The Accountant

What do you get when you bring Batfleck more into the realm of The Big Short? Well, The Accountant, apparently. This movie is all over the place in terms of thematic stability, with way too much attempted dynamism plaguing every character. Is it really necessary for the autistic mathematical super-genius to also be trained in martial arts and heavy weaponry? Probably not. It's a mess, but at least it's a hot mess.

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is an on-the-spectrum savant working as an accountant for some of the baddest bads in the crime world. As a treasury agent (J.K. Simmons) starts searching out his identity, Christian takes on a legitimate client in a robotics  company with conveniently way too much to hide. Obviously, this creates room for an emotional connection with the company's lowly assistant Dana (Anna Kendrick), because what would an action-thriller be without a love interest? Oh, and there's a hitman (Jon Bernthal) chasing him, but don't worry too much about that.

The Accountant plays with a lot, and sadly, it does not do so delicately. From the opening scenes, we are heavily handed a bunch of disjointed plot stories that we spend the majority of the film trying to reconnect. Jarring flashbacks and out of place monologues are apparently the way to go to create 'character depth' these days. Every character has some motivations or back story that are supposed to make us think "Hey, maybe he's not a bad guy, maybe he's just misunderstood". Sadly, this moral ambiguity seems to lose its punch when applied to every single character in the movie.

While his introduction and validation are a bit abrupt, Christian Wolff springs to life through Affleck, who comfortably portrays the mannerisms of autism in a subtle yet effective way. Affleck seems to do all he can with a clunky and overloaded character. It's probably best to blame the writers for this one if you dislike his performance. The real standout as far as acting is concerned is Jon Bernthal's Brax, who is sadly underutilisied and seemingly forgotten as the plot unfolds. And Anna Kendrick just plays Anna Kendrick. 

While the movie is fun, it is definitely hindered by its drive to tick all the boxes. It is hard to strive to be a message movie for people with autism when you also make the lead character a kickass sharpshooter and martial arts expert. The Accountant could have bypassed the guns and fight scenes completely and just had a detailed, dialogue-driven, A Beautiful Mind-esque drama. But instead, we are left with this identity crisis of an action flick. While it surely is cool to see an autistic character explored on-screen as a bit of a badass, is this really the best way to go about representing people with disabilities? This may not be the movie people with autism deserve, but until that one arrives, at least it's a bit of fun. 

Whiplash

"The two most harmful words in the English language are "good job"

Damien Chazelle's Whiplash has established itself a reputation as an anti-inspirational teacher film, with emphasis on J.K. Simmons scalding and sizzling performance as jazz teacher Terence Fletcher. However, this emphasis in wrong, while Simmons is brilliant, but the focus is on Miles Teller's Andrew Neyman and his work behind the drum kit, this much is established clearly in the opening scene. And while the focus on the inspirational teacher-trope is relevant, it is besides the point of  the film, this is a film about dedication, drive, passion, perfection and ambition. Neyman wants to be one of the greats, and so what will he allow to stop him? At New York City's Schaffer Conservatory, Neyman is headhunted into the brutal totalitarian regime of Fletchers Studio Band, and swept in his desire to be in its core competitive band, often putting him at odds with others that he already feels segregated from.

Writer-director Chazelle, with few credits to his name, developed this film from his own 85-page draft and off of the back of a positive response to a related short film that he premiered at Sundance, as well as one of his previous writing efforts, Grand Piano. A single-setting thriller centred around a traumatised pianist (Elijah Wood) playing a concert while being held at gunpoint by a Machiavellian sniper. Whiplash exists in a similar vein to Grand Piano, Neyman is a talented musician held under the thumb of his mentor, and both films have a keen sense of style and direction. Whereas Grand Piano loses itself in it's genre and concept, Whiplash engrosses itself within its own characters passion, dedication and the consequences. And through personal drama, Fletcher's brutal perfectionism, and his own ambition, Neyman grows, challenges, falters and succeeds in equal measure.

Whiplash has a keen directorial style that emphasises the minute details in performance and occasionally life. The short inhale in that one moment of silence before a performance begins, the blood, sweat and tears of dedication, or even the subtle signals of the woman you're on a date with. This film literally emphasises the sweaty passion of these perfectionist musicians and their cutthroat existence at the top, a position rarely earning them any recognition from those outside of the world. Each performance is incredible, and the focus on the drumming, something so naturally bombastic, technically challenging and cinema-friendly, makes for engrossing viewing. The very first performance of the eponymous song is simply incredible, full stop. Each performance is filled with energy and emotion, each struggle with meaning, each moment is therefore life-changing. The focus on solely one character and his experiences actually suits the film, as putting an entire band through the same paces would deny the film of the most vital result of its themes and subject matter, it's undeniable intensity.

And of course I have to post some of my favourite drumming and drummers, sorry, jazz isn't often my thing....,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PATEO4Uomk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG8IioX1dHk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hreNWY3Isf8
Well, sorta......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWKCqn1ExmQ