Damien chazelles whiplash stormed its way into theaters last weekend with a militaristic take on jazz musicians, their mentors, collaborators, and ambitions. I loved the intensity of the script, says the 27yearold actor. The film captures the skill, technique, ear, feel, improvisational skills, subtlety and power of jazz drumming and with simmons providing an acting master class whiplash is a. The screenplay, also written by chazelle, was partly based on his experiences in the princeton high school studio band. The mediocre jazz in damien chazelles new film, whiplash, the story set in the present day of a young drummer miles teller under the brutal tutelage of a conservatory professor j. Why whiplash won an oscar for best editing william. Drumming drama whiplash is one of the years best films. Whiplash critics consensus intense, inspiring, and wellacted, whiplash is a brilliant sophomore effort from director damien chazelle and a riveting vehicle for stars j. Centered on a rousing musical performance given by the films protagonist andrew miles teller, the.
A firstyear drumming student at a prestigious music conservatory, he sweats on, tears at, and bleeds all over his drum kit. The movie chose the concept of drumming speed as a proxy for talent. How miles teller learned to fake drum like a pro in whiplash. One of my favorite films at this years sundance film festival was writerdirector damien chazelles whiplash the film stars miles teller as an aspiring jazz drummer who aspires to greatness. Editor tom cross and cinematographer sharone meir often put us right on stage with andrew and fletcher, cutting and panning in rhythm with the beat of the drum. Miles teller took a pounding with crash course in drumming. Kid millions talks the jazz film whiplash, drumming and. In whiplash, miles teller plays andrew, an obsessive music conservatory student in new york who practices drumming until his hands bleed. The album features the original jazz songs written for the film by grammy nominee tim simonec, as well as the movies original underscore composed by justin hurwitz. But, as new film whiplash suggests, theres a reason drummers are. Whiplash, written and directed by damien chazelle and edited by tom cross, was a hit at sundance and most recently made a splash. Terence fletcher mentoring an aspiring jazz drummer miles teller, whiplash takes on the usually flowery musicalprodigy genre to reveal that you cant just practice, practice. Simmons is the favorite to win the oscar for playing an outlandishly abusive jazz mentor.
As erskine said, there is no confirmed official credit. To play an instrument, they insist, is to be liberated, to give voice to the feelings of the soul, to have the best damn time of your life, etc. While whiplash would be a notable film purely for teller and simmons performances, it reaches a different level when one considers the execution of its tempo. Caravan is the song with the extended drum solo in the films wonderful third act. The best film completely about drumming, ever whiplash 2014 a talented young drummer attends a prestigious jazz conservatory and cops abuse from a harsh music professor, who pushes the lad towards throwing his every fluidounce of sweat and every bit of his energy and passion into being good enough for the big band jazz ensemble. To the drummers who have watched the movie whiplash. My tutor reveals that the most prominent key rudiment in the whiplash drumming performances is the. Jemal countessgetty images the blisters and sweat miles teller got playing a drummer in his new movie whiplash are real. The story of an ambitious young drummer driven to the edge. Jimmy macbride, a local jazz drummer and recent julliard grad, watched the trailer and believed the. Culture film news whiplash movie hit by backlash from disgruntled jazz fans. As it turns out, the 27year old does plays the drums, and its really him playing in the movie. Simmons is a disparaging music instructor in whiplash.
If youve seen the oscarnominated drama whiplash, you probably left the theater with the following thoughts. Whiplash maestro damien chazelle on drumming, directing. Peter erskine, joni mitchell, jaco pastorius, herbie hancock. This makes sense as a plot point because its very tangible for an audience of nondrummers to evaluate. Lang has been playing drums since he was a small child and had taken lessons over the years. The struggles of a young drummer at an elite music school make for surprisingly gripping viewing, solos and all. A promising young drummer enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a students potential. The film stars miles teller as an ambitious jazz drummer selected to join a school studio band taught by a cruel music instructor played by j. What did you think of tellers performance as a drummer. As it turns out, while whiplash isnt based on a true story, but it is inspired by the experiences of director damien chazelle as a drummer.
Simmons had played a wide range of roles from tough guys in oz and sam raimis spider man films to nicer guys in juno and up in the air, said harold matzner, chairman of the palm springs international film festival. Meanwhile, the one very real detail in the film the big band chart titled whiplash which serves as inspiration and background to the movie is a kick for me because the composer and arranger of that piece, the late hank levy, worked a lot with the stan kenton orchestra while i was a member beginning at age 18 as well as with the don. Varese sarabande has announced the details of the soundtrack album for the indie drama whiplash. In damien chazelles new film whiplash, the very idea of jazz is turned. Miles teller, the star of whiplash, on escaping death, clashing with nicole kidman, and why he doesnt want to be spiderman. First of all, obviously the vast majority of drumming you hear was not miles teller as others have said here. The charts arranger hank levy is famous within jazz circles for his numerous time chart classics. So you can go back to being extremely impressed by tellers musical chops. Unlike piano, for example, where an actors hands can be hidden from the camera, drumming cant be cheated. Simmons as a drillsergeant bandleader, had me struggling with an existential question as the film came to its unintentionally comical ending. As erskine said, there is no confirmed official credit so everything is rumor and speculation. Simmons as the overbearing music school teacher dr. If the film takes place now, any drummer playing like that at a competitive jazz festival especially one in new york city would get a cymbal thrown at their feet by the ghost of papa jo.
Miles teller on bleeding for whiplash and those divergent. The chart whiplash performed in the film is of the type referred to by jazz players as a time chart a piece with an unconventional time signature in this case, 148. Its the name of the hank levy song performed in the film. Heres a film that makes playing music look as punishingphysically, mentally, emotionallyas boot camp.
Unkind things are said about mothers, even though no mothers appear in the film. Whiplash and those bleeding hands the new york times. Whiplash premiered in competition at the 2014 sundance. As it turns out, the 27yearold does plays the drums, and its really him playing in the movie. Miles was a pretty good drummer when he came in to do the movie, and they. Also included are number of classic jazz standards by artists including stan getz, duke ellington and more, as well as. Im not going to say its a bad movie, because im aware that my perspective is poisoned by personal experience as a drummer and as a conservatory student.
It took me a few viewings trying to be fair to even begin to get past my gripes about the. Miles tellers got the beat in the new film whiplash. Whiplash is rated r under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. It depicts the relationship between an ambitious jazz drummer miles teller. Although miles teller has been drumming since he was 15 years old, he took additional lessons 4 hours a day, 3 days a week to prepare for the movie. Whiplash follows the relationship between an ambitious young drummer, andrew, played by miles teller, and his demanding instructor fletcher. At 29, the new jersey native damien chazelle has entered the oscar fray with the much lauded feature he wrote and directed, whiplash. The ending of whiplash offers one of the most electrifying movie moments this year. Men can be made to fly and, through a technological breakthrough known as an apple. The snare liftoff, as credited on the soundtrack, is both the first and one of the last things we hear andrew play. Whiplash, though, has a different perspective on the matter. In fact, cross editing work in whiplash is already earning awards, including one at last months new orleans film festival, where the film made its local debut. Whiplash is the song that tellers character is playing when hes almost decapitated by a chair thrown at him.
Like any good movie title, whiplash has multiple meanings. First, holy intensity and floating behind that reaction a vague wonder about. The oscarnominated film about a tyrannical music teacher and his star pupil is out of sync with reality, says ladytrons touring drummer whiplashs jk simmons and damien chazelle. Now that whiplash was getting a bigger canvas, chazelle took a second try at teller. Starring miles teller as a musicschool drumming student terrorized by his sadistic teacher, played by j. Did miles teller play the drums in whiplash movie youtube. Whiplash, the new movie directed by damien chazelle, starring miles teller the spectacular now as an aspiring jazz drummer and j. Whiplash follows the relationship between an ambitious young. If an actor is out of time, the audience will know.
Theres a focus on hands in this movie, especially during the drumming scenes. Whiplash resulted when their car was struck from behind. Also, if it wasnt him, i will be supremely disappointed. In whiplash, simmons shines with his tough guy portrayal of a music teacher, who physically and. Whiplash movie hit by backlash from disgruntled jazz fans. Besides, that winning drum solo performance at the end of the film is a very passe sort of thing.
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