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What stands out first about Strawberry Mansion is the confidence with which Kentucker Audley establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Strawberry Mansion asks Penny Fuller and Kentucker Audley to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Strawberry Mansion is established with useful clarity: In a future where the government records dreams and taxes them, a dream auditor gets caught up in the dreams of an aging eccentric. That dir

What stands out first about The Souvenir: Part II is the confidence with which Joanna Hogg establishes its romance identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Souvenir: Part II asks Tilda Swinton and Honor Swinton Byrne to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Souvenir: Part II is established with useful clarity: In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, s

What stands out first about We're All Going to the World's Fair is the confidence with which Jane Schoenbrun establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, We're All Going to the World's Fair asks Anna Cobb and Michael J Rogers to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of We're All Going to the World's Fair is established with useful clarity: Alone in her attic bedroom, teenager Casey becomes immersed in an online role playing ho

What stands out first about Tango Shalom is the confidence with which Gabriel Bologna establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Tango Shalom asks Renée Taylor and Lainie Kazan to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Tango Shalom is established with useful clarity: A Tango dancer and a rabbi develop a plan to enter a dance competition without sacrificing his orthodox beliefs. That direct approach lets Tango Shalom use its 1h

What stands out first about Pleasure is the confidence with which Ninja Thyberg establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Pleasure asks Sofia Kappel and Zelda Morrison to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Pleasure is established with useful clarity: Bella Cherry arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an adult film star, but she soon learns that fame won't come easy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise

What stands out first about The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 is the confidence with which Joshua Zeman establishes its documentary identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 asks Joshua Zeman and Joseph George to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 is established with useful clarity: THE LONELIEST WHALE is a cinematic quest to find the "52 Hertz Whale," which scien

What stands out first about Jockey is the confidence with which Clint Bentley establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Jockey asks Clifton Collins Jr. and Moises Arias to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Jockey is established with useful clarity: An aging jockey aims for a final championship, when a rookie rider arrives claiming to be his son. That direct approach lets Jockey use its 1h 34m running time for character, at

What stands out first about Small Engine Repair is the confidence with which John Pollono establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Small Engine Repair asks Jon Bernthal and Shea Whigham to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Small Engine Repair is established with useful clarity: Events spin wildly out of control when three lifelong friends agree to do a favor on behalf of the brash young woman they all adore. That direc

What stands out first about Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone is the confidence with which Michael D. Olmos establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone asks Sofia Pernas and Danny Trejo to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone is established with useful clarity: In a Texas border town, car salesman Charlie moonlights as masked Lucha libre w

What stands out first about Walking with Herb is the confidence with which Ross Kagan Marks establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Walking with Herb asks Edward James Olmos and George Lopez to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Walking with Herb is established with useful clarity: Sixty five year old Joe Amable Amo thinks nothing much in his background distinguishes him from other guys his age. That direct approach lets

What stands out first about The Djinn is the confidence with which David Charbonier establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Djinn asks Ezra Dewey and Rob Brownstein to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Djinn is established with useful clarity: A mute boy is trapped in his apartment with a sinister monster when he makes a wish to fulfill his heart's greatest desire. That direct approach lets The Djinn use it

What stands out first about Swan Song is the confidence with which Todd Stephens establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Swan Song asks Udo Kier and Jennifer Coolidge to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Swan Song is established with useful clarity: A formerly flamboyant hairdresser takes a long walk across a small town to style a dead woman's hair. That direct approach lets Swan Song use its 1h 45m running time for cha