A big name to look out for, one who premiered in the breakout feature and opener from the 2014 Sundance FIlm Festival Whiplash, is J.K. Simmons. The actor gives a stellar performance as the abusive jazz-maestro Terence Fletcher.
The film, from Damien Chazelle, gives Simmons, almost literally, a major stage to act from, removing him as a background actor from films like Juno to a prominent role alongside Miles Teller.
Brilliant, daunting, ill-mannered and hostile, the films follows young any-name Andrew, a highly ambitious drummer who finds himself, as Slash Film put it, "under the wing of the most demanding, intimidating and influential music teacher in the country."
Much in the same vein as other coming-of-age music tales, the passion that drives Andrew is his tragic flaw, demanding that he face the possible truth that he just might not have what it takes to become great as his hubris blinds him from total annihilation.
Gut-wrenching but most exhilarating, Whiplash could be the step that Simmons needs to become a legendary actor. His background performances, though, have also received some serious praise.
Without further ado, here's Teller and Simmons in the forthcoming film Whiplash.
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