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What stands out first about The Final Cut is the confidence with which Omar Naim establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Final Cut asks Robin Williams and Jim Caviezel to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Final Cut is established with useful clarity: Set in a world with memory recording implants, Alan Hakman is a cutter, someone with the power of final edit over people's recorded histories. That direct approac

What stands out first about Palindromes is the confidence with which Todd Solondz establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Palindromes asks Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ellen Barkin to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Palindromes is established with useful clarity: Aviva is thirteen, awkward and sensitive. That direct approach lets Palindromes use its 1h 40m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence. ⁠ The craf

What stands out first about Touch of Pink is the confidence with which Ian Iqbal Rashid establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Touch of Pink asks Jimi Mistry and Kris Holden Ried to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Touch of Pink is established with useful clarity: A gay Canadian living in London has his perfectly crafted life upset when his devoutly Muslim mother comes to visit. That direct approach lets Touch of Pink

What stands out first about Khakee is the confidence with which Rajkumar Santoshi establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Khakee asks Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Khakee is established with useful clarity: A team of police force escorts an alleged terrorist from Chandangarh to Mumbai. That direct approach lets Khakee use its 2h 54m running time for character, atmosphere and

What stands out first about Mean Creek is the confidence with which Jacob Estes establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Mean Creek asks Rory Culkin and Ryan Kelley to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Mean Creek is established with useful clarity: When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge. That direct approach lets Mean Creek use its 1h 30m running time for charac

What stands out first about Gunner Palace is the confidence with which Petra Epperlein establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Gunner Palace asks Bryant Davis and Devon Dixon to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Gunner Palace is established with useful clarity: American soldiers of the 2/3 Field Artillery, a group known as the "Gunners," tell of their experiences in Baghdad during the Iraq War. That direct approach

What stands out first about Going Upriver is the confidence with which George Butler establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Going Upriver asks John Kerry and David Alston to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Going Upriver is established with useful clarity: A documentary on Senator John Kerry's Navy tour of duty in Vietnam, his contributions to the peace movement that followed, and the ultimate shape of his future

What stands out first about C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America is the confidence with which Kevin Willmott establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America asks Greg Kirsch and Renee Patrick to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America is established with useful clarity: Through the eyes of a British "documentary", this film takes a satirically hu

What stands out first about Red Lights is the confidence with which Cédric Kahn establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Red Lights asks Jean Pierre Darroussin and Carole Bouquet to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Red Lights is established with useful clarity: A cross country trip turns out to be a nightmare for a troubled couple. That direct approach lets Red Lights use its 1h 45m running time for character, atmosph

What stands out first about Nobody Knows is the confidence with which Hirokazu Koreeda establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Nobody Knows asks Yûya Yagira and Ayu Kitaura to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Nobody Knows is established with useful clarity: In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve year old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning. That direct appro

What stands out first about The Assassination of Richard Nixon is the confidence with which Niels Mueller establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Assassination of Richard Nixon asks Sean Penn and Naomi Watts to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Assassination of Richard Nixon is established with useful clarity: Based on real life events, Assassination is set in 1974 and centers on a businessman who decides to t

What stands out first about Mysterious Skin is the confidence with which Gregg Araki establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Mysterious Skin asks Brady Corbet and Joseph Gordon Levitt to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Mysterious Skin is established with useful clarity: Two pre adolescent boys both experienced a strange event and later it affects their lives in different ways. That direct approach lets Mysterious Skin