I just picked at random this week, but it made me happy to have two films in this week's five that feature minority leads (Blue Caprice and Pariah).
Last Night - one of my favorite films, also directed by a woman, because it places a heavy emphasis not only emotionally charged writing, but also emotional reactions that the characters exhibit. So much is said in this film during the quiet moments as opposed to the actual dialogue. Highly recommended.
Blue Caprice - Isaiah Washington is a forced to be reckoned with in this independent film inspired by the DC snipers. While a 'smaller' movie in scope, this portrait of a madman and his 'accomplice' is something that really deserves to be seen and studied. Apparently, this movie doesn't even exist on Blu-ray, and I really have no idea why.
Liberal Arts - starring the ever so lovely Elizabeth Olsen, this film is about a 30 something who is aimlessly wandering through life. Helplessly looking for that push or sign to show him what he needs to be doing in life. I'm a big fan of this movie because of those casual conversations that reveal so much about ourselves, including our fears and insecurities.
Beautiful Boy - another film about a school tragedy. I won't go too in depth about this one, but it features some of the strongest performances I've seen in a long time by Maria Bello and Michael Sheen, who play a couple of parents who try to hold their lives together after a nightmare shatters their life.
Pariah - I believe this to be one of the best 'urban' films made in the last decade. It really does just hit on all cylinders. Low budget, so expertly written, produced, directed and executed. I won't go into what it's about because I don't want to turn anyone off, but I highly highly recommend it.
