ajb's - Rented List
-
Peter Greenaway became a director of international status with this witty, stylised, erotic country house murder mystery. In an apparently idyllic 17th century Wiltshire, an ambitious draughtsman is commissioned by the wife of an aristocrat to produce twelve drawings of her husband's estate, in return for which he will receive payment, board and bed - hers. Extravagant costumes, a twisting plot, elegantly barbed dialogue and a score by Michael Nyman make the film a treat for ear, eye and mind. - Director:
- Peter Greenaway
- Cast:
- Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, Anne-Louise Lambert
- Formats:
-
-
Passionate about dance, young Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) has trained at the National Georgian Dance Ensemble since childhood. His sole aim in life; to join the Main Dance Ensemble, break free from the confines of Georgian society and travel the world. When a dancer in the main ensemble is disgraced and his place becomes available, Merab's ambitions finally feel within reach. When Irakli (Bachi Valishvili), a virile, talented male dancer unexpectedly joins his group, Merab fears the newcomer is the only thing standing between him and his dreams. Charismatic and carefree, Irakli, has an effect on Merab that he can't quite explain. As they compete, Irakli becomes both Merab's fiercest rival and strongest desire, a desire that, in conservative Georgian society, threatens to throw his dance career, livelihood and family into turmoil. With a breath-taking central performance from breakout star Levan Gelbakhiani, Levan Akin's luminous 'And Then We Danced' explores forbidden desire, ambition and liberation set against the backdrop of traditionalist Tblisi. - Director:
- Levan Akin
- Cast:
- Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili
- Formats:
-
-
"Tin Star" Season Two picks up at the moment Season One left off, but this time things are different. Having seemingly destroyed everything he loves. Jack (Tim Roth) has to win Angela (Genevieve O'Reilly) and Anna (Abigail Lawrie) back. In order to make amends for his actions and rebuild his family, he must save another from destruction. If Jim is to find a way to save his family and atone for his sins, he must form an uneasy alliance in the battle for forgiveness. - Director:
- Gilles Bannier
- Cast:
- Dominic Zamprogna, Tim Roth, Christina Hendricks
- Formats:
-
-
The Truth (2019)La Vérité
Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve), an ageing movie star, is about to publish her long-awaited memoirs. Sparks immediately fly when her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche) returns to Paris from New York to confront this rose-tinted version of their family history. However, as the past is gradually addressed, their strained relationship takes a journey toward possible reconciliation. Also starring Ethan Hawke, 'The Truth' paints a moving portrait of family dynamics and human relationships. - Director:
- Hirokazu Koreeda
- Cast:
- Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke
- Formats:
-
-
In an Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning performance, Casey Affleck stars as Lee, a man whose spare existence is suddenly ruptured when the death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) forces him to return to the hometown he abandoned years before. Rocked by contact with his estranged ex-wife (Michelle Williams) and the revelation that Joe has made him guardian of his teenage son (Lucas Hedges), Lee is forced to face up to painful memories and newfound levels of responsibility as he reconnects with his family. Kenneth Lonergan's critically acclaimed masterpiece is an extraordinary journey of grief, love and wit that will stay with you long after watching. - Director:
- Kenneth Lonergan
- Cast:
- Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler
- Formats:
-
-
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Canadian Rockies in the idyllic but troubled town of Little Big Bear, 'Tin Star' unleashes a cinematic, sometimes blackly comic, thrill ride of a story. At the heart of the show is a virtuoso performance from Tim Roth, who plays Jim Worth - an expat British police chief who has come to Canada to start a new life. However, his much-longed-for peace and tranquillity is shattered when a family member is brutally murdered in a horrifying act of seemingly random violence. This one moment unleashes the demon of his dark alcoholic past as Worth embarks on a path of bloody vengeance, setting in motion a lethal chain of events with devastating consequences for those caught up in the wreckage of his former life. - Director:
- Rowan Joffe
- Cast:
- Tim Roth, Genevieve O'Reilly, Christina Hendricks
- Formats:
-
-
Valley of Love (2015)The Valley of Love
Two of French cinema's most prolific performers, Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu, reunite to play an estranged couple meeting for the first time in years. Their photographer son, Michael, has requested they visit a series of remote locations outlined in a note prior to his suicide six months earlier. Respecting their son's wishes, they put their personal grievances to one side and proceed to confront the wounds of the past. - Director:
- Guillaume Nicloux
- Cast:
- Gérard Depardieu, Isabelle Huppert, Dan Warner
- Formats:
-
-
Potiche (2010)Potiche (Trophy Wife)
Suzanne (Deneuve) is a "Potiche"; a beautiful, subservient wife dedicated to serving the selfish whims of her tyrannical husband. But after the exploited workers of his umbrella factory decide to strike, Suzanne takes on the role as head of the company to great success. Although business and personal politics are about to collide with the arrival of Maurice (Depardieu), a charming union leader and a former lover of Suzanne's. - Director:
- François Ozon
- Cast:
- Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini
- Formats:
-
-
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is truly living the high life. Flying all over the world on business, he never stops moving until he meets Alex, a fellow passenger and learns that life isn't about the journey, but the connections we make along the way. Acclaimed by critics and audiences everywhere, Up In The Air is light and dark, hilarious and tragic, bouncy and brainy, romantic and real. - Director:
- Jason Reitman
- Cast:
- George Clooney, Matt O'Toole, Vera Farmiga
- Formats:
-
-
When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death. - Director:
- Rian Johnson
- Cast:
- Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas
- Formats:
-
-
Their Finest (2016)Their Finest Hour
1940, London, the Blitz. With the country's morale at stake, inexperienced screenwriter, Catrin (Gemma Arterton) and a makeshift cast and crew, work under fire to make a film to lift the country's flagging spirits and inspire America to join the war. Alongside fellow screenwriter, Buckley (Sam Clafiin) and a gloriously egotistical actor, Ambrose (Bill Nighy) they set off to make a film that will warm the hearts of the nation. - Director:
- Lone Scherfig
- Cast:
- Gemma Arterton, Amanda Pepper, Sam Claflin
- Formats:
-
-
The Five (2016)Harlan Coben's the Five
When they were twelve years old, Mark, Pru, Danny and Slade were out together in the woods. Mark's five-year-old brother Jesse was bothering them, so they told him to get lost. Jesse ran away. He was never seen again. Twenty years later, Danny - now a detective - learns that Jesse's DNA has been found at a murder scene. Is Jesse alive? The four friends must reunite to discover the shocking truth. 'The Five' is a thrilling ten-part series with twists, turns and dark secrets. - Director:
- Mark Tonderai
- Cast:
- Tom Cullen, Hannah Arterton, O-T Fagbenle
- Formats:
-
-
From the makers of Vera and Shetland, Flesh and Blood is a contemporary four-part drama about a family of adult siblings - Helen, Jake and Natalie - who are thrown into disarray when their recently widowed mother Vivien declares she's in love with a new man. Mark. Their suspicion of the newcomer triggers events in the siblings' own complex love lives, which begin to spiral out of control. Next door neighbour Mary has known the family for years and tries to support them all with wise counsel, but seems powerless to stop events escalating. Can this once-close family overcome years of secrets and repressed sibling rivalry to pull together, or will old rifts and new conflicts push them apart? And even push them to the point of violence? Right from the start we know that someone's life is hanging in the balance - but not whose or how it happened. As the mystery unravels, this dark yet deliciously witty thriller explores family dynamics, modern relationships, love, loyalty and betrayal, and keeps us guessing right up until the very last moment. - Director:
- Louise Hooper
- Cast:
- Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis, Claudie Blakley
- Formats:
-
-
Pius XIII (Jude Law) is in a coma. And after an unpredictable and mysterious parenthesis, the Secretary of State Voiello (Silvio Orlando) succeeds in the enterprise of having Sir John Brannox (John Malkovich), a moderate English aristocrat, charming and sophisticated, placed on the papal throne adopting the name John Paul III. The new pope seems perfect, but he conceals secrets and a certain fragility. And he immediately understands that it will not be easy to replace the charismatic Pius XIII: hanging between life and death, Lenny Belardo has become a Saint and thousands of faithful are now idolizing him, fueling the contrast between fundamentalisms. Meanwhile, the Church is under attack from several scandals that risk devastating the hierarchies irreversibly and from external threats striking the symbols of Christianity. As always, however, in the Vatican nothing is what it seems. Good and evil proceed arm in arm towards history. And to reach the showdown we must wait for the events to take their course... - Director:
- Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast:
- Jude Law, John Malkovich, Silvio Orlando
- Formats:
-
-
Career con man Roy (Ian McKellen) sets his sights on his latest mark, recently widowed Betty (Helen Mirren), who's worth millions. And he means to take it all. But as the two grow closer, what should have been another simple swindle becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse in this suspenseful drama about the secrets people keep and the lies they live. - Director:
- Bill Condon
- Cast:
- Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey
- Formats:
-