"Arrival" Review (****½)

Amy Adams stars in "Arrival."

Denis Villeneuve, one of our most consistent filmmakers, has crafted one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade with "Arrival." A slow-burn, intellectual approach keeps the story front and center—and what a story it is.

Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a linguist whose skillset becomes invaluable when mysterious spacecrafts land around the world—twelve different ones to be exact. Hovering quietly above random locations across the globe, humanity has to make the next move. Do we attack? What do they want? Why are there twelve? These questions are only the beginning of the mystery that falls into the hands of Louise and her physicist partner Ian (Jeremy Renner).

Review: "Lee Daniels' The Butler" (***)

Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker star in "Lee Daniels' The Butler"

“Lee Daniels' The Butler” has a lot going for it. Its sheer ambition is almost overwhelming. Added to that is a cast that includes, but is not limited to, Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Robin Williams, James Marsden, John Cusack, and Jane Fonda. Directed by—you guessed it—Lee Daniels ("Precious," "The Paper Boy"), the film is a fictionalized telling of the real-life White House butler, Cecil Gaines. It’s a much more mainstream movie than the director’s previous works but is still able to pack a few punches. The film is a bit uneven and sometimes feels rushed. Its scope is huge and often scarifies exposition for a quick history lesson.