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What stands out first about Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return is the confidence with which Will Finn establishes its animated adventure identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return asks Lea Michele and Kelsey Grammer to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return is established with useful clarity: Shortly after a tornado rips through her Kansas home, Dorothy returns to Oz to save her friends fro

What stands out first about Movie 43 is the confidence with which Elizabeth Banks establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Movie 43 asks Emma Stone and Stephen Merchant to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Movie 43 is established with useful clarity: A series of interconnected short films follows a washed up producer as he pitches insane story lines featuring some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. That direct approach l

What stands out first about Battle of the Year is the confidence with which Benson Lee establishes its music drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Battle of the Year asks Josh Holloway and Laz Alonso to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Battle of the Year is established with useful clarity: Battle of the Year attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years. That direct approach lets Ba

What stands out first about Peeples is the confidence with which Tina Gordon establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Peeples asks Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Peeples is established with useful clarity: Sparks fly when Wade Walker crashes the Peeples annual reunion in the Hamptons to ask for their precious daughter Grace's hand in marriage. That direct approach lets Peeples us

What stands out first about Getaway is the confidence with which Courtney Solomon establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Getaway asks Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Getaway is established with useful clarity: To save his kidnapped wife, Brent Magna must drive at the orders of a mysterious man. That direct approach lets Getaway use its 1h 30m running time for character, atmosphere

What stands out first about Belle is the confidence with which Amma Asante establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Belle asks Gugu Mbatha Raw and Matthew Goode to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Belle is established with useful clarity: The biracial daughter, Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha Raw), of Royal Navy Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) is raised by aristocratic Great uncle Lord William Murray, 1st Ea

What stands out first about Dead Man Down is the confidence with which Niels Arden Oplev establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Dead Man Down asks Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Dead Man Down is established with useful clarity: In New York City, a crime lord's right hand man is helped by a woman seeking retribution. That direct approach lets Dead Man Down use its 1h 58m running

What stands out first about Out of the Furnace is the confidence with which Scott Cooper establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Out of the Furnace asks Christian Bale and Casey Affleck to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Out of the Furnace is established with useful clarity: When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother Russell takes matters into h

What stands out first about The Last Stand is the confidence with which Kim Jee woon establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Last Stand asks Arnold Schwarzenegger and Forest Whitaker to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Last Stand is established with useful clarity: The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexpe

What stands out first about Inside Llewyn Davis is the confidence with which Ethan Coen establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Inside Llewyn Davis asks Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Inside Llewyn Davis is established with useful clarity: A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. That direct approach lets Inside Llewyn Davis use i

What stands out first about Labor Day is the confidence with which Jason Reitman establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Labor Day asks Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Labor Day is established with useful clarity: Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. That direct approach lets Labor Day use its 1h 51m running time for character, atmosphere

What stands out first about The Last Exorcism Part II is the confidence with which Ed Gass Donnelly establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Last Exorcism Part II asks Ashley Bell and Julia Garner to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Last Exorcism Part II is established with useful clarity: As Nell Sweetzer tries to build a new life after the events of the first movie, the evil force that once possessed her