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Best Movies of 2015

January 4, 2016

Warning: I love documentaries.

From the director of The King of Kong comes this implausible-sounding documentary about a man who finds a human foot in a smoker and attempts to profit from it. Yes, that’s the plot summary. The best thing about this movie is the unexpected and poignant ripple effect that this action has on everyone involved.

This actually came out in 2014, but came to Nashville in 2015 as part of the Belcourt’s annual Overlooked/Underplayed series. It’s not often that you find a documentary with a great twist ending.

Also part of Overlooked/Underplayed, this gripping mix of indie drama and sci-fi would be good for fans of Primer.

Having zero interest in hockey, I was completely bowled over by how much I loved this documentary about the famous Soviet team from the 1980’s.

Tailor-made for 40-something fans of Noah Baumbach, this is a funny but unsettling portrait of the divide between Generation X and the Millennials.

I defy you to stay dry-eyed during this tribute to the life, work, and marriage of puppeteer Caroll Spinney, the man behind Big Bird for over 45 years.

You do not need to be an Amy Winehouse fan to appreciate this heart-rending documentary. The shot of a teenage Winehouse singing happy birthday, by itself, is worth putting this on your holds list. The director Asif Kapadia also directed the magnificent Senna (and no, you don’t need to be a Formula One fan to like that one).

This has my vote as the most underrated film of the year. The performances were astonishing, and the storyline was so true to what actually happened that it was almost documentary-like. Not to mention that the subject matter itself is riveting. The cast included Ezra Miller, perhaps best known for his chilling performance in the also underrated We Need to Talk About Kevin

beth winter

Beth

Beth works in the Collection Development department.  She loves short stories, memoirs, documentary films, and cookbooks.  Her favorite things about working at the library are knowing in advance about all the new releases and the easy access to her library holds.

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