ajb's - Rented List
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Slavik Kryklyvyy, a once legendary World Latin American Dance Champion, has been out of the spotlight for some years but is determined, with the help of a new partner, to recapture his former glory. Slavik is a temperamental and wildly talented perfectionist, taken out of the spotlight by a hip injury, and he is willing to sacrifice everything to get back to the top. He expects nothing but the best from his amateur world champion girlfriend, Anna Melnikova, and his temper flares when she fails to live up to his high standards. The couple dance around the world, clinging on to their relationship as the pressure mounts and waging a battle against memory, anxiety, injury and envy along the way. Looking at the glamorous world of ballroom dancing contrasted with the brutal and tough discipline which hides beneath the glittery surface, 'Ballroom Dancer' watches the tragic love story unfold between Slavik and Anna. It's a universal story of a man, who allows himself to be defined by his art and tragically realises the consequences of his uncompromising choices in life. - Director:
- Christian Holten Bonke
- Cast:
- Vyacheslav 'Slavik' Kryklyvyy, Anna Melnikova
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Based on the bombshell New York Times investigation, 'She Said' follows the remarkable true story of how reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor went from underdogs to inspirations by shattering the silence surrounding sexual assault in Hollywood. Determined to expose the truth many fear to tell, Megan and Jodi's partnership shakes up the system, empowering courageous women to retake their strength through stories of survival in this extraordinary film from Emmy-winning director Maria Schrader, featuring captivating performances by two-time Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. - Director:
- Maria Schrader
- Cast:
- Keilly McQuail, Lola Petticrew, Katherine Laheen
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Living (2022)Ikiru
London, 1953. Mr. Williams, played by Bill Nighy, is a veteran civil servant, a cog in the city's stifling bureaucracy as it struggles to rebuild following WWII. After a shattering health diagnosis, it dawns on him he has not been living his life to the full. Amidst the fog of his paperwork, and his loneliness at home, he yearns to find fulfilment before it's too late. He is encouraged in his search by two younger colleagues - the vibrant Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood) and idealistic new recruit Peter (Alex Sharp) - and a hedonistic stranger, Sutherland (Tom Burke), encountered during a desperate trip to the seaside. - Director:
- Oliver Hermanus
- Cast:
- Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp
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Rosemary, a beautiful disturbed murderer at the centre of this powerful cocktail of family saga and crime drama which spans nearly thirty years. The story opens in London in the present day with a tense kidnap drama which leads to tragedy. Gradually a dark past and a childhood surrounded by people who could have saved her or stopped her earlier is revealed - and we witness the terrible consequences of their choices. Each episode rewinds back a decade earlier in this haunting tale of the making of a murderer - from adult, to teenager to toddler. David Byfield, an Anglican vicar and Rosemary's father; he blames himself for her evil, but must learn that he was not the only one to contribute to her nurture as she grew up. Family friend Wendy holds the key to the roots of Rosemary's problems and the very beginning of her descent into murder. Only by tracing events backwards through time can the truth be pieced together. A gripping and unsettling journey ensues, as we strip away layer after layer of a sociopath's history to discover the truth inside Rosemary's twisted mind and her sick soul. - Director:
- David Drury
- Cast:
- Charles Dance, Clare Holman, Barbara Wilshere
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An unfinished novel, a stolen car, a murdered pet and a failing marriage are just a few of the crises piling up like a logjam in this often hilarious story of bright promise gone awry. Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is a college professor and award winning novelist whose latest book is seven years overdue, so it's hardly surprising that his college's annual literary festival fills the former wonder boy with more than his usual dose of self doubt and anxiety. During a single hectic weekend, he must scramble to gather together a life that has suddenly spiralled out of control..' - Director:
- Curtis Hanson
- Cast:
- Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand
- Formats:
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Happy Together (1997)Chun gwong cha sit
Cult director Wong Kar Wai's first film shot outside of Hong Kong is a spellbinding tribute to blind passion that features two of Asian cinema's biggest stars. Lai (Tony Leung) and Ho (Leslie Cheung) arrive in Argentina as lovers, but while driving south in search of adventures, something goes wrong and Ho leaves for Buenos Aries. Devastated, Lai finds work in a tango bar but is consumed by thoughts of being happy together once more with Ho. A heady cocktail of sound and vision, Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle marry the rythms of Buenos Aries and Frank Zappa's jazz to an astonishing array of images. - Director:
- Kar-Wai Wong
- Cast:
- Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Chen Chang
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Come and See (1985)Idi i smotri / Ubit Gitlera
"Come and See" is one of the greatest war films ever made and one of the finest achievements of Soviet cinema. A devastating account of the Nazi occupation of Belarussia during World War II, it tells the story of a young boy's abrupt loss of innocence when he joins the Soviet resistance and is thrust headlong into the brutal horrors of combat. Featuring terrifyingly authentic battle scenes and poetic, almost surreal imagery, director Elem Klimov has fashioned a vivid and unforgettably powerful portrait of the terrible atrocities committed by men in the name of war. - Director:
- Elem Klimov
- Cast:
- Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Lauciavicius
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This outrageous comedy finds a rogues' gallery of wealthy guests (from business tycoons to heiresses) aboard a hyper-luxury yacht, whose downtrodden staff - under the command of their captain and avowed Marxist (Woody Harrelson) - must respond to their every belittling whim in the hope of winning tips. Among the super-rich patrons are the oh-sobeautiful couple Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), two models and social-media influencers who have been invited on a free trip to show off the kind of lavish lifestyle many could only dream of. - Director:
- Ruben Östlund
- Cast:
- Thobias Thorwid, Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean Kriek
- Formats:
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The Worst Person in the World (2021)Verdens verste menneske
Acclaimed filmmaker Joachim Trier returns with 'The Worst Person in the World', a wistful and subversive romantic drama about the quest for love and meaning. Set in contemporary Oslo, it features a star-making lead performance from Renate Reinsve as a young woman who, on the verge of turning thirty, navigates multiple love affairs, existential uncertainty and career dissatisfaction as she slowly starts deciding what she wants to do, who she wants to be, and ultimately who she wants to become. As much a formally playful character study as it is a poignant and perceptive observation of quarter-life angst, this life-affirming coming of age story... - Director:
- Joachim Trier
- Cast:
- Renate Reinsve, Mia McGovern Zaini, Anders Danielsen Lie
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From writer-director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) comes a unique film starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Although Padraic (Farrell) and CoIm (Gleeson) have been lifelong friends, they find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, bringing alarming consequences for both of them. - Director:
- Martin McDonagh
- Cast:
- Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon
- Formats:
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Joseph (Peter Mullan) is an unemployed widower, drinker, arid a man stifled by his own volatile temperament and furious anger. Hannah (Olivia Colman) is a Christian worker at a charity shop, a respectable woman who appears wholesome and happy. When the pair arc brought together, Hannah appears to be Joseph's potential saviour, someone who can temper his fury and offer him warmth, kindness and acceptance. As their story develops Hannah's own secrets are revealed — her relationship with husband James (Eddie Marsan) is violent and abusive — and as events spiral out of control. Joseph becomes her source of comfort. - Director:
- Paddy Considine
- Cast:
- Peter Mullan, Archie Lal, Jag Sanghera
- Formats:
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From the writer/director of Jerry Maguire, Cameron Crow brings us Almost Famous, nominated for four Academy Awards and winner of Best Original Screenplay (2001). Set in 1973, it chronicles the funny and often poignant coming of age of 15-year-old music fanatic, William (Patrick Fugit). Having managed to land an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview the up-and-coming band Stillwater - fronted by lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) - and with the help of gorgeous "band aid" Penny Lane played by Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, 2001), William finds himself drawn into the band's inner circle, despite the objections of his over-protective mother (Frances McDormand). As he becomes less an observer and more a participant in the band's dynamics, William learns a life-changing lesson about the importance of family - the ones we inherit and the ones we create. - Director:
- Cameron Crowe
- Cast:
- Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson
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Jerry (William H. Macy), a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge (Frances McDormand), a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant -investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha! - Director:
- Joel Coen
- Cast:
- William H. Macy, Warren Keith, Frances McDormand
- Formats:
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Decision to Leave (2022)Heojil kyolshim
What happens when an object of suspicion becomes a case of obsession? When detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) arrives on the murder scene, he begins to suspect the dead man's wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei) may know more than she initially lets on. But as he digs deeper into the investigation, Hae-joon finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire, proving that the darkest mysteries lurk inside the human heart. - Director:
- Chan-wook Park
- Cast:
- Hae-Il Park, Wei Tang, Jung-hyun Lee
- Formats:
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Speeding through the Moroccan desert to attend an old friend's lavish weekend party, wealthy Londoners David and Jo Henninger (Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain) are involved in a tragic accident with a local teenage boy. Arriving late at the grand villa with the debauched party raging, the couple attempts to cover up the incident with the collusion of the local police. But when the boy's father arrives seeking justice, the stage is set for a tension-filled culture clash in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences. - Director:
- John Michael McDonagh
- Cast:
- Matt Smith, Jessica Chastain, Ralph Fiennes
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