All Articles

What stands out first about Goal! The Dream Begins is the confidence with which Danny Cannon establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Goal! The Dream Begins asks Kuno Becker and Alessandro Nivola to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Goal! The Dream Begins is established with useful clarity: The extremely talented Santiago Muñez is spotted by a Newcastle United scout and given a chance at professional football. That dire

What stands out first about The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is the confidence with which Tommy Lee Jones establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada asks Tommy Lee Jones and Barry Pepper to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is established with useful clarity: Ranch foreman Pete Perkins looks to fulfill the promise to his recently de

What stands out first about The World's Fastest Indian is the confidence with which Roger Donaldson establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The World's Fastest Indian asks Anthony Hopkins and Diane Ladd to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The World's Fastest Indian is established with useful clarity: The story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle, which helped him

What stands out first about Alone in the Dark is the confidence with which Uwe Boll establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Alone in the Dark asks Christian Slater and Tara Reid to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Alone in the Dark is established with useful clarity: A detective of the paranormal slowly unravels mysterious events with deadly results. That direct approach lets Alone in the Dark use its 1h 36m runni

What stands out first about Water is the confidence with which Deepa Mehta establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Water asks Lisa Ray and John Abraham to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Water is established with useful clarity: Set in colonial India against Gandhi's rise to power, it's the story of 8 year old Chuyia, who is widowed and sent to a home to live in penitence; once there, Chuyia's feisty presence deeply af

What stands out first about Underclassman is the confidence with which Marcos Siega establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Underclassman asks Hugh Bonneville and Shawn Ashmore to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Underclassman is established with useful clarity: A young detective goes undercover at an elite private school to destroy an international stolen car ring. That direct approach lets Underclassman use its 1h 35

What stands out first about The Jacket is the confidence with which John Maybury establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Jacket asks Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Jacket is established with useful clarity: A Gulf war veteran is wrongly sent to a mental institution for insane criminals, where he becomes the object of a doctor's experiments, and his life is completely affe

What stands out first about The Aristocrats is the confidence with which Penn Jillette establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Aristocrats asks George Carlin and Don Rickles to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Aristocrats is established with useful clarity: One hundred superstar comedians tell the same very, VERY dirty, filthy joke one shared privately by comics since Vaudeville. That direct approach lets

What stands out first about The Squid and the Whale is the confidence with which Noah Baumbach establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Squid and the Whale asks Owen Kline and Jeff Daniels to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Squid and the Whale is established with useful clarity: Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s. That direct approach lets The Squid and the Whale

What stands out first about Proof is the confidence with which John Madden establishes its mystery identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Proof asks Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Proof is established with useful clarity: The daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, recently deceased, tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. That direct approach lets Pr

What stands out first about The Return is the confidence with which Asif Kapadia establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Return asks Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sam Shepard to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Return is established with useful clarity: Joanna Mills, a traveling business woman, begins having nightmares of a murder that occurred 15 years ago. That direct approach lets The Return use its 1h 25m

What stands out first about Mad Hot Ballroom is the confidence with which Marilyn Agrelo establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Mad Hot Ballroom asks Heather Berman and Emma Therese Biegacki to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Mad Hot Ballroom is established with useful clarity: The students of several New York City elementary schools learn ballroom dancing and compete in a city wide dance competition. That direc