Whiplash

Ich denke, dass ich bei keinem anderen Nachspann so klatschen wollte wie bei diesem. Bombe! Obwohl hier keine Figur sympathisch ist und Simmons eine Person darstellt, die fast so eine grausame Kreatur wie Hopkins in Das Schweigen der Lämmer ist. Ein eventueller Oscar für den Ton und Schnitt wird nicht überraschend sein, besonders im Hinblick auf den Ton gibt es keinen ausgefeilteren Musikfilm. (17.02.2015)

The film may push the despot-pupil relationship a little too much, but there’s no better demonstration in recent years that talent alone is not enough; that talent, not nourished by daily grind, immeasurable diligence, focus and a desire for maximalism, regardless of the obstacles, is actually useless. Because as J.K. Simmons says “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job’.” Fuck "good job", geniuses must want more. The last time I experienced similar feelings was with the 1961 film The Hustler, with Paul Newman, which says the same thing about talent, though in a completely different industry. The message of this film is more or less clear and it doesn't matter if it is about drummers, violinists, billiard players or tennis players, its insight about Talent is universal. (04.02.2015)

A manipulative masterpiece. Actually, it has nobody to root for or to relate to – J.K.Simmons is almost a demonic caricature and Teller, with his drive to be the best of the best whatever the price, feels more like an unlikeable mule. But even with that, Whiplash is best enjoyed as an adrenaline ride where you can relish with how Teller hits those drums and Simmons screams and throws chairs at him. And then you don’t even notice those cheap crutches. 75 % (14.01.2015)

It never occurred to me that I would see such a great and well-made drama. This movie is also about music, but the focus lies on the story and the relationship between the two main protagonists. The young and talented Andrew, played in an exquisite way by Miles Teller, gets regular dressing down from the brutal conductor Terence Fletcher, who might be a bastard with the best catchphrases in this millennium. The comparison of J. K. Simmons’ role to those of other movie psychos, for example from Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now, is really apt. You won’t believe until you watch this. And the hardest to believe will be the ending itself, which for me immediately became one of the most important and fundamental dramatic film endings I have ever seen. I stared at the screen and sweated for the actors. This was one of the most challenging films I've seen in a very long time... but it was worth it! (31.01.2015)

Es ist wie im Falle des Duels Frost / Nixon, bei dem sich Nixon und Nixon gegenüberständen. Es handelt sich nicht nur um eine packende Übung in der rhythmischer Schnittarbeit, sondern das Ganze ist auch im richtigen Moment überraschenderweise unvorhersehbar - kein einziger Charakter (Lehrer x Schüler) stellt hier nämlich ein positives oder negatives Rollenmodell dar und anstelle von Erleuchtung haben wir es hier mit kreativem Wahnsinn zu tun. Chazelle hat zwei besessene und skrupellose Assis gegenübergestellt, deren menschlichen Aspekten gegenüber er sich ähnlich verhält, wie sie selbst. Er wirft sie ungehobelt als beschwerendes Gewicht weg und kehrt zu ihnen lediglich am Rande zurück. Whiplash hätte in vielerlei Hinsicht Bockmist vielerlei Art enden können, als Melodrama über einen Jungen, welcher die Kraft der Liebe zu schätzen lernen weiß, als Lobrpreisung eines Genies, welches sich in einem schwierigen Kampf mit seinem unerreichbaren Vorbild wieder auf die Beine stellt, jedoch in Wirklichkeit ist es eher ein packendes Solo über die Besessenheit und Destruktivität jener, die wünschen Preis. Ich weiß es zu schätzen, dass Chazelle in Schlüsselmomenten nervige Genre-Schemata meidet, einfach weil hier andere Themen ignoriert werden und man es wagt, kompromisslos Szenen an auszulassen, die wir im Falle anderer Filmen viel länger betrachten würden und dank welcher die Charaktere "menschlicher erschienen" und uns erlauben würden, sich mit ihnen identifizieren (z.B. Vorbereitung auf das Abschlusskonzert). Whiplash strebt ähnlich wie Andrew und Terence hart nach dem Ziel - nach Euphorie, vermischt mit leichtem Widerstand und nie erfülltem Frieden zwischen dem Hauptdarstellerduo. Um es mit Star Wars-Worten auszudrücken: Die dunkle Seite hat wieder einmal gewonnen. Ein Triumph der Soziopathen. So soll es ja auch sein. Sicherlich ist dies nicht der vielschichtigste Film, jedoch aber definitiv so etwas wie der Black Swan der Bemühungen, dämonisch herüberzukommen. Schon vom ersten Takt an schwingt dies mit. Und zwar in jedem Ton und in jeder Aufnahme des fotogenen dunklen New York. [85%] P.S. Ich beantrage kategorisch einen Oscar für den jazzartigen Darth Vader. (23.01.2015)

Packed with energy (a real risk of leg cramps caused by nonstop stamping to the rhythm). Drummer Full Metal Jacket following the rhythm of the first Rocky movie which, however, often (and above all unnecessarily) scores its own goal by too obvious intensified emotional calculation in the behavior of (intentionally) not nice characters/plot twists. And so the same question can be applied to Whiplash, which the creators themselves indirectly ask the viewer during the footage: Was/is it worth it? (10.01.2015)

I long ignored this film due to its genre, but The Queen's Gambit has awakened something new in my film heart, a liking for sports or musical films, especially those about the journey to fame, where an outsider dazzles everyone, and this also applies to Miles Teller, who delivers a great performance. But it is J.K. Simmons who elevates the whole film from above average to perfection, covering 70% of the runtime, and whenever he is on screen, it becomes captivating, shocking, funny, rough, and uncompromising. He delivers a demonic performance, and for a long time, nobody in the film commanded as much respect as him. Surprisingly entertaining and engaging from beginning to end, the finale is exquisite. In the drama genre, I think it's the pinnacle. 10/10. (02.02.2021)

Is there a line? The Black Swan of 2014. In a younger guise, with liters of sweat, blood, and tears. And with a visual side that, with its precision, cuts, and interconnection with the unrelenting rhythm, does not allow you to exhale. Every attempt at harmony, every moment when you push Andrew to finally rattle the drumsticks in a satisfying way, which will keep the demon Fletcher under control for at least a few more minutes – they always result in the same thing: accelerated breathing, tensed muscles, heightened senses. Whiplash grabs hold, crushes, and does not let go. And it chewed me up to the highest rating, because even just a few years after it was shocking, it had aged in a remarkable way. However slightly it pinched me towards the end of its time and I wanted just one more hint, today I wouldn't change anything in the movie at all. It runs at full speed the whole time and in the era of increasingly predictable academic elections or nominations, it remains possibly the last surprising choice that pleasantly caught the critical and audience public off guard. And now I'm going to catch my breath. With every longer viewing, the finale physically exhausts me more and more, although I'm afraid to even move one bit. (10.01.2015)

Whiplash works on the principle of a wrestling match. A treacherous, ruthless wrestler who breaks all fair play rules intentionally provokes the audience and tries to incite them against himself in order to (apparently) triumph over his opponent and whip up the emotions of the viewers to the maximum. The director manipulates his audience in the same way - and that's my fundamental problem with the film. I simply don't like manipulative directors, which is probably why I didn't warm up to Aronofsky and I have been avoiding Lars von Trier's recent works. On the other hand, Damien Chazelle brilliantly directed his film, and it's evident that he fulfilled the task he set for himself. He was able to lean on the excellent acting performances of both main actors, especially Simmons, who is absolutely convincing in the role of a tyrant, and it's clear that he savored that role. About halfway through the film, I said to myself: "Dear God, I'm watching a sports film whose scheme has been transferred to a different setting." This could actually work, more or less, in certain sports disciplines, such as combat sports, but it would probably work much worse, if at all, in team sports, because a similar coach's strategy would completely upset the team and ruin their psychology. And the idea that something similar could work in reality within a musical ensemble is completely absurd. However, yes, top conductors are often narcissists and it's not easy to work with them, but they would certainly not dare to apply something like that to their players, because only coordination ensures success. Moreover, I believe that in the school environment in America, they are very sensitive to barbaric behavior like that which conductor Fletcher exhibited toward his students, and he would come up against resistance from the students and their parents much sooner than the film suggests. In the end, I lean towards giving it only three stars because it's done for effect, which doesn't suit my taste. I want to believe in the film, and Chazelle didn't succeed in that. Overall impression: 60%. (18.11.2017)

Even if just for the last scene… An intelligent, peculiarly detached and realistically appearing journey “to the very top" of the art of drumming. Chazelle doesn’t side with either point of view, he doesn’t care if music is an obsession or just entertainment, he doesn’t side with the teacher or the student, and throughout movie the two gentlemen come across like twisted, rotten swines, while, at the same time, sensitive human beings conscious of their flaws. Unbelievably physical, even exhausting (through a viewer’s perspective as well), Miles Teller’s performance is overshadowed only by, full of confidence Oscar winning J.K. Simmons, whose flawless personification of Terence Fletcher makes this movie a cut above the rest. The pieces played are the best that jazz can offer and just to listen to them, to see them in this perfect editing and execution is an emotional joyride. (13.01.2015)

A small, short, and very powerful film that relies primarily on the two main characters and the sound. The film’s biggest asset, and also its heart, is the work with the key characters, when both are on opposite sides of the barricade, completely determined to go all the way, and yet the student and his demonic teacher are very similar in many aspects. J.K. Simmons brilliantly steals the show, and the wisdom he shares over a glass of whiskey is like a godsend. Carving it into stone. (28.07.2015)

It's not a genre gem through and through, because firstly, it lacks an obvious reason to fiercely root for the hero and hate the villain, and secondly, because Whiplash is absolutely unlike any "genre" film to date. An original among musical movies that captivates not with its story, but with its breathtaking combination of symbolic images (details of eyes or drumsticks, bleeding hands), the soundtrack, the excellent performances (Simmons is almost on the level of the greats like Nicholson or Pacino), and a brilliant conclusion that does not last a second less or more than it should. I'm looking forward to the next viewing, I haven't felt this close to the fifth star in months. (26.02.2015)

Ich wiederhole dasselbe, was ich bereits bei Can A Song Save Your Life? gesagt habe - Filme mit musikalischer Thematik gibt es nie genug, also ist es positiv, dass sie gedreht werden. Ich persönlich bin allerdings nicht ganz die Zielgruppe, vor allem was die Geschichte des jungen Jazzdrummers anbetrifft, auch wenn mich Schlagzeug von klein auf stark fasziniert hat. Ich mag nämlich bei Filmen am liebsten eine starke Story, ein Thema, ein gutes Drehbuch und eine reiche Handlung. Gegen einen Augenschmaus und eine perfekte Form wehre ich mich nicht, doch die Form wird bei mir immer an zweiter Stelle stehen, und zwar in allen Bereichen der Wahrnehmung. Im Falle von Whiplash kann von einer reichen Handlung gar keine Rede sein. Es wird getrommelt, getrommelt, hart trainiert, getrommelt, getrommelt und getrommelt. Von Anfang bis Ende. Auch die Beziehung zwischen den beiden Protagonisten hat nicht so viel Raum wie das Trommeln. Trotzdem muss ich anerkennen, dass Whiplash nicht langweilt und im zweiten Teil den Zuschauer trotzdem faszinieren und mitreißen kann. Milles Teller erbringt eine solide Leistung, genauso wie J.K. Simmons - mir kommt es allerdings so vor, dass er eine Rolle spielte, in der man ihn schon viele Male gesehen hat, vielleicht hat er sich nur etwas mehr Mühe gegeben, und vielleicht wirkt er so auf so viele Leute irgendwie außergewöhnlich. Bei mir allerdings gewinnt er im Vergleich mit Ed nicht. Endlich nehme ich von dem Film die Hauptbotschaft in Form einer Frage zum Nachdenken mit - ist es das wert, Grundwerte wie Liebe, Freundschaft und Familie für eine Karriere zu opfern? Nun, und wenn ich Whiplash irgendeinen Oscar geben sollte, dann ganz sicher für den Schnitt - super! (07.02.2015)

An incredible movie, from which I didn't expect anything, maybe just a good performance by J. K. Simmons. I got that, but in addition, I got possibly the best movie of 2014. I haven't seen such gripping pace in a long time. At the end of the movie, I literally screamed, why the hell does it end? I would gladly sit through an even longer running time here. Excellent acting and directing. (18.01.2015)