2016 Sleepers
                                                            Part One

Now that the Oscars are over, screw-ups and all, it’s time to trot out Mr. Movie’s sleepers from last year. Almost all of these eluded the Academy and most viewers. I have a bunch; all good. Strangely enough, the first five are all foreign- just happened that way.
Love And Friendship was actually my number 4 film. It is a delicious comedy about trying to move upward in British society by marrying well. It’s based on Jane Austen’s little-known epistolary novel, Lady Susan. Kate Beckinsale shines as the wily, calculating Susan. She is almost penniless but is determined to get for her daughter, and herself, a good match. I thought Ms. Beckinsale should have had an Oscar nomination. I think this movie just came out too early in the year to get much notice. It is a hoot!
Only Yesterday will be a tough sell to some of you, because (1) it’s Japanese, and (2) it’s animated. But it is a true delight, beautifully drawn with a touching story and a magnetic leading lady. Taeko has a job in Tokyo and decides to spend the summer at her brother’s farm, where she had many pleasant times as a child. Working along with her relatives and others, she develops a strong kinship with the land, a nice young man, and with herself. Give this a try. I believe you will thank me. 
Okay, I know some of you are thinking, “This guy seems hung up on Japanese movies,” and I guess that’s somewhat true. My next pick is another from the Land of the Rising Sun, Our Little Sister. The story is extremely simple. At the funeral of their father, three sisters discover a 14-year-old half-sister they didn’t know about. As there is no one to take care of her now, they invite her to live with them. I know that doesn’t sound like much- but it is.
Now back to England for the very fine and under appreciated Denial. American author Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) has her lecture on the Holocaust loudly interrupted by a very combative David Irving (Timothy Spall). He then sues her in an English court for libel, as she has publicly called him a Holocaust denier. In England the burden of proof in a libel case is on the one who published the statement, not the other way around. Much of the film takes place in the courtroom, but there is plenty of outside footage, including a harrowing trip to Auschwitz. Tom Wilkinson has a fine role as Lipstadt’s British lawyer. Spall is hateful and splendid.
And finally a trip to Sweden for the altogether wonderful A Man Called Ove. Ove lives in a housing development and has made himself the arbiter of the local rules. He seems to hate just about everyone and everything and is completely unreasonable. An Iranian family moves in across the street and are clueless that he doesn’t like them. Their adorable children and pregnant mom just won’t give up. Ove lost his wife and in a very moving segment details her passing to his new neighbor. This lovely film is taken from a Swedish novel by Frederik Backman, which remains a best-seller in America. 
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. Only Denial is too rough for littlies, though they might not care for most of the others.