daniel-phillips's - Rented List

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Not exactly a director that plays along with genre rules, the prolific Takashi Miike now takes his talent in genre bending to the pure romance world with 'For Love's Sake' (a.k.a. Ai to Makoto), based on Kajiwara Ikki's 1973 manga series.

An epic story of a rich high school girl who falls in love with a tough young gangster, Miike's take on the story breaks all the rules with musical numbers (with music by popular music producer Kobayashi Takeshi), tongue-in-cheek humour, and in-your-face violence. 'For Love's Sake' is a unique and incredibly wild ride that will change your definition of what a pure romance can be.

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Regarded by many as the world's finest director, and renowned for his exact, formalist style, Yasujiro Ozu made his first film in 1927 and went on to direct 55 films before his death in 1963.

It was only during his final years, however, that his genius as a film-maker was recognised in the West alongside such contemporaries as Bunuel, Bergman and fellow countryman Kurosawa. Early Summer (1951) further explores Noriko's relationship with her family, and examines her role as a modern woman in a traditional society.

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Tapping into the same brand of terror as the 'Ring' and 'Grudge' movies, visionary director Takashi Miike (Audition, Blade of the Immortal) presents a modern, high-tech twist on that mainstay of Japanese folklore, the yurei or vengeful spirit, in the form of its own iconic antihero - the terrifying

Mimiko. In the first instalment in the trilogy, 2003's 'One Missed Call', student Yoko (Anna Nagata) receives a phone message from her future self, ending with her own death scream. Two days later, she dies in a horrific rail collision. As the mysterious phone curse spreads, claiming more young lives, Yoko's friend Yumi (Ko Shibasaki) joins forces with detective Hiroshi (Shinichi Tsutsumi), whose sister met the same gruesome fate. But can they unravel the mystery before the clock runs out on the next victim - Yumi herself? Mimiko's curse continues to wreak bloody havoc in two sequels - 2005's 'One Missed Call 2' and 2006's 'One Missed Call: Final', in addition to spawning a TV series and an American remake.

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Donna (Dee Wallace) and Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) Trenton and their six-year-old son Tad (Danny Pintauro) have moved to Castle Rock, Maine from New York in an effort to escape the high pressure of big-city living.

One day, the family's fears are ripped from their hiding place in the terrifying form of Cujo, a 200-pound St. Bernard. Known by the neighbours as a docile, friendly creature, Cujo has been transformed into a crazed, maniacal beast after being bitten by a rabid bat....

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When recent widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) is advised by his son to find a new wife, he seeks the advice of a colleague having been out of the dating scene for many years.

The two men decide to take advantage of their position working at a film company to stage an audition to find the perfect partner. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu soon becomes enchanted byAsami (Eihi Shiina), a quiet, 24-year-old woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. However, events quickly take a very dark and twisted turn as we find that Asami isn't what she seems to be...

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One of the most original and innovative films of recent years, 'The Happiness of the Katakuris' combines the most unlikely of genre elements to create the most highly unpredictable and truly unforgettable film of all time! The Katakuris are an average family whose dream is to own a successful

country inn. But soon things begin to go wrong and all of their guest begin to drop dead in the most bizarre of circumstances. Desperate to ensure the success of their business, they agree to keep the deaths quiet and resort to burying the bodies in the forest behind the house...Filled with surreal musical numbers, disturbed animated characters, killer zombies and an array of gruesome deaths, this delirious black comedy has to be seen to be believed.

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A yakuza (played by Milke himself in a cameo) is murdered after violently assaulting a hostess on rival turf, providing the catalyst for a gang war between a number of factions seeking a redistribution of power.

In this densely-layered gangland drama, the backroom manoeuvring of the senior figures in the yakuza, overseen by Mr. Kaito (Hiroki Matsukata), are juxtaposed against the actions of the streetlevel mobsters, as the two sides head towards an inevitable collision.

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Set in Rio, Okinawa and Tokyo's notorious Shinjuku district, the film takes a journey deep into the seedy underside of Japan's gangland, and explores its eccentric characters and extreme violence.

When Brazilian-Japanese Mario is unleashed from jail, he sets out to rescue his beautiful Chinese girlfriend, Kei, from being deported from Japan. Back in Tokyo he tries to raise the cash to buy counterfeit passports for him and Kei to flee to Australia. Along the way the couple find themselves face-to-face with violent Yakuza and Triad gangs, and must fight for their freedom.

Barry Evans stars as Joe North, the over-sexed taxi driver looking for his next pick up! The movie features a roll call of classic British comedy talent including Robert Lindsay and Diana Dors.

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Containing the complete surviving works of Britain's great, unheralded DIY auteur, this definitive, individually numbered, ten-disc set collects an astonishing half-century of creative output.

For the first time ever, these twenty-six films are presented newly restored and remastered, using original film and tape materials held in the Murphy archive, and are accompanied by a wealth of bonus materials...

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Based on the bestselling fantasy book series 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R.R. Martin, this drama is set in a world where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime.

From the scheming south and the savage eastern lands, to the frozen north and ancient Wall that protects the realm from the mysterious darkness beyond, the powerful families of the Seven Kingdoms arc locked in a battle for the Iron Throne. This is a story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honour, conquest and triumph. In the 'Game of Thrones', you either win or you die.

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Pasolini's final and most controversial film has been banned censored and reviled the world over since it's first release. The film is based on the Marquis de Sade's novel '120 Days of Sodom', with the setting transposed to Mussolini's miniature Fascist Republic of Salo, Italy in 1944.

The film's content and imagery is extreme, and it retains the power to shock, repel and distress a quarter of a century on. 'Salo' remains a cinematic milestone - culturally significant, politically vital and visually stunning.

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A profound masterpiece from one of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, Robert Bresson's 'Au Hasard Balthazar' follows the donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations beyond his understanding.

Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie (Anne Wiazemsky), is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly. Through Bresson's unconventional approach to composition, sound, and narrative, this simple story becomes a moving parable about purity and transcendence.