Pete
Repete
I saw Whiplash nominated for several Oscars and it piqued my interest. JK Simmons I have always enjoyed although I can't recall him in a big role other than his Farmers Insurance commercials. I can see why he won the Oscar for Best Supporting actor because his role in Whiplash was very intense. That said Whiplash was a terrible movie.
Whiplash is a combination of Full Metal Jacket and Band Camp. Simmons plays an over the top Band director who would make R. Lee Ermy crap his pants and cry for his mother. The focus of his constant ire are his pupils who make up a concert jazz band at the "best music school in the country". The movie centers on a drummer he selects to join his band as an alternate who manages to wiggle his way into the lead spot. The movie is focused on drummers constant quest to "be good enough" but the simple fact is for Simmons there is no "good enough". The drummer spends hours, boring minutes for viewers, drumming at breakneck speed while tearing his hands to shreds and wrapping his hands in bandaides. Who knew a movie about a jazz band would have almost as much blood in it as the afore mentioned "Full Metal Jacket"? Blood on the drums, blood soaked sticks, blood on the Tuxedo shirt.
In a nutshell the movie is tedious and unrealistic. I say unrealistic in the frame the movie was intended. Bruce Willis in Die Hard 1 through 50 is not realistic but it never purports itself to be. It is an action adventure movie where the preposterous is met with glee. Whiplash however does and it does not pull it off. Simmons character would NEVER be allowed to be as completely abusive and sinister as he is in Whiplash. While I do not doubt the drive of those musically gifted I doubt seriously that the drummer would go through all of the events he did to keep a spot and please a bastard like Simmons.
The plot is decent, the characters over the top in a movie that is not designed to be over the top. The situations are ridiculous and unbelievable.
Score =
out of 10
Whiplash is a combination of Full Metal Jacket and Band Camp. Simmons plays an over the top Band director who would make R. Lee Ermy crap his pants and cry for his mother. The focus of his constant ire are his pupils who make up a concert jazz band at the "best music school in the country". The movie centers on a drummer he selects to join his band as an alternate who manages to wiggle his way into the lead spot. The movie is focused on drummers constant quest to "be good enough" but the simple fact is for Simmons there is no "good enough". The drummer spends hours, boring minutes for viewers, drumming at breakneck speed while tearing his hands to shreds and wrapping his hands in bandaides. Who knew a movie about a jazz band would have almost as much blood in it as the afore mentioned "Full Metal Jacket"? Blood on the drums, blood soaked sticks, blood on the Tuxedo shirt.
In a nutshell the movie is tedious and unrealistic. I say unrealistic in the frame the movie was intended. Bruce Willis in Die Hard 1 through 50 is not realistic but it never purports itself to be. It is an action adventure movie where the preposterous is met with glee. Whiplash however does and it does not pull it off. Simmons character would NEVER be allowed to be as completely abusive and sinister as he is in Whiplash. While I do not doubt the drive of those musically gifted I doubt seriously that the drummer would go through all of the events he did to keep a spot and please a bastard like Simmons.
The plot is decent, the characters over the top in a movie that is not designed to be over the top. The situations are ridiculous and unbelievable.
Score =
out of 10
