Whiplash

This movie feels like a representation of my mind. Whiplash is what I consider to be a perfect movie. What can I say about this movie that has not been said already? Obviously a review of this movie can’t be complete without mentioning the amazing job Damien Chazelle did. He outdid himself, from the shots to the color grading this is a masterpiece. Chazelle knows how to make a movie. I would like to mention scenes that have always stuck with me. Maybe one of the most memorable scenes of the movie, the “not quite my tempo” scene. It’s obviously great, and it is literally the scene that allowed the movie to happen, But I would like to highlight a specific phrase, the phrase being “i’m upset.” The entire scene is amazing, showing off Teller’s acting, which I will get to later.  The next scene will be the crash, the same way a crash cymbal does, the car crash scene is the most climactic moment in the movie. the scene is one of the best in cinema history. the stress of the race against time, to the reveal of the truck about to strikes neiman’s car. It may be my favorite scene in the movie, and one of my favorites ever.  The next and final scene i will mention will be the end, how neiman gets close to quitting but chooses to prove fletcher wrong instead. The entire scene being amazing on its own, but even more impactful with the music. On Miles teller’s acting, it might be the best it’s ever been in this movie. Whiplash is what made teller one of my favorite actors. You can feel every single emotion he portrays, he might’ve been the best choice for Andrew Neiman. Both him and J.K Simmons put everything into these roles. the story is one of my favorites, a man doing whatever he can to get what he wants, in this case fame and glory. This reminds me of mary shelley’s frankenstein, the obsession with greatness pushing both victor and neiman past their limits. In both stories, both characters pursue greatness so intensely that it harms the people around them. Both works explore the burden of creating something extraordinary, whether it be with the responsibility with the monster, or the extreme pressure from fletcher. Both works ask whether success is worth the suffering it causes. I can even compare the main theme of frankenstein to Whiplash, Creator Vs Creation, victor creates life, fletcher attempts to create the greatest musician. here is now where I present the idea of the movie speaking to me as a drummer. I have been playing the drums for a while, and each and every single time I play, I think of this movie. with each and every mistake I make i feel the stress that neiman feels. At every show I play I think of the final scene. Call me corny but whenever I watch this movie I don’t feel stress anymore, I feel represented. I would love to be one of the greats. it has now become a past time to watch this movie while im at the beach, the past 3 times that i’ve gone, I watch this film. During this watch of whiplash, I was at the beach, I don’t know why but i love doing it, maybe it’s the balance between the stress of the film and the calm of the waves. I won’t be giving a list of things I liked as i am trying to give my best review yet, and don’t want to half ass it by lazily putting details. I seriously love this movie, and it has made its way to my heart. This is a movie I will never forget, when I am old and past my time, I will remember this movie. Someday I will watch it in concert, I had the chance to, this april 15, a perfect date, but it sadly conflicts with other plans. Whiplash is a must watch.