hbf's - Rented List
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Talk to Her (2002)Hable Con Ella
In this ravishing tale of romantic obsession, loneliness and friendship, Director Pedro Almodovar crafts a life affirming story of two tragic women and the men who love them. After a chance encounter at a theatre, two men, Benigno and Marco, meet at a private clinic where Benigno works. Lydia, Marco's girlfriend and a bullfighter by profession, has been injured and is gravely ill. It so happens that Benigno is looking after another woman in the clinic, Alicia, a young ballet student. The lives of the four characters will flow in all directions, past, present and future, urging them towards an unexpected destiny. - Director:
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Cast:
- Rosario Flores, Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti
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Tokyo Story / Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (1953)Tôkyô monogatari / Todake no kyôdai
A constant fixture in critics' polls, Yasujiro Ozu's most enduring masterpiece, 'Tokyo Story', is a beautifully nuanced exploration of filial duty, expectation and regret. From the simple tale of an elderly husband and wife's visit to Tokyo to see their grown-up children, Ozu draws a compelling contrast between the measured dignity of age and the hurried insensitivity of a younger generation. - Director:
- Yasujirô Ozu
- Cast:
- Chishû Ryû, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura
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Run Lola Run (1998)Lola Rennt / Lola Runs
Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), who works as a small-time courier for a big-time gangster, is in huge trouble. He has accidentally left the cash from a mob deal on the subway, and he has only twenty minutes to deliver the 100,000 marks to his unforgiving boss. Desperate, he calls his girlfriend, Lola (Franka Potente), the only person who can rescue him from certain death. As the seconds tick away and the tiniest choices become life altering, Lola must try to reach Manni before the line between fate and fortune begins to blur. One story told from three different perspectives, 'Run Lola Run' is a veritable maze of intriguing plot twists and heart-stopping suspense in a high-octane thrill ride about one woman's desperate attempt to save her lover. - Director:
- Tom Tykwer
- Cast:
- Franka Potente, Hans Paetsch, Moritz Bleibtreu
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La Dolce Vita (1960)The Sweet Life
Perhaps his most famous film, La Dolce Vita slices into the decadent amoral core of Roman society with Fellini's trademark attention to detail and spectacular photography. Marcello Mastroianni plays a gossip columnist (the term 'paparazzi' derives from the in a film) who aspires to be a more serious writer but knows he never will be, because like society, he is fascinated by the decadent hedonist pursuits which are seemingly everywhere. The Vatican was appalled by the film, but the public adored it, relishing the images Fellini fed them, most notably the now infamous scene of Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg frolicking in the Trevi Fountain. - Director:
- Federico Fellini
- Cast:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée
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Untouchable (2011)Intouchables
An irreverent, uplifting comedy about friendship, trust and human possibility. Based on a true story of friendship between handicapped millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy), "Untouchable" depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humour between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common. - Director:
- Olivier Nakache
- Cast:
- François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny
- Formats:
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Amores Perros (2000)Love's a Bitch / Love Dogs
Beginning with a kinetic, bone-crushing car accident, 'Amores Perros' imaginatively interweaves the stories of its three victims: Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal) a young man who has fallen in love with his violent brother's wife; Valeria (Goya Toledo), a beautiful Mexican model for whom physical appearances are everything and El Chivo (Emilio Echevarria), a former political assassin now exiled from his family. The result is a moving, visceral eulogy to life, loss and dog fighting on Mexico's mean streets. - Director:
- Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Cast:
- Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo
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Nine Queens (2000)Nueve Reinas
Set in Buenos Aires over the course of 24 hours, Nine Queens is a taut, highly seductive heist thriller in which nothing is what it seems and where no one can be trusted. A naive young con artist (Gaston Pauls) teams up with an enigmatic, experienced master criminal (Ricardo Darin) for what could be the crime to end all crimes. But in a relationship propelled by brinkmanship and double-cross, corruption rarely has a happy ending. - Director:
- Fabián Bielinsky
- Cast:
- Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Leticia Brédice
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)Wo hu cang long
Set in 19th century China, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon follows two martial-arts masters Li Mu Bai (Chow Yon Fat) and Vu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) as they battle against evil forces to regain the stolen Green Destiny sword and defeat long-time foe Jade Fox. To succeed they must overcome an unknown warrior, the supremely skilled Jen (Zhang Ziyi), who is fighting against an arranged marriage. In the process Li is torn between his deep and long-denied feelings for Shu, and his wish to tame and teach Jen. - Director:
- Ang Lee
- Cast:
- Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang
- Formats:
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Goodbye Lenin! (2003)Good Bye Lenin!
The year is 1989 and East and West Germany are still divided. Alex (Daniel Brhl) and his sister Ariane (Maria Simon) live in East Germany with their single mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass) who is a staunch Socialist. When Alex's mother witnesses his arrest on a protest march, she suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma for eight months, just enough time for the Berlin wall to come tumbling down along with all of East Germany's ideals. Eight months later, Christiane wakes up and things have changed. The doctors warn Alex that any shock could bring on a fatal heart attack. He then realises he must convince his mother that her beloved Communism has not been overthrown but is in fact triumphing over Capitalism. Alex then sets out to recreate every detail of the old East inside the four walls of their tiny council flat... what begins as a little white lie, soon turns into a major deception! - Director:
- Wolfgang Becker
- Cast:
- Daniel Brühl, Andreas Thieck, Katrin Sass
- Formats:
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Life Is Beautiful (1997)La Vita e Bella
Guido - a charming but bumbling waiter who's gifted with a colourful imagination and an irresistible sense of humour - has won the heart of the woman he loves and created a beautiful life for his young family. But then that life is threatened by World War II... and Guido must rely on those very same strengths to save his beloved wife and son from an unthinkable fate! - Director:
- Roberto Benigni
- Cast:
- Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
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In the Mood for Love (2000)Hua yang nian hua
Hong Kong, 1962. Chow (Tony Leung) is a junior newspaper editor with an elusive wife. His new neighbour Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) is a secretary whose husband seems to spend all his time on business trips. They become friends, making the lonely evenings more bearable. As their relationship develops they make a discovery that changes their lives forever... - Director:
- Kar-Wai Wong
- Cast:
- Roy Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Paulyn Sun
- Formats:
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The Lives of Others (2006)Das Leben Der Anderen
In this outstanding psychological and political thriller, we get a fascinating insight into the lengths and depths that the East European government went to in order to keep tabs on the lives of its population in 80's. When cold and brutal official Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is given the task of spying on acclaimed playwright Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend, he relishes the task, knowing that if he uncovers subversive behaviour he will gain favor with his boss. But the longer he listens in on the couple, their friendships, passions and ideas, the more he realises that his own life and the harsh political regime are lacking in color and joy in many respects. Slowly he begins to doubt morality of is job and politics. As the lines between orders and compassion become blurred, Wiesler becomes more involved with his subject, walking a dangerous path between his duty and his new found reality. - Director:
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Cast:
- Ulrich Mühe, Klaus Münster, Martina Gedeck
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Rashomon (1950)Rashômon
A woodcutter experiences a horrific series of events - an ambush, rape and murder. In the telling of the tale however, each of the four participants give different views of what actually happened - is any of them telling the truth? Kurosawa's masterful film plays on the subjective nature of truth while unfurling a riveting tale of violence and greed. - Director:
- Akira Kurosawa
- Cast:
- Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori
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