2016 Sleepers
                                                              Part 2

Here is another group of little-known films from last year that I thought were pretty good. I hope you can find one or two you will like.
Florence Foster Jenkins starred the incomparable Meryl Streep as the world’s worst singer. She was nominated for yet another Oscar. This time she didn’t win. But I liked the earlier European version of the same story even better. Marguerite is one of those European collaboration deals- French, Belgian, Czech. But anyway it features a bunch of actors you never heard of in this charming, funny story. This poor lady couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket but nobody wants to tell her this. And she has plenty of money and contacts and so schedules a gala solo performance that is at once painful, touching and hilarious. 
Should we be a little concerned about the use of drones to blow people up? The question is graphically addressed in Eye In The Sky. With Alan Rickman as the good guy and the redoubtable Helen Mirren as the bad guy, the suspense builds about a missile strike in Kenya. Will there be “collateral damage” if it goes forward?
Joseph Gordon-Leavitt (a Tar Heel, by the way!) is the star of Oliver Stone’s Snowden. It is the maybe- true story of how a lower level CIA employee copied files that showed the US hacking into the accounts of nearly everyone, including the leaders of allied foreign countries like Germany. Since you never know how closely to the truth the good ship Oliver Stone sails, I’d say take this one with a grain of salt. But it is nonetheless fascinating. 
I admit to being a sucker for underdog movies like Rudy and Kangaroo Kid. Even better when the underdog is a child, like the little boy in Searching For Bobby Fischer. So I naturally really liked The Queen Of Katwe. It is based on the true story of a young Ungandan girl who somehow becomes a world class chess player. In the cast is David Oyelowo (Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma) and a bunch of unknowns. He is the mentor for 10-year-old Phiona Mutesi who has a mind like a steel trap and quickly rises in international chess circles. 
Even if you don’t like baseball (shame on you!) I think you would enjoy Fastball, a very good documentary from last year. It explores the science and the myths about baseballs being thrown at incredible speeds. Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron and other notable baseballers join narrator Kevin Costner in this fascinating doc. Many players insist that a fastball rises as it crosses the plate, while scientists say this isn’t possible. The debate rages on- and it is lots of fun to watch it! 
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. Only Eye In The Sky is not suitable for all audiences.