Review of Whiplash (2014) by Joshua A — 16 Jan 2017

How do you motivate someone? Do you need someone to hit them? No, you just get them to hit themselves. Oh and I guess a slap or two doesn't hurt. This movie is a film with music and blood which you didn't even know you wanted to see together.

What is required of a true thriller, you don't need a bomb timer, you don't need a kidnapping, you don't need aliens, the only thing you need is passion and you need to portray it well and my goodness does Damien Chazelle do that. It is so hard to say a movie is perfect, but Whiplash... is.

The character development is so sublime, the build up of Andrew through the use of a random relationship sub-plot is so irrelevant to his life, they get together and they break-up that's what we are being shown and that's what Andrew's sees. The conversation at the dinner table, in a society and a family where talking against American Football is taboo, however the drive and frustration Andrew feels makes him absolutely adamant that Jazz is no different. The film shows such amazing and unique ways to portray somebodies devotion to something, their undying passion, when critics say its better to show than tell, they mean to use words but without saying "I am passionate about ______" and blood in ice cold water is a pretty good way about it, and pretty damn cinematic too.

Terence Fletcher is just perfect, imagine everything you want in a character defined as strict teacher, double it, then triple it, that is what you get and its amazing.

If you ever thought a film of 1 hour and 45 minutes could not possibly inspire you, then watch Whiplash.

10/10 - Subjectively perfect, objectively inspiring.