Filmmaker reacts to Whiplash (2014) 

Not quiet my tempo …. XD

Hello James, love your reactions, but I have a question: How do you watch those? Because I really would love to see what you have to say about Hong Kong and asian movies in general, China, and more specifically Hong Kong are sadly overlooked a bit but they have some of the most beautiful cinematography and the best, adrenaline pumping and creative fight scenes EVER. I'd love to see your reactions to movies like Election, Throw Down, The Killer, Tiger Cage, A Better Tomorrow and more, but sadly some of these are only aviable on streaming sites that I can't post here publically lol Would you ever watch these? And if so, is the sites over which they are aviable a problem?

Yup! Not sure if I put that in the video, but manipulative was the first things I said when that happened.

Well said. The fact it generates so much discussion, solidifies its importance in the art of story telling. This film rocked!

​​@@JamesVSCinema or rather, it jazzed 😂

I had a music teacher in junior high who was exactly like this. He abused the students physically and verbally on a regular basis, humiliated us in front of our classmates, all in the name of making us better. It sucked all the joy out of drumming until I got to high school, where my band teacher was a saint by comparison. This is a brilliant movie, but it was hard to watch because it brought it all back. Anyone who thinks Damien Chazelle was exaggerating his portrayal of the character is wrong. That said, I love that the movie doesn't take the easy route of just treating him like a villain, but instead letting us understand what drives him, what would drive a student to worship him and put up with the abuse, and then ask the question, "What is pursuing your dreams worth?"

Whenever I hear jazz musicians talking about this, they just seem to be getting their panties in a twist because it's not a documentary.

Whiplash and Birdman in the same year, man what a year that was. I remember being totally blown away watching Birdman in the theater….

Hahaha that’s a good one.

And the lead actor actually knows drumming.

Nineteen days?That’s incredible.

Brilliant performance. It’s inspiring.

Agreed, some traumas really cane back to me with his performance

Another film was “The Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” That did that to me.

Both are sooo good!!

@@JamesVSCinema never saw that, I'll have to check it out

That’s the beauty of the ending. Discussion. I find it interesting people have created scenes after the ending..which speaks volumes about the film on a personal level with the audience. It’s interesting how we paint the future of characters in stories that have ended, and how it makes us feel about the actual ending.

Magic is a beautiful way of putting it.

I wouldn't really call it a sleeper hit lol. Maybe when it was in theaters, but once it won the Oscar it was EVERYWHERE

@@darkaero Yes, i was referring to before the Oscars.

Hope you enjoy! Really got into this one.

That’s really kind, thank you!

Ay thanks so much! Appreciate the good energy.

Agreed!! Thoughts on the ending?

@@JamesVSCinema Perfection. You literally have a staged battle between David and Goliath with a sick jazz soundtrack. While you have revenge, you also have redemption. Meanwhile the Dad is watching helplessly as his son is wanting this pain to prove himself. Its a conflict across so many dimensions. And it ends exactly when it should. Not a second longer.

@@JamesVSCinemaSad as he finally succumbed to his abusers instructions, just playing his part and doing as he’s told. As the above comment explained, his father is in awe, but probably due to realising how far his son has sunken into his teachers arms (or trap) for that matter.

Just made it to the end of the vid..... Yeah definitely don't see it as depressing. If I'd define the Dad's look... It would be worried. It doesn't read as amazement of your child having an outstanding performance at a concert. I think it is of concern that he's being pushed to his limit and being great at it. But how long will he last if he already suffered an accident and knows that a former student lost their life?

@@mawangshallhang i thought the end showed the dad realizing just how good his kid really was, and feeling guilty because he was on the side of his bro, sis and nephews thinking andrew was a delusional hack who had no chance of achieving his dream. he didn’t take his side at the dinner disagreement. dad was always a little too quick to pacify andrew when he stumbles and always leads him away from what dad doesn’t think he should be doing. dad has little faith in his own child. dad had layers.

Exactly my thoughts as well..and for the exact reason from when they spoke about it during the dinner scene. Again, just our opinion but it’s fascinating that I saw it differently the first time.

@@JamesVSCinema I honestly didn't even know people didn't see it as awe haha

​@@bexc348lots of people tend to overanalyse it by saying the father is worried about his son's future and Fletcher has won etc, but to me that's adding layers which is not there. His father is in awe because he is in the present, he is not thinking of the future.

@@baishihua oo I see, thats so interesting, I never got that impression (as in him being worried)

Happy to have given a better watch to this film. For all the things you’ve mentioned, more reasons to why I’m happy to have covered it again. It’s a great piece!

Yeah there’s a lot of ways you can take that ending. That was my first take, but after this watch I had a different view. I find that fascinating.

The film definitely parallels an abusive relationships in some subtle, and some very not so subtle ways. The abuser lures him in and takes advantage of the victims desire for greatness, seducing him at the start of the film while hiding his true colors. Once he has him under his spell the true side of him is revealed, going from gaslighting him in the "not my tempo" scene (which nearly every take is indistinguishable, I'll add the exact timings at the end for movie/music nerds) telling him he's dragging when playing faster and rushing when playing slower in the takes before the chair throw, on top of having perfect timing when asked to count off 215 bpm and Fletcher still being insulted. It had to do with his timing, it was just a way to break him emotionally, humiliate him, and make him question his abilities. There are many more examples throughout such as Isolating him away from his friends and family, the victim making excuses and justifying the abuser's behavior and blaming themselves for any "mistakes", etc. The end being interpreted as a "redemption" arc where he breaks breaks free of the abuse and does his own thing, while finally gaining the respect he wanted from the abuser, also completely ignores that that was entire goal of his abuser in the first place and the whole fucked up justification he had for treating him the way he did the entire film. His entire ideology revolved around the idea of using whatever means necessary if it meant achieving his own goal and he found the perfect victim who used perfectionism as a coping mechanism for the abuse. Its not a happy ending, it's essentially a beat for beat example of a codependent, emotional and physically abusive relationship disguised as a movie about Jazz. As for the tempo scene: If you use the 5th take (the first tells him he's rushing) as a baseline the first 4 takes are practically identical and only ranging between 44-76 ms slower than the 5th take baseline between them, the 6th take is 83 ms slower (which is the first time he says he's dragging, by "just a hair"); however it's the 7th and 8th takes that give it away, the 7th take is 63ms slower and is told he's rushing, and the 8th take is only 18ms slower than the fastest take yet he's told he's dragging. The 9th take is 106ms slower and this is when the chair is hurled.

Love this interpretation, it's really filling in and colouring my perception of the movie

I think it's both. It's horror and awe and they are not mutually exclusive. The family scene, besides pointing Charlie Parker's outcome, also tells you how far are they from actually understanding any artistic goals or achievements. It's the universal case of the "artsy kid" within a conventional family but with the addition that we're talking about jazz here, which raises even more the bar of complexity. The family obviously doesn't get specifics or the extents of what Neiman it's actually doing and so their attitude is almost dismissive: "oh yeah, well done", "good on you" and then moving onto another topic... which also mirrors Fletcher's take on "good job". I mean, he's literally in the best music school in the country but it seems to count for nothing at the table. They can't relate to Neiman and Neiman (only child, no friends) can't relate to them, so no surprise he gets into this abusive relationship with Fletcher, as he fills this void. Neiman's father can go so far as a loving, supportive dad but he will never be able to enter the space his kid's in because he can't even dimension or comprehend it (we only see his father present at the last presentation btw, which may be intentional). I believe the final dad's scene is he finally getting a glimpse of this realm (notice how he's specifically filmed looking throw a narrow opening). He's coming into this realization, all at once pretty much. I think the abusive relationship it's only one aspect of the movie and we can't center the analysis only referencing this. It's a bit like when a kid says he wants to be a rocker and the parents goes "all rockers are drug addicts", it's too one sided. The movie also explores what it takes to achieve greatness and the conflicting path to reach prowess: are any means valid to reach this end, is it worth the sacrifice, and for whom or what you're actually doing it?

Yup, those exists haha. Speaking from football experience as well.

Awesome, thank you!

Thank you for pointing out the systemic,psychological and physical costs of trying to be a creative person in a merciless capitalist society like the United States.This country is quite horrible in its treatment of people who don’t become doctors,lawyers,engineers or hedge fund managers.The fact that so many people are forced into destructive,desperate,sometimes criminal,lifestyles because of this country’s refusal to provide for things like healthcare,child care,family support and other necessities is a crime and a tragedy of mammoth proportions.

Thank you bro. That’s real 💜

I appreciate that! Thanks for the love 🤘🏽

You are awesome for this..thank you for taking time to type this comment out! Cheers! Let’s continue educating!

Yes! So many people say 'no pain no gain' when talking about this movie but there are so many ways to push & motivate people in ways the wouldn't be able to do for themselves WITHOUT abusing them.

Yoooo happiest birthday!!

Also the color pallette of this movie is PERFECT between the green/blue outter rooms and the gold/brass scenes of the chaotic music it really sets the mood

Damnnnnnn right!

I love the film for its many attempts at challenging that perspective. It’s clearly a touch subject..but one worth venturing and attempting to craft a story in. It’s clearly relatable!

I honestly think he NAILED the performance. I think if he was simply an “angry teacher” then I’d understand, but in this film I feel like they’ve developed that character pretty well! He’s still a big mystery to me, which I enjoy! How did he truly get to be this way? How did he develop this ideology? We never get told this directly, and it’s left in patterns within his dialogue, which makes every sentence he speaks so damn key. 👌🏽

As painful as life can be, time doesn’t give a DAMN, sometimes you just gotta find a way to keep moving until you get your grounds again. Cheers homie!

Happy New Years!! Thanks for the love!

Thanks Man. That's Normal J. It was a long time. ❤❤

Quick tip too, if it’s a first time reaction, it’ll say it in the title. Cheers 👌🏽

Wonderfully said..that passion never dies within you. Engage with it properly and water it whenever it needs too. I think that truly shows great strength! Keep going! 🤘🏽

I’m happy to hear that!! I create a lot of surrealism so that’s something I try to think of whenever building a concept shot!

Same fam!

Isn’t it! what are your thoughts on the ending?

I too watched it for the 1st time a couple days ago! I loved the cinematography and story. I really was as terrified as the students by Fletcher.

@@JamesVSCinema i think it’s a great one, and i agree that it’s more of a happy one. it only gets dark if you try and come up with what happens after the movie. but as a ending for what it is, him playing in that moment and getting his shine. i think it’s a great ending showing him taking control of a moment and making it his and becoming great.