20 Best Films Of 2015

4. Whiplash

I don't think I've met someone who's seen Whiplash and doesn't love it. That's not to say there's legions of people who hate the other movies on this list, but no other film has had such an overwhelming outpouring than the little indie that could. And this is a film about jazz drumming, something that if given the choice between it and an all-night Michael Bay marathon people would seriously have to think twice. While so much of the base enjoyment of the film comes from the mental sparring between J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller as teacher-cum-bully and aspirational genius respectively, with both riding above any mentor-student cliches (seriously, these are two astounding performances), much of the film's success comes down to director Damien Chazelle. It's an expertly built piece, with Chazelle gradually tuning you into the technicalities of drumming to the point where, without realising, you're on the edge of your seat for a finale that hinges entirely on complex music. His editing is exemplary (so subtle in fact that the film's win in that category at the Oscars was a genuine surprise), and throughout it