All Articles

What stands out first about Tsotsi is the confidence with which Gavin Hood establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Tsotsi asks Presley Chweneyagae and Mothusi Magano to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Tsotsi is established with useful clarity: Six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader. That direct approach lets Tsotsi use its 1h 34m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence. ⁠

What stands out first about Supercross is the confidence with which Steve Boyum establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Supercross asks Steve Howey and Mike Vogel to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Supercross is established with useful clarity: Faced with the suspicious death of their father, two brothers must motivate one another to get back on their bikes and take the Las Vegas Motocross Championships by storm.

What stands out first about Boynton Beach Club is the confidence with which Susan Seidelman establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Boynton Beach Club asks Dyan Cannon and Joseph Bologna to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Boynton Beach Club is established with useful clarity: A romantic comedy about our amazing capacity to rebound and fall in love at any age. That direct approach lets Boynton Beach Club use its 1h 45m

What stands out first about Grizzly Man is the confidence with which Werner Herzog establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Grizzly Man asks Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Grizzly Man is established with useful clarity: A devastating and heart rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among g

What stands out first about Rize is the confidence with which David LaChapelle establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Rize asks Tommy the Clown and Larry Berry to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Rize is established with useful clarity: Rize chronicles a dance movement that rises out of South Central Los Angeles with roots in clowning and street youth culture. That direct approach lets Rize use its 1h 26m running

What stands out first about Harsh Times is the confidence with which David Ayer establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Harsh Times asks Christian Bale and Freddy Rodríguez to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Harsh Times is established with useful clarity: A tough minded drama about two friends in South Central Los Angeles and the violence that comes between them. That direct approach lets Harsh Times use its 1h 5

What stands out first about Stay is the confidence with which Marc Forster establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Stay asks Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Stay is established with useful clarity: A psychiatrist attempts to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality. That direct approach lets Stay use its 1h 39m running time

What stands out first about Caché is the confidence with which Michael Haneke establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Caché asks Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Caché is established with useful clarity: A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch. That direct approach lets Caché use its 1h 57m running time for character, atmos

What stands out first about Me and You and Everyone We Know is the confidence with which Miranda July establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Me and You and Everyone We Know asks John Hawkes and Miranda July to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Me and You and Everyone We Know is established with useful clarity: A lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contempo

What stands out first about King's Ransom is the confidence with which Jeffrey W. Byrd establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, King's Ransom asks Anthony Anderson and Kellita Smith to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of King's Ransom is established with useful clarity: Hoping to foil his own gold digging wife's plan, a loathsome businessman arranges his own kidnapping, only to realize that there are plenty of other people

What stands out first about Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is the confidence with which Alex Gibney establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room asks John Beard and Tim Belden to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is established with useful clarity: A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how

What stands out first about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the confidence with which Shane Black establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang asks Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is established with useful clarity: After being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo a