Reel magic: Whiplash, The Wedding Ringer, SpongeBob

Whiplash

This Sunday, Whiplash is competing in five categories at the 2015 Academy Awards – including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons as an abusive jazz teacher.

Miles Teller, a revelation in coming-of-age drama The Spectacular Now, plays ambitious jazz drummer Andrew Neiman, who joins a prestigious music academy in the hope of achieving his dream.

Andrew is taken under the wing of Terence Fletcher, a monstrous yet revered instructor who will stop at nothing to see his students reach their full potential.

Thirty-year-old Damien Chazelle writes and directs the film, which has received rave reviews across the board.

“Whiplash is electric from beginning to end, a musical story of obsession, frustration and outright cruelty built on two knockout performances,” said Tom Long of The Detroit News.

“It’s as much a horror movie as it is a keenly realised indie about jazz, about art, about what it takes to claim greatness,” said Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Whiplash currently has a 95% rating on rottentomatoes.com and an 8.6/10 rating on imdb.com.

The Wedding Ringer

Kevin Hart (Ride Along) and Josh Gad (Frozen) join forces for this comedy about a socially awkward man who secretly hires a best man service for his upcoming wedding.

While critics have praised the comedic performances of both leads, as well as their chemistry together, most found the storyline itself to be tired and low on laughs. 

Audiences have been kinder, however, with the movie having already earned $60 million off a $23 million budget.

“Unless your idea of the ultimate screen comedy is to witness how many different ways a fat guy can fall down in one film, you’re probably better off breaking off this engagement,” said Jason Clark of Entertainment Weekly.

“A mostly disposable, occasionally quite funny bromance distinguished at times by its earnestness,” said Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine.

The Wedding Ringer currently has a 33% rating on rottentomatoes.com and a 6.9/10 rating on imdb.com.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

Cartoon icon Spongebob Squarepants has been cleaning up at the box office with his second movie, which sees the sea-dwelling hero and friends facing off against a pirate named Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas).

Sponge Out of Water – which includes live action as well as animation – has been praised for its typically wacky and leftfield antics, and the Nickelodeon film opened big in its U.S. opening weekend, with takings exceeding $55 million.

 “A goofy, gag-filled surf-and-turf romp that will entertain adults with its ridiculous lunacy as it delights kids with colourful fun,” said Linda Barnard of The Toronto Star.

“Business as usual for the irrepressibly cheerful, pineapple-dwelling sea-creature,” said Simon Abrams of The Village Voice.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water currently has a 73% rating on rottentomatoes.com and a 7.0/10 rating on imdb.com.