As part of today's activities, we went to see 'Whiplash'.
The film tells the story of Terence (J.K. Simons), a frustrated conductor, and his student Andrew (Miles Teller), who is a young and budding drummer. The film opens Andrew is discovered by one of the conductors, Terrence, playing a complicated rhythm. Soon after, he becomes a member of Terrence's prestigious band, in which performers are pushed to the edge to exceed their ability. In an act of rage Andrew loses his place in the band and has to work hard to earn the coveted position of drummer again.
The plot was at many stages was just that little bit unrealistic for me to relate to. Meaning a compilation of bizarre, irrelevant sections which do not add greatly to the overall experience, yet stick out awkwardly as they are placed among some of the most engaging and impressive scenes in the film.
Movies
are an escape from reality - enough so that they excite us, but so much so that
they are within the bounds of possibility. We never believed that Superman was
flying through the skies trying to fight Atlas, nor did we believe that our toy
cowboy Woody could talk to his friends Buzz and Rex. But there was a sense of
reality somewhere - we believed what the characters said, and understood the
storyline. This was one of my greatest problems with Whip Lash. The plot seemed
disjointed, incomplete and unrealistic with characters that were not credible.
The film tells the story of Terence (J.K. Simons), a frustrated conductor, and his student Andrew (Miles Teller), who is a young and budding drummer. The film opens Andrew is discovered by one of the conductors, Terrence, playing a complicated rhythm. Soon after, he becomes a member of Terrence's prestigious band, in which performers are pushed to the edge to exceed their ability. In an act of rage Andrew loses his place in the band and has to work hard to earn the coveted position of drummer again.
The psychopathic element of Terence's character is quite
prevalent throughout the film, many times he bursts into rages of unprovoked
anger. The film often breaks into a melee of hostility and profanity. These are
some of the finest scenes in the film; the intensity is quite overwhelming. These
scenes are surreal and as a result are the highlight of the film for me. It is
no surprise that J.K. Simons won an Oscar for best performance by an actor in a
supporting role.
The plot was at many stages was just that little bit unrealistic for me to relate to. Meaning a compilation of bizarre, irrelevant sections which do not add greatly to the overall experience, yet stick out awkwardly as they are placed among some of the most engaging and impressive scenes in the film.
The film has a mixture of great cinematography
and engaging acting. While there are a number of very powerful scenes, the
irrational elements to the plot and clichéd storyline are lacklustre and
largely mundane.
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