The MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s Countdown

Whiplash is one of the most intense and thrilling films I’ve seen in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat for basically the whole movie, and never wanted to take my eyes off of the screen. I found myself cringing and tensing up when Andrew would hit a wrong note or play at the wrong tempo. As someone who plays the drums, this film was especially intense and nerve-wracking. I could tell when Andrew was off tempo before Fletcher made the whole band stop, and it made the film that much more realistic, and intense. I knew in advance when Fletcher was going to go off, and it had me looking away and cringing. One of the things that the film does really well is capture that feeling you get in the classroom when you know someone is going to get yelled at. You get that instant feeling of dread and that feeling where you want to duck beneath your seat so you don’t get yelled at too. They made it so that it seemed as if J.K. Simmons was yelling at YOU the audience member. It made Andrew’s pressure and stress that much more personal and relatable. Every time that Andrew starts drumming in front of Fletcher, I tensed up, hoping that he would hit every note perfectly, hoping that he wouldn’t do anything wrong, so that he could avoid Fletcher’s wrath, and not be the one in the wrong. I had such a strong desire for Andrew not to mess up, that I began to think that I was Andrew. I began to feel that if Andrew messed up, I had messed up, and began to feel the dread of Fletcher walking over and yelling in my face. I felt myself going with the music and feeling it, as if I was the one playing it, hoping that I wouldn’t make a mistake. It really is amazing how well they created a fear of mistakes in this film. Ok, I think I’ve rambled about the story enough, it’s time to move on to acting.

Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014)

Bullying conductor/teacher J.K. Simmons tries to get a reaction from young drummer Miles Teller. Is it to make him stronger or tear him down?

Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014)
(Rewatch)

This is not a movie that I thought I'd ever watch again. I don't like jazz music, I don't give a crap about the drums, and I generally don't like movies about shitty people doing shitty things to each other. But I thought I'd give it another shot since I fully expect it to make the countdown.

As expected, my experience with it is much the same as it was last time and I come away with mixed feelings. On one hand, Andrew Neiman, the film's protagonist, is deeply unlikable. I don't know, maybe I'm meant to admire his drive and dedication, but mostly I just think he's a prick so it's hard to care when bad things happen to him and I find that rather off-putting. But on the other hand, what more than balances that out and totally makes the movie is J.K. Simmons as Fletcher - an even bigger prick who is so unlikable that he's almost likable. He is absolutely mesmerizing to watch and he completely chews up the screen. If I were to rate the movie on Simmons alone, it'd be a 5/5 but like some of the other performance showcases I've watched for this, the rest of the film just feels okay to me.

Fun Fact: Andrew's shirts go from light colour in earlier scenes, gradually to darker shirts in later scenes, culminating in a black shirt just like his teacher's in the final live on stage performance.

I'm curious if anyone mistakenly voted for Whiplash the short from 2013?