We've got a squeaker.

Whiplash — 3.5/5

There is a drive, there is an intensity, there is a constant pushing forward that is compelling, arriving at an intentionally frustrating conclusion. It's a car crash, but it leaves you wondering: is it the painful thing that creates an eternally broken person, or the necessary near-death experience that changes someone forever? The answer, as always, as annoyingly, is both. "The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want something badly enough." And when you can't go over it, bang your head hard enough and you'll just go through it. What I struggle with is why I don't like this movie more than I think I should. It's technically well done, it's philosophically ambiguous, it hits a lot of notes. What am I missing? Maybe it looks too much like it's *not* worth it, and I want some equal assurance that it is. Dunno.