i-done-watched-these's - Rented List
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Chaos Walking (2021)The Knife of Never Letting Go
In the not too distant future, Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) discovers a mysterious girl named Viola (Daisy Ridley). She has crash-landed on his planet, where the women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by "The Noise", a force that puts all their thoughts on display. In this dangerous landscape, Viola's life is threatened and, to protect her, Todd must discover his inner power and unlock the planet's dark secret sin this thrilling action-adventure based on the best-selling novel 'The Knife of Never Letting Go'. - Director:
- Doug Liman
- Cast:
- Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Demián Bichir
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City of Women (1980)La città delle donne
Federlco Fellini's epic 1980 fantasia introduced the start of the Maestro's delirious late period. A surrealist tour-de-force filmed on soundstages and locations alike, and overflowing with the same sensory (and sensual) invention heretofore found only in the classic movie-musicals (and Fellini's own oeuvre), La citta delle donne (City of Women) taps into the era's restless youth-culture, coalescing into nothing less than Fellini's post-punk opus. Marcello Mastroianni appears as Fellini's alter ego in a semi-reprise of his character from 8 1/2, Snaporaz. As though passing into a dream, the charismatic avatar finds himself initiated into a phantasmagoric world where women - or an idea of women - have taken power, and which is structured like an array of psychosexual set-pieces - culminating in a bravura hot-air balloon that decisively sticks the "anti" up into "climax". A great adventure "through the looking-glass", as it were, of Fellini's own phallic lens and life-long libidinal ruminations, La citta delle donne sharply divided critics at the 1980 Festival de Cannes, some of whom had merely anticipated a nostalgic retread of the earlier Mastroianni works. What they were greeted with, and what remains today, is, in the words of Serge Daney, "a victory of cinema". - Director:
- Federico Fellini
- Cast:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Anna Prucnal, Bernice Stegers
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The American Friend (1977)Der amerikanische Freund
Professional frame maker Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) has been diagnosed with a terminal blood disease. A chance encounter with the enigmatic Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper) offers him a way to ensure a stable future for his family. But as Jonathan embarks on his new and dangerous role, Tom questions his motives for involving his new friend. - Director:
- Wim Wenders
- Cast:
- Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer
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Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000)Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brulantes
A wry and comic look at the shifting of power in sexual relationships, Francois Ozon's film is adapted from a play written but never staged by the celebrated German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder. When the smooth-talking Leopold (Bernard Giraudeau), a successful businessman of 50, seduces 20-year-old Franz, the youngster falls under his spell and moves in with him. But Leopold soon reveals his true colours and Franz contemplates returning to her girlfriend (Ludivine Sagnier) - until Leopold seduces her too. The arrival of Leopold's former lover Vera, a male to female transsexual, only complicates matters further. - Director:
- François Ozon
- Cast:
- Bernard Giraudeau, Malik Zidi, Ludivine Sagnier
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A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, 'Minari' follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, 'Minari' shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. - Director:
- Lee Isaac Chung
- Cast:
- Alan S. Kim, Yeri Han, Noel Cho
- Formats:
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Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)Untitled Fred Hampton Project
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? - Director:
- Shaka King
- Cast:
- Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
- Formats:
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The Favourite (2018)Favorite
In early 18th-century England, a frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne, and her closest friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), governs the country while tending to Anne's ill health and volatile temper. When new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, Sarah takes Abigail under her wing as she cunningly schemes to return to her aristocratic roots, setting off an outrageous rivalry to become the Queen's favourite. - Director:
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast:
- Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz
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In a future where Earth is covered with water, the human race struggles to survive on dilapidated boats and makeshift floating cities called atolls. But some still cling to legends of a mythical place called "Dryland". Seeking clues to its whereabouts, the evil Deacon (Dennis Hopper) attacks the atoll which houses young Enola (Tina Majorino) and her adoptive mother Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn). When a mysterious drifter/adventurer known as the Mariner (Kevin Costner) is caught up in their struggle, he finds himself catapulted into an explosive war of good vs. evil with the open sea as his battlefield. Only later will he discover Enola's wondrous secret - a revelation that may change the destiny of all mankind. - Director:
- Kevin Reynolds
- Cast:
- Kevin Costner, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dennis Hopper
- Formats:
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The Trial of Joan of Arc (1962)Procs de Jeanne d'Arc
French cinema master Robert Bresson brings his trademark cinematic minimalism to this powerful re-telling of the story of Joan of Arc. Adapted from historical records of the trial and featuring a remarkable cast of non-professional actors, led by Florence Carrez in the title role, the film relays Joan's relentless interrogation and persecution by her captors in a direct, almost documentary-like manner. Bresson transforms Joan's oppression and human suffering into an unforgettable testament to her purity and spiritual liberation. The final images of the charred remains of the stake are among the most horrifying and moving in all cinema. - Director:
- Robert Bresson
- Cast:
- Florence Delay, Jean-Claude Fourneau, Roger Honorat
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Nayak (1966)The Hero
Uttam Kumar plays a famous Bengali movie star who boards a train to travel to an award ceremony. En route he meets a young journalist (Sharmila Tagore) who is unimpressed by his egotism and celebrity, but decides to interview him. As a rapport develops between them, the film star reveals rather more of his inner self than he intends and is ultimately compelled to re-evaluate his life. - Director:
- Satyajit Ray
- Cast:
- Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Bireswar Sen
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Immoral Tales (1974)Contes Immoraux
It tells four stories revolving around particular taboos (virginity, female masturbation, bloodlust, incest), each delving further back in time, as if to suggest that the same issues recur constantly throughout human history and in all walks of life, whether it s Lucrezia Borgia (Florence Bellamy) or Erzsébet Báthory (Paloma Picasso in her only screen role) or the anonymous teenagers of the earlier episodes. - Director:
- Walerian Borowczyk
- Cast:
- Lise Danvers, Fabrice Luchini, Charlotte Alexandra
- Formats:
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Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)Gycklarnas Afton
Albert, the owner of a small and tawdry circus, arrives at a small town where he attempts to effect a reconciliation with his wife Agda whom he left for the circus many years previous. She refuses to resume the marriage whilst Albert's lover, Anne, upset at Albert's rejection of her, has a humiliating affair with an actor, Frans. During a performance given by the circus, Frans begins to taunt Albert and, enraged, challenges him to a fight during which he is severely beaten. Deciding that suicide is his only escape he tries to take his own life but fails. As the circus leaves town, the ill-fated couple find themselves reluctantly and miserably committed to each other. - Director:
- Ingmar Bergman
- Cast:
- Åke Grönberg, Harriet Andersson, Hasse Ekman
- Formats:
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In the 1840's, acclaimed self-taught palaeontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the wild and brutal Southern English coastline of Lyme Regis. The days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now hunts for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing widowed mother. When one such tourist, Roderick Murchison (James McArdle), arrives in Lyme on the first leg of a European tour, he entrusts Mary with the care of his young wife Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary, whose life is a daily struggle on the poverty line, cannot afford to turn him down but, proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, she clashes with her unwanted guest. They are two women from utterly different worlds. Yet despite the chasm between their social spheres and personalities, Mary and Charlotte discover they can each offer what the other has been searching for: the realisation that they are not alone. It is the beginning of a passionate and all-consuming love affair that will defy all social bounds and alter the course of both lives irrevocably. - Director:
- Francis Lee
- Cast:
- Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones
- Formats:
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Turkish Delight (1973)Turks Fruit
Carfree artist Erik Vonk lives a life of excess. Existing according to his own rules, he pursues women with an almost predatory glee. But everything changes when he meets the beautiful and sexually voracious Olga. Caught in a whirlwind of intense erotic pleasure, the couple decide to marry. Soon, however, events take an unforeseen and tragic turn, and Erik is left facing the most difficult choice of his life. - Director:
- Paul Verhoeven
- Cast:
- Monique Van De Ven, Rutger Hauer, Tonny Huurdeman
- Formats:
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Solaris (1972)Solyaris
When Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is sent on a mission to the Solaris Space Station, he is confronted with a skeleton crew who are psychologically unstable due to the presence of what they call "visitors". Kris soon begins to encounter his own visitor - his late wife. Taunting him with illusory compassion, Kris must choose whether to cling to reality or submit to the planet's gift of a lost love regained. - Director:
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Cast:
- Natalya Bondarchuk, Vladimir Tatosov, Donatas Banionis
- Formats:
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