Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash (2014) is a dark, suspenseful film which casts awe and horror at the things one must do in order to achieve greatness. The critically acclaimed movie concentrates on the raw passion and sacrifices one young drummer takes in order to be the best, as well as the obsessive way in which his drive for music consumes him.
In the film, we follow the story of a first-year jazz student at a prestigious school - Andrew. He's grown up with a pure love for drumming, fuelled by his role model Buddy Rich, but this love turns into something much more once he meets his manipulative band conductor, Fletcher. Fletcher sees potential in Andrew and decides to bully and abuse him for his own pleasure. Fletcher calls Andrew degrading homophobic slurs, humiliates him in front of the entire band, and chucks a chair at him for good measure. Despite all of this, Andrew does not give up. He wants to please Fletcher with his musical skills. He also wants to be great, to be perfect, to be the best. In a graphic scene we see the wannabe drummer practising until midnight with his drumsticks until his hands bleed. He dunks his hands into ice to numb the pain and keeps going. Whiplash hits all the right places - it entertains us through a clever plot and superb cinematography, whilst also asking us if we are willing to make that struggle to be the best. Personally, I rate the film a solid ten out of ten. The ending is arguably the best one that I've seen so far, and I've watched a lot of movies. Keep in mind though, Whiplash does contain quite a bit of profanity and a lot of blood, so I wouldn’t show this to immature children (though they probably won't get the message anyway). If you have a great passion or a dream that you want to fulfil one day, this is a must-see.
0 Comments
Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite comes as a refreshing, unsettling alternative to the romance and action movies that we constantly come across these days - nothing wrong with that, of course, but it's a film that's truly one of its kind. A satirical suspense thriller, it blends just the right amount of horror, action and an insightful critique of the way our society functions.
Parasite was the first non-English speaking film to win an Oscar, and not just so in one category. The movie has earned Oscars for four of its six categories that it was nominated for ; Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film. With a prestigious 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, you might be wondering what makes this movie so great. Well, here’s why. Unlike most other movies, the recurrent theme inside this movie is the severe class division. The dirt-poor Kims with little money come across a once in a lifetime chance to change their status. Through their youngest son, whose friend works as a tutor for a rich family, they infiltrate the affluent household one by one in an attempt to gain money and influence. However, they find out that their job isn’t all sunshine and rainbows in the most unexpected way possible - watch the movie to find out! Personally, this came across as possibly the best film that I’ve watched in my life (and I’ve watched a lot of movies!) Everything was spot-on for me, however note that there is one very brief sexual scene in the movie that might make you slightly uncomfortable if you’re watching it with your parents. Also, there’s a lot of violent scenes near the end, and at one point the movie was a straight-up horror film, so it’s not really for the weak-hearted. All in all, though, watching Parasite was most positively a fresh new experience for me. I definitely need to watch it again. |
AuthorHi, I'm Emily. Welcome to my blog! ArchivesCategories |