john-t's - Rented List

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Browning, a former circus contortionist, cast reai-life sideshow professionals.

A living torso who, nimbly fights his own cigarette despite having no arms or legs, microcephalics (whom the film calls "pinheads")-they and others play the big-top troupers who inflict a terrible revenge on a trapeze artist who treats them as subhumans.

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Marlene Dietrich sizzles opposite John Wayne as sexy saloon singer Bijou Blanche, who's as quick with a comeback as she is with a come on.

Deported from every South Sea island on which she's ever performed, Bijou winds up in Boni Komba at the Seven Sinners Cafe, convincing the manager that she'll break only hearts, not bar stools.

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From the inimitable Billy Wilder (Double Indemnify, The Lost Weekend) comes this classic comedy that mixes romance with hard-boiled wit in a story about stiff-necked Iowa congresswoman Phoebe Frost (Jean Arthur -Shane) mired in jaded postwar Berlin.

As she investigates the morale of American troops, Phoebe is cynically wooed by fellow Iowan Captain John Pringle (John Lund), who is trying to cover up his affair with Nazi-tainted chanteuse Erika von Schlutow (Marlene Dietrich). Filled with sharp dialogue and satiric jabs, 'A Foreign Affair' is one of Wilder's most beloved comedies...

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Garbo Talks!, proclaimed ads when silent star Greta Garbo debuted in talkies. Nine years and 12 classic screen dramas later, the gifted movie legend was ready for another change.

Garbo Laughs!, cheered the publicity for her first comedy, a frothy tale of a dour Russian envoy sublimating her womanhood for Soviet brotherhood until she falls for a suave Parisian man-about-town (Melvyn Douglas). Working from a cleverly barbed script written in party by Billy Wilder, director Ernst Lubitsch knew better than anyone how to marry refinement with sublime wit. "At least twice a day the most dignified human being is ridiculous", he explained about his acclaimed Lubitsch Touch. That's how we see Garbo's lovestruct Ninotchka: serenely dignified yet endearingly ridiculous. Garbo laughs. So will you.

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Legendary Hollywood icons Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O'Toole star in this screen adaptation of Dylan Thomas's classic play. A celebration of life and death, the film follows the people and events in a small Welsh harbour village, on one spring day.

Captain Cat (O'Toole), the blind sea captain, awake or asleep, yearns for Rosie Probert (Taylor), the greatest passion of his youth. Richard Burton plays the key role of the first voice, an all-seeing compassionate narrator.

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There's plenty of fun for the whole family as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Animal and the entire Muppets gang head out on a world tour. But mayhem follows the Muppets, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper.

Now Kermit is behind bars at the mercy of prison warden Nadya (Tina Fey), and the World's Number One Criminal, Constantine - a dead ringer for Kermit - has taken his place! As Constantine and his dastardly sidekick Dominic (Ricky Gervais) plot the robbery of the century, they are pursued by Sam Eagle and Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell). Will Constantine get away with his nefarious scheme? Will Kermit escape in time to save the day? Packed with dozens of guest cameos and some great new songs, Disney's Muppets Most Wanted is the most hilarious, most wanted Muppet movie ever!

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Poland, in the politically turbulent late 1970's: Witek (Boguslaw Linda) is running to catch a train. From this banal event, Krzysztof Kieslowski imagines three different possible outcomes in the young man's life.

In the first scenario, Witek catches the train on which he meets some hard line communists and joins the party. In the second, as Witek runs for the train, his path is blocked by a ticket inspector; the ensuing struggle leads to his arrest and subsequent involvement in the political underground. In the final scenario, Witek misses the train and he returns to the medical studies that he intended to abandon. He falls in love with a female student, gets married and lives a quiet life as a doctor, showing little interest in politics.

At a local carnival in a small German town, hypnotist Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) presents the somnambulist Cesare (Conrad Veidt), who can purportedly predict the future of curious fairgoers. But at night, the doctor wakes Cesare from his sleep to enact his evil bidding...

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Directed by award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal and renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, 'Watermar'k re-teams the creators of Manufactured Landscapes as they bring together diverse stories from around the globe about our relationship with water: how we are drawn to it, what we learn from

it, how we use it and the consequences of that use. We see massive floating abalone farms off China's Fujian coast and the construction site of the biggest arch dam in the world - the Xiluodu, six times the size of the Hoover. We visit the barren desert delta where the mighty Colorado River no longer reaches the ocean and the water-intensive leather tanneries of Dhaka. Shot in stunning 5K ultra high-definition video and full of soaring aerial perspectives, this film shows the grace and beauty of water but also its fragility and force.

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Millions know their voices, but no one knows their names. In his compelling new film 'Twenty Feet from Stardom', award-winning director Morgan Neville shines a spotlight on the untold true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century.

Triumphant and heartbreaking in equal measure, the film is both a tribute to the unsung voices who brought shape and style to popular music and a reflection on the conflicts, sacrifices and rewards of a career spent harmonizing with others. These gifted artists span a range of styles, genres and eras of popular music, but each has a uniquely fascinating and personal story to share of life spent in the shadows of superstardom. Along with rare archival footage and a peerless soundtrack, 'Twenty Feet from Stardom' boasts intimate interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Mick Jagger and Sting to name just a few. However, these world-famous figures take a backseat to the diverse array of backup singers whose lives and stories take center stage in the film.

Former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is in a race against time to save both his family and the world from a pandemic that is toppling governments and threatening to destroy humanity itself.

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13 of the geekiest episodes yet! Crank up the gravity and put your head safely in a jar! It is Season Seven of Futurama - the animated sci-fi comedy from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening.

Crammed with a whole new dimension of extras not shown on TV, this cosmic collection includes 13 bizarre and brilliant episodes involving ancient prophecies, presidents heads, robot gangsters, angry butterflies and of course, sausage making. It is a shipload of futuristic fun!

'Frank' is the hilarious, offbeat comedy about a young wannabe musician, Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), who finds himself out of his depth when he joins an avant-garde pop band led by Frank (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head, and the terrifying Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

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Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of racing, 'Rush' portrays the exhilarating true story of the charismatic Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and the methodically brilliant Lauda (Daniel Brühl), two of the greatest rivals the world of sport has ever witnessed.

Taking us into their personal lives and clashes on and off the Grand Prix racetrack, 'Rush' follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error.

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Our tour of the Czech Republic takes us through the countryside, following the River Vltava to Prague, the capital city, visiting some of the great buildings that lie on its course.

The music chosen for our tour starts with the first great Czech nationalist composer, Bedrich Smetana, who left a monument to his country in his cycle of orchestral pieces, Ma Vlast. The younger composer, Antonin Dvorak, established a still greater reputation in music that reflected his native Bohemia in all its variety.