Our Picks Recommended

The Spook Who Sat By the Door 

Don't be scared off by the title: This is an exploitation film that actually got a fair amount of critical acclaim back in 1973. Based on a novel by Sam Greenlee, it's the tale of Dan Freeman (Lawrence Cook), who is hired as the token African-American for the CIA; he later resigns from the agency and uses his experience to train an army of black nationalists. Needless to say, United Artists was a wee bit skittish about the resulting film, and it was hard to come by for years until it was released on DVD in 2004. One can only wonder if Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder had this in mind when he conceived his militant Huey Freeman. Find out what the fuss was about when The Spook Who Sat By the Door (look, the title's still not as offensive as the classic blaxploitation Western we're only comfortable referring to as Boss N-Word) screens at 8 p.m. Tickets are just $5.50, and there'll be classic trailers and original art prints for sale with the film. Did we mention it also has music by Herbie Hancock? —Zack Smith