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What stands out first about Club Dread is the confidence with which Jay Chandrasekhar establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Club Dread asks Jay Chandrasekhar and Bill Paxton to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Club Dread is established with useful clarity: When a serial killer interrupts the fun at the swanky Coconut Pete's Coconut Beach Resort a hedonistic island paradise for swingers it's up to the club's staf

What stands out first about Birth is the confidence with which Jonathan Glazer establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Birth asks Nicole Kidman and Cameron Bright to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Birth is established with useful clarity: A young boy attempts to convince a woman that he is her dead husband reborn. That direct approach lets Birth use its 1h 40m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

What stands out first about Bad Education is the confidence with which Pedro Almodóvar establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Bad Education asks Gael García Bernal and Fele Martínez to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Bad Education is established with useful clarity: An examination on the effect of Franco era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends. That direct approach lets Bad

What stands out first about Downfall is the confidence with which Oliver Hirschbiegel establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Downfall asks Bruno Ganz and Alexandra Maria Lara to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Downfall is established with useful clarity: Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII. That direct approach

What stands out first about Never Die Alone is the confidence with which Ernest R. Dickerson establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Never Die Alone asks DMX and David Arquette to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Never Die Alone is established with useful clarity: A drug kingpin's return home touches off a turf war. That direct approach lets Never Die Alone use its 1h 28m running time for character, atmosphere and

What stands out first about The Clearing is the confidence with which Pieter Jan Brugge establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Clearing asks Robert Redford and Willem Dafoe to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Clearing is established with useful clarity: As an executive is held captive by a former employee, it's up to his wife to deliver the ransom. That direct approach lets The Clearing use its 1h 35m runnin

What stands out first about Before Sunset is the confidence with which Richard Linklater establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Before Sunset asks Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Before Sunset is established with useful clarity: Nine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour. That direct approach lets Before Sunset us

What stands out first about Against the Ropes is the confidence with which Charles S. Dutton establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Against the Ropes asks Meg Ryan and Omar Epps to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Against the Ropes is established with useful clarity: A fictional story inspired by North America's most famous female boxing promoter, Jackie Kallen. That direct approach lets Against the Ropes use its 1h

What stands out first about Beyond the Sea is the confidence with which Kevin Spacey establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Beyond the Sea asks Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Beyond the Sea is established with useful clarity: A swooning study of "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby Darin and specifically his relationship with wife Sandra Dee. That direct approach lets Beyond th

What stands out first about The Big Bounce is the confidence with which George Armitage establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Big Bounce asks Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Big Bounce is established with useful clarity: A small time con artist and a Hawaiian real estate developer's mischevious, enterprising mistress team up for a potential $200,000 score. That direct approa

What stands out first about Teacher's Pet is the confidence with which Timothy Björklund establishes its animated adventure identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Teacher's Pet asks Nathan Lane and Shaun Fleming to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Teacher's Pet is established with useful clarity: Spot (Lane) is a dog who can talk and read. That direct approach lets Teacher's Pet use its 1h 13m running time for character, atmosphere and cons

What stands out first about A Very Long Engagement is the confidence with which Jean Pierre Jeunet establishes its mystery identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, A Very Long Engagement asks Audrey Tautou and Gaspard Ulliel to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of A Very Long Engagement is established with useful clarity: Tells the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fiancé, who has disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during