Screening Log: 11 January 2011

1. The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby (2011, Carl Colby) Review forthcoming. [screener]

2. Pariah (2011, Dee Rees) The trailers sell this as bad coming-out-and-poetry piffle, and while that’s not totally inaccurate, truth is most of this is admirably loose and well-acted. Rees is a better director than writer and, like Weekend (‘11), she and the actors do their best to jazz up a script that becomes increasingly tidy and writerly. Lead Adepuro Oduye is especially good, as is Charles Parnell and, hell, even Kim Wayans. But the fun can’t last and the last third narrows into pat self-actualization (accompanied by poetry, natch) and betrayals of characters the film once treated with admirable complexity. [SPOILER TERRITORY] Yes, there are surely plenty of gay youths who’ve had their hearts broken by people merely dabbling in bisexuality, but Alike’s almost-girlfriend is navigating unclear sexual territories just like our protagonist, and deserves at least an honorable farewell scene. [advance screening]

3. Revisited Black Books, episode 2. Which is now on Instant. Hop to it. [Netflix Instant]