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What stands out first about Paheli is the confidence with which Amol Palekar establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Paheli asks Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Paheli is established with useful clarity: A folk tale supernatural love story about a ghost who falls in love with a newlywed woman. That direct approach lets Paheli use its 2h 20m running time for character, atmosphere and

What stands out first about Salaam Namaste is the confidence with which Siddharth Anand establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Salaam Namaste asks Saif Ali Khan and Preity G Zinta to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Salaam Namaste is established with useful clarity: A quirky take on life and relationships that looks at a fairy tale with a bit of a squint and an endearing look at what being in love really means. That d

What stands out first about The Notorious Bettie Page is the confidence with which Mary Harron establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Notorious Bettie Page asks Gretchen Mol and Lili Taylor to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Notorious Bettie Page is established with useful clarity: The life of Bettie Page, a 1950s pin up model and one of the first sex icons in America, who became the target of a S

What stands out first about Why We Fight is the confidence with which Eugene Jarecki establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Why We Fight asks Gore Vidal and John McCain to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Why We Fight is established with useful clarity: Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy. That direct approach lets Why We Fight use its 1h 38m running time for character, atmosphe

What stands out first about Paradise Now is the confidence with which Hany Abu Assad establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Paradise Now asks Kais Nashif and Ali Suliman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Paradise Now is established with useful clarity: Two childhood friends are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. That direct approach lets Paradise Now use its 1h 31m running time for character, atmosphere

What stands out first about Trust the Man is the confidence with which Bart Freundlich establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Trust the Man asks David Duchovny and Julianne Moore to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Trust the Man is established with useful clarity: After much drama, cheating, and trial separations, two men fight to save their respective relationships. That direct approach lets Trust the Man use its 1h

What stands out first about Murderball is the confidence with which Henry Alex Rubin establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Murderball asks Joe Soares and Keith Cavill to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Murderball is established with useful clarity: Quadriplegics, who play full contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. That direct approach

What stands out first about Keeping Mum is the confidence with which Niall Johnson establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Keeping Mum asks Rowan Atkinson and Kristin Scott Thomas to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Keeping Mum is established with useful clarity: A pastor preoccupied with writing the perfect sermon fails to realize that his wife is having an affair, and his children are up to no good. That direct appro

What stands out first about The White Countess is the confidence with which James Ivory establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The White Countess asks Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The White Countess is established with useful clarity: In 1930s Shanghai, a blind American diplomat develops a curious relationship with a young Russian refugee who works odd and sometimes illicit

What stands out first about State Property: Blood on the Streets is the confidence with which Damon Dash establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, State Property: Blood on the Streets asks Beanie Sigel and N.O.R.E. to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of State Property: Blood on the Streets is established with useful clarity: Three Philadelphia based gangstas Beans, Dame and Loco are on a collision course with one anoth

What stands out first about Sweet Land is the confidence with which Ali Selim establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Sweet Land asks Elizabeth Reaser and Lois Smith to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Sweet Land is established with useful clarity: In 1920, Inge, a German national, travels from Norway to rural Minnesota for her arranged marriage to Olaf, a Norwegian farmer; bureaucracy and prejudice cause major compli

What stands out first about Everything Is Illuminated is the confidence with which Liev Schreiber establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Everything Is Illuminated asks Elijah Wood and Eugene Hutz to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Everything Is Illuminated is established with useful clarity: A young Jewish American man, with the help of an eccentric local, endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during