UNDERRATED

Lakeith Stanfield in ‘Atlanta’: Donald Glover’s FX series deserves every bit of its acclaim for its detail-rich, patiently drawn storytelling. But after turns in “Miles Ahead” and “Straight Outta Compton,” the 25-year-old Stanfield has become the show’s secret weapon as the offbeat, philosophical Darius. Often acting as a cheerfully zen counterweight to Brian Tyree Henry’s aspiring rapper Paper Boi, Stanfield is a heavylidded source of oddly sharp, dryly surrealist observations, and the warmth in his eccentricity is so vivid the entire show feels like it may exist inside one of Darius’ dreams. ‘Blue Jay’ (2016): We may not have the HBO series “Togetherness” to rely on for idiosyncratic, intimate storytelling about relationships, but Mark Duplass’ voice can be heard with this charmingly understated film. An openended two-character study that explores a chance reconnection between former high school sweethearts, the black-and-white “Blue Jay” briefly threatens to turn into an over-talkative cliche, but the performances by Duplass and Sarah Paulson reveal character details — and a long shadow across shared memories — that come together to lift the movie to rare heights.