Another titanic success
from 2014.
A masterpiece
from a stunning
new directorial talent.
As the weeks go on I am becoming more convinced that 2014 is one of the greatest years in recent cinema history. Whiplash is possibly the best music themed film I have ever seen, and that means everything it implies. An astonishing soundtrack, fantastic drama, amazing performances and one of the most mesmerising climaxes I have ever seen.
The most talked about aspect of the film is the performance by J.K Simmons. He has received an Oscar nomination and it has been speculated that this film will send his career in a more dramatic direction from now on. Although I am somewhat irritated that this aspect of the film has overshadowed everything else wonderful about the film in the eyes of many, it is hard to dispute how brilliant Simmons is here. His character Fletcher is one of the most hypnotically terrifying things you will see in a recent picture. The character walks a fantastic tightrope between shockingly realistic, and skin-crawlingly repulsive. I have no hesitation in saying that this character should stand as one of the all time great movie psychopaths.
Another performance in this film, which has sadly been ignored for the most part, which I feel deserves even higher praise than Simmons is Miles Teller as Andrew. As cliche' as it is to say, he truly is a revelation. Bar none, he is the greatest acting newcomer of the year and he succeeds in an extremely challenging lead role. Teller's emotional conveyance, depth and highly expressive eyes genuinely impressed me and he provided another of the years best performances.
Whiplash's cinematography is also very impressive. The film is another great example of a cinematographer taking full advantage of the natural beauty of New York, and Whiplash truly deserves to stand up with some of the all time great 'New York movies', such as Taxi Driver and Mean Streets (Scorsese is kinda the go-to guy for stunning shots of New York). Whiplash combines it's impressive visuals with it's astonishing Jazz soundtrack to create an aesthetically enchanting thriller. The soundtrack in particular is perhaps the best of the entire year and I have been listening to it regularly. Knowing that Teller himself performed some of these incredibly complex tracks makes me appreciate his performance even more and adds to the realism of the character and by extension film.
The screenplay and dialogue of this film is flawless. The characters are quickly and clearly sketched out within mere moments of meeting them, and further depth and layers are added throughout the running time. Every exchange has a purpose and means something in the grand scheme of the film overall, however nothing feels expository or forced. The dialogue is gripping, elevated further by the universally fantastic acting, and shows Writer/Director Damien Chazelle's passion for the subject matter.
Overall, this film is a cornucopia of the best and freshest talents of the entire year. Chazelle, Teller and Simmons should stand as three of the greatest breakthroughs of the entire year. This film is a masterpiece and stands as one of the greatest films, not only of last year, but of the last several years.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
Another performance in this film, which has sadly been ignored for the most part, which I feel deserves even higher praise than Simmons is Miles Teller as Andrew. As cliche' as it is to say, he truly is a revelation. Bar none, he is the greatest acting newcomer of the year and he succeeds in an extremely challenging lead role. Teller's emotional conveyance, depth and highly expressive eyes genuinely impressed me and he provided another of the years best performances.
Whiplash's cinematography is also very impressive. The film is another great example of a cinematographer taking full advantage of the natural beauty of New York, and Whiplash truly deserves to stand up with some of the all time great 'New York movies', such as Taxi Driver and Mean Streets (Scorsese is kinda the go-to guy for stunning shots of New York). Whiplash combines it's impressive visuals with it's astonishing Jazz soundtrack to create an aesthetically enchanting thriller. The soundtrack in particular is perhaps the best of the entire year and I have been listening to it regularly. Knowing that Teller himself performed some of these incredibly complex tracks makes me appreciate his performance even more and adds to the realism of the character and by extension film.
The screenplay and dialogue of this film is flawless. The characters are quickly and clearly sketched out within mere moments of meeting them, and further depth and layers are added throughout the running time. Every exchange has a purpose and means something in the grand scheme of the film overall, however nothing feels expository or forced. The dialogue is gripping, elevated further by the universally fantastic acting, and shows Writer/Director Damien Chazelle's passion for the subject matter.
Overall, this film is a cornucopia of the best and freshest talents of the entire year. Chazelle, Teller and Simmons should stand as three of the greatest breakthroughs of the entire year. This film is a masterpiece and stands as one of the greatest films, not only of last year, but of the last several years.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
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