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What stands out first about Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is the confidence with which Nathan Frankowski establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed asks Ben Stein and Lili Asvar to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is established with useful clarity: Ben Stein examines the issue of academic freedom and decides that there is none when it comes to t

What stands out first about In Bruges is the confidence with which Martin McDonagh establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, In Bruges asks Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of In Bruges is established with useful clarity: After a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be. That direct ap

What stands out first about City of Ember is the confidence with which Gil Kenan establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, City of Ember asks Saoirse Ronan and Toby Jones to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of City of Ember is established with useful clarity: For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. That direct approach lets City of Ember use its 1h 30m run

What stands out first about Miracle at St. Anna is the confidence with which Spike Lee establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Miracle at St. Anna asks Derek Luke and Michael Ealy to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Miracle at St. Anna is established with useful clarity: Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII. That direct approach lets Miracle a

What stands out first about Punisher: War Zone is the confidence with which Lexi Alexander establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Punisher: War Zone asks Ray Stevenson and Dominic West to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Punisher: War Zone is established with useful clarity: Frank Castle, known as the Punisher, ruthlessly demolishes organized crime, but it starts an even bigger war. That direct approach lets Puni

What stands out first about Cadillac Records is the confidence with which Darnell Martin establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Cadillac Records asks Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Cadillac Records is established with useful clarity: Chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists. That direct approach lets Cadillac Records use its 1h 49m running time for

What stands out first about Sex Drive is the confidence with which Sean Anders establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Sex Drive asks Josh Zuckerman and Clark Duke to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Sex Drive is established with useful clarity: A high school senior drives cross country with his best friends to hook up with a babe he met online. That direct approach lets Sex Drive use its 1h 49m running time for charac

What stands out first about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the confidence with which Mark Herman establishes its war drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas asks Asa Butterfield and David Thewlis to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is established with useful clarity: Through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight year old son of the commandant at a German concentration cam

What stands out first about Smart People is the confidence with which Noam Murro establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Smart People asks Dennis Quaid and Thomas Haden Church to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Smart People is established with useful clarity: Dissatisfied with his wife's death, an English teacher becomes depressed and bitter, but finds the possibility of new love. That direct approach lets Smart Peopl

What stands out first about The Express is the confidence with which Gary Fleder establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Express asks Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Express is established with useful clarity: A drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. That direct approach lets The Express use i

What stands out first about Stop Loss is the confidence with which Kimberly Peirce establishes its war drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Stop Loss asks Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Stop Loss is established with useful clarity: A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by

What stands out first about Doomsday is the confidence with which Neil Marshall establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Doomsday asks Rhona Mitra and Bob Hoskins to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Doomsday is established with useful clarity: A futuristic action thriller where a team of people work to prevent a disaster threatening the future of the human race. That direct approach lets Doomsday use its 1h 45m run