popeyethetim's - Rented List
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With his eighth and most personal film, Alfonso Cuaron recreated the early-1970's Mexico City of his childhood, narrating a tumultuous period in the life of a middle-class family through the experiences of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio, in a revelatory screen debut), the indigenous domestic worker who keeps the household running. Charged with the care of four small children abandoned by their father, Cleo tends to the family even as her own life is shaken by personal and political upheavals. Written, directed, shot, and coedited by Cuaron, 'Roma' is a labor of love with few parallels in the history of cinema, deploying monumental black-and-white cinematography, an immersive soundtrack, and a mixture of professional and nonprofessional performances to shape its author's memories into a world of enveloping texture, and to pay tribute to the woman who nurtured him. - Director:
- Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast:
- Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey
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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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The Seventh Seal (1957)Det sjunde inseglet
As the Black Death continues to wipe out the population of Europe, knight Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) returns from the Crusades, disillusioned and worn. When suddenly Death (Bengt Ekerot) appears before him, he asks for the chance to live, proposing a game of chess to decide his fate. The knight takes his squire, a troupe of traveling players and a deaf and dumb girl under his protection as the game is played out. One by one Death exacts his toll, and it is up to Block to stall his opponent for as long as possible if he is to help save the lives of those he is trying to protect. All the while, the villages and towns about them fall further into ruin and religion takes a stranglehold on those desperate for a means of survival. - Director:
- Ingmar Bergman
- Cast:
- Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot
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Spirit of the Beehive (1973)El Espiritu De La Colmena
Made under the Franco regime, Victor Erice's astonishing 1973 feature debut is quite simply one of the most remarkable, influential and purely poignant films to emerge from the 1970's. A bona-fide classic of European cinema, the film brought Erice instant and widespread acclaim. An audacious critique of the disastrous legacy of the Spanish Civil War, The Spirit of the Beehive is set in a rural 1940's Spanish village haunted by betrayal and regret. Following a travelling cinema's screening of James Whale's Frankenstein, seven year-old Ana (the mesmerising Ana Torrent, later to grow into an international star of some standing) becomes fascinated with Boris Karloff's monster. Obsessed with meeting the initially gentle creation, she transfers her entrancement to tending a wounded army deserter. Atmospherically rendered by legendary Director of Photography Luis Cuadrado, it's impeccably performed by both Torrent and veteran actor Fernando Fernan Gomez in the role of her emotionally scarred, bee-keeping father. Existing in a highly evocative dreamlike state, it's a powerfully symbolic, richly allegorical tale that is as unique as it is beautiful. - Director:
- Víctor Erice
- Cast:
- Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, Ana Torrent
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The White Ribbon (2009)Das Weisse Band
On the eve of World War I, the quiet order of a small protestant village in Northern Germany is disturbed by a series of mysterious and inexplicable accidents. To the mounting concern of the villagers, the events persist, becoming increasingly sinister and taking on the character of a perverse punishment ritual. But who is responsible. - Director:
- Michael Haneke
- Cast:
- Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Klaus Manchen
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When ex-con Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) says he has a plan to make a killing, everybody want to be in on the action. Especially when the plan is to steal $2 million in a racetrack robbery scheme in which "no one will get hurt". But despite all their careful plotting, Clay and his men have overlooked on thing: Sherry Peatty (Marie Windsor), a money-hungry, double-crossing dame who's planning to make a financial killing of her own...even if she has to wipe out Clay's entire gang to do it! - Director:
- Stanley Kubrick
- Cast:
- Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards
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Blood for Dracula (1974)Dracula Cerca Sangue di Vergine / Dracula / Andy Warhol's Young Dracula
The ailing Count Dracula (Udo Kier) and his conniving aide, Anton (Arno Juerging), journey to Italy in pursuit of virgin blood. Their path leads them to the decaying mansion of the indebted Marchese Di Fiore (Vittorio De Sica), who's keen to wed his daughters to wealthy suitors. Yet, what awaits are not chaste maidens, but rather incestuous lesbians tainted by impure blood. - Director:
- Paul Morrissey
- Cast:
- Joe Dallesandro, Udo Kier, Vittorio De Sica
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Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979)Cristo si e fermato a Eboli
The triumph of the human spirit is the theme of Rosi's epic film, in which Carlo Levi is exiled in 1935 by the ruling fascist dictatorship to a poverty-stricken village in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Levi finds himself in a stark world little changed since the middle ages in which the peasants scratch a meagre living from the land. But as Levi grapples with this new environment, it is the peasants' wisdom, humanity and spirit that help him to cope with his sense of helplessness and isolation. - Director:
- Francesco Rosi
- Cast:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Paolo Bonacelli, Alain Cuny
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Cheyenne (Sean Penn) is a former rock star who is still rocking the Goth look. Now 50, he relives the days of superstardom with avid young fan and best friend Mary (Eve Hewson). Living off his royalties with his wife (Frances McDormand), he rattles around his grand Dublin mansion until the death of his estranged father calls him to New York. Reunited with his family, Cheyenne discovers a secret that will send him across America. On a journey through the Midwest, full of surprises and surreal encounters, from New York socialites to ethical gun-shop owners, to a reunion with old friend David Byrne of Talking Heads, Cheyenne is on the road trip of his life. - Director:
- Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast:
- Sean Penn, Fritz Weaver, Frances McDormand
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Il Postino (1994)The Postman
On a remote Mediterranean island, Mario Ruoppolo (Massimo Troisi), a shy and simple-minded fisherman's son, is hired to deliver mail to exiled 'poet of love' Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret). As the two develop an improbable but tender friendship, Mario enlists Neruda's help to win the heart of a beautiful woman. During the sometimes hilarious courtship, Mario awakens the poet within himself and journeys on a life-changing course of romance and self-discovery. - Director:
- Michael Radford
- Cast:
- Philippe Noiret, Chuck Riley, Massimo Troisi
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Leviathan (2014)Leviafan
The new film from Andrey Zvyagintsev, the visionary director of "The Return" and "The Banishment", tells the tragic tale of Kolya, who employs a lawyer friend to help fight his case for ownership of the land on which he and his family live when the nefarious town mayor attempts to seize it. But standing up against such men begins a whirlwind of dire consequences, infusing every area of Kolyas life and all he holds dear. A visually arresting epic which takes an unflinchingly direct look at modern day Russia and the corruption that seethes in even its quietest corners, "Leviathan" will not only open your eyes but also stay in your mind for years to come. - Director:
- Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Cast:
- Aleksey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Roman Madyanov
- Formats:
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The Return (2003)Vozvrashcheniye
The life of two brothers is shattered by the sudden appearance of their father, whom they know only from a 10 year old photograph. Is he really their father? Why has he come back after so many years? The boys find some answers on a remote and desolate island travelling with this man who turned their lives upside down. - Director:
- Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Cast:
- Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko
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A dark and harrowing drama involving murder, suspense and plenty of seat-gripping experiences for the viewer! Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson), a homicide detective, undertakers one last case on the day of his retirement. An eight-year-old girl has been found murdered in the snow-covered mountains of Mexico and her mother begs Black to unravel the mystery of her daughter's death. With the help of local waitress Lori (Robin Wright Penn) and her young daughter Chrissy (Pauline Roberts), Black embarks on an unpredictable and riveting hunt for the killer where things are not always as they seem. Sean Penn's unique portrayal of this murder mystery makes for sensational viewing. - Director:
- Sean Penn
- Cast:
- Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson
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Set against the stunning backdrop of the Canadian Rockies in the idyllic but troubled town of Little Big Bear, 'Tin Star' unleashes a cinematic, sometimes blackly comic, thrill ride of a story. At the heart of the show is a virtuoso performance from Tim Roth, who plays Jim Worth - an expat British police chief who has come to Canada to start a new life. However, his much-longed-for peace and tranquillity is shattered when a family member is brutally murdered in a horrifying act of seemingly random violence. This one moment unleashes the demon of his dark alcoholic past as Worth embarks on a path of bloody vengeance, setting in motion a lethal chain of events with devastating consequences for those caught up in the wreckage of his former life. - Director:
- Rowan Joffe
- Cast:
- Tim Roth, Genevieve O'Reilly, Christina Hendricks
- Formats:
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Loveless (2017)Nelyubov
Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) and Boris (Aleksey Rozin) are going through a vicious divorce marked by resentment, frustration and recriminations. Already embarking on new lives, each with a new partner, they are impatient to start again, to turn the page - even if it means threatening to abandon their 12-year-old son Alyosha (Matvey Novikov). Until, after witnessing one of their fights, Alyosha disappears. - Director:
- Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Cast:
- Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Maryana Spivak, Aleksey Rozin
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