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What stands out first about Kill Your Darlings is the confidence with which John Krokidas establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Kill Your Darlings asks Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Kill Your Darlings is established with useful clarity: A murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs. That direct appro

What stands out first about Phantom is the confidence with which Todd Robinson establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Phantom asks Ed Harris and Julian Adams to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Phantom is established with useful clarity: The haunted Captain of a Soviet submarine holds the fate of the world in his hands. That direct approach lets Phantom use its 1h 38m running time for character, atmosphere and conse

What stands out first about Walking with the Enemy is the confidence with which Mark Schmidt establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Walking with the Enemy asks Jonas Armstrong and Ben Kingsley to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Walking with the Enemy is established with useful clarity: A young man, separated from his family in World War II, disguises himself as a Nazi S.S. That direct approach lets Walking with

What stands out first about Kai Po Che is the confidence with which Abhishek Kapoor establishes its sports drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Kai Po Che asks Amit Sadh and Sushant Singh Rajput to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Kai Po Che is established with useful clarity: Three friends growing up in India at the turn of the millennium set out to open a training academy to produce the country's next cricket stars. That direct ap

What stands out first about Romeo & Juliet is the confidence with which Carlo Carlei establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Romeo & Juliet asks Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Romeo & Juliet is established with useful clarity: Romeo and Juliet secretly wed despite the sworn contempt their families hold for each other. That direct approach lets Romeo & Juliet use its 1h 58m runni

What stands out first about Repentance is the confidence with which Philippe Caland establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Repentance asks Anthony Mackie and Forest Whitaker to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Repentance is established with useful clarity: A successful author and spiritual advisor takes on a troubled man as a client, completely unaware that the man's fixation on his mother's death will soon put h

What stands out first about Inequality for All is the confidence with which Jacob Kornbluth establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Inequality for All asks Robert Reich and Candice Bergen to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Inequality for All is established with useful clarity: A documentary that follows former U.S. That direct approach lets Inequality for All use its 1h 29m running time for character, atmosphere

What stands out first about The Invisible Woman is the confidence with which Ralph Fiennes establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Invisible Woman asks Ralph Fiennes and Felicity Jones to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Invisible Woman is established with useful clarity: At the height of his career, Charles Dickens meets a younger woman who becomes his secret lover until his death. That direct approach lets T

What stands out first about The Kings of Summer is the confidence with which Jordan Vogt Roberts establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Kings of Summer asks Nick Robinson and Gabriel Basso to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Kings of Summer is established with useful clarity: Three teenage friends, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off th

What stands out first about The Ultimate Life is the confidence with which Michael Landon Jr. establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Ultimate Life asks Logan Bartholomew and Peter Fonda to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Ultimate Life is established with useful clarity: A billionaire with questionable priorities re examines his life after discovering his grandfather's journal. That direct approach lets The U

What stands out first about The Past is the confidence with which Asghar Farhadi establishes its mystery identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Past asks Bérénice Bejo and Tahar Rahim to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Past is established with useful clarity: An Iranian man deserts his French wife and her two children to return to his homeland. That direct approach lets The Past use its 2h 10m running time for character, atmosphere

What stands out first about Gimme Shelter is the confidence with which Ron Krauss establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Gimme Shelter asks Vanessa Hudgens and Rosario Dawson to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Gimme Shelter is established with useful clarity: A pregnant teenager flees her abusive mother in search of her father, only to be rejected by her stepmother and forced to survive on the streets until a compassi