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What stands out first about The Saddest Music in the World is the confidence with which Guy Maddin establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Saddest Music in the World asks Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Saddest Music in the World is established with useful clarity: A musical of sorts set in Winnipeg during the Great Depression, where a beer baroness organizes a contest

What stands out first about Rosenstrasse is the confidence with which Margarethe von Trotta establishes its war drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Rosenstrasse asks Katja Riemann and Maria Schrader to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Rosenstrasse is established with useful clarity: After the death of her father, Hannah becomes concerned with the strange behavior of her mother. That direct approach lets Rosenstrasse use its 2h 16m

What stands out first about The Shape of Things is the confidence with which Neil LaBute establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Shape of Things asks Paul Rudd and Rachel Weisz to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Shape of Things is established with useful clarity: A quiet, unassuming man begins to change in a major way as a result of meeting a new, art student girlfriend, and his friends are unsettled by the tr

What stands out first about Party Monster is the confidence with which Fenton Bailey establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Party Monster asks Macaulay Culkin and Wilson Cruz to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Party Monster is established with useful clarity: Based on the true story of Michael Alig, a Club Kid party organizer whose life was sent spiraling down when he bragged on television about killing his drug deal

What stands out first about Alexandra's Project is the confidence with which Rolf de Heer establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Alexandra's Project asks Gary Sweet and Helen Buday to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Alexandra's Project is established with useful clarity: A regular suburban family man comes home from work on his birthday to find a deserted house and a videotape waiting to be played. That direct appr

What stands out first about The Statement is the confidence with which Norman Jewison establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Statement asks Michael Caine and Tilda Swinton to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Statement is established with useful clarity: Tale of a former Nazi executioner who becomes a target of hitmen and police investigators. That direct approach lets The Statement use its 2h running time fo

What stands out first about Young Adam is the confidence with which David Mackenzie establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Young Adam asks Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Young Adam is established with useful clarity: A young drifter working on a river barge disrupts his employers' lives while hiding the fact that he knows more about a dead woman found in the river than he admi

What stands out first about Après Vous is the confidence with which Pierre Salvadori establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Après Vous asks Daniel Auteuil and José Garcia to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Après Vous is established with useful clarity: Antoine (Auteuil) saves Louis (Garcia) from hanging himself, though in his attempt to get Louis back on his feet, Antoine gets caught in a romantic triangle. That dire

What stands out first about Latter Days is the confidence with which C. Jay Cox establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Latter Days asks Wes Ramsey and Steve Sandvoss to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Latter Days is established with useful clarity: A promiscuous gay party animal falls for a young Mormon missionary, leading to crisis, cliché, and catastrophe. That direct approach lets Latter Days use its 1h 47m runnin

What stands out first about Chalte Chalte is the confidence with which Aziz Mirza establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Chalte Chalte asks Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Chalte Chalte is established with useful clarity: A man pursues a woman who is already engaged and eventually gets married to her. That direct approach lets Chalte Chalte use its 2h 47m running time for character

What stands out first about Gaz Bar Blues is the confidence with which Louis Bélanger establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Gaz Bar Blues asks Serge Thériault and Gilles Renaud to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Gaz Bar Blues is established with useful clarity: The owner of an independent neighbourhood gas station struggles financially and with his three sons who work at the station. That direct approach lets Gaz Ba

What stands out first about Intermission is the confidence with which John Crowley establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Intermission asks Cillian Murphy and Kelly Macdonald to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Intermission is established with useful clarity: A variety of losers in Dublin have harrowingly farcical intersecting stories of love, greed and violence. That direct approach lets Intermission use its 1h 45m r