Lee Daniels' The Butler

Interesting civil rights history lesson lacks drive as it meanders through a string of oddly cast presidential cameos.  Whitaker winds his through a compelling family drama with a winning Winfrey and outstanding Oyelowo but Gumps his way into the wrong Forrest and gets lost in a dense thicket of history.

The Box

Richard Kelly delivers another tale from outside the box… of human comprehension. Like the inane questions in Netflix radio commercials, Kelly confidently plops out senseless plot-point. Marsden and Diaz manage to maintain some legitimacy amidst the madness, while a well two-faced Langella shows Nolan how it’s done. Boxes the brain.