All Articles

What stands out first about Lucky You is the confidence with which Curtis Hanson establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Lucky You asks Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Lucky You is established with useful clarity: A hotshot poker player tries to win a tournament in Vegas, but is fighting a losing battle with his personal problems. That direct approach lets Lucky You use its 2h 4m runni

What stands out first about The Perfect Holiday is the confidence with which Lance Rivera establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Perfect Holiday asks Gabrielle Union and Morris Chestnut to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Perfect Holiday is established with useful clarity: A young girl turns to a department store Santa in the hopes that he will help find a new husband for her divorced mother. That direct appro

What stands out first about Feel the Noise is the confidence with which Alejandro Chomski establishes its music drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Feel the Noise asks Omarion and Giancarlo Esposito to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Feel the Noise is established with useful clarity: A young man from the South Bronx dreams of making it as a rapper, until a run in with local thugs forces him to hide in Puerto Rico with the father h

What stands out first about The Last Legion is the confidence with which Doug Lefler establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Last Legion asks Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Last Legion is established with useful clarity: As the Roman empire crumbles, young Romulus Augustus flees the city and embarks on a perilous voyage to Britain to track down a legion of supporters. That

What stands out first about Lars and the Real Girl is the confidence with which Craig Gillespie establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Lars and the Real Girl asks Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Lars and the Real Girl is established with useful clarity: A delusional young man strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet. That direct approach lets La

What stands out first about The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the confidence with which Julian Schnabel establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly asks Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is established with useful clarity: The true story of Elle editor Jean Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has

What stands out first about Run Fatboy Run is the confidence with which David Schwimmer establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Run Fatboy Run asks Simon Pegg and Thandiwe Newton to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Run Fatboy Run is established with useful clarity: Five years after jilting his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day, out of shape Dennis decides to run a marathon to win her back. That direct approach lets

What stands out first about The Savages is the confidence with which Tamara Jenkins establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Savages asks Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Savages is established with useful clarity: A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father. That direct approach lets The Savages use i

What stands out first about In the Valley of Elah is the confidence with which Paul Haggis establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, In the Valley of Elah asks Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of In the Valley of Elah is established with useful clarity: A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his r

What stands out first about Redline is the confidence with which Andy Cheng establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Redline asks Nathan Phillips and Nadia Bjorlin to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Redline is established with useful clarity: A gorgeous young woman, who is an automobile fanatic and front to the hottest unsigned band on the West Coast of the USA, finds herself caught up in illegal drag racing compe

What stands out first about Pride is the confidence with which Sunu Gonera establishes its sports drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Pride asks Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Pride is established with useful clarity: The determined Jim Ellis starts a swim team for troubled teens at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation. That direct approach lets Pride use its 1h 44m running time for characte

What stands out first about How She Move is the confidence with which Ian Iqbal Rashid establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, How She Move asks Rutina Wesley and Tre Armstrong to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of How She Move is established with useful clarity: Following her sister's death from drug addiction, a high school student is forced to leave her private school to return to her old, crime filled neighborhood whe