fmj's - Rented List

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Charles Laughton won an Oscar for his masterful portrayal of Henry VIII, one of Britain's most notorious monarchs, who is better known for his succession of wives than his prowess for ruling the nation.

Alexander Korda's landmark film from 1933 lavishly, and often humorously, charts Henry's exploits: his hasty marriage to Jane Seymour on the day of the public execution of Anne Boleyn; his remarriage again, in order to maintain European alliances; his infatuation with Katherine Howard whilst awaiting the arrival of his new bride, Anne of Cleves (played by Laughton's wife, Elsa Lanchester), and he and Anne's subsequent divorce; and the execution of Katherine following her affair with courtier Thomas Culpeper. Finally, we see King Henry as a bitter, enfeebled old man, persuaded to marry his children's nurse and lady-in-waiting, Catherine Parr. Charles Laughton's portrayal of Henry, from flamboyant womaniser to henpecked glutton, is a wonder to behold and, for many, the definitive depiction of this colossal figure. Deservedly, 'The Private Life of Henry VIII' was the first British film to score a major box-office hit in America; it paved the way to Hollywood success for Laughton's co-star Merle Oberon, and earned Alexander Korda an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

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A gallery of high-living lowlifes will stop at nothing to get their sweaty hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon. Detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) wants to find out why - and who'll take the fall for his partner's murder.

An all-star cast (including Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr.) joins Bogart in this cracking mystery masterwork written for the screen (from Dashiell Hammett's novel) and directed by John Huston.

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In this long-awaited film adaptation of Judy Blume's classic, groundbreaking novel, eleven-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey, going through the messy and tumultuous throes of puberty with new friends in a new school.

She relies on her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), who is also struggling to adjust to life outside the big city, and her adoring grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates). A timeless coming-of-age story, 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.' sparkles with insightful humour while candidly exploring life's biggest questions.

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Ranked at No. 30 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 all-time greatest American films, 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' is a genuine masterpiece that went on to win 3 Academy Awards.

Bogart gives a tremendous performance as a vicious down-and-out wage worker who stakes his meagre earnings on a gold-prospecting expedition.

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In the white-knuckle action movie 'Plane', pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island - only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning.

When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare's help, and will learn there's more to Gaspare than meets the eye.

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Directed by a true genius of early cinema, Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings is both a sincere and major work of religious devotion and an epic milestone in cinema history.

First premiered in 1927, the film follows the life of Jesus Christ from the conversion of Mary Magdalene through the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. Inspired by the works of the great Classical artists, DeMille composes each scene with breathtaking skill, while emphasising and celebrating the gentleness and dignity of Christ. At His triumphant resurrection, this black and white film suddenly bursts into colour - a truly stunning cinematic device portraying a world redeemed. A work of timeless passion and beauty, The King of Kings still has the power to move and inspire.

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Fredric March stars as Valjean, the ex-convict who rises against all odds from galley slave to mayor. Charles Laughton is Javert, the fanatical police inspector who dedicates his life to recapturing Valjean.

A vivid depiction of the appalling poverty and social strife of 19th-century France, this version of Les Miserables does splendid justice to the original novel.

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EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes and a curious spirit, begins his life as a circus performer before escaping on a trek across the Polish and Italian countryside.

During his travels, he encounters an eclectic cast of characters, including a countess, a young Italian priest and a riotous Polish football team. An equine hero, EO boldly points out societal ills and serves as warning of the dangers of neglect and inaction, all while on a quest for freedom.

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Naive Marianne Madison (Sidney Fox) is fed up with the dull routine in her life. Seeking an escape, she becomes smitten with brooding and handsome con artist Valentine Corliss (Humphrey Bogart), who lands in her small town looking for new opportunities to exploit.

Valentine soon sweet-talks Marianne into gaining her wealthy father's endorsement for his latest money making scheme, and disappears with the profits. Heartbroken, Marianne returns home and begs her jilted fiance Dick (Conrad Nagel) for forgiveness. By now, though, he has turned his attention to Mariannes enchanting older sister, Laura (Bette Davis)...

World War II separated pianist Christine Radcliffe from her great love, cellist Karel Novak. Unexpectedly reunited with Karel, Christine desperately strives to hide her wartime dalliance as the mistress of a wealthy, sadistic composer. She'll lie to keep her shameful past a secret. But will she also murder?

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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.

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In 1917, outside the parish of Fatima, Portugal, a 10-year-old girl and her two younger cousins witness multiple visitations of the Virgin Mary, who tells them that only prayer and suffering will bring an end to World War I.

As secularist government officials and Church leaders try to force the children to recant their story, word of the sighting spreads across the country, inspiring religious pilgrims to flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle. What they experience will transform their quiet lives and bring the attention of a world yearning for peace.

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Featuring Robert Hays as an ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning; Julie Hagerty as his girlfriend/ stewardess/ co-pilot; and a cast of all-stars including Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Leslie Nielsen, Kareem

Abdul-Jabbar…and more! Their hilarious high jinks spook airplane disaster flicks, religious zealots, television commercials, romantic love…the list whirls by in rapid succession. And the story races from one moment of zany fun to the next!

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'Le Chignon d'Olga' is the charming first film by talented 23 year-old writer-director Jerome Bonnell. A tender romantic comedy-drama set in a provincial French town, it tells the story of brother and sister Julien and Emma, who are grieving after the recent loss of their mother.

As the summer draws to a close, Julien aimlessly wanders the streets until one day he encounters Olga, a beautiful young woman who works in a bookshop. Secretly, without confiding even in his close childhood friend Alice, he tries everything he can to get closer to the object of his affection.

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This is the city... and only Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks can save it in this hilarious box-office blockbuster that pays homage to the famed original police drama of the '50s and '60s. Aykroyd is at his comedic best as the namesake nephew of Detective Sgt. Joe Friday.

Like his uncle, he's a blue-suited, by-the-rules cop who reluctantly joins forces with his footloose partner Pep Streebek (Hanks) to rescue the City of Angels from the machinations of a power-mad Reverend and corrupt Police Commissioner.