john-t's - Rented List
-
As Iconic a group as has ever existed, 'The Velvet Underground' were so far ahead of their time, musically, visually and culturally, it's as if they were dropped, ready formed, into New York's avant-garde art scene, from a parallel universe. And in addition to their unique imagery, so perfectly designed by maverick artist and impresario Andy Warhol, their experiments with form and sound that worked in tandem with to-die-for melodies and provocative lyrics, spurred two of the most oft-repeated quotes in the history of rock; the ubiquitous, '50 people bought the first Velvets' record and every one of them went on to form a band', and music-critic Lester Bangs' outrageously perceptive, 'all modern music begins with the Velvet Underground'. This documentary film explores and dissects the roots, formation, recordings, concerts and numerous other activities of The Velvet Underground, across their short career, and features a wealth of rare material. Including live and studio musical performances, seldom seen promo films, footage and photographs from Andy Warhol's private collection, obscure interviews with and footage of, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol, Sterling Morrison and John Cale, plus interviews given exclusively for this film with Moe Tucker, Doug Yule and Billy Name, plus contributions from such luminaries as ex- Village Voice music editor Robert Christgau, author of From The Velvets To The Voidoids, Clinton Heylin, Total Rock DJ, author and journalist, Malcolm Dome, Luna mainman Dean Wareham and many others. - Director:
- Not Available
- Cast:
- Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison
- Formats:
-
-
Mirror (1975)Zerkalo
From the celebrated Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky comes his most autobiographical work and one that is regarded by many as his magnum opus. Reflecting upon his own childhood and the destiny of the Russian people, 'Mirror' is a sublime expression of memory, imagination, thoughts and dreams intertwined with real life and family relationships. A transcendent, inspired and multilayered masterpiece that continues to grow in stature, 'Mirror' has an exceptional resonance and rewards countless viewings. - Director:
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Cast:
- Margarita Terekhova, Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Filipp Yankovskiy
- Formats:
-
-
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)The Magnificent Rogues / Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo / The Man with No Name 3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
A partnership between two scoundrels, Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and Tuco (Eli Wallach) goes awry, only for fate to intervene in the form of information about a cache of stolen Confederate gold buried in a graveyard. Each possessing a different clue to its location, the pair are forced into a distrustful partnership. However, the gold is also sought by Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), a ruthless mercenary with his own twisted code of honour. Thus begins a desperate pursuit amidst the mass destruction and absurdity of the American Civil War, culminating in an iconic three-way standoff inside the graveyard. - Director:
- Sergio Leone
- Cast:
- Eli Wallach, Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef
- Formats:
-
-
The Man from London (2007)A londoni férfi
Four years in the making, the new film from the acclaimed Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr is an adaptation of a novel by thriller writer Georges Simenon. Maloin (Miroslav Krobot) leads a simple life as a railway signalman, barely registering the world around him. His life takes a sudden turn when he becomes a witness to a murder and he is forced to confront issues of morality, sin, punishment and the line between innocence and complicity. Exploring themes of desire, greed and mans indestructible longing for freedom, this hypnotic film bears the distinctive trademarks of Tarrs universe, fluid and stunning monochrome photography, pared-down dialogue and performances, and a hauntingly beautiful score by long-time Tarr collaborator Mihaly Vig. - Director:
- Béla Tarr
- Cast:
- Miroslav Krobot, Tilda Swinton, Erika Bók
- Formats:
-
-
"All Is True" explores the human story behind a dark and little known period in the life of William Shakespeare (Kenneth Branagh). The year is 1613, Shakespeare is the greatest writer of the age. When his beloved Globe Theatre is burned to the ground, he decides to return to his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. There he faces his neglected family. Still haunted by the death of his only son, Hamnet, he struggles to mend broken relationships with his wife, Anne (Judi Dench) and daughters. In so doing, he is ruthlessly forced to examine his own failings as an absent husband and father. In the search for peace, he must also finally confront the dark heart of his family's secrets and lies. - Director:
- Kenneth Branagh
- Cast:
- Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen
- Formats:
-
-
From visionary director Terry Gilliam, 'The Zero Theorem' stars two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz as Qohen Leth, an eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst. Living in isolation in a burnt-out church, Qohen is obsessively working on a mysterious project personally delegated to him by Management aimed at discovering the meaning of life - or the lack thereof - once and for all. Increasingly disturbed by unwanted visits from people he doesn't fully trust including the flirtatious Bainsley (Melanie Thierry), Management's wunderkind son Bob (Lucas Hedges), his unpredictable colleague Joby (David Thewlis), and would-be digital therapist Dr. Shrink-Rom, it's only when he experiences the power of love and desire that he's able to understand his own reason for being. - Director:
- Terry Gilliam
- Cast:
- Christoph Waltz, Lucas Hedges, Mélanie Thierry
- Formats:
-
-
Neil Armstrong' became NASA's most famous astronaut when his small step, and giant leap changed the world forever on July 20 1969. Famously reticent about his accomplishments he preferred to focus on the team that helped to get him on the Moon rather than his own success. This new documentary features never seen before footage from Armstrong's own home movies and insights from those who flew with him and knew him best. - Director:
- David Fairhead
- Cast:
- Harrison Ford, Harrison Ford, Neil Armstrong
- Formats:
-
-
When Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on "The Green Book" to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger as well as unexpected humanity and humor - they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime. - Director:
- Peter Farrelly
- Cast:
- Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini
- Formats:
-
-
A tragicomedy where everyone is caught up in loving someone who already loves somebody else. One summer, aristocratic actress Irina (Annette Bening) takes her lover, the successful novelist Boris Trigorin (Corey Stoll), to her lakeside retreat. Nina (Saoirse Ronan), a naive girl who lives on a neighbouring estate, falls in love with the older Boris, who basks in her adulation. Meanwhile, Masha (Elisabeth Moss) is obsessed with Irina's son Konstantin (Billy Howie), who loves Nina. - Director:
- Michael Mayer
- Cast:
- Annette Bening, Corey Stoll, Glenn Fleshler
- Formats:
-
-
Tampopo (1985)Dandelion
The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous "ramen western" by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges - our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends to make her cafe a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal 'Tampopo' is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made. - Director:
- Jûzô Itami
- Cast:
- Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto
- Formats:
-
-
Memory reveals the chilling, untold origins of Ridley Scott's cinematic masterpiece Alien, rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, parasitology, H.P. Lovecraft's weird fiction, the art of Francis Bacon, and the symbiotic genius of Dan O'Bannon (writer), H.R. Giger (designer), and, of course, Ridley Scott. Discover a treasure trove of unreleased materials from the O'Bannon and Giger estates, including original story notes, rejected designs and storyboards, sketches and concept art, behind-the-scenes photographs and footage, and Dan O'Bannon's never-before-seen, original 29-page script from 1971, titled Memory. A fitting and long-overdue tribute to the man who started it all, Memory boldly goes where no film essay has gone before, to deliver an entrancingly cinematic and wholly original take on one of Hollywood's most beloved and iconic shockers. - Director:
- Alexandre O. Philippe
- Cast:
- Bijan Aalam, Tim Boxell, Axelle Carolyn
- Formats:
-
-
Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her family and face this new, cut-throat world alone. Based on the incredible true story, this heartwarming comedy follows Paige as she proves that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star. - Director:
- Stephen Merchant
- Cast:
- Dwayne Johnson, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn
- Formats:
-
-
"Mary Queen of Scots" explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan). Queen of France at 16, widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry and instead returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. By birth, she also has a rival claim to the throne of Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), who rules as the Queen of England. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth's sovereignty. Rivals in power and in love, the two Queens make very different choices about marriage and children. Betrayal, rebellion and conspiracies within each court imperil both Queens - driving them apart, as each woman experiences the bitter cost of power. - Director:
- Josie Rourke
- Cast:
- Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden
- Formats:
-
-
The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria's (Judi Dench) remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen's Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favour with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt to destroy. As the friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes and joyfully reclaims her humanity. - Director:
- Stephen Frears
- Cast:
- Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith
- Formats:
-
-
Time of the Gypsies (1988)Dom za vesanje / Cigani lete u nebo
Perhan (Davor Dujmovic) is a Gypsy teenager with the ability to move objects with his mind. A criminal named Ahmed (Bora Todorovic) convinces him to leave his devoted grandmother (Ljubica Adzovic) and loving girlfriend, and to use his powers to make some money illegally. While becoming a man and learning the trade of crime, the boy searches for his sister (who was supposed to have a leg operation) and tries to save money to realize his fantasy of returning home to marry the woman of his dreams. - Director:
- Emir Kusturica
- Cast:
- Davor Dujmovic, Bora Todorovic, Ljubica Adzovic
- Formats:
-