#Whiplash #EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating:* * * *

#Whiplash #BestFilms(Released)thisWeek20thFeb2015#EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating:* * * *

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#Badlapur(Hindi) Rating: * * * #SriramRaghavan tries to steer clear from the Bollywood norm and manages to fashion an interesting enough exploration of revenge. Heavily borrowed moments from the TV drama ‘Dexter’ and conscious and obvious effort to steer clear of clichés and stereotypes makes this a note-worthy effort but the lack of tension, studied tone and the heavily indulgent showboat editing make it less than entertaining. The neo-noir cinematographic texture does lend it substance and deliberately stylised performances by #NawazuddinSiddiqui #VarunDhawan #RadhikaApte #VinayPathak #HumaQuereshi #YamiGautam #DivyaDutta adds to the interest! #UniversalCommunications #ParagDesai #VarunDhawan #SriramRaghavan #TSeries #MaddockFilms #ErosEntertainment #DineshVijan

                                                                                            

#SomeTimes (Cineplay,English) Rating: * * *1/2 #SubodhMaskara & #NanditaDas’s latest venture #CinePlay that’s slotted to hit the VOD sector is a series of entertaining plays captured on camera for a wider viewing audience. #Sometimes , the latest play in the series, written by #AdhirBhat and Directed by talented #AkarshKhurana is a vividly entertaining experience. A confluence of solid writing, tight direction and superb performances, this one makes you sit up and take notice. Be prepared to rush to the theatres for the next showing...! #RomaPerieraTalwar #AnishaSenguptaYanger #TurningPointBrandConsulting

#Qissa(Punjabi/Subtitled) Rating: * * * * Multiple award winning Indo-German Production #Qissa is a Stunningly eloquent and intense dramatic engagement. #AnupSingh’s Superb direction, brilliantly structured screenplay combined with unforgettable performances by #TilottamaShome #IrrfanKhan #TiscaChopra #RasikaDuggal make this a never-to-be-missed experience. It’s been a long time since #NFDC came up with a winner..this is it! #VikramjitRoy #HemaUpadhyay #EverydayMedia #1HPR

#Monsoon(Hindi) Rating: * A coming of age tale that lacks distinction and direction. School boy crush on an older woman has been treaded on before with much better finesse and refinement. This one just bludgeons through a set-piece story in order to score on sidey, risque entertainment! #MahendraDhariwal #JitenderGulati #SuzadIqbalKhan #SrishtiSharma #Sudhanshu #Shawar Ali #VijaySingh #RajaGulati

#Wild(English) Rating: * * *1/2 Based on the memoirs of #CherylStrayed, this exploration of the self through a wild adventure trek, a #ReeseWitherspoon topliner, is not as intense or dramatic a road movie as it could have been. Director #JeanMarcVallee tends to be a little more wordy(Voiceover) than visually descriptive(fleeting flashbacks) and that makes all the difference in the experience. #ParagDesai #UniversalCommunications #FoxStar #LauraDern #GabyHoffmann

#Whiplash(English) Rating: * * * * Director-writer #DamienChazelle’s low-budget film, about the development of a top-notch musician(Drummer), shot in just 19 days, devotes itself to the cruelty infused dynamic of the relationship between a music teacher and his student. It has all the tension and intensity of a top-notch thriller. Simmons as Fletcher and Miles Teller as Andy are fantastic.#Whiplash is riveting.  #HardlyAnonymous #UniversalPictures #PVR

English film review

Johnson Thomas

A stunning Alchemy

Film: Whiplash

Cast:Miles Teller, J.K.Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser, Austin Stowell

Director:Damien Chazelle

Rating: * * * *

Runtime: 106 mins

Synopsis:A talented young jazz drummer experiences a trial by fire when he's recruited by a ferocious instructor whose unyielding search for perfection may lead to his undoing. Determined to make a name for himself , Andrew enrolls in a prestigious east coast music conservatory where his talent quickly catches the attention of Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) a esteemed music teacher who's notorious for his caustic approach in the classroom. The leader of the school's top jazz ensemble, Fletcher promptly transfers Neyman into his band, giving the ambitious young drummer a shot at true greatness.For Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) this is just the opportunity he is waiting for- to make up for all his father’s failures. He may achieve greatness, too, but at what cost? is the question.

 

Review

Andrew Neyman, the promising young drummer made to undergo a terrifying ordeal in the name of honing his talents for greatness, doesn’t quit until he reaches a point of no return with Shaffer conservatory of Music’s most extraordinary and sadistic professor , Terence Fletcher. He is put through the grind, humiliated, called names, suffers through tongue lashings, meets with an accident and yet rushes to the stage to perform – all in the name of achieving greatness,  but Fletcher is not in the least bit amused. He wants more blood and Andrew gives it to him , until he has no more to give.

Then comes the twist. A fellow student commits suicide. An inquiry points to Fletcher’s inhuman teaching methodology as cause and Andrew is called on to give supportive evidence. By then he is so defeated that he is ready to get back at the monster professor. Later , a chance meeting in a bar , changes the course of young Andrew’s career yet again.

   

"Whiplash" trains it’s guns on making social comments on what it takes to achieve brilliance- for the student as well as the teacher.  It’s an inherently personal drama that resonates with nightmarish challenges in a format that is vibrantly alive – enough to provide an ultra pure adrenaline rush. The action is in the staging of the confrontations.  Damien Chazelle   deftly turns a staid subject about the relationship between a teacher and a student into a thriller given terrific heft by the two central performances. The screenplay re-imagines the world of music through rhythms that appear impossible yet smoothens into a string of complex events that are breathtaking . It’s literally a cut-throat world out there and if you thought otherwise, more fool you. The superb editing, brilliant camerawork magnificent musical accompaniments,  breathless pace and the many highs and lows in the script combine to give-off an experience that’s electric. The narrative slowly and steadily pumps up the tempo till you experience an adrenaline pull, the likes of never-seen-before.

The student is challenged to achieve his full potential by a teacher. We’ve seen such elevating stories before but none as sharp and uncompromising as ‘Whiplash.’ The narrative doesn’t get bent out of shape with sentiment. The high-energy, tightly structured manner which Chazelle employs doesn’t allow for any.

 

Miles Teller (seen before in “Rabbit Hole” and “The Spectacular Now,”) makes this his best effort yet- His Andrew is the perfect blend of talent, humility, insecurity ,confidence and a never-say-die drive combined by unassailable passion for performance music. You see his vulnerabilities, cockiness, loneliness, immaturity in relationships while his talent flourishes under that almost inhuman taskmaster, Fletcher played impeccably by Simmons. Simmons’ Fletcher rants, raves , praises and puts down his young protégés in his effort to see them shine. Abusive and verbally vituperative, he cuts them down to ant size, especially when he sees them give rise to ego. The dynamism between the two characters is stunning and you actually end up feeling empathy for both. That in fact is the triumph of the screenplay and direction. At no point in the film do you lose interest or feel distracted. Every moment here is a gem .You really can’t afford to miss this one!

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