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What stands out first about Under the Same Moon is the confidence with which Patricia Riggen establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Under the Same Moon asks Eugenio Derbez and Kate del Castillo to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Under the Same Moon is established with useful clarity: After his grandmother passes away, a young Mexican boy illegally travels across the border to search for his undocumented mother living

What stands out first about Shoot 'Em Up is the confidence with which Michael Davis establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Shoot 'Em Up asks Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Shoot 'Em Up is established with useful clarity: A man named Mr Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen. That direct approach lets Sh

What stands out first about Daddy Day Camp is the confidence with which Fred Savage establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Daddy Day Camp asks Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lochlyn Munro to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Daddy Day Camp is established with useful clarity: Seeking to offer his son the satisfying summer camp experience that eluded him as a child, the operator of a neighborhood day care center opens his own camp

What stands out first about The Comebacks is the confidence with which Tom Brady establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Comebacks asks David Koechner and Robert Ri'chard to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Comebacks is established with useful clarity: A comedy that spoofs inspirational sports movies, this movie is about an out of luck coach who drives a rag tag bunch of college misfits towards the football cha

What stands out first about Fly Me to the Moon 3D is the confidence with which Ben Stassen establishes its animated adventure identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Fly Me to the Moon 3D asks Trevor Gagnon and Philip Bolden to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Fly Me to the Moon 3D is established with useful clarity: Three young houseflies stow away aboard the Apollo 11 flight to the moon. That direct approach lets Fly Me to the Moon 3D use

What stands out first about Firehouse Dog is the confidence with which Todd Holland establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Firehouse Dog asks Josh Hutcherson and Bruce Greenwood to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Firehouse Dog is established with useful clarity: Rexxx, Hollywood's top canine star, gets lost and is adopted into a shabby firehouse. That direct approach lets Firehouse Dog use its 1h 51m running time for

What stands out first about Hot Rod is the confidence with which Akiva Schaffer establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Hot Rod asks Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Hot Rod is established with useful clarity: Self proclaimed stuntman Rod Kimble is preparing for the jump of his life to clear fifteen buses to raise money for his abusive stepfather Frank's life saving heart operation. That

What stands out first about Awake is the confidence with which Joby Harold establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Awake asks Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Awake is established with useful clarity: A wealthy young man undergoing heart transplant surgery discovers that the surgical team intend to murder him. That direct approach lets Awake use its 1h 24m running time for chara

What stands out first about Lions for Lambs is the confidence with which Robert Redford establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Lions for Lambs asks Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Lions for Lambs is established with useful clarity: Injuries sustained by two Army rangers behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman, a journalist and a professor

What stands out first about The Invasion is the confidence with which Oliver Hirschbiegel establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Invasion asks Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Invasion is established with useful clarity: As a Washington, D.C. psychiatrist unearths the origin of an alien epidemic, she also discovers her son might be the only way it can be stopped. That direct

What stands out first about The Kite Runner is the confidence with which Marc Forster establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Kite Runner asks Khalid Abdalla and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Kite Runner is established with useful clarity: Amir lives in California with his wife Soraya. That direct approach lets The Kite Runner use its 2h 8m running time for character, atmosphere and

Elizabeth: The Golden Age arrives as a biographical drama directed by Shekhar Kapur, and its first strength is a clear sense of purpose. Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen give Elizabeth: The Golden Age a recognisable human centre before the larger mechanics take over. The central situation in Elizabeth: The Golden Age comes into focus without a long explanation: A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, th