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#033 Damien Chazelle: Whiplash vs. Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench w/ guests Jason Ferguson & Santos Barbosa III

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Download MP3 In today's episode Nate and Austin compare Damien Chazelle's best and worst rated films, Whiplash (2014) and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), respectively. Nate keeps saying Chavelle, Austin comes up with a new segment, Jason's the only one that didn't love whiplash, and Santos likes to feel uncomfortable. Check back next Sunday at 7pm PST where we will compare Rob Reiner's Stand by Me (1986) and North (1994), his best and worst rated films.
Also check out this clip where Damien Chazelle, Miles Teller, and J.K. Simmons talk about the music of Whiplash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptnchayd0Dc

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench Notes

Worst Rated

PLOT: After connecting with the shy Madeline, a jazz trumpeter embarks on a quest for a more gregarious paramour, but through a series of twists and turns punctuated by an original score, the two lovers seem destined to be together.
  • Ratings: IMDb 6.2 | RT 90% C / 57% A
  • Released: 2009
  • Director: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
  • Writer(s): Damien Chazelle
  • Cinematographer: Damien Chazelle
  • Notable actors: Jason Palmer, Desiree Garcia, Sandha Khin
  • Budget: N/A
  • Box office: $35 thousand
  • Fun Facts:
    • This film was Damien Chazelle's thesis for Harvard University.

Whiplash Notes

Best Rated

PLOT: A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
  • Ratings: IMDb 8.5 | RT 94% C / 94% A
  • Released: 2014
  • Director: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
  • Writer(s): Damien Chazelle
  • Cinematographer: Sharone Meir (The Last House on the Left)
  • Notable actors: J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, Chris Mulkey
  • Budget: $3.3 million
  • Box office: $49 million
  • Fun Facts:
    • During the more intense practice scenes, the director wouldn't yell, "cut!" so that Miles Teller would keep drumming until he exhausted himself.
    • J.K. Simmons suffered two cracked ribs when Miles Teller tackled him during the last two days of shooting. Simmons managed to continue working despite his injury.
    • The director and writer of the film, Damien Chazelle, could not get funding for the movie, so he instead turned it into a short film and submitted it into the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. The short film ended up winning the Short Film Jury Award, and he got funding soon after.
    • The film was shot in 19 days.
    • Miles Teller, who has played the drums since he was 15, received blisters on his hands due to the vigorous, unconventional style of jazz drumming. Some of his blood was on the drumsticks and the drum set as a result.
    • For the slapping scene, J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller filmed several takes with Simmons only miming the slap. For the final take, Simmons and Teller decided to film the scene with a real, genuine slap. This is the take that is in the film.
    • Although a visual double was used, all of Andrew's drumming were performed by Miles Teller himself to pre-recorded tracks. About 40% of Teller's drumming was used in the soundtrack.
    • J.K. Simmons has played piano in the past and had to retake lessons for his role.
    • The film is one of the lowest grossing movies ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
    • Nate Lang (Carl) is an accomplished drummer and trained Miles Teller and Austin Stowell for their roles.
    • J.K. Simmons has won 47 awards for his role as Fletcher.
    • Early drafts of the original screenplay was written as a psychological thriller.
  Intro music: Calm The Fuck Down - Broke For Free / CC BY 3.0  
 

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