Whiplash (2014)

[Kleeberg]

Miles Teller, who wowed Sundance audiences with last year's The Spectacular Now, is less of a known quantity, but based on the ecstatic reception for opening night's Whiplash, that won't last long. In the film, he's a driven music-conservatory student who's driven to bloody obsession by a hard-charging teacher played by J.K. Simmons.

From Vanity Fair...

"Teller is absolutely ferocious in his attack on the drums, on music, on passion. Same goes for Simmons, who (believe it or not) already had fest-goers crying Oscar for his perverse, craggily, in-your-face performance."