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What stands out first about Thunderstruck is the confidence with which John Whitesell establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Thunderstruck asks Kevin Durant and Taylor Gray to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Thunderstruck is established with useful clarity: When Brian, a hopelessly uncoordinated young fan magically switches talents with his hero, basketball star Kevin Durant, he becomes the star of his high school te

What stands out first about To the Wonder is the confidence with which Terrence Malick establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, To the Wonder asks Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of To the Wonder is established with useful clarity: After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. That direct approach lets To the Wonder use its 1h 52m running time fo

What stands out first about Blue Like Jazz is the confidence with which Steve Taylor establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Blue Like Jazz asks Marshall Allman and Claire Holt to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Blue Like Jazz is established with useful clarity: Don, a nineteen year old sophomore at a Texas junior college, tries to escape his Bible Belt upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at the most godless

What stands out first about Heroine is the confidence with which Madhur Bhandarkar establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Heroine asks Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Heroine is established with useful clarity: A female superstar struggles through the trials and tribulations of being a Bollywood actress. That direct approach lets Heroine use its 2h 29m running time for character, atm

What stands out first about Not Fade Away is the confidence with which David Chase establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Not Fade Away asks John Magaro and Jack Huston to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Not Fade Away is established with useful clarity: Set in suburban New Jersey in the 1960s, a group of friends form a rock band and try to make it big. That direct approach lets Not Fade Away use its 1h 52m running tim

What stands out first about The Hunt is the confidence with which Thomas Vinterberg establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Hunt asks Mads Mikkelsen and Thomas Bo Larsen to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Hunt is established with useful clarity: A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. That direct approach lets The Hunt use its 1h 55m running time for character, atmosphere

What stands out first about Two Days in New York is the confidence with which Julie Delpy establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Two Days in New York asks Julie Delpy and Chris Rock to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Two Days in New York is established with useful clarity: Manhattan couple Marion and Mingus, who each have children from prior relationships, find their comfortable family dynamic jostled by a visit from

What stands out first about Holy Motors is the confidence with which Leos Carax establishes its fantasy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Holy Motors asks Denis Lavant and Edith Scob to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Holy Motors is established with useful clarity: A man boards a limousine to be driven to his day's work: nine mysterious "appointments.". That direct approach lets Holy Motors use its 1h 55m running time for character, a

What stands out first about Student of the Year is the confidence with which Karan Johar establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Student of the Year asks Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Student of the Year is established with useful clarity: Several alumni reminisce about their final year at St. Theresa's College and the events that shaped their lives. That direct approach lets Stud

What stands out first about The Thieves is the confidence with which Dong hoon Choi establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Thieves asks Kim Yoon seok and Lee Jung jae to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Thieves is established with useful clarity: After a heist in South Korea, a gang of 5+1 fly to Hong Kong to look into a heist, in a Macau casino, of a $30M diamond, planned by someone unreliable. That direct ap

What stands out first about The Paperboy is the confidence with which Lee Daniels establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Paperboy asks Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Paperboy is established with useful clarity: A reporter returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate. That direct approach lets The Paperboy use its 1h 47m running

What stands out first about Agent Vinod is the confidence with which Sriram Raghavan establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Agent Vinod asks Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Agent Vinod is established with useful clarity: A series of seemingly unconnected events across the world leads to Agent Vinod undertaking a globe trotting mission to discover why his colleague was murdered