Best Picture Blitz 2015: Whiplash

I'm going to cut to the chase: Whiplash, the story of a drummer suffering to perfect his art at the hands of a cruel mentor, is an amazing movie.

Also, if you don't really, really like drumming, this movie may not be for you.

I happen to love drumming. :)

Oh, oh! Also, if you only know the astonishingly fine actor J.K. Simmons for his work in Farmers Insurance commercials, you might want to brace yourself.

Seriously, he says "fuck" a lot more in the movies than in the ads.

Annnnnnnnd, if you're a huge fan of the young John Cusack, you'll have a very hard time not thinking of him when you watch Miles Teller.

Tell me you don't see it. I dare you.

What a perfect, fine, small, artful film this is. Kudos to the Academy for singling it out. I adored the kinetic editing and the total commitment to music it showed.

Go see Whiplash, seriously.

For me, however, watching was a tiny bit bittersweet.

I invited Drummer Boy to see it with Precocious Daughter and me. But I told him I would have to get her blessing to have him come along. And because he is a truly wonderful person, he said he fully supported that.

And it turned out that PDaughter wasn't comfortable with it. Which I completely respect. Personally, I have no idea what it's like to know your mom has a boyfriend, so I'm prepared to give her a ton of leeway in terms of getting used to it. I could tell it was hard for her to admit that she's not ready to see us as a couple. The day is coming (rapidly) when her parents will be divorced and moving on with their separate lives, but today, right now, we still live under the same roof and interact every day.

I fully intend to see this movie with Drummer Boy. It will be just the two of us, and that's OK. I loved seeing it with PDaughter, and I'll love seeing it again with Drummer Boy.

And I wholeheartedly recommend it to all of you. With luck, it will be less emotionally complex an experience for you.