ectonplasm's - Rented List

Show moreShow less

A proud woman in red draws leers and admiration. A bosomy tobacconist sparks the fantasies of adolescent boys. A mentally challenged uncle takes refuge in a tree and announces: "I want a woman!" They are among moments and events knit by memory...and a legendary filmmaker in peak form.

'Amarcord', which means "I Remember", is Federico Fellini's lusty, often funny look at growing-up perhaps not unlike his own. The setting is a village in 1930's Italy. Teen hormones are surging. Family, church and friendship are proving grounds of love and loyalty. Fascism's rise is just down the street. Sex is around any corner. And life viewed in the local cinema is a touchstone for life lived. The memories, big and small, endure.

Show moreShow less

The marriage of Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) and Prince Charles (Jack Farthing) has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen's (Stella Gonet)'s Sandringham Estate.

There's eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be profoundly different. 'Spencer' is an imagining of what might have happened during those few fateful days.

Show moreShow less

'Do we get stupider as we grow up?' In his wildly popular Broadway show 'American Utopia', David Byrne reflects on human connections, life and how on earth we work through it. He joins the dots with his music and it all starts making sense.

Spike Lee here transforms the production into immersive, dynamic cinema that radiates with astounding performances, inventive contemporary dance and political urgency. 'American Utopia' flows like an iridescent dream vision. Work by James Baldwin, Janelle Monáe and Kurt Schwitters is highlighted among exhilarating renditions of Byrne's solo work, as well as Talking Heads classics. According to the multi-hyphenate, we love looking at humans more than anything else. Anti-fascist and anti-racist, Byrne illuminates our responsibility to care for one another as he and his co-performers burn down the house.

Show moreShow less

Miner Frank Machin (Richard Harris) lodges with a widow, Mrs. Hammond (Rachel Roberts). His competitive nature and powerful physique lead him to join the local rugby team and, as his career progresses, so too his brutal nature distances him from those around him.

Success - and perhaps a new sense of insecurity - seems to make Frank harsher and cruder...

Show moreShow less

House of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family behind the Italian fashion empire.

When Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately…murder.

Show moreShow less

Good Night, And Good Luck takes place during the early days of US broadcast. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television news pioneer Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and Senator Joseph McCarthy.

With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, the ground-breaking Murrow, and his dedicated staff, headed by his producers Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba (George Clooney & Robert Downey Jr.) defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on regardless and their tenaciousness eventually pays off when McCarthy is brought before the US Senate. Their legacy has remained intact and even reverberates today as the standard for high quality broadcast journalism.

Show moreShow less

William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), a thief turned FBI informant, infiltrates the Illinois Black Panthers to track their charismatic leader, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), whose rising political prowess has captured the attention of J. Edgar Hoover's bureau.

As O'Neal manipulates both his comrades and handler, a battle wages in his soul. Will he align with the side of good - or follow commands to subdue Hampton by any means?

Show moreShow less

There is a philosophical theory that we should be born with a small amount of alcohol in our blood; that modest inebriation opens our minds to the world around us diminishing problems and increasing creativity.

Intrigued Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) and three of his friends all weary high school teachers, embark on a risky experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday. Initial results are positive, but as the units are knocked back and stakes are raised, it becomes increasingly clear that some bold acts carry severe consequences.

Show moreShow less

Bergman's masterpiece of self-doubt, identity and eroticism is an audacious example of cinematic art. The notional story centres on newly mute actor Elisabet (Liv Ullmann) recuperating at her coastal holiday home in the care of a nurse, Alma (Bibi Andersson).

As tensions between the pair grow, their very selves seem to blur, chronology becomes uncertain and what is real and unreal loses significance. Yet the true impact of Persona goes beyond mere storytelling, touching, as Bergman said, 'wordless secrets that only the cinema can discover'.

Show moreShow less

"2001: A Space Odyssey" is a countdown to tomorrow, a road map to human destiny, a quest for the infinite. It is a dazzling, Academy Award-winning visual achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion.

It may be the masterwork of director Stanley Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) and it will likely excite, inspire and enthrall for generations. To begin his voyage into the future, Kubrick visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever conceived) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality.

Show moreShow less

"Hitsville: The Making of Motown" chronicles the astronomical success and enduring cultural impact of Motown Records, which is celebrating it's 60th anniversary year.

The remarkable story of Motown Records is told through behind-the-scenes footage unearthed from Motown's vaults, rare performance footage and new and exclusive interviews with the label's visionary founder, Berry Gordy, and many of its superstar artists and creative figures. 'Hitsville' is the first documentary about the iconic studio with Gordy's participation, providing the ultimate account of one of modern history's greatest musical accomplishments.

Join symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) in their thrilling quest to solve a bizarre murder mystery that will take them from Paris to London - and behind the veil of a mysterious ancient society, where they discover a secret so powerful it could shake the very foundations of mankind.

Show moreShow less

When a beautiful woman claims that her dear husband has disappeared, the investigation takes Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) and Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) to Scotland, where - to their surprise - they uncover a plot involving a clandestine society, Her Majesty's Secret Service...

and the Loch Ness Monster! But before he can deduce matters to the elementary. Holmes makes an error that may jeopardise the national safety of Britain...and ruin his reputation!

Show moreShow less

As the sport of climbing turns from a niche pursuit to mainstream media event, Marc-Andre Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. Yet, he draws scant attention.

With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error, Marc-Andre's approach is the essence of solo adventure. Intrigued by these quiet accomplishments, veteran filmmaker Peter Mortimer (The Dawn Wall) sets out to make a film about Marc-Andre. But the Canadian soloist is an elusive subject: nomadic and publicity shy, he doesn't own a phone or car, and is reluctant to let the film crew in on his pure vision of climbing. As Peter struggles to keep up, Marc-Andres climbs grow bigger and more daring. Elite climbers are amazed by his accomplishments, while others worry that he is risking too much. Then, Marc-Andre embarks on a historic adventure in Patagonia that will redefine what is possible in solo climbing. 'The Alpinist' is an intimate documentary of a visionary climber who follows the path of his own passion, despite the heaviest of possible consequences. .

Show moreShow less

"An Angel at My Table" is the internationally acclaimed second film by Oscar-winning director Jane Campion. It is an extraordinarily moving celebration of the life of Janet Frame, New Zealand's most distinguished author, based on her autobiographical trilogy.

The film follows Janet through her poor childhood in the depression and her growing fascination with literature; her painfully shy student days and subsequent treatment for misdiagnosed schizophrenia; and finally on her travels to Europe where she samples Bohemian life and achieves international success as a writer.