Whiplash
Tags: suspenseful, psychological, psychedelic, realism

Plot synopsis:
The films opens with Andrew Neimann (Miles Teller) playing the drums at Shaffer Conservatory of Music, the music school in USA and he's just an alternate drummer in some school band. Andrew abruptly stops playing drums when the band conductor, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) appears at the door in front of him and asking Andrew some personal information of him. When Fletcher asks Andrew why he stopped playing, he resumes playing drums. After he finishes playing, Terence says he did not mean to resume playing then he asks Andrew to show his rudiments by playing the drums again. While Andrew plays drums, Fletcher slams the door but he comes back to retrieve his forgotten jacket.The next day, Andrew enters one class aside from Fletcher and there, he meets the drummer named Ryan Connelly (Austin Stowell). Shortly, the professor arrives and the class performs "Billy's An". Andrew sees the man (presumably Fletcher) in silhouette looking at the door. After the class, Andrew peeks into one of the classrooms where the class is handled by Fletcher, and he is being looked at by Fletcher.Later, back at the Studio Band, Andrew is playing drums as core drummer. Suddenly, Fletcher breaks inside and Andrew becomes horrified of him. Fletcher conducts every saxophonist and bassist one by one and finally the drums. After that, Fletcher tells Andrew to come and he is told to come at his room tomorrow at 6 in the morning.Andrew meets Nicole (Melissa Benoist), the girl working at the cinema and invites her to go out with him. The next day, Andrew realizes that he is late for class. Andrew struggles and rushes quickly to the school, only he goes inside the empty classroom. Andrew knows that the class actually starts at 9 AM. Andrew waits three hours before the class. At exactly 9:00:00am, Fletcher arrives and begins conducting the song called "Whiplash." During the band practice, Fletcher confronts then suddenly yells at a saxophonist named Metz (C.J. Vana) playing out-of-tune and angrily tells him to get out of the Studio Band. This escalates Fletcher's abusiveness and wrath. Fletcher has the class take a break. Fletcher and Andrew have a conversation about his life and family.After the break, the class resumes. But when Fletcher loses the patience of Andrew's drum tempo, Fletcher throws a chair at Andrew (but he dodges it). Fletcher slaps Andrew every four in 12 counts he makes and he will not stop questioning until Andrew answers whether he is "dragging" or "rushing". Andrew answers "rushing" then Fletcher forces Andrew to tell the whole band that he is really upset, louder! Fletcher then mocks Andrew about his parents being separated. Once again, Fletcher tells Andrew that he is upset, louder. Thus, Andrew is being embarrassed and insulted.At his home, Andrew keeps practicing drums, making his hand bleed in the process. After the band performs at the competition, Tanner (Nate Lang), core drummer, gives his music sheets to Andrew. Andrew neglects the music sheets to buy a can of coke at the automated vending machine. As Tanner is looking for his music sheets, they mysteriously disappear. Tanner can't play without the sheets. Andrew steps in, stating he knows the song, Whiplash, by heart. Andrew plays well and earns Tanner's spot. Thus, Andrew is the new core drummer. Andrew's family is having dinner at his home and talks about his experience in Shaffer.At the Studio Band, the band is practicing the new song called "Caravan" which needs an extreme time stamp measure of 330 bpm. Fletcher dismisses the band except Andrew when Fletcher discusses him about that note. Shortly, Ryan Connelly, whom Andrew met from the other class, arrives. Andrew plays the drums to test the ability of the tempo but his tempo fails while Ryan plays well. Therefore, Fletcher takes Ryan as the new core drummer, but Andrew does not agree to this. Jealous, Andrew will be the core drummer if he earns the part.Andrew breaks up with Nicole, saying his ambition will only hinder their relationship. At his home, we see Andrew practicing drums harder with a pitcher of water with ice beside him in case he bleeds. As he fails to reach the required tempo, Andrew punches the drum in frustration and his hand is bleeding, dripping it in the pitcher of ice.At the Studio Band, Fletcher tearfully reveals in class that a talented former student of his, Sean Casey, has died in a car accident. The band rehearses "Caravan", but Carl Tanner struggles with the tempo; Fletcher auditions Andrew, Ryan and Tanner for hours while the class waits outside but the three fail to reach the required tempo. When it is now Andrew's turn, Fletcher kicks the chair then throws the drum away in wrath and even tells Andrew to increase the tempo. In this process, Andrew's left hand is bleeding and the blood drips onto the drum set. After a one minute of playing, Fletcher finally tells Andrew that he earned the part.On the way to a jazz competition, the bus that Andrew rode breaks down. So Andrew rents a car but he arrives late for rehearsal without his drumsticks. He drives back to the car rental office and retrieves the drumsticks, but as he speeds back, his car is hit by a truck. He crawls from the wreckage and despite his injury and bloodied face, he struggles to make into the jazz competition. With his left hand injured, he is unable to play and drops the drumstick to the floor. After that, Fletcher says Andrew that he is done. Andrew attacks Fletcher in front of the audience.Andrew is expelled from Shaffer and contacted by a lawyer representing the parents of Sean Casey. The lawyer explains that Sean actually hanged himself, having suffered anxiety and depression after joining Fletcher's class. Sean's parents want to prevent Fletcher from teaching; Andrew agrees to testify and Fletcher is fired.Andrew goes to the club where he sees Fletcher and the jazz performers. As the song ends, Andrews walks out of the club but Fletcher calls him and having a chat with Fletcher. Fletcher explains that he pushes his students beyond the expected so they might achieve greatness. He invites Andrew to perform at JVC festival concert with his band. Andrew agrees and invites Nicole, learning that she has a new relationship.On stage, Fletcher tells Andrew he knows he testified against him, and in revenge, leads the band in a new piece Andrew was not given sheet music for. Andrew leaves the stage humiliated, but returns and begins playing "Caravan", interrupting Fletcher as he addresses the audience. The rest of the band joins him, and Fletcher follows suit. Andrew ends the performance with an extravagant drum solo. Fletcher is at first angry, but gives a nod of approval to Andrew as he finishes.

Review: Miles Teller, who's been steadily growing on me since The Spectacular Now, stars as Andrew Neyman, a 19-year-old aspiring jazz drummer who's pushed and inspired by the abuse and aspirations of his school band leader Fletcher, played by the ferocious J.K. Simmons like we've never seen him before.
After seeing Damien Chazelle's Whiplash - a film the young up-and- coming director wished to do for some time now - being so beautifully realized and brought to life by everyone involved in the project, I was glad and relieved, mainly because I have seen the short film, which was pretty incredible.I believe that among the most telling facts about a film's fortunes and qualities, is the ability to broaden it's public, but in the same time not forgetting that cinema is not all about commercial success and mass audiences.Or with other words - a film that is not just eye candy and booms and explosions, but also craft, soul, dedication and wits.Those are some of the things not only the film itself possesses, but the people behind it have in abundance as well.The upcoming Miles Teller plays the young and dedicated student Andrew Nieman, who has the drive, the ambition to succeed and to be great, which is fine, as long as it doesn't derail your personal life.A lesson the young drummer learns the hard way.Blind ambition is the thing, that can describe our anti-hero of sorts, Terrence Fletcher a.k.a the brilliant J.K. Simmons, who has a thing for mindeffin' his students to the point of total physical and mental exhaustion and even depression.But he does it for a reason, for the sole purpose of finding the next big, even great, thing in jazz and in music as a whole.The next prodigy, the next "Yardbird" Charlie Parker that will be otherwise lost, if not being pushed to the very limit.And boy, does J.K. Simmons nails it.Chazelle has done a masterful job in casting the two leads in Teller and Simmons.Their respective acts are full of purpose, full of tension and ultimately terrific.Expect some awards going in the way of "Whiplash" and look out for Simmons in the Oscars shortlist, that's how good he is in it.And in his own words: "What a shame we wrapped it up in only 19 days".It must have been really fun playing a part like Terrence Fletcher and Simmons completely sold it.As I said, the best movies are those, that reach out to the most diverse and wide spectrum of audiences, not those, who can connect to a massive number of people, who are representatives of only one specific audience type.And Chazelle has achieved just that with "Whiplash" - a precise, tension-building film, full of beautifully staged pieces and above all else, a love towards music and the challenges it often represents if you want to get to the very top.The film ended in a big round of applause from the packed theater and I am sure that will be the case a long time from now!My grade: 9/10.
This movie was far better than the trailer made it look.JK Simmons gave a stellar performance as a music teacher in the best Jazz school, trying desperately to find and develop the next jazz legend.
One of the best antagonist I've seen at the movies.Miles Teller plays the protagonist, A first year Jazz student who wants to be the next Jazz legend and is willing to go through the pain needed to become just that.
For anyone who has ever been in that kind of pressure, weather it be at college or on the playing field(I kid you not, watching these guys play Jazz played out like I was watching a Football movie with Miles being the Quarterback and JK being the coach) It was an emotion trill ride with a lot of ups and downs, and just when you think the ride is over, we go for a second time around.
Jk Simmons does an outstanding performance as the highly unpredictable hair trigger tempered teacher Fletcher, Miles Teller an actor who I've only seen in mediocre comedies also shines in a breakthrough performance as the ambitious drummer Andrew.
This film questions whether the best approach is intimidation or society's current preferred method of nurturing.Miles Teller plays Andrew, a first year student at an elite Manhattan music conservatory.
At a small dinner party, Andrew loses some of the sweetness he inherited from his dad (Paul Reiser), and unloads some Fletcherisms on some unsuspecting family friends.Writer/Director Damien Chazelle has turned his Sundance award-winning short film into a fascinatingly brutal message movie that begs for discussion and debate.
Stars Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons are absolutely astonishing, featuring two of the year's very best turns.Chazelle's film tells the story of Andrew (Teller), a first year music student that seeks out and joins the prestigious school band, headed by an intense and frightening teacher Mr. Fletcher (Simmons).Walking out of the screening I fully knew (though I fully hope to be proved wrong this year) that Miles Teller would be my "Oscar Isaac" this year.
He takes inspiration from his own life, his love of film and music, and other places I'm sure we don't know about, and molds them into a gritty, layered experience, conditioned with rich characters, all realized through the writer's story.
People may quickly picture Whiplash as the Full Metal Jacket of jazz band: there's Fletcher militarily pushing his student, Andrew, to get his task right.
And just like those sequences, Whiplash keeps most of the viewers from their comfort zone, and leads them to rewarding results.Movies like this, specifically relationship between a student and a mean teacher, conventionally ends with a heart changing sentiment, possibly leading the two to an unexpected life-long friendship, but Whiplash takes it stone-cold; hardly showing any sign of friendliness in their bond.
I'm giving Whiplash a one star rating to compensate for all the rave reviews it has gotten from people who obviously know nothing about about how music is made, and what goes into great performances.Almost the whole film is about the relationship between a talented teen drummer, played by Miles Teller and a teacher, played by JK Simmons, who directs jazz in a top music school.
His head is shaved, he wears a black "muscle" shirt almost continually in the movie, he screams at his students, uses language that makes George Carlin seem like Mr. Rogers, throws chairs, and finally slaps the Teller character in the face, repeatedly.
So the gathering audience at the afternoon screening was primed, ready and eager for the expected greatness about to be screened.Whiplash stars Miles Teller as Andrew Neyman, a determined 19-year-old drummer who is pushed to his emotional limits by his new instructor Terence (J.K. Simmons).
By Chazelle's thoughtful direction and the uncompromising performances by actors Miles Teller and J.K Simmons, this film doesn't just achieves this task, it embraces.
This film follows Andrew Neiman (played by Miles Teller), an inspired drummer who enrolls in a local music conservatory where he joins a jazz band conducted by the talented, but maniacal Terence Fletcher (played by J.K. Simmons).
The acting was good, but the roles were not especially nuanced.The main problem is that within the first couple of minutes of the film, you know Andrew's goal: to be an elite drummer.
Whiplash is simply astonishing.Miles Teller plays Andrew, a gifted and highly ambitious drummer in his first year at an elite New York music academy.
But none of these deliver the degree of passion and intensity metered out in Damien Chazelle's movie.Miles Teller ("Divergent") is superbly credible as the aspiring jazz drummer Andrew, and it is almost unbelievable that he was not a professional drummer-turned-actor for this film.
The only redeeming part was the great orchestral jazz, but the characters, story and, well everything really, means this movie should not be getting the positive reviews it has.
Whiplash is a beautiful movie that shows perception and expectations of a young drummer and an experienced band teacher who is short tempered and very strict.Movie is boring in starting but last half hour was amazing.JK Simmons was amazing as a Band teacher and he really deserves that Oscar for best supporting actor in a Supporting Role.Other cast was also nice.Watch this movie if you want to fulfill your dreams no matter how much hurdles are there in your life.My recommendation is that don't watch this movie with higher expectations.Overall I give this movie 8/10..
Really an inspiration movie, which felt me like a music student who sitting under pressure with J.K. Simmons role, real hard way to hang on music as hard life, till the end.
The J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller, characters made this movie more powerful which made audience kept on toss.As this is a really story experience and best part is how beautifully the screenplay which made this film stands out from crowd.Electrifying moments which made me felt that I'm student in the band, a fear to play the instrument with proper numbers...All the best Damien Chazelle, for your future assignments :) This movie will be one of my best liked movie in recent years..
The movie focuses on the two main characters, and the way in which they interrelate with the aim to realize the best drum performance for the school's honor, but more so for their own prestige and ego.Although the movie excels in cinematography, acting and music – provided you at least like some level of jazz music – the story doesn't seem to convince.
Even at the end of the movie, when things seem to turn around, the teacher again tries to push the student into a great performance, which he indeed delivers.Additional characters, such as the student's father, girl friend or other musicians at the school, are just there to support the main story.
If this is already diminishing in my estimation minutes after watching, it's because it's about subjects that are dear to me, music, concentration, meaning in life and placement of ourselves in the larger music, but it has no insights to impart, or none that I have any use for.The whole is about ego pummeling away in the effort to be someone in the eyes of others rather than the joy of the craft itself, about clinging on to achievement than flowing on the creativity of the moment, about perfecting technique than cultivating soul, what Spanish musicians know as duende; the deep urge that rises from the body and cries to express itself as music.Now I'm not a fanatic jazzist who thinks the music should be portrayed in this or that original light, the film may well be seen after all to be about confused individuals who miss the point, a bad teacher.
People probably like this film because Simmons was an interesting character and the drumming was interesting.
And the best music teacher surely doesn't made from a tough guy who do not the first thing how to teach, you can not push students like that to make great musicians.
Miles Teller being an up and coming actor along with JK Simmons who is a well-established underrated actor, whose performances have often been spell-bounding, together have made one of the best movies I've ever seen in the music genre (and I've seen Inside Llewyn Davis).
Miles, who plays Andrew, a young drummer studying at one of the top schools of music, shows us his passion in every frame, every single time, whilst delivering a performance.
Culminating in one of the more tension riddled finales of recent memories and featuring some of the most brutal ego tearing scripting this side of Full Metal Jacket, up and coming filmmaker Damian Chazelle's searing drama is against all odds, a drama cume thriller of the highest order.Featuring some of last years most outstounding performances from both the ever growing Miles Teller and the always good yet never before so commanding J.K Simmons, Whiplash will have you constantly on the edge of your seat, frequently forgetting to breathe and riveted every step of it's running time due to an all round package that has rightfully become a player and often winner in this awards season.
It's one of 2014's stand out performances and a role that saw Simmons collect a thoroughly deserved Oscar at the Academy Awards, it's a win that is wholeheartedly earned and deserved.While Whiplash has a few narrative missteps and a handful of questionable scenarios (particularly one scene involving a car accident) it's not enough to sully a film that you suspect will be living a long life in years to come, being studied by start out filmmakers, budding actors and lovers of all things good cinema.
Plucked from a rehearsal room, he is given the opportunity to play with the studio band under the tutelage of aggressively driven band leader Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a man with a vicious mouth, extreme methods and an obsession with driving his students way beyond breaking point in order to achieve their potential and find absolute perfection.Perhaps my greatest joy with Whiplash is that just a few weeks ago I was barely aware of its existence and deliberately knew little about it as I took my seat in the screening room.
You've been warned.That said, "Whiplash" is one of the more challenging films that I've written about since I started the practice of writing a review here each time I watch a movie.
Simmons truly makes the movie, which is a strange thing to applaud someone for given that you can't watch this film without coming to hate his character.
The big problem with this movie is that its conclusion leaves the audience wondering if Dr. Fletcher's instructional tactics were perhaps well founded, inasmuch as the film ends with its main character (Teller) accomplishing a tremendous musical feat that appears to be the product of his being pushed so hard by his tormentor.
All these little surprises didn't gel with me, because a) They were stupid b) They would work only if the hero was less smart than a comatose monkey, which in the movie, he was c) they shouldn't have mentioned Casey hanged himself because it's a distraction and you think he should have been the subject of the film d) the twists prevented us from knowing more about Andrew.The regrettable thing about Whiplash is that there is only one person who got the perfect amount of limelight, treatment, and attention, and that was J.K Simmons.
i don't know if you guys ever watched him in Whiplash in the year 2013 but here he elevated with his role so high.The Sound Mixing and the soundtrack are genius and electrifying,, i'v never really cared so much for Jazz but the songs in the movie is so magnetizing and engaging.The story itself is sensational, really makes you think about yourself ..
Masochist student teacher relationships apparently bring out the best in students and oh yes, you are not a serious drummer unless your drums end up splattered in blood and sweat.Apart from exploring a messed up form of battered person syndrome and battering our credulity with predictable shock tactics, this movie really does not say anything about greatness, music or the kind of inspiration which brings the best in human beings.
Whiplash was for sure one of the greatest movies in 2014.The things that are most outstanding is firstly the acting, including Miles Teller's performance of an promising drummer who also visits, as he says, the greatest music-institute in America and on the other hand J.K. Simmons who maybe offered the moviegoer of 2014 one of the best performances seen in a long period of time ( it's still a riddle why he was nominated as an supporting-actor).Secondly I would like to mention the sensationally effective way of how the editing was used to appeal to the viewer in a certain way, namely that camera and sound-editing work perfectly together and brought the movie on a exhilarating level.
The story is thrilling, just the thought of having a (music-)teacher like Fletcher (J.K.Simmons) is simply a comparison of yourself going through hell.
By giving Andrew a few "opponents" drumming his way through the studio-band makes the movie even more interesting and shows how deep and on point Miles Teller's acting can be.
For all of its widespread critical acclaim and multiple award nominations and wins, I found Damien Chazelle's 'Whiplash' to be a rather thin and clichéd regurgitation of the tired "Driven artist, intense student/mentor relationship" trope with absolutely nothing fresh to say or offer up.I believe its reputation is primarily built upon the strong performances of its two leads, Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons.
I had been waiting for this movie for long time, as I am a drummer of sorts myself, I like music, I like drumming films, and this one seemed to be a great achievement.
Frantic, this is Whiplash is amazing how Damien Chazelle shows the obsession of Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) .no mellhor style Darren Aronofsky, the sound mixing in this movie is something great, camera angles, dry cuts are phenomenal, the JK Simmons acting is maginifica.
I accidentally watched the movie (by looking at the cover full of awards) and I must say I was very impressed by it.I'm really not a music expert by any mean, but the two main actors are seriously phenomenal and makes me think they are genuinely who they are playing.Everything is just very amazing : -the actors are damn flawless (Fletcher is so funny yet passionate - those shoutings!- , Andrew is truly great despite the fact that I don't really like Miles Teller) -the directing is also flawless by all means really just like the music in the whole movie -the story is sufficiently immersiveI recommend this movie to everyone who want to see a true masterpiece.