Selma, Whiplash, Birdman

Selma: Perhaps the best biography of the year. Well rounded, acted, and directed. Focuses on Martin Luther King's fight for voter equality and is better for it. It's not just a film about a man.  A

Whiplash: Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons kill their respective roles as drum student and teacher. Teller plays the balance of innocence, determination, and obsession perfectly just like Simmons plays sadistic, manipulative, and downright scary. The final sequence will leave you breathless. A-

Birdman: I had heard so many great things about this movie and it unfortunately disappointed. Some superb acting but felt like it missed it's cue to end. Also the trick of making the whole movie look like one shot started out cool but it quickly became just annoying. I wanted to like it, it just didn't help its case beyond the acting. B