saj's - Rented List
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End of the Century (2019)Fin de siglo
When Ocho (Juan Barberini), an Argentine poet on holiday in Barcelona, spots Javi (Ramon Pujol) from the balcony of his apartment, it sparks fantasies of a holiday romance. After fruitlessly searching dating apps for him. the couple have a second missed connection, spotting each other across a Spanish beach. When Javi sees Ocho from his balcony a second time, he knows he can't let him slip through his fingers again. A tentative "kiss" from the balcony leads to a lust-filled, passionate hook up. What seems like a one-time encounter between two strangers becomes an epic, decades-spanning relationship, in which time and space refuse to play by the rules. In one of the best feature debuts, Lucio Castro's 'End of the Century' bends perception of time whilst exposing raw human connection, breaking the traditional rules of the love story. - Director:
- Lucio Castro
- Cast:
- Juan Barberini, Ramon Pujol, Mía Maestro
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Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning star as Joan Jett and Cherie Currie in The Runaways, the music-fuelled coming of age story of the groundbreaking all-girl rock band that paved the way for future generations of female musicians. Plucked from obscurity by rock impresario Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), raven-haired rocker Joan, the rebellious Cherie and their band become an outrageous sensation thanks to their tough image and raw talent. But their fast, drug-fuelled lifestyle soon catches up with the teenage girls as success starts to cloud their judgments... - Director:
- Floria Sigismondi
- Cast:
- Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon
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Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart ride high in this superb comedic western, both a boisterous spoof and a shining example of its genre. As the brawling, rough-and-tumble saloon singer Frenchy, Dietrich shed her exotic love-goddess image and launched a triumphant career comeback, while Stewart cemented his amiable every-man persona, in his first of many westerns, with a charming turn as a gun-abhorring deputy sheriff who uses his wits to bring law and order to the frontier town of Bottleneck. A sparkling script, a supporting cast of virtuoso character actors, and rollicking musical numbers - delivered with unmatched bravado by the magnetic Dietrich - come together to create an irresistible, oft-imitated marvel of studio-era craftsmanship. - Director:
- George Marshall
- Cast:
- Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart, Mischa Auer
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Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a beautiful and mysterious Serbian-born fashion artist living in New York City, falls in love with and marries average-Joe American Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). But Irena believes that she suffers from an ancient curse and whenever she is emotionally aroused she will turn into a panther and savage her victims. Oliver thinks that is absurd and sends her to psychiatrist Dr. Judd (Tom Conway) to cure her. But truth is sometimes stranger than fantasy... - Director:
- Jacques Tourneur
- Cast:
- Simone Simon, Tom Conway, Kent Smith
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Bad Reputation (2018)Joan Jett: Bad Reputation
"Bad Reputation" chronicles the life of Joan Jett, from her early teenage years astounding member of The Runaways to her enduring presence over four decades later as a Rock 'n' Roll icon. Following the breakup of The Runaways, Jett met song writing partner and producer Kenny Laguna, and formed Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. After being rejected by 23 labels, Laguna and Jett formed Blackheart Records, selling records out of the trunk of Kenny's Cadillac. Then, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" went number one all over the world. The friendship and tenacity exhibited between Jett and Laguna proves to be both entertaining and inspiring. Jett's relentless passion for music and her revolutionary spirit has allowed her to defy great odds and find success, credibility, and respect among her peers. The film shows the evolution of a young girl with a radical notion that girls could play electric guitars, into a woman whose place in history will be marked by perseverance, authenticity and incredible Rock 'n' Roll. Jett's activism and commitment to all living beings are captured in her work on behalf of animals' rights and travels to war zones to entertain the troops. Her humanity and candid reflections reveal a side seldom seen of the seminal rock star. - Director:
- Kevin Kerslake
- Cast:
- Eric Ambel, Billie Joe Armstrong, Gene Baur
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In a future world that has been seemingly ravaged by war and poverty there exists a myth of hope among the people - a forbidden place known only as the Zone, the heart of which, if reached, grants one's innermost desires. Two men, a writer and professor, hire someone known as a Stalker; a guide who can navigate the treacherous and confounding path that leads to the centre of the Zone. 'Stalker' was instantly considered one of the most definitive artistic contemplations of human aspiration and the ambition we employ to achieve it. - Director:
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Cast:
- Alisa Freyndlikh, Sergey Yakovlev, Vladimir Zamanskiy
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The film follows acclaimed composer and musician Max Richter and his creative partner, artist and BAFTA winning filmmaker Yulia Mahr, as they navigate an ambitious performance of his celebrated eight-hour opus 'Sleep' at an open-air concert in Los Angeles. Emmy-nominated director Natalie Johns weaves in Mahr's personal archive and performance footage from Berlin, Sydney, and Paris to create a rich portrait of a shared artistic process, along with contributions that illuminate both the science and story behind the work. - Director:
- Natalie Johns
- Cast:
- Max Richter, Yulia Mahr, Edith Bowman
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Eva Green gives a career-best performance in this epic and emotionally charged new drama from acclaimed director Alice Winocour. Green plays Sarah, a French astronaut training at the European Space Agency in Cologne. The only woman in the arduous programme she has been chosen to be part of the crew of a year-long space mission called 'Proxima'. Putting enormous strain on her relationship with her daughter (played by outstanding newcomer Zelie Boulant-Lemesle), the training begins to take its toll on both as Sarah's training progresses and the launch looms ever closer. Featuring stunning performances from the entire cast which includes Matt Dillon, Lars Eidinger and Sandra Huller, 'Proxima' is an unmissable cinematic experience which will take you on a gripping, emotional and life-affirming journey. - Director:
- Alice Winocour
- Cast:
- Eva Green, Zélie Boulant, Matt Dillon
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When the government of Indonesia was overthrown by the military in 1965, more than one million people were killed in less than a year. Anwar and his friends were promoted from ticket scalpers to death squad leaders, and Anwar killed hundreds of people with his own hands. In 'The Act of Killing', Anwar and his friends agree to tell us the story of the killings. But their idea of being in a movie is not to provide testimony for a documentary: they want to be stars in their favourite film genres - gangster, western, musical. They write the scripts. They play themselves. And they play their victims. 'The Act of Killing' is a nightmarish vision - a journey into the memories and imaginations of the unrepentant perpetrators and the shockingly banal regime of corruption and impunity they inhabit. - Director:
- Joshua Oppenheimer
- Cast:
- Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin
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After Life (1998)Wandâfuru raifu
"After Life" revolves around an intriguing premise. At a half way station between heaven and earth, guides greet the newly dead. Over the next three days, they will help them sift through their memories to find the one defining moment of their lives - an old woman remembers dancing for her older brother's friends as a child; a man recollects the breeze felt on a tram ride the day before summer vacation; a young girl wants to ride the Splash Mountain at Disneyland. The chosen moment will be recreated on film and relieved for eternity. - Director:
- Hirokazu Koreeda
- Cast:
- Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Susumu Terajima
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After her debut feature Wadjda (2012) broke new ground as the first-ever film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia - and the first made by a Saudi woman - director Haifaa Al Mansour returns to the kingdom with The Perfect Candidate. A determined young Saudi doctor's surprise run for office in the local city elections sweeps up her family and community as they struggle to accept their town's first female candidate. - Director:
- Haifaa Al-Mansour
- Cast:
- Mila Al Zahrani, Reema Mohammed, Dae Al Hilali
- Formats:
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Fire Will Come (2019)O que arde
Amador (Amador Arias) has been imprisoned for setting fires. When released, he moves back to his hometown, a small village hidden in the mountains of rural Galicia, to live with his elderly mother, Benedicta (Benedicta Sanchez), and their three cows. Amador does not speak much and remains guarded and stern when the villagers make small talk with him. He becomes aware that there is gossip about his past. Life goes by slowly and simple, domestic routines are carried out daily. Amador has a chance encounter with Elena (Elena Fernandez), a local veterinarian who has been studying abroad, which hints at a possible romance or at least a meaningful human connection. The rhythm of nature persists until a fire starts to devastate the region and Amador is unfairly blamed for it. - Director:
- Oliver Laxe
- Cast:
- Amador Arias, Benedicta Sánchez, Inazio Abrao
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Lana Turner is Lora, whose search for success as an actress causes her to neglect her daughter, Sandra Dee. Juanita Moore stars as Lora's black housekeeper whose daughter repudiates her mother by trying to pass for white. As the years pass, each of the four women realises that she has been living out an emotionally fruitless existence. - Director:
- Douglas Sirk
- Cast:
- Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee
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Nightclub dancer Rusty (Rita Hayworth) has a happy life performing at her boyfriend Danny's (Gene Kelly) club in Brooklyn, but her whole world changes once she wins a prestigious Cover Girl contest arranged by a wealthy magazine editor (Otto Kruger). Rusty soon becomes a Broadway sensation, but is fame and fortune a substitute for true love? - Director:
- Charles Vidor
- Cast:
- Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Lee Bowman
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Embittered ex-cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley) enlists ruthless killer Earle Slater (Robert Ryan, The Dirty Dozen) and gambling musician Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) to rob an upstate New York bank. Trouble unfolds however when, fuelled by racist hatred, Earle clashes with Johnny and the planned heist spirals into chaos, leading to a violent climactic confrontation With its exceptional jazz score, acerbic social commentary and atmospheric visual style, 'Odds Against Tomorrow' is a high point in the film noir canon, and one of the most important films of its era to address racism. - Director:
- Robert Wise
- Cast:
- Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Gloria Grahame
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