jwc's - Rented List

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"Toni Erdmann" is a touching and remarkably funny portrait of an offbeat father-daughter relationship. Sandra Huller plays Ines, a highly-strung career woman whose life in corporate Bucharest takes a turn for the bizarre with the arrival of her estranged father Winfried (Peter Simonischek).

An incessant practical joker, Winfried attempts to reconnect with Ines by introducing the titular eccentric alter ego to catch her off guard, unaware of how capable she is of rising to the challenge... This breakout German comedy, which has been met with universal critical acclaim, is as humanist as it is absurdist - a film about the importance of celebrating the humour of the everyday.

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Dark secrets are revealed and sinister alliances uncovered in acclaimed director Ken Loach's complex tale of betrayal and life on either side of the Berlin Wall.

East Berlin-based protest singer Klaus Ditteman (Gerulf Pannach) is forced to abandon his wife and child and relocate to West Berlin where representatives from an American record label approach him to try to exploit his music for financial and political gain. Never one to comply with authority, Klaus leaves the contract unsigned and with the help of Emma (Fabienne Babe), a French journalist, he leaves for England to search for his father. Featuring an original soundtrack and the only screen appearance by highly influential German singer-songwriter and lyricist, Gerulf Pannach, 'Fatherland' is an accomplished depiction of 80's Berlin that lives up to Loach's reputation as a master of social politics.

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Tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) half-jokingly muses about killing his wife with a stranger he meets on a train, unhinged playboy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), who'd prefer his father be deceased. In theory, each could murder the other's victim. Crisscross. No motive. No clues. No problem...

except: Bruno takes the idea seriously, with deadly consequences.

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Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) is bored until she finds a secret door and discovers an alternate, better, version of her life on the other side.

When this seemingly perfect world turns dangerous, and her other parents - including her Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) - try to trap her forever; Coraline must use her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to escape this perilous world - and save her family.

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Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other - to become brothers again like they used to be.

Their spiritual quest, however, veers rapidly off course (due to events involving over the counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray), and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with eleven suitcases, a printer and a laminating machine, at this moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins.

A murdered girl's defiant mother (Frances McDormand) boldly paints three local billboards, each with a controversial message, igniting a furious battle with a volatile cop (Sam Rockwell) and the town's revered chief of police (Woody Harrelson).

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A tantalizing memorial to what could have been that comes right from the very heart of the action, the hugely acclaimed Lost in La Mancha offers a frank, often hilarious and frequently painful account of some of the disasters, natural and otherwise, that befell director Terry Gilliam's attempt to

film The Man who killed Don Quixote. Despite an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis and Jean Rochefort, and one of cinema's most inventive directors at the helm (Brazil, The Fisher King, Twelve Monkeys), Gilliam's ambitious project was forced to shut down after only six days of production.

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From director Damian Szifron and producer Pedro Almodovar comes six stories, each exploring a different facet of revenge and the various brilliant, mad, toe-curling and hilarious flavours in which it can be dished out.

Whether it's taking out a belligerent crime lord, getting even with officious parking enforcement, retribution for infidelity, or good old fashioned road rage, 'Wild Tales' takes acts of vengeance for infuriating, often all too familiar situations and blows them out to a bitter and hysterical end in this outrageous, tense and ferociously funny dark comedy.

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Winner of numerous awards including an Oscar for best foreign film, Belle Epoque is a sensual, uninhibited comedy starring Penelope Cruz.

Set in a sun-drenched Spanish countryside of 1931, the film tells the story of Fernando, a deserter from the war who is befriended and given shelter by an amiable artist. When his hosts four beautiful daughters arrive a classic farce ensues as Fernando is seduced by one amorous sister after the other in this funny, sexy and heart-warming celebration of love and desire.

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Although Dido Elizabeth Belle (Mbatha-Raw) an 18th century English woman of mixed race, is raised in privilege by her aristocratic great-uncle (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), she is denied a proper social standing because of her skin colour.

But when Dido falls in love with a young idealist lawyer (Sam Reid) who aspires to create positive change, she finds herself caught between two worlds. With everything to lose, she struggles to convince those around her - and the society in which she lives - to overcome their biases and accept her fully. Only if she succeeds will she find true happiness in this exquisite masterpiece that also stars Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton and Matthew Goode.

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Wareen Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) has arrived at several of life's crossroads all at the same time. To begin with, he is retiring from a lifetime of service as an actuary for Woodmen of the World Insurance Company, and he feels utterly adrift.

Furthermore, his only daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) is about to marry a boob. And his wife Helen (June Squibb) dies suddenly after 42 years of marriage. With no job, no wife, and no family, Warren is desperate to find something meaningful in his thoroughly unimpressive life. He sets out on journey of self-discovery, exploring his roots across Nebraska in the 35-foot motor home in which he planned to drive around the country with his late wife.

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Set in Haroun's native Chad, the sensuous Abouna begins with the striking image of a man in Western dress crossing a desert in the Southern Sahara.

The man, who pauses briefly to powerfully stare down the camera lens, is the father of 15 year-old Tahir (Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa) and Tahir's eight-year-old brother Amine (Hamza Moctar Aguid). After being told by their beautiful mother (Zara Haroun) that he has left them, the two brothers undertake a momentous journey in an attempt to fill the void left by his absence.

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When Maire O'Donnell adopts Tomas, a shy 8 year old orphan, she brings him home to Corrie, a remote island off the coast of Ireland where he meets her husband Alec.

Alec can't hide his disappointment at Tomas' timidity and halting speech, but undiscouraged, Maire shares with Tomas the secret of the seals and teaches him that you can find magic anywhere - if you really look. In this rugged and enchanting world, Tomas thrives, but when tragedy strikes, he is faced with his greatest challenge, for he'll lose everything unless he can find - and share -the magic that's inside him. This is a magical tale about the power of love, finding acceptance, discovering ourselves, and realizing that rainbows are all around us - and within us too.

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Judy Holliday gives an unforgettable, Oscar-winning performance as Billie Dawn, the 'dumb blonde' girlfriend of corrupt millionaire junkyard tycoon Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford).

A man with social ambitions, Harry is embarrassed by Billie's uncouth behaviour and lack of social refinement, so he sends her on a crash course in culture with young journalist Paul Verrall (William Holden). Billie proves to be an able student in lessons of life and love, whilst also becoming all too aware of her partner's crooked business dealings. Emboldened by her new education, she stands up to Harry and his bad ways.

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Stalin Is Dead! And with The Soviet Union's top job now up for grabs, the men in Stalin's council are about to enter an 'interview' process unlike any other.

With the prospect of absolute authority over the nation within grasp, in the days that follow, devious plotting and farcical backs tabbing are fair play, and one man will emerge with supreme power over the USSR. The question is: who?