agpw's - Rented List

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As a litte girl, Emma Brody (Madeleine Stowe) was blinded by her abusive mother. For twenty years she had lived in darkness but thanks to the miracle of Medical Science she has her eyesight restored by an eye surgeon (Peter Friedman) who offers her a cornea transplant to restore her vision.

Soon after, Emma witnesses intruders in her next door neighbours flat, she sees the face of the suspect, but not until the day after the killing. Her eyes will physically see the image before the brain is able to encode it. The case hinges on Emma's evidence and the frustrated detective John Hallstrom (Aidan Quinn) is relying on her statement. As the case develops Emma herself is unconvinced about the reliability of her own observations. Leading a tightrope case Detective Hallstrom tries to unravel the truth relying on the love-hate relationship of his only hope to crack the case, Emma.

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Is there a secret you would kill to know? In this electrifying, suspense-packed thriller from director Christopher Nolan, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play magicians whose cutthroat attempts to better each other plunge them into deadly deceptions.

Scarlett Johansson also stars as the stage assistant who's both a pawn and player in their rivalry. A brilliant supporting cast (including Michael Caine and David Bowie). An ingenious story. An astonishing payoff. Once you see The Prestige, you'll want to see it again. Watch closely.

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An enigmatic loner (Isaach de Bankole) arrives in Spain, instructed to make contact with a series of strangers in different locations throughout the country, each of whom provides a cryptic clue which propels him further towards his mysterious goal.

But who is the Lone Man? Why is he here? And how does the recurring figure of an alluring femme fatale (Paz de la Huerta) fit into the puzzle?

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In 1964, while on a short trip to Paris, the American writer and art-lover James Lord (Armie Hammer) is asked by his friend, the world-renowned artist Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush), to sit for a portrait. The process, Giacometti assures Lord, will take only a few days.

Flattered and intrigued, Lord agrees. So begins not only the story of a touching and offbeat friendship, but, seen through the eyes of Lord, a uniquely revealing insight into the beauty, frustration, profundity and, at times, downright chaos of the artistic process. 'Final Portrait' is a bewitching portrait of a genius. It is a film which shines a light on the artistic process itself, by turns exhilarating, exasperating and bewildering, questioning whether the gift of a great artist is a blessing or a curse.

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Paris, August 1944. With the allied army closing in, German commander and art fanatic Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) steals a vast collection of rare French paintings and loads them onto a train bound for Berlin.

But when a beloved French patriot is murdered while trying to sabotage Von Waldheim's scheme, Labiche (Burt Lancaster), a stalwart member of the Resistance, vows to stop the train at any cost. Calling upon his vast arsenal of skills, Labiche unleashes a torrent of devastation and destruction - loosened rails, shattered tracks and head-on collisions - in an impassioned, suspense-filled quest for justice, retribution and revenge.

Research scientist Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) believes other states of consciousness are as real as everyday reality. Using sensory deprivation, then adding powerful, hallucinogenic drugs, he explores these altered states...and endures experiences that make madness seem a blessing.

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In For Your Consideration, buzz of a potential Oscar nomination sends the cast and crew of the low-budget indie film Home For Purim into a wide-eyed frenzy. Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer and Parker Posey play Purim's lead actors who ride the wave of buzz with odd and oddly touching results.

Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, Bob Balaban and Fred Willard round out the cast of Hollywood types more than happy to exploit, bask in and leverage the Oscar hype.

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Rebel Music tells the fascinating and heart-wrenching story of legendary reggae superstar, Bob Marley, his extraordinary life and revolutionary music.

Stirred by global politics and domestic strife, he became spokesman for the people of Jamaica using his brilliant and evocative music as a powerful way to deliver a universal message of peace and love. At the height of his popularity, and after a lifetime of overcoming political adversity, he was struck down by cancer, dying at the age of 36. Featuring previously unheard recordings, new footage of the time and live performances of many of Bob Marley's classic hits. Also features previously unseen footage of life with his family and early years in "Trenchtown" as well as exclusive interviews with his wife Rita Marley, former girlfriends, Lee Scratch Perry, Chris Blackwell and the original members of his band, The Wallers.

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Following the closure of a gypsum mine in the Nevada town she calls home, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road in this "exquisite film" (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal).

Exploring an unconventional life as a modern-day nomad, Fern discovers a resilience and resourcefulness unlike any she's known before long the way, she meets other nomads who become mentors in the vast landscape of the American West.

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Inga (Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir) runs a dairy farm with her husband in a remote valley of Iceland where they work long hours for a tight income due to their buyers, a money-grubbing monopoly known as the co-op.

However, when Inga's husband tragically dies she learns her debts are even greater than she thought and takes it upon herself not to repay them but to expose the co-op's greed and corruption by any means necessary.

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Award-winning director Kelly Reichardt (Meek's Cutoff, Wendy and Lucy) returns with the eagerly awaited 'First Cow', a gripping and glorious story of friendship, petty crime and the pursuit of the American dream on the harsh frontier of the Pacific Northwest.

In 1820's Oregon, two loners team up to seek their fortune through a scheme to steal milk from the wealthy landowner's prized Jersey cow - the first, and only, in the territory. A true masterpiece from one of the great modern American filmmakers.

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Jean Servais is Tony le Stephanois, a master thief with a battered face and a tubercular cough, souvenirs of a recent stint in the pen.

The ageing Tony is reluctant to return to a life of crime, but when he realizes his girlfriend has thrown him over for a rival gangster, he agrees to attempt one last job. Together with three collaborators – a young father, a boisterous Franco-Italian and a sentimental Milanese safecracker – Tony meticulously engineers his biggest heist yet: robbing the most heavily guarded jewelry store in Paris.

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Wes Studi gives a stunning performance as the fearless warrior who was the last Indian leader to surrender to the white man. Betrayed by the Army's legendary "Indian fighter", General George Crook (Gene Hackman), Geronimo leads a small band of warriors in their escape.

Pursued by a principled officer (Jason Patric), a grizzled Army scout (Robert Duvall), and a gung-ho West Point graduate (Matt Damon), Geronimo evades capture through brilliant military strategy and cutthroat courage. His true story is both an action adventure and a spiritual journey through the heart of a warrior.

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"Rushmore" is the story of a gifted, rebellious teenager named Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a 10th grader at elite Rushmore Academy.

Editor of the School Newspaper, Captain or President of innumerable clubs and societies, Max is also one of the worst students in school, and the threat of expulsion hangs permanently over his head. Max's world is rocked when he falls for elegant 1st grade teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), and he plans to erect an aquarium in her honour - then finds himself competing for her affections with his friend, steel tycoon Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), the wealthy father of two of his classmates...

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Starring celebrated British actor Colin Salmon as Fanon, and using reconstructions, archive footage and interviews with major theorists and writers (such as Stuart Hall, Françoise Vergès and Homi K.

Bhabha) 'Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask' tells the story of the life and work of the highly influential anti-colonialist writer Frantz Fanon. Together, artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien and curator and producer Mark Nash undertake an intellectual and poetic exploration of Fanon's life, influence and legacy, from his early years in Martinique (then a colony of France) to his professional life as a psychiatric doctor and revolutionary in Algeria during the bloody war of independence with France. Now, as the film's twentieth anniversary approaches and we witness Arab uprisings, religious fundamentalisms and the so-called 'War on Terror', Fanon and his work are more pertinent than ever.