Lee Daniel's The Butler

..will most likely be a best picture nominee for several reasons. The pace is fast and strong. It’s never boring and rarely strays into histrionics and melodrama the way Precious did. Somebody edited the hell out of this movie. Also, Forest Whitaker is GREAT in this. Ever since he stepped out of the Trans Am in "Fast Times", he’s had an imposing but quiet authority. While he’s in the room for major civil rights policy decisions, he has to pretend he isn’t listening and pour the coffee. His ability to depict a character NOT saying something is incredible here. Story-wise, it’s sort of like Forest Gump. Whitaker’s quiet butler recounts highlights from 20th century history, in which a famous actor will drop in to play one scene as a president, and then we move on to a different era. On paper, it’s unimpressive. But Whitaker’s depiction of the civil rights "fly on the wall" is profound.