“Whiplash” Gets 4K Upgrade

By Kip Mooney • On July 8, 2020July 16, 2020 • In News News Comments Off

Whiplash was one of the best movies of the last decade, a riveting, relentless story about the mental and physical limits of pushing yourself to accomplish a goal. Nominated for five Oscars, the film won three, all richly deserved: Film Editing, Sound Mixing and Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons' legendary turn as the evil music teacher Terence Fletcher. It was hard to believe it was only the second effort from director Damien Chazelle, who would go on to win an Oscar for Best Director his next film La La Land.

Five years after its initial home video release, Sony is giving the film a 4K upgrade, with the picture in Ultra HD and the incredible soundtrack in Dolby Atmos. The Blu-ray release already received high marks, and this will probably blow that one out of the water.

This release won't include any new special features, but everything that was included on the 2015 release is present and accounted for, including a panel with Miles Teller, Simmons and Chazelle from the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the original short film Chazelle made to help secure funding for his feature.

You can buy the 4K UHD of Whiplash on September 22.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.