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What stands out first about Fast Food Nation is the confidence with which Richard Linklater establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Fast Food Nation asks Greg Kinnear and Bruce Willis to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Fast Food Nation is established with useful clarity: When contaminated meat is placed in the freezer next to that used for a fast food chain's most famous sandwich, a marketing executive seeks to find o

What stands out first about Thr3e is the confidence with which Robby Henson establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Thr3e asks Marc Blucas and Justine Waddell to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Thr3e is established with useful clarity: Innocent lives hang on the whim of an elusive psychopathic murderer whose strange riddles and impossible timelines force three people into a mission to end the game before one or a

What stands out first about Skinwalkers is the confidence with which James Isaac establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Skinwalkers asks Jason Behr and Elias Koteas to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Skinwalkers is established with useful clarity: A 12 year old boy and his mother become the targets of two warring werewolf packs, each with different intentions and motives. That direct approach lets Skinwalkers us

What stands out first about Golden Door is the confidence with which Emanuele Crialese establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Golden Door asks Charlotte Gainsbourg and Vincenzo Amato to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Golden Door is established with useful clarity: A Sicilian peasant begins the journey to the promised land and meets a beautiful Englishwoman. That direct approach lets Golden Door use its 1h 58m runni

What stands out first about The Heart Specialist is the confidence with which Dennis Cooper establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Heart Specialist asks Wood Harris and Zoe Saldaña to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Heart Specialist is established with useful clarity: Dr Z(achary) is also a comedian. That direct approach lets The Heart Specialist use its 1h 39m running time for character, atmosphere and conse

What stands out first about The U.S. vs. John Lennon is the confidence with which David Leaf establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The U.S. vs. John Lennon asks John Lennon and Yoko Ono to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The U.S. vs. John Lennon is established with useful clarity: A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar a

What stands out first about Inland Empire is the confidence with which David Lynch establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Inland Empire asks Karolina Gruszka and Krzysztof Majchrzak to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Inland Empire is established with useful clarity: As an actress begins to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world becomes nightmarish and surreal. That direct approach lets Inland Empir

What stands out first about Infamous is the confidence with which Douglas McGrath establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Infamous asks Toby Jones and Daniel Craig to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Infamous is established with useful clarity: While researching his novel "In Cold Blood", Truman Capote develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. That direct approach lets In

What stands out first about Find Me Guilty is the confidence with which Sidney Lumet establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Find Me Guilty asks Vin Diesel and Peter Dinklage to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Find Me Guilty is established with useful clarity: In the late 1980s, a low level gangster named Jackie DiNorscio defends himself in court in what became the longest criminal trial in American judicial history.

What stands out first about The Wedding Weekend is the confidence with which Bruce Leddy establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Wedding Weekend asks David Harbour and Reg Rogers to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Wedding Weekend is established with useful clarity: A group of guys who sang together in a college a cappella group reunite 15 years later to perform at a friend's wedding and discover how their live

What stands out first about Omkara is the confidence with which Vishal Bhardwaj establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Omkara asks Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Omkara is established with useful clarity: A politically minded enforcer's misguided trust in his lieutenant leads him to suspect his wife of infidelity in this adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Othello'. That direct approach let

What stands out first about The Good German is the confidence with which Steven Soderbergh establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Good German asks George Clooney and Cate Blanchett to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Good German is established with useful clarity: While in post war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation that involves his f