Great movie!

"that's not my tempo..." is now in my list of catchphrases.

"Turn my pages, btch!" is a pretty good one as well.

quote:

---

Football coaches have been fired for less. I just don't think that could happen, even at a university level.

---

None of you have been to architecture school. This stuff happened a lot. I saw male and female students breakdown and cry. Architecture professors were just a lot more clever delivering the message for the most part.

The movie was GREAT! At the end of the day I don't think Fletcher cared if he got any notoriety or not. Just as in the story about Charlie Parker no one he talked to ever heard the story. All they knew was that Charlie Parker was great.

Not that anybody cares anymore, but I just saw it last night. I stayed up 30 minutes later than I intended to finish it.

Fletcher is a truly evil antagonist with serious psychotic, super-villain issues. He was able to hide his anger when he unexpectedly reunited with Neiman, or he purposely chose that venue knowing it was on Neiman's path and would lure him in. Then after having already ended his drumming career once, he hatched a plot to end it AGAIN with a plot including horrible public humiliation. He premeditated the plan to prop Neiman up in front of an influential crowd, sacrificed the original drummer in the process, and proceeded with his evil, demented scheme. We all know the outcome, and bravo.

Personally, I would have felt much more satisfied if Neiman would have finished the last drum performance, stood up from his throne, and put a well aimed bullet where it belonged.

Another bump as I was late to the party. Holy crap. If you haven't seen this movie yet, make it a priority. Easily one of the best movies I have ever seen.

might watch it again this weekend - J.K. Simmons is amazing

I liked the movie a lot but I got 598 on that rhythm test... on my second try.

dcAg said:

---

Quote:

---

Football coaches have been fired for less. I just don't think that could happen, even at a university level.

---

None of you have been to architecture school. This stuff happened a lot. I saw male and female students breakdown and cry. Architecture professors were just a lot more clever delivering the message for the most part.

The movie was GREAT! At the end of the day I don't think Fletcher cared if he got any notoriety or not. Just as in the story about Charlie Parker no one he talked to ever heard the story. All they knew was that Charlie Parker was great.

---

One reviewer called me a liar during my presentation. Dept. head intervened before I could go super saiyan

It's on my list!

Quinn said:

---

Bumping this one 8 years later as I finally watched this yesterday.

What an incredible film! Two intense, spot on performances that were all that was needed to carry this movie to great heights. JK rightfully won the Oscar for this, but Miles should have been nominated, at the very least, as well. This movie ask the question of what does it take to be truly great and is it worth it? Andrew and Fletcher believe that it is worth it, but I don't think Chazelle or the audience is necessarily supposed to arrive at the same answer. So many thrilling scenes, especially the finale, which is better than pretty much any action movie or comic book movie since then. I would put it up there with the best scenes from End Game and Top Gun: Maverick (does that mean that Miles Teller is our greatest action movie star??).

Really glad that I caught this one on HBO Max this week. Check it out if you haven't seen it or haven't revisited it since it came out.

---

The bold is one of the reasons I love this movie so much.

And agreed on your second point. I remember the director was interviewed after it came out and was asked about what came next for the characters or if he'd consider a sequel. He said something to the effect of "you can't do a sequel, because Andrew would have OD'd or self-destructed a few years later." That interview may already be in this thread but it was really interesting.

TCTTS said:

---

I cringed way too many times re-reading that initial review of mine just now. Not because my feelings have changed, but because it's so overwritten. Also, how they hell was that EIGHT years ago???

---

I thought you were a Leonard Maltin sock just from the title.

Quinn said:

---

MASAXET said:

---

Quinn said:

---

Bumping this one 8 years later as I finally watched this yesterday.

What an incredible film! Two intense, spot on performances that were all that was needed to carry this movie to great heights. JK rightfully won the Oscar for this, but Miles should have been nominated, at the very least, as well. This movie ask the question of what does it take to be truly great and is it worth it? Andrew and Fletcher believe that it is worth it, but I don't think Chazelle or the audience is necessarily supposed to arrive at the same answer. So many thrilling scenes, especially the finale, which is better than pretty much any action movie or comic book movie since then. I would put it up there with the best scenes from End Game and Top Gun: Maverick (does that mean that Miles Teller is our greatest action movie star??).

Really glad that I caught this one on HBO Max this week. Check it out if you haven't seen it or haven't revisited it since it came out.

---

The bold is one of the reasons I love this movie so much.

And agreed on your second point. I remember the director was interviewed after it came out and was asked about what came next for the characters or if he'd consider a sequel. He said something to the effect of "you can't do a sequel, because Andrew would have OD'd or self-destructed a few years later." That interview may already be in this thread but it was really interesting.

---

For sure. I did see that interview on this thread when I read it. The subtle recognition in Fletcher's face when he realizes the level that Andrew reaches in that final performance is so good. He got to the point he had been working towards and that Fletcher had pushed him to and JK plays it so well. It would look like pure insanity to a normal person, though. But to them, it's achieving greatness.

---

Idk if all viewers take the "the road to greatness is too burdensome." Chazelle gives you 2 hours of punishment, you sympathize with the protagonist and are genuinely fearful of JK.

But the archetype of a hero must overcome the obstacles for success. Likewise the villain must provide compelling stakes and providing sufficient obstacle for the hero.

If the audience walks away saying this is too much, or it's unrelatable, then the film has revealed a character defect in them, not in the protagonist.

I finally saw this a couple weeks ago. For pure entertainment value, irrespective of the actual concepts of music and musical education, it's objectively a good movie and entertaining to watch. JK Simmons played the hell out the character and demonstrates his fine acting chops.

As a serious musician who teaches private music lessons, the movie has so many things wrong with it I don't even know where to start. For that reason, I really disliked the film, and every musician I know who has seen it, especially NYC-based musicians and Julliard grads dislike it for the same reason. It is grossly unrealistic and factually inaccurate. Yes, I've dealt with my share of jerks, but there is no place in the world of music academia (or performing for the most part) where people who throw things at people and hit them are revered, respected, or even tolerated. While Fletcher eventually loses his job, he would never have lasted a single semester after his first bout of violent BS in real life and no other reputable music program would have hired him. Further, playing to the point of physical injury DOES NOT make you better, and it can actually make you worse. No serious music teacher will ever encourage or allow their students to injure themselves while playing - They will teach and encourage better, more responsible methods to avoid the risk of injury.

The lasting message it leaves with me is that it represents an unrealistic and profoundly negative view of serious musicianship and higher education that is going to turn young musicians away because they think that's what it's really like.

TCTTS said:

---

I cringed way too many times re-reading that initial review of mine just now. Not because my feelings have changed, but because it's so overwritten. Also, how they hell was that EIGHT years ago???

---

Oh wow. It does read very movie blog review-y.

Love this intense movie! Good stuff

Ryan the Temp said:

---

I finally saw this a couple weeks ago. For pure entertainment value, irrespective of the actual concepts of music and musical education, it's objectively a good movie and entertaining to watch. JK Simmons played the hell out the character and demonstrates his fine acting chops.

As a serious musician who teaches private music lessons, the movie has so many things wrong with it I don't even know where to start. For that reason, I really disliked the film, and every musician I know who has seen it, especially NYC-based musicians and Julliard grads dislike it for the same reason. It is grossly unrealistic and factually inaccurate. Yes, I've dealt with my share of jerks, but there is no place in the world of music academia (or performing for the most part) where people who throw things at people and hit them are revered, respected, or even tolerated. While Fletcher eventually loses his job, he would never have lasted a single semester after his first bout of violent BS in real life and no other reputable music program would have hired him. Further, playing to the point of physical injury DOES NOT make you better, and it can actually make you worse. No serious music teacher will ever encourage or allow their students to injure themselves while playing - They will teach and encourage better, more responsible methods to avoid the risk of injury.

The lasting message it leaves with me is that it represents an unrealistic and profoundly negative view of serious musicianship and higher education that is going to turn young musicians away because they think that's what it's really like.

---

That's fascinating. Thank you for sharing that perspective. I often wondered about that.

I've had acting teachers myself and heard of acting teachers that push in ways that really are unhealthy. It's one of the reasons I hate certain aspects of method acting and some of the practices teachers of it utilize. There's a line that some acting coaches cross where they almost try to be your therapist to get you to find these emotions in yourself.

I get why there are some actors who get really messed up by it. And also why you see some of them only do so few roles because of the toll it can take on your psyche.

I'm surprised there aren't more stories like this film about acting.

Harlan Ellison wrote a pretty good short story about this years ago - All the Sounds of Fear.

Fun drummer fact: I went to high school with Travis Barker and played in the jazz band with him. He was a mediocre drummer then and stole most of the equipment in his first drum set from the school. Look where it got him ...

And what's great about JK's face was the difference to the father's. He's more in shock than proud. Great scene.

Claude! said:

---

Harlan Ellison wrote a pretty good short story about this years ago - All the Sounds of Fear.

---

I'll have to check that out.

Glad this thread was refreshed. Watched this tonight and loved it.

Is this a documentary about the formation of Metallica?

This movie inspired me to yell "for the FINAL FATHER-****ING TIME" at someone but I just can't pick the right time/person and pull the trigger. I don't know how my wife would react.