Netflix/Alchemy/Sundance/Magnolia
This New Year's weekend is a blissful time to visit movies you didn't catch in 2015. You can do that in theaters, where many of the year's best releases are still playing, or you can curl up on your very own couch. Whether you're hibernating before returning to work, avoiding lingering relatives or planning your first Netflix-and-chill session of 2016, here are 11 movies you can fire up without paying a dime (beyond your streaming-service subscription and requisite popcorn, of course).
"Welcome to Me"
Alchemy
Kristen Wiig submitted a trio of dynamite indie-dramedy roles this year, the first of which was the memorable "Welcome to Me." As directed by Shira Piven, Wiig plays an Oprah obsessive with borderline personality disorder who uses her $86 million in lottery winnings to fund her own narcissistic daytime talk show. The results feel like a long, smart "SNL" sketch that will have you in stitches.
"Tangerine"
Magnolia Pictures
One of the year's best movies, "Tangerine" was shot on iPhones and cost pennies to make. You wouldn't know it, though, and to tout that as its key accomplishment would be a disservice. Sean Baker's witty, devastating story of two transgender sex workers (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor) traversing Los Angeles by foot on Christmas Eve will be remembered for its open-minded story of perseverance.
"Queen of Earth"
IFC Films
The claustrophobic walls of "Queen of Earth" close in as the movie's protagonist (Elisabeth Moss) becomes more and more emotionally fragile. Traces of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and Ingmar Bergman's "Persona" echo throughout this examination of a disintegrating friendship, written and directed by Alex Ross Perry ("Listen Up Philip") and co-starring Katherine Waterston and Patrick Fugit.
Advertisement
"Beasts of No Nation"
Netflix
"Beasts of No Nation," Netflix's first original film, is the searing portrait of a West African child soldier (Abraham Attah) and the tyrannical warlord (Idris Elba) who recruits him. Cary Fukunaga, who wrote, directed and shot the movie, manages to make the brutal "Beasts" glimmer with optimism, not to mention some of the best camerawork of 2015.
"Iris"
Magnolia Pictures
Fashion icon Iris Apfel is in her mid-90s, but she still treats every day like a catwalk. In the hands of famed documentarian Albert Maysles ("Grey Gardens," "Gimme Shelter"), who died this year, Apfel's life is one grand entrance after another. "Iris" is affectionate, intimate and hilarious.
"Best of Enemies"
Magnolia Pictures
ABC News desperately needed to juice ratings during coverage of the 1968 Nixon-Humphrey presidential election. Enter conservative commentator William F. Buckley Jr. and his liberal counterpart, Gore Vidal, whose ferocious debates redefined television. This film, directed by Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville and shortlisted for the 2016 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, explores their intellectual discourse and its effects on American media.
Advertisement
"The Wolfpack"
Magnolia Pictures
The phrase "stranger than fiction" has never been more apt than when applied to "The Wolfpack," a documentary centered on six brothers whose only real knowledge of the outside world came from the movies they obsessively watched while growing up in a cramped Manhattan apartment. Their devoutly religious father didn't allow them to venture outside much, but he did let Crystal Moselle in to depict their insular lives. What she displays in this jarring film will make you appreciate the world you know, and it just may restore your belief in cinema, too.
"Fresh Dressed"
Sundance
Sacha Jenkins' lively Sundance documentary details the rise of hip-hop fashion, from Southern plantation culture to couture runways. Look out for appearances from Kanye West, Damon Dash, Pharrell Williams, Nas and André Leon Talley.
"Results"
Sundance
Mumblecore mastro Andrew Bujalski wrote and directed this sharp romantic comedy, in which Kevin Corrigan plays a wealthy but gloomy divorcee who finds himself entwined in the lives of two mismatched personal trainers (Cobie Smulders and Guy Pearce). Get a load of this supporting cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Brooklyn Decker, Anthony Michael Hall and Constance Zimmer.
Advertisement
"What Happened, Miss Simone?"
Netflix
"What Happened, Miss Simone?" isn't the most engaging documentary, but the archival footage and biographical details that director Liz Garbus cobbled together make for a revealing look at troubled blues singer Nina Simone. Out of her pervasive personal trials rose the ferocious protest songs that remain some of America's most important music.
"Manson Family Vacation"
The Orchard
Jay Duplass stars in and produced this comedic thriller, written and directed by J. Davis, that plays like a Charles Manson rabbit hole. When two brothers journey to the Mojave Desert to investigate the modern-day site of the Manson murders, their increasingly strange trip reveals more about themselves than they reckoned for.
Or, if you're willing to shell out a few bucks, here are some excellent titles currently available on iTunes:
"Amy"
"Chi-Raq"
"Clouds of Sils Maria"
"The End of the Tour"
"Ex Machina"
"Goodnight Mommy"
"Inside Out"
"It Follows"
"Love & Mercy"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"Magic Mike XXL"
"The Martian"
"The Overnight"
"Spy"
Advertisement
Also on HuffPost:
