Whiplash...
Spoiler
Whiplash was a good watch, but either I 'didn't get it', or my general dislike of drumming has tainted the enjoyment from my initial viewing. Perhaps it is a mixture of both, but I don't mind admitting that. Either way, I'm going to bang that old drum of, 'I didn't like the ending', which probably points back to my first point. Okay, it started and ended with a similar motif and perhaps there's a mood or tone there that simply passed me by with regards to how the film closed. Nonetheless, I couldn't tell you what I was expecting, as the emotional rhythm of the film was like Jazz in itself and with no real big ass ending, I'm wondering if there is something thematic that I'm missing that someone may point out to me. Or did it just end on a perfect note? I'm not sure; however, dramatically it was peaking at that point and I really wanted and ending that I could relate to, but again, I'll refer to my first point. I'm fairly sure that there is something that I'm missing, as I'm not inherently a 'pro-bow-tie' film lover with a taste for standardization in film structure; yet saying all that, I would like to see where the story leads and would probably give a second instalment a watch if there was ever to be one. I'll mark that one down to duality though.
The plot was interesting and poignant at times and I thought you never knew which way the story was going to go, which again, may be something to do with the theme of the film though, not sure. The performances all round where great and the nature of the lead, lead the way, really well; his confidence growing and growing alongside J.K Simmons' characters' angst was nice to see. It's funny, there is an Acting tutor at LIPA who is a much more watered down version of J.K Simmons' character and whilst he doesn't go to the same extremities, he has a very similar method, albeit in a different discipline; more often than not though, you would see the ill-effects of this negative reinforcement method in the vast majority of students. Still however, there could be a Lawrence Olivier just waiting around the corner. Which casts a rather interesting question about the ethos of this film. It felt, almost, Dead Poets Society, but on steroids, wearing a blue hat and I do genuinely think that this film opens up an interesting message within that whole philosophy of pedagogy.
At the end of the day though, it's a film and while it's always good to talk, it is sometime good to remember that.
Dunno, I'll give it another watch though, perhaps consecutive viewings will, y'know. Grip me more.
