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What stands out first about The Cokeville Miracle is the confidence with which T.C. Christensen establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Cokeville Miracle asks Jasen Wade and Sarah Kent to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Cokeville Miracle is established with useful clarity: Children who were held hostage in their elementary school tell stories of miraculous things, but many adults are skeptical that the Cokev

What stands out first about Welcome Back is the confidence with which Anees Bazmee establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Welcome Back asks John Abraham and Anil Kapoor to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Welcome Back is established with useful clarity: A pair of reformed gangsters try to find a husband for their newly discovered sister, but complications arise due to mistaken identities. That direct approach lets Wel

What stands out first about Mr. Six is the confidence with which Guan Hu establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Mr. Six asks Xiaogang Feng and Hanyu Zhang to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Mr. Six is established with useful clarity: A well respected man residing in what's left of Old Beijing attempts to exonerate his son from his wrongdoings with his own methods and beliefs. That direct approach lets Mr. Six us

What stands out first about I is the confidence with which S. Shankar establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, I asks Vikram and Amy Jackson to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of I is established with useful clarity: A deformed hunchback kidnaps a bride and holds her hostage while his connection to her and his targets is revealed in a series of flashbacks that unfold as he starts seeking revenge. That direct approach

What stands out first about The Diary of a Teenage Girl is the confidence with which Marielle Heller establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Diary of a Teenage Girl asks Bel Powley and Alexander Skarsgård to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Diary of a Teenage Girl is established with useful clarity: A teen artist living in 1970s San Francisco enters into an affair with her mother's boyfriend. That direct approa

What stands out first about Mully is the confidence with which Scott Haze establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Mully asks Charles Mully and Esther Mully to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Mully is established with useful clarity: A homeless orphan in Kenya becomes a lucrative businessman, only to give it all up and open an orphanage that today serves over 2000 Kenyan children. That direct approach lets Mully u

What stands out first about Jane Got a Gun is the confidence with which Gavin O'Connor establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Jane Got a Gun asks Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Jane Got a Gun is established with useful clarity: A woman asks her ex lover for help in order to save her outlaw husband from a gang out to kill him. That direct approach lets Jane Got a Gun use its

What stands out first about I Saw the Light is the confidence with which Marc Abraham establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, I Saw the Light asks Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of I Saw the Light is established with useful clarity: The story of the country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. That direct

What stands out first about Son of Saul is the confidence with which László Nemes establishes its war drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Son of Saul asks Géza Röhrig and Levente Molnár to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Son of Saul is established with useful clarity: A Jewish Hungarian concentration camp prisoner sets out to give a child he mistook for his son a proper burial. That direct approach lets Son of Saul use its 1h 47m

What stands out first about The Vatican Tapes is the confidence with which Mark Neveldine establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Vatican Tapes asks Olivia Taylor Dudley and Michael Peña to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Vatican Tapes is established with useful clarity: A priest and two Vatican exorcists must do battle with an ancient satanic force to save the soul of a young woman. That direct approach

What stands out first about Piku is the confidence with which Shoojit Sircar establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Piku asks Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Piku is established with useful clarity: A quirky comedy about the relationship between a daughter and her aging father, whose eccentricities drive everyone crazy. That direct approach lets Piku use its 2h 3m running time

What stands out first about Legend is the confidence with which Brian Helgeland establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Legend asks Tom Hardy and Emily Browning to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Legend is established with useful clarity: Identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray terrorize London during the 1960s. That direct approach lets Legend use its 2h 12m running time for character, atmosphere and cons