10 Best Movies Starring Justice League Actors
5. Whiplash (J.K. Simmons)
Director Damien Chazelle was just 29 years old when his movie Whiplash took the world by storm, an intense and ferociously entertaining examination of the cost of professional perfection, propelled by Oscar-winning editing and a brilliantly terrifying J.K. Simmons performance that scooped the actor a long-deserved Academy Award.
Whether you're a fan of jazz music or not, there's plenty to enjoy here thanks to the darkly funny tone, and how easy it is to get invested in the on-screen dynamic between Simmons and his impossibly determined student, played by Miles Teller (who is also fantastic here).
The masterful final sequence is especially unforgettable, and while it might not be as flashy or elaborate as Chazelle's follow-up La La Land (which won him a well-earned Best Director Oscar), it makes mind-bogglingly impressive use of its mere $3.3 million budget.