top of page
All Articles
Pinocchio
What stands out first about Pinocchio is the confidence with which Matteo Garrone establishes its fantasy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Pinocchio asks Federico Ielapi and Roberto Benigni to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Pinocchio is established with useful clarity: Old woodcarver Geppetto's puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. That direct approach lets Pinocchio use its 2h 5m ru
Aug 102 min read
Badla
What stands out first about Badla is the confidence with which Sujoy Ghosh establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Badla asks Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Badla is established with useful clarity: A dynamic young entrepreneur finds herself locked in a hotel room with the corpse of her dead lover. That direct approach lets Badla use its 1h 58m running time for character, atmos
Aug 102 min read
The Personal History of David Copperfield
What stands out first about The Personal History of David Copperfield is the confidence with which Armando Iannucci establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Personal History of David Copperfield asks Dev Patel and Hugh Laurie to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Personal History of David Copperfield is established with useful clarity: A modern take on Charles Dickens's classic tale of a young orphan who is able t
Aug 103 min read
Better Days
What stands out first about Better Days is the confidence with which Derek Tsang establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Better Days asks Dongyu Zhou and Jackson Yee to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Better Days is established with useful clarity: While she copes with the pressures of her final examinations, a bullied teenage girl forms an unlikely friendship with a mysterious young man who protects her from her as
Aug 103 min read
Official Secrets
What stands out first about Official Secrets is the confidence with which Gavin Hood establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Official Secrets asks Keira Knightley and Matt Smith to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Official Secrets is established with useful clarity: The true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council
Aug 103 min read
Chhichhore
What stands out first about Chhichhore is the confidence with which Nitesh Tiwari establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Chhichhore asks Sushant Singh Rajput and Shraddha Kapoor to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Chhichhore is established with useful clarity: A tragic incident forces Anirudh, a middle aged man, to take a trip down memory lane and reminisce his college days along with his friends, who were labelled as
Aug 103 min read
Luce
What stands out first about Luce is the confidence with which Julius Onah establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Luce asks Naomi Watts and Octavia Spencer to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Luce is established with useful clarity: A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his sta
Aug 103 min read
Housefull 4
What stands out first about Housefull 4 is the confidence with which Farhad Samji establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Housefull 4 asks Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Housefull 4 is established with useful clarity: Three couples who get separated from each other due to an evil ploy, reincarnate after 600 years and meet each other as history repeats itself again and their respec
Aug 103 min read
The Lodge
What stands out first about The Lodge is the confidence with which Severin Fiala establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Lodge asks Riley Keough and Jaeden Martell to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Lodge is established with useful clarity: A soon to be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé's two children at a remote holiday village. That direct approach lets The Lodge use its 1h 48m running time for chara
Aug 103 min read
Total Dhamaal
What stands out first about Total Dhamaal is the confidence with which Indra Kumar establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Total Dhamaal asks Ajay Devgn and Anil Kapoor to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Total Dhamaal is established with useful clarity: A group of people learn about a hidden treasure and then they race to find it and claim it. That direct approach lets Total Dhamaal use its 2h 10m running time for cha
Aug 103 min read
3 from Hell
What stands out first about 3 from Hell is the confidence with which Rob Zombie establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, 3 from Hell asks Sheri Moon Zombie and Bill Moseley to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of 3 from Hell is established with useful clarity: After barely surviving prison, the demented Firefly clan go on the run, unleashing a whole new wave of murder, madness and mayhem. That direct approach lets 3 fr
Aug 103 min read
Faustina: Love and Mercy
What stands out first about Faustina: Love and Mercy is the confidence with which Michal Kondrat establishes its biographical drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Faustina: Love and Mercy asks Kamila Kaminska and Maciej Malysa to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Faustina: Love and Mercy is established with useful clarity: Docudrama tracing the life of Saint Faustina Kowalska, whose visions of Jesus Christ inspired the Roman Catholic
Aug 103 min read
bottom of page