Become a digitalPLUS subscriber. $13 for 13 weeks.   Forest
Whitaker Hysteria vs. subtlety: Two new jazz films Hysteria vs.
subtlety: Two new jazz films  Why don't filmmakers get jazz? Why
do most feature films miss the meaning of the music in
attempting to depict it? Why is the original American art form
apparently so elusive on screen? Two new films shed light on
these mysteries, one peddling unfortunate misconceptions on
jazz, the other offering something closer to reality. The much-
touted feature "Whiplash" – about a conservatory jazz student
striving for greatness – gives filmgoers plenty of melodrama to
chew on. A villainous, sadistic teacher terrorizes young
musicians with his cruel humiliations in the rehearsal room and
on stage, often bringing his students to tears and worse. Our
hero, a 19-year-old...