john-t's - Rented List

Show moreShow less

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...

Show moreShow less

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.

Show moreShow less

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.

Show moreShow less

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).

Show moreShow less

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.

Show moreShow less

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.

Academy Award winner Robert Redford stars in 'All Is Lost', an open-water thriller about one man's battle for survival against the elements after his sailboat is destroyed at sea.

Show moreShow less

In the 1920s Adriatic Sea, only one pilot rules the skies: Porco Rosso, a talented pilot who, due to a magic spell, has been transformed into a pig.

Porco leads a solitary life as a pilot for hire protecting airships from marauding pilots, resting on his private island and visiting his friend, the beautiful hotel-owner Gina. But when a hot-headed American pilot arrives looking to make a name for himself by shooting down The Crimson Pig, Porco enlists the help of a feisty teenage airplane engineer to get his beat up plane into shape for the big fight.

Show moreShow less

This is the life story of one of the most influential and controversial film directors in the history of Hollywood, John Milius.

From his childhood aspirations to join the military to his formative years at the USC Film School, his legendary work on films such as 'Apocalypse Now', 'Jaws', 'Conan The Barbarian', 'Dirty Harry' and 'Red Dawn', to his ultimate dismissal from Hollywood due to his radical beliefs and controversial behaviour.

Show moreShow less

Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper star in this comedic drama about a crime spree that leads to love. In the most elaborate jewel heist in European history, the beautiful and conniving "Countess" Madeline (Dietrich) embezzles a small fortune in pearls.

As she makes her getaway to Spain to deliver the hot goods, her escape is thwarted by car trouble, until a handsome and likeable young tourist (Cooper) helps her out. She shows her gratitude by leaving the unsuspecting good Samaritan in the dust - literally! But when he accidentally ends up with the pearls, she must feign romantic interest to get them back. The charade soon turns into the real thing however; and Madeline realises that her only hope of happiness is to clean up her act - no matter what the cost - or lose the man she loves.

Show moreShow less

Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond (Daniel Craig) is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status.

"M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.

Show moreShow less

This documentary looks at the production and impact of '2001: A Space Odyssey', the landmark 1968 Stanley Kubrick epic that has inspired generations of science-fiction fans, film-makers, visual effects specialists and pretty much everyone ever involved with NASA's space effort, then or now.

'2001 And Beyond' compares Kubrick's and, co-screenwriter and science-fiction novelist, Arthur C. Clarke's '2001: A Space Odyssey' with the year that came and went. There is commentary on the future we are about to enter, and the one we have missed, from scientists Freeman Dyson and Richard Terrile, sci-fi authors Arthur C. Clarke, Larry Niven, Rob Sawyer and Harlan Ellison, lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, just to name a few. Finally we will invite our guests to speculate on the next 33 years from the most basic such as "Will we ever achieve space flight using true suspended animation?" to the most profound, like "When and if will we achieve anything like the burst of human evolution seen at the climax of the film?"