WHIPLASH -- It's got a good beat and you can dance to it

Now that I’ve seen WHIPLASH, I think back to those Farmers Insurance commercials featuring J.K. Simmons as a teacher at “Farmers University” and wonder what hell he put his students through. “Write up that claim, you pansy-ass worthless piece of shit! Faster! FASTER!  Are you waiting for the muse to strike, you sensitive little fucking insignificant mama’s boy whiner?!” And I picture the agent wannabes marching in perfect formation for fifty miles while singing “We are Farmers, bump be-dee-bump, bump bump bump!”

J.K. Simmons, a gifted comic actor most of the time, plays a terrifying but absolutely riveting music teacher in WHIPLASH, easily one of the best movies of the year. It’s FAME meets THE GREAT SANTANI with a little ROCKY, HOOSIERS, and FULL METAL JACKET thrown in for spice. Or THE BLACK SWAN without any eating disorders. The music is heart-pounding and thrilling. Ladies and gentleman, the beat REALLY goes on. And yes, it’s a movie about jazz music but there’s more blood than in JAWS.

I could really relate because that's my teaching style at USC. 

Simmons has played bad-ass before -- anyone who’s seen him in OZ knows not to say anything that might hurt his feelings. But here he takes “tough love teacher” to a whole ‘nother place – Guantanamo I think. Oscar nomination? A lock.

So imagine having to co-star with such a magnetic, forceful actor. Newcomer Miles Teller holds his own and more as the young drum student who is pushed to levels one step beyond Travis Bickle. At times Teller reminded me of young a Dustin Hoffman, but way more intense. And wow, can he play drums. Think: Buddy Rich not Ringo. Oscar nomination? I hope so.

Paul Reiser played Teller’s father and didn’t talk incessantly so it was his best performance since DINER.

In a movie that celebrates extraordinary talent, Damien Chazelle proves to be just that as both a writer and director. While Hollywood is fawning all over the Michael Bay’s of the world, people like Chazelle is who they should really be going after. It’s a shame to think that for a movie this good to get any distribution it has to be made independently and win a bunch of awards at film festivals. And then it gets booked into art houses. I wonder how many of you are in small towns where this movie isn’t even playing while DUMBER AND DUMBER TO is showing on fifteen screens.

If you get a chance, see WHIPLASH. Oh, and if you play an instrument – practice.

My Kindle version of THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60S) remains on sale for $.99, which is way less than a dollar.   If you don't want to relive your youth then at least relive mine.  Here's where you go.  Thanks.