The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 9/12

Last night I caught up to one of last year’s Academy Award nominees, Whiplash, courtesy of Netflix. Its accolades are deserved. The story is simple: a 19-year-old drummer wants to be one of the all-time greats. He practices hard and long, his hands bleeding. Enrolled in a prestigious jazz program, he comes under the tutelage of an old school tyrant who uses verbal and physical humiliation to draw the best from his students. In this day and age, I doubt such a teacher would last a single day in the classroom. It would have made more sense to set the action in the 1950’s, but so what? It’s compelling drama. The young man is so obsessed he isn’t able to maintain a relationship. The mates of great artists always have to put up with a lot. They will place second most of the time to the true mistress -- art. In the lead role, Miles Teller exhibits a soft-spoken, aloof drive, and arrogance. J.K. Simmons won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as the mentor. He is as solid as ever. It just doesn’t seem a difficult part to play. I really enjoyed hearing dialogue that would outrage the politically correct. One aspect I didn’t like was the complete lack of camaraderie among the orchestra members. I’m not sure how wide the appeal of such a work would be, but its rating at IMDb, 8.5, is impressive in that 282,000+ users voted. Although its box office take was small, it was successful financially, bringing in 13+ million on a budget of just 3+. Martin Chazelle directed his own screenplay, only his second full length feature. I’m sure he will be getting more work. The film runs just 107 minutes. It received five Oscar nods, winning also for editing and sound mixing. It is flashy and colorful. Anyone turned off by harsh insults should pass. Anyone who has an aversion to jazz should not fear it, as the music is more accessible than a lot of the genre. In fact, aficionados seem to hate the movie. The title refers to one of the compositions, done by Justin Hurwitz. An up tempo take on Duke Ellington's Caravan is more crucial to the story. On a scale of five, I rate Whiplash four.

The odds of Roberta Vinci defeating Serena Williams in the semi-final of the U.S. Open were 300-1. Brava, signorina. And kudos to Williams for a great run at the in-season grand slam.

On the eve of the NFL season, I don't see how the Giants or Jets do better than .500. Can anyone in the AFC keep the Patriots from the Super Bowl? Only a rash of injuries would. In the NFC, Seattle appears to have more roadblocks to the big game, but is still the favorite.

I'm disappointed but not surprised Rick Perry has dropped out of the presidential race. I've never sensed he really wants the job.

Some days it seems the odds of selling a book are 300-1. My thanks to the elderly woman who made a three for one swap, and to Conspiracy Guy, who bought a book on UFO's, naturally. He asked where I'd be tomorrow. I told him in Park Slope in front of John Jay H. S., which happens to be his alma mater. He claims that as a sophomore he was the boyfriend of his English teacher, and rode around proudly in her Mustang convertible.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/