentioning is that this film isn't too complicated for the average movie-goer, and it isn't juvenile in the slightest for those looking for thought-provoking drama and entertainment. 

While I personally find this film flawless, I don't believe it's a "grand" enough film to beat out the big Hollywood productions this year. I'll explain why I believe it is a worthy film to win. 

Miles Teller gives arguably the most underrated performance of 2015 in Whiplash. The drive and ambition within his character, his fear of failure, the battle between feeling contempt and admiration for his mentor... all of these complex emotions were portrayed flawlessly by Teller. I consider him to be one of the best young actors around. I can think of one "Best Actor" nominee this year that isn't as worthy of a nomination.

J.K. Simmons for me has given the best performance of 2015 that I've seen so far. There are great performances that make me find hundreds of words to describe them. Then, every now and then, I will find a performance that is so good that I am just speechless to even justify why. Simmons has to be seen to be believed. What he did with his manic character Fletcher will be seared into my memory for as long as I can remember movies. 

The electric atmosphere remains constant throughout the film, making it feel almost as if the whole film is a climax. Practically everything was a high-point to me. The world within that music conservatory made me gain so much respect for young musicians trying to become something big.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty, I'll answer the big questions. Yes, Whiplash is a worthy film to win "Best Picture," but it just won't win against the more popular films. J.K. Simmons should also win Best Supporting Actor, if the show isn't rigged. He is hands down the greatest of the nominees. However, I don't think Whiplash stands a chance at winning Oscars for "Adapted Screenplay," "Editing," and "Sound Mixing." 

Whiplash is a great film that any lover of cinema should enjoy.