All Articles

What stands out first about Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is the confidence with which Lisa Immordino Vreeland establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict asks Peggy Guggenheim and Jacqueline Bograd Weld to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is established with useful clarity: A portrait of a patron of the arts extraordinaire who transformed a modest fortune and i

What stands out first about Marguerite is the confidence with which Xavier Giannoli establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Marguerite asks Catherine Frot and André Marcon to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Marguerite is established with useful clarity: It is party day at Marguerite Dumont's castle. That direct approach lets Marguerite use its 2h 9m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence. ⁠ The most us

What stands out first about The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is the confidence with which Stanley Nelson establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution asks Blair Anderson and Omar Barbour to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is established with useful clarity: This documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black P

What stands out first about Shaandaar is the confidence with which Vikas Bahl establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Shaandaar asks Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Shaandaar is established with useful clarity: In the backdrop of a destination wedding in London, two families try to save their respective empires, unbeknownst to each other. That direct approach lets Shaandaar use its 2h 2

What stands out first about Gabbar Is Back is the confidence with which Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Gabbar Is Back asks Akshay Kumar and Shruti Haasan to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Gabbar Is Back is established with useful clarity: After a vengeful college professor targets corruption in the government, he adopts the name "Gabbar" and becomes a hero to a weary public. Th

What stands out first about By the Sea is the confidence with which Angelina Jolie establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, By the Sea asks Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of By the Sea is established with useful clarity: A couple tries to repair their marriage while staying at a hotel in France. That direct approach lets By the Sea use its 2h 2m running time for character, atmosphere and

What stands out first about Freeheld is the confidence with which Peter Sollett establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Freeheld asks Julianne Moore and Elliot Page to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Freeheld is established with useful clarity: New Jersey police lieutenant Laurel Hester and her registered domestic partner Stacie Andree battle to secure Hester's pension benefits when she is diagnosed with terminal can

What stands out first about Harry & Snowman is the confidence with which Ron Davis establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Harry & Snowman asks Harry DeLeyer and Harriet DeLeyer to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Harry & Snowman is established with useful clarity: The story of immigrant Harry DeLeyer and the plow horse he rescued from slaughter. That direct approach lets Harry & Snowman use its 1h 24m running tim

What stands out first about Knight of Cups is the confidence with which Terrence Malick establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Knight of Cups asks Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Knight of Cups is established with useful clarity: A writer indulging in all that Los Angeles and Las Vegas have to offer, undertakes a search for love and self via a series of adventures with six differ

What stands out first about A Tale of Love and Darkness is the confidence with which Natalie Portman establishes its mystery identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, A Tale of Love and Darkness asks Natalie Portman and Gilad Kahana to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of A Tale of Love and Darkness is established with useful clarity: The story of Amos Oz's youth, set against the backdrop of the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the ear

What stands out first about Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is the confidence with which Dibakar Banerjee establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! asks Sushant Singh Rajput and Anand Tiwari to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is established with useful clarity: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is set in the 2nd World War torn Calcutta during the 1940s. That direct approach lets

What stands out first about Brothers is the confidence with which Karan Malhotra establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Brothers asks Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Brothers is established with useful clarity: After living many years together, two brothers discover that they are not blood related so square off in a mixed martial arts tournament to determine whose blood is s