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What stands out first about Roman de gare is the confidence with which Claude Lelouch establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Roman de gare asks Fanny Ardant and Dominique Pinon to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Roman de gare is established with useful clarity: A popular novelist researches unlikely sources to find characters for her next bestseller. That direct approach lets Roman de gare use its 1h 43m running time

What stands out first about Margot at the Wedding is the confidence with which Noah Baumbach establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Margot at the Wedding asks Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Margot at the Wedding is established with useful clarity: Margot and her son Claude decide to visit her sister Pauline after she announces that she is marrying less than impressive Malcol

What stands out first about Guru is the confidence with which Mani Ratnam establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Guru asks Mithun Chakraborty and Abhishek Bachchan to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Guru is established with useful clarity: A villager, Gurukant Desai, arrives in Bombay 1958, and rises from its streets to become the GURU, the biggest tycoon in Indian history. That direct approach lets Guru use its 2h 46

What stands out first about You Kill Me is the confidence with which John Dahl establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, You Kill Me asks Ben Kingsley and Téa Leoni to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of You Kill Me is established with useful clarity: While drying out on the West Coast, an alcoholic hitman befriends a tart tongued woman who might just come in handy when it's time for him to return to Buffalo and settle some

What stands out first about Captivity is the confidence with which Roland Joffé establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Captivity asks Elisha Cuthbert and Daniel Gillies to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Captivity is established with useful clarity: A man and a woman awaken to find themselves trapped in a cellar. That direct approach lets Captivity use its 1h 36m running time for character, atmosphere and conseq

What stands out first about My Daughter, My Angel is the confidence with which Alexis Durand Brault establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, My Daughter, My Angel asks Michel Côté and Karine Vanasse to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of My Daughter, My Angel is established with useful clarity: As he navigates through porn sites without the knowledge of his wife, Germain comes across a video of his only daughter announci

What stands out first about Gracie is the confidence with which Davis Guggenheim establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Gracie asks Carly Schroeder and Andrew Shue to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Gracie is established with useful clarity: Grace, a football enthusiast, fights an uphill battle to play in the boys' varsity team of her high school and gain support for women's soccer while dealing with the

What stands out first about The Band's Visit is the confidence with which Eran Kolirin establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Band's Visit asks Sasson Gabay and Ronit Elkabetz to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Band's Visit is established with useful clarity: A band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselve

What stands out first about Illegal Tender is the confidence with which Franc. Reyes establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Illegal Tender asks Rick Gonzalez and Wanda De Jesus to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Illegal Tender is established with useful clarity: When the thugs who killed his father come looking for him, a young Latino man and his mother flee from their home. That direct approach lets Illegal Tender

What stands out first about Resurrecting the Champ is the confidence with which Rod Lurie establishes its sports drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Resurrecting the Champ asks Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Resurrecting the Champ is established with useful clarity: Up and coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed t

What stands out first about Things We Lost in the Fire is the confidence with which Susanne Bier establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Things We Lost in the Fire asks Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Things We Lost in the Fire is established with useful clarity: A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. That direct approach lets

What stands out first about Feast of Love is the confidence with which Robert Benton establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Feast of Love asks Morgan Freeman and Radha Mitchell to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Feast of Love is established with useful clarity: A meditation on love and its various incarnations, set within a community of friends in Oregon. That direct approach lets Feast of Love use its 1h 37m runnin