By most standards, Whiplash is not much of a hit. It has been in theaters since October of 2014 and yet the Sony Classics picture has only recently crossed $10 million domestic. Now the picture cost just $3.3m to produce, so it will make money. But, and I say this as someone who has been championing this film since September of last year, it's a good example of the kind of film that is more discussed and written about than actually seen by the general public. To be fair, a polished espionage thriller with Benedict Cumberbatch, a big-budget Clint Eastwood/Bradley Cooper action film, or even a (mostly ignored by Oscar) Angelina Jolie-directed drama about a suffering P.O.W. seem like easier options to the average moviegoer than a low-budget, exhausting character drama about a kid in a jazz school. I have talked a lot over the last seven Best Picture-specific essays about the downside of the Oscar season. But a film like Whiplash would likely be little more than a festival darling absent the persistent heat that has been maintained for this small two-hander drama about a jazz drummer and his tyrannical instructor.
Reported by Forbes.com 1 week ago.
↧