rwl's - Rented List
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The Girl Can't Help It (1956)Do Re Mi
The classic 'rock and roll' film of the 50's and the Jayne Mansfield movie. Legendary moments include her hot strut down the street to Little Richard's title song, leaving ice blocks melting and milk bottles bubbling over. Around a simple comic plot - gangster hires alcoholic press agent to make a singing star out of his incredibly voluptuous but tone-deaf girlfriend - director Frank Tashlin creates a feast for eyes and ears in 'the grandeur of CinemaScope' and glorious De Luxe colour. - Director:
- Frank Tashlin
- Cast:
- Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield, Edmond O'Brien
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In this new take on the tragic love story, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) is a seasoned musician who discovers - and falls in love with - struggling artist Ally (Lady Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer...until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons. - Director:
- Bradley Cooper
- Cast:
- Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott
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Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mum (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. 'Lady Bird' is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home. - Director:
- Greta Gerwig
- Cast:
- Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts
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"Journey's End" is set in northern France in March 1918 as C Company, led by Captain Stanhope (Sam Claflin), arrives to take its turn in the front line. Told that a German offensive is imminent, Stanhope drowns his fears in whisky while the other officers (Paul Bettany, Tom Sturridge and Stephen Graham) and their cook (Toby Jones') attempt to distract themselves in their dugout with talk of food and life before the war. They are joined in the trenches by Raleigh (Asa Butterfield), a new young officer fresh out of training who is excited about his first real posting and the chance to serve under his schoolboy hero Stanhope. Raleigh's naive enthusiasm contrasts with the other men's mounting fear as the tension rises and the attack draws ever closer. - Director:
- Saul Dibb
- Cast:
- Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin, Asa Butterfield
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It's the summer of 1963, and 17 year old Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) is about to learn some major lessons in life as well as a thing or two about dancing. On holiday in America's Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents, "baby" shows little interest in the resort activities, and instead discovers her own entertainment when she stumbles upon the staff's quearters where an all-night dance party is in full swing. Mesmerised by the raunchy dance moves and the pounding rhythms, "baby" can't wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of sexy, heart-throb Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) the resort dance instructor. "baby's" life is about to changhe forever as she is thrown in at the deep end as Johnny's leading lady both on-stage and off with breath-taking consequences. - Director:
- Emile Ardolino
- Cast:
- Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach
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Ex_Machina (2014)Ex Machina
In the mountain retreat of a gifted internet billionaire, a young man takes partin a strange experiment: testing an artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl. But the experiment twists into a dark psychological battle - a love triangle, where loyalties are torn between man and machine. - Director:
- Alex Garland
- Cast:
- Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac
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The Durrells: Series 3 (2018)The Durrells in Corfu: Series 3
The beautiful island of Corfu continues to work its magic on the eccentric Durrell family. Even a visit from Aunt Hermione isn't the usual dreaded experience as the formerly formidable matriarch has embraced the laid-back Greek attitude and found romance. Leslie's also enjoying a much-improved love life with three very different girls. But there's no safety in numbers when his mother and siblings decide to interfere. Margo has (temporarily) given up on love and found a new vocation, while Gerry's obsession with animals continues to grow. As for Louisa, a trip to the UK with Larry to sort out family affairs reminds her of the restrictions of her old life. After a brush with bohemian London artists, she realises her heart lies in her island paradise. - Director:
- Roger Goldby
- Cast:
- Keeley Hawes, Josh O'Connor, Milo Parker
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Deep in the suburbs of Pasadena, a bored, confused and alienated twenty-one year old graduate named Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) awkwardly drifts from moment to moment, in constant turmoil over his lack of direction and the uncertain, impending future. Driven by a desire for experience and desperate to avoid the corporate, deluded and mediocre world of his affluent parents, Benjamin succumbs to the advances of an older woman and begins an affair with the persuasive and enigmatic Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) the wife of one of his father's business partners. But what starts as a farcical fling becomes painfully complicated when Ben finds himself falling in love with her daughter. - Director:
- Mike Nichols
- Cast:
- Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
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Abbamania - that was the name given to the hysterical worship of four Swedes that enthralled Australia during an intense period in the mid-1970s. This phenomenon reached its high-point as Abba conducted an enormously successful tour "down under" in March 1977. The feverish madness of the tour was captured on film in director Lasse Hallstrom's Abba - The Movie, which remains as one of precious few opportunities to experience Abba live onstage. In the film, we follow radio disc jockey Ashley Wallace as he tries to hunt down the group for an exclusive, in-depth interview. Will he make it or not...? - Director:
- Lasse Hallström
- Cast:
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Wes Denbaum, Benny Andersson
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A Man Called Ove (2015)En man som heter Ove
Based on the international bestselling novel by Fredrik Backman and nominated for 2 Oscars (including Best Foreign Language Film), 'A Man Called Ove' is a heartwarming tale of unreliable first impressions and a wonderful reminder that life is sweeter when it's shared. An ageing retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, Ove (Rolf Lassgard) is the quintessential angry old man next door. Having entirely given up on life, his days are spent in a constant monotony of enforcing housing association rules and visiting his wife Sonja's gravesite. But when a boisterous young family moves into the neighbourhood, immediately incurring his wrath, things take an unexpected turn. Pregnant Parvaneh (Bahar Pars) and her lively children are the complete antithesis of what ill-tempered Ove thinks he needs -and yet, from this inauspicious beginning an unlikely friendship blooms and Ove's past happiness and heartbreaks come to light. - Director:
- Hannes Holm
- Cast:
- Rolf Lassgård, Bahar Pars, Filip Berg
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Golden Globe Winner Idris Elba and Oscar Winner Kate Winslet star in this sweeping, suspenseful drama based on Charles Martin's novel. When a plane they've chartered to beat a storm crashes in a remote mountain area, two strangers (Elba and Winslet) must trust each other in order to survive the extreme elements. With little hope of rescue, they begin a perilous journey that will shape the course of their lives. - Director:
- Hany Abu-Assad
- Cast:
- Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Beau Bridges
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The Durrells: Series 2 (2017)The Durrells in Corfu
This charming and hugely popular series returns to follow the adventures of the eccentric Durrell family as they embrace life on a gorgeous Greek island. This latest series sees spirited English widow Louisa (Keeley Hawes) and her brood put down roots in their dilapidated rented house, alongside an ever-increasing menagerie of animals brought home by youngest son Gerry (Milo Parker). Doing their best to settle into the community, they need to earn money to pay their aggressive new landlady Vasilia (Errika Bigiou), who sees Louisa as a love rival for charming playboy Hugh (Daniel Lapaine). With the help of Spiro (Alexis Georgoulis) and Theo (Yorgos Karamihos), the Durrells resort to selling typical British produce at the market. But accidentally poisoning the locals might not be the best way to start a new business... - Director:
- Steve Barron
- Cast:
- Errika Bigiou, Lucy Black, Nick Orestis Chaniotakis
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As Hitler's forces storm across the European landscape and close in on the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) is elected the new Prime Minister. With his party questioning his every move, and King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) sceptical of his new political leader, it is up to Churchill to lead his nation and protect them from the most dangerous threat ever seen. - Director:
- Joe Wright
- Cast:
- Gary Oldman, David Strathairn, Kristin Scott-Thomas
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A warm, funny, feel-good series about a family's adventures on a gorgeous Greek island when they uproot from their English home in the hope of a better life. Based on Gerald Durrell's much-loved Corfu trilogy of novels, 'The Durrells' sees impoverished but sparky widow Louisa Durrell make the radical decision to seek out a new destiny for her family when she relocates her reluctant brood to a dilapidated house in the Greek sun. This beautifully shot series follows the family as they adjust to their new life, face a whole new set of challenges and meet new friends, rivals, lovers - and animals. - Director:
- Steve Barron
- Cast:
- Keeley Hawes, Josh O'Connor, Milo Parker
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Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star in this warm, funny and uplifting true story. 'Breathe' follows the life of Robin Cavendish (Garfield) and his wife Diana (Foy), an adventurous and determined couple who refuse to give up when Robin contracts polio and is given just months to live. Against all advice, Diana brings him home from hospital where her devotion and witty determination transcends his disability. Together and with the help of Diana's hilarious twin brothers, both played by Tom Hollander, and the pioneering ideas of their friend and inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), they find a way to live a full and passionate life. - Director:
- Andy Serkis
- Cast:
- Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Hugh Bonneville
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