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What stands out first about Jexi is the confidence with which Jon Lucas establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Jexi asks Adam Devine and Alexandra Shipp to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Jexi is established with useful clarity: Phil makes top 10 pop lists at work. That direct approach lets Jexi use its 1h 24m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence. ⁠ The plot of Jexi is built around the uneasy relati

What stands out first about The Dead Don't Die is the confidence with which Jim Jarmusch establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Dead Don't Die asks Bill Murray and Adam Driver to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Dead Don't Die is established with useful clarity: The focus is on the sleepy small town of Centerville where the dead become undead. That direct approach lets The Dead Don't Die use its 1h 44m ru

What stands out first about Brittany Runs a Marathon is the confidence with which Paul Downs Colaizzo establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Brittany Runs a Marathon asks Jillian Bell and Jennifer Dundas to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Brittany Runs a Marathon is established with useful clarity: A young woman decides to make positive changes in her life by training for the New York City Marathon. That direct appro

What stands out first about Penguins is the confidence with which Alastair Fothergill establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Penguins asks Ed Helms and the principal supporting performer to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Penguins is established with useful clarity: A coming of age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suita

What stands out first about Anna is the confidence with which Luc Besson establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Anna asks Sasha Luss and Helen Mirren to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Anna is established with useful clarity: Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins. That direct approach

What stands out first about Weathering with You is the confidence with which Makoto Shinkai establishes its animated adventure identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Weathering with You asks Kotaro Daigo and Nana Mori to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Weathering with You is established with useful clarity: Set during a period of exceptionally rainy weather, high school boy Hodaka Morishima runs away from his troubled rural home to Tokyo a

What stands out first about Serenity is the confidence with which Steven Knight establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Serenity asks Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Serenity is established with useful clarity: A fishing boat captain juggles facing his mysterious past and finding himself ensnared in a reality where nothing is what it seems. That direct approach lets Serenity

What stands out first about Apollo 11 is the confidence with which Todd Douglas Miller establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Apollo 11 asks Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Apollo 11 is established with useful clarity: A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins. That direct approach lets Apollo 11

What stands out first about Where'd You Go, Bernadette is the confidence with which Richard Linklater establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Where'd You Go, Bernadette asks Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Where'd You Go, Bernadette is established with useful clarity: A loving mom becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself for her fam

What stands out first about No Manches Frida 2 is the confidence with which Nacho G. Velilla establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, No Manches Frida 2 asks Martha Higareda and Omar Chaparro to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of No Manches Frida 2 is established with useful clarity: Zequi tries to regain Lucy's love by bringing the school's team to victory. That direct approach lets No Manches Frida 2 use its 1h 42m runn

What stands out first about Motherless Brooklyn is the confidence with which Edward Norton establishes its crime drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Motherless Brooklyn asks Edward Norton and Gugu Mbatha Raw to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Motherless Brooklyn is established with useful clarity: In 1950s New York, Lionel, a private detective with Tourette syndrome, sets out to uncover the mystery behind his mentor and only frien

The Best of Enemies arrives as a biographical drama directed by Robin Bissell, and its first strength is a clear sense of purpose. Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell give The Best of Enemies a recognisable human centre before the larger mechanics take over. The central situation in The Best of Enemies comes into focus without a long explanation: Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Across its 2h 13m running time, Robin Bissell keeps The Best of Enemies aliv