I liked the film, but as a drummer myself I found some parts a little far fetched ie. the whole blood sweat and tears part when really it's the drum stick that does the work for us and how we use rebound, but I'm just nit-picking. It was a good film and kept me entertained from start to finish.

There's only a handful of guys in the world who could pull off some those drumming pyrotechnics. If Miles was that good a drummer before the movie, trust me, we all would have heard of him. Nobody that good gets by under the radar. The 90% comment by the director is what tipped me off that a really talented, seasoned pro played (some) of those drum parts.

If Miles the actor can play a Buddy style single stroke roll like (he) did in the movie, that kid is in the wrong business.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w51lkYV20W0"]Did Miles Teller play the drums in Whiplash Movie - YouTube[/ame]

Which brings us right back around to Mark's question... who is the other drummer on the sound track???????

John

Is it Brian Blade?

Well the film makers had to convey the sheer magnitude of the lengths this man was going to go to realise his drumming dreams to those who don't play drums. I guess in mainstream cinema most of the viewers aren't even musicians let alone drummers.

Actually I've blistered my hands into a blooded mess over the years touring heavily with Rock Bands. Night after night over the same injury. And oh the knuckle on the rim. Ouch

No Purdie even if he was the greatest living drummer, believe me he's in the right business!

I play by ear, though I haven't cleaned them in decades so that kinda tells you how good I am...:)

My favorite drummer is Al Jackson, Jr. Don't know if he was schooled by I doubt it (?).. But I enjoy old R&B and the groove thing, etc.

I just wanna know who really played the gaffer ??baby crawl2

We rented the movie this weekend. My son, the actual drummer in the household, really liked the movie. The last scene moves so fast, it's worth re-watching to really pickup on the little things.

The conductor,Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), was a piece of work. I can see why J.K. won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Through the entire movie you hate his guts, but in the very last scene the smile on is face right before the credits completely changes your perception.

Is Whiplash actor really playing ...

http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2014/11/is_miles_teller_really_playing.html

As Tommyp mentioned in Post#7 and according to this article, Miles is playing, but not in one continuous take. Prior to filming, Nate Lang and Miles spent 3 to 4 hours a day for two months working together in boot camp style.

Here's a "not-so-good" movie review ...

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/whiplash-getting-jazz-right-movies

-Tim

I really thought his character was great. He is made out to be the bad guy, but the whole time he is pushing Neiman to greatness. His discussion with Neiman at the jazz club about Charlie Parker was spot on. "So imagine if Jones had just said: “Well, that’s okay, Charlie. That was all right. Good job. “And then Charlie thinks to himself, “Well, sh**, I did do a pretty good job.” End of story. No Bird. That, to me, is an absolute tragedy." The final scene was the "Jo Jones cymbal to the head" that pushed Neiman to be great, and in the last moment Fletcher confirms it with a "good job smile/nod." Loved this movie!

It's a 'Bully and his victim' story. Fletcher is a sadist who relishes dominating others through intimidation and humiliation. Miles represents the victim. A moral question is posed at the end of the movie, does the ends justify the means? The answer is no.

It is revealed that one of Fletcher's former students has committed suicide. Fletcher's guilt is evidenced by his lying to the class about the cause of death, he tells the students that the kid died in a traffic accident. The only reason he would need to lie about the cause of death is because the truth clearly implicates that he had contributed to it.

All that about looking for the next Charlie Parker is nothing more than Fletchers rationale for his irrational, abusive and inexcusable behavior. The moment when Mile's character snaps because he can't take it anymore is the real moment of epiphany in the movie, not at the end when he walks back on stage. When Neiman leaps out from behind the drum kit and tries to choke the life out of that prick Fletcher is when Neiman finally asserts himself and says, enough, he isn't going to take any more crap from Fletcher. It should have ended there. With Fletcher being fired and his career in ruins.

Raising a moral question at the end isn't even valid (and why the ending is a bit confusing and doesn't make sense,) because the premise of the moral question itself is based on a false equivalency. The end does not justify the means. In the end, Neiman shows greatness because he had greatness in him, not because Fletchers sadism beat it out of him. Fletcher is in every sense of the term, the bad guy in the movie. Neiman's triumph is when he finally stands up for himself, asserts himself. He represents the good guy. Good guy/ bad guy, bully/victim, it's a pretty straight forward story. They just throw you a curve ball at the end by asking you if you think Fletcher was justified in his sadistic behavior. The answer is, of course not... remember, one of his students committed suicide over the way Fletcher treated him. Something like that is beyond justification.

Funny how everybody reads the story differently. Great fodder for discussion.

John