THE BARGAIN BUY: Whiplash (DVD)

 |   |  <1 min read

THE BARGAIN BUY: Whiplash (DVD)

When Elsewhere reviewed this white-knuckle film about 18 months ago we noted that jazz bores wouldn't like it because . . .

Why?

Because they are jazz bores who dislike anything they consider lacks authenticity in the genre.

Okay, it's unlikely that tutors in jazz academies are as emotionally brutalising as the antagonist here, but that takes nothing away from what is at the core of this film: Youthful ambition and obsession running headlong into psychological and physical torture from a music tutor.

As the young man tries to become an accomplished jazz drummer he is thwarted at every turn -- optimism negated by failure, sweat and blood never enough -- and because of his chosen instrument there is a aggressive tension whenever he plays.

We maintain Whiplash is less a film about jazz than it is about aspiration, but either way it is compelling . . . and JK Simmons as the tutor is a seriously disturbing screen presence.

JB_logoCheck it out, because it is cheap on DVD right now at JB HiFi stores (here) as part of a three-for-$20 deal (maybe pick up Fury, Skyfall, Whale Rider, White House Down or one of the others to pad out your purchase).

But do see Whiplash, it is impossible to look away. 

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   The Bargain Buy articles index

THE BARGAIN BUY: Various Artists; 100 Hits, 50s

THE BARGAIN BUY: Various Artists; 100 Hits, 50s

If you are looking at what prompted Frank Sinatra to denounce rock'n'roll of the mid Fifites as "played and written by cretinous goons", this five CD collection gives you the answer.... > Read more

THE BARGAIN BUY: Creedence Clearwater Revival; CCR + Cosmo's Factory

THE BARGAIN BUY: Creedence Clearwater Revival; CCR + Cosmo's Factory

In the course of a long and good-humoured interview some years ago, John Fogerty of Creedence told me that back in their heyday his pals in hippie-era bands would note enviously that CCR could get... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Nubya Garcia: Source (Concord/digital outlets)

Nubya Garcia: Source (Concord/digital outlets)

From this distance and just relying on recordings, Britain's vibrant, contemporary jazz scene appears to pivot around large London ensembles, sometimes with shifting memberships and often with... > Read more

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . SANDRA DEE: Teen angel in an adult world

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . SANDRA DEE: Teen angel in an adult world

When bad girl Betty Rizzo, leader of the Pink Ladies in the film Grease, sang Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee she was referencing the famously all-American chaste teenager who'd starred in the... > Read more