RENT to Own
- Title: RENT
- IMDB: link
RENT explores the issues and of friendship, death, drugs, and AIDS during one year. Terrific casting, most of the broadway leads hired for the film, and a terrific score only underpin the import of the story. The music unveils the plot rather than just put on a show.
The movie examines the life of seven Bohemians living in the east village of New York from 1989 through 1990. The movie begins with the mugging of Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin) who is mugged on the night he has returned to New York just outside his friend’s apartment. He is assisted by Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia) a crossdresser who helps him up to Mark and Roger’s apartment.
Mark (Anthony Rapp) is a struggling documentary filmmaker who’s girlfriend Maureen (Idina Menzel), a popular artist with the Bohemian crowd, has left for an attorney named Joanne (Tracie Thoms). Roger (Adam Pascal) is a musician struggling to write one last song worthy to leave behind. Mimi (Rosario Dawson) is a dancer at the nearby strip club who lives downstairs and burns a candle for Roger. The eighth figure is Benny (Taye Diggs) a friend who owns the building and used to live with them but has gone corporate and wants to evict everyone and rebuild the neighborhood.
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Strange. Quirky. Moving. Poignant. Wonderful. There are so many words to describe Everything is Illuminated that I find it hard to choose them. It is simply one of the best movies of the year.
Young Frankenstein is Mel Brooks’ most complete work. Though not his funniest movie (The Producers) the movie works from beginning to end and doesn’t fall apart during the last act (Blazing Saddles); it remains as the hallmark of his career and his one truly flawless film.