lyn's - Rented List
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Written and directed by four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross and starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey, "Free State of Jones" is an epic action-drama set during the Civil War, and tells the story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers and local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones. - Director:
- Gary Ross
- Cast:
- Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali
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When a counterterrorism raid goes tragically wrong, Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott refuses to participate in a cover-up. Ostracised by colleagues, he transfers to an anticorruption unit, AC-12, in the process of investigating one of the Force's most respected officers, Detective Chief Inspector Tony Gates. Not only has Gates just been awarded Officer of the Year, his squad has returned the best crime figures for three consecutive years. But can anyone really be that good? Arnott doesn't think so and soon he and Gates are embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse but as the stakes get higher it isn't just careers on the line it's lives. - Director:
- David Caffrey
- Cast:
- Martin Compston, Darren Morfitt, Owen Teale
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"Prohibition", a three-part documentary series, is the fascinating story of idealism, folly, and above all, unintended consequences. In 1920, after a century of debate, America amends the Constitution to ban the manufacture and sale of alcohol, turning millions of law-abiding citizens into lawbreakers overnight. Over the next 13 years, a society founded on individual freedom becomes a nation of scofflaws - and hypocrites.
Here are the stories of the small-time whiskey-jobbers, big-time bootleggers, and brutal gangsters; flappers dancing the Charleston in speakeasies; immigrant families stomping grapes in basements and making moonshine in their backyards. But beyond the cocktails, this is also a darker tale about divisive single-issue lobbyists; fear-mongering and smear campaigns; and the perils of unfunded mandates. It raises profound questions about the proper role of government, individual rights and responsibilities, and who is and who is not a real American.
By the 1930s, few can deny that Prohibition is a disaster, and with the country in the throes of the Great Depression, Americans have finally had enough. In 1933, they come to their senses and repeal the 18th Amendment, putting an end to the "Noble Experiment".- Director:
- Ken Burns
- Cast:
- Adam Arkin, Patricia Clarkson, Philip Bosco
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As a ferry carrying 300 passengers from Denmark pulls into an Icelandic town's small port, heavy snow begins to fall. The ferry can't leave until the storm passes and the main road into town is impassable. A mutilated and dismembered body washes on the shore, an unidentifiable man murdered only hours ago. The local police chief, Andri Olafssun, whose personal life is in shatters, realises a killer has descended into his town. As word spreads, order disintegrates into chaos as the ferry's passengers and the town's residents realise they are all possible suspects and that a killer is trapped among them. - Director:
- Baltasar Kormákur
- Cast:
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson
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Emerging from the war-torn shadows of England's Dark Ages, an idealistic mason, Tom Builder (Rufus Sewell), sets out on a quest to erect a glorious cathedral bathed in light. But when that light threatens to illuminate the dark secrets of ambitious Bishop Waleran Bigod (Ian McShane) and the battling progeny of King Henry, Queen Maud (Alison Pill) and King Stephen (Tony Curran), they'll stop at nothing to keep those secrets safe! - Director:
- Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
- Cast:
- Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne
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The explorers who searched for the source of the Nile were some of the most colourful and controversial in all history. Fueled by faith, greed and obsession they endured the hardships of grueling African expeditions while locked in fierce rivalries, each determined to claim the prize of discovery. The stories of their epic adventures are brought to life in this sumptuous 6 hour BBC production from 1971, digitally remastered and released on video for the very first time. The Emmy Award winning series, shot entirely on film in authentic locations in East Africa, was one of the most expensive and ambitious of its time and enthralled a huge audience worldwide. Today, 'The Search for the Nile' remains a powerful classic of BBC period drama. - Director:
- Fred Burnley
- Cast:
- James Mason, Kenneth Haigh, John Quentin
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This provocative and riveting four-part drama tells the story of Sugar (Romola Garai) an alluring, intelligent young prostitute who yearns for a better life away from the brothel she is attached to, run by the contemptible Mrs Castaway (Gillian Anderson). However, things change for her when she meets wealthy businessman William Rackham (Chris O'Dowd). Sugar is a thrilling antidote to William, who is saddled with a pious brother, Henry (Mark Gatiss) , and fragile wife, Agnes (Amanda Hale) who regularly endures visits from the invasive physician Doctor Curlew (Richard E Grant). William ensconces Sugar as his mistress and she soon grows accustomed to her new life. Yet unbeknownst to William, Sugar begins to hatch a plan which sets a series of events in motion that will change their lives forever... - Director:
- Marc Munden
- Cast:
- Romola Garai, Chris O'Dowd, Amanda Hale
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Can you believe what your leaders tell you - even if you are the British Ambassador in Washington? In this high octane, action-packed, conspiracy thriller, a terrifying plot is played out along the dark corridors of power. When a flight explodes in mid-air near Washington DC, the shocked capital struggles to come to terms with the disaster. For Mark Brydon, British Ambassador to Washington, the incident has immediate consequences and, driven into a web of tangled relationships and conflicting interests, his abilities are tested to their very limits. As truth and lies are sacrificed for expediency, where nothing is what it first appears, Brydon slowly realises that he is being manipulated by a powerful, invisible puppeteer. Torn between his duty and his conscience, unable to trust anyone, Brydon is about the throw away the Foreign Office manual and try to get to the heart of the conspiracy... - Director:
- Michael Offer
- Cast:
- Jason Isaacs, Ben Daniels, Eva Birthistle
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After transferring from a big city to the small town of Brokenwood Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) has settled into the relaxed rhythms of country life. His methodical young assistant, Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland), has adapted to Shepherd's unconventional ways - and even tolerates listening to country music in his 1971 "classic" car. Despite the growing accord between the mismatched pair, all is not well in Brokenwood, where passions simmering beneath the sleepy surface regularly erupt into gruesome crimes. In these four feature-length mysteries, Shepherd and Sims contend with a potential serial killer, a group of egocentric thespians, a family of territorial fishermen, and the mysterious death of Snepherd's favourite singer. Filmed on location in New Zealand's beautiful North Island, these engrossing mysteries boast compelling characters, dry humour and piquant wit. - Director:
- Mike Smith
- Cast:
- Neill Rea, Fern Sutherland, Pana Hema Taylor
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Trevor Eve is Felix Cramer, a mediocre and frustrated novelist who is fast approaching middle age and suffering writer's block. When Cramer develops a fascination for the eighteen year old daughter of his best friend Richard (Jim Carter) an illicit affair gradually begins. Sally (Rudi Davies) is about to leave for university but falls hopelessly in love. When the affair is exposed, simmering family tensions finally explode and Cramer's actions come to dramatically affect the lives of everyone around him. From author Andrea Newman, this gripping drama examines the damaging consequences of a dangerous affair and features Trevor Eve in one of his most anti-heroic roles. So convincing was his portrayal that Newman received letters from women claiming to know the real-life love-rat she based the character on. This seven part BBC series is widely hailed as a classic drama exploring the complexities and contradictions of love, friendship, marriage and adultery. - Director:
- Bruce MacDonald
- Cast:
- Trevor Eve, Lisa Harrow, Jim Carter
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Massacre in Rome (1973)Rappresaglia
Rome 1944 - The last days of the Nazi Occupation. A group of partisans plan an attack on a German Wehrmacht 'police' column. At German headquarters, Lt. Col, Herbert Kappler (Richard Burton), the Gestapo chief, warns his commanding officer General Kurt Maezler (Leo McKern) not to allow the column to march the next day for fear of an attack. Tension mounts as the partisans carry out their bomb attack with 32 Germans dead and then seek refuge with Father Antonelli (Marcello Mastroianni). The German High Command gives orders for one of the war's most unforgiveable acts of revenge - "The Massacre of Rome". - Director:
- George P. Cosmatos
- Cast:
- Richard Burton, Marcello Mastroianni, Leo McKern
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This three disc set contains three feature length episodes of the cutting edge television drama penned by Lynda La Plante. Amanda Burton returns in the role of Lynda la Plante's The Commander, featuring an outstanding supporting cast including Mark Lewis Jones, Paul Brightwell, Celia Imrie, Penny Downie And Gerard Kearns. - Director:
- Michael Whyte
- Cast:
- Amanda Burton, Matthew Marsh, Nicholas Jones
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Hollywood star Sean Bean heads an impressive cast in this poignant and powerful series centred around Father Michael Kerrigan, a Catholic priest presiding over an urban parish in northern England. Father Michael must be a confidant, counsellor and confessor to a congregation struggling to reconcile its beliefs with the challenges of daily life in contemporary Britain. With a chequered past and a complicated relationship with his own family, the priest is determined to help his parishioners through their troubles. But despite his best efforts, Father Michael can't always fix what's broken in their lives. - Director:
- Ashley Pearce
- Cast:
- Adrian Dunbar, Sean Bean, Fin Campbell
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Newly divorced journalist Dicte Svendsen (Iben Hjejle) has returned with daughter Rose to her hometown of Aarhus where she is trying to escape the past and build a new future. But working as a crime reporter, she soon finds herself caught up in a case that is destined to open old wounds when she discovers the body of a murdered young woman. Brash, quick-witted, and not afraid to put herself in danger, she will do what it takes to uncover the truth, throwing herself into each investigation, jeopardising not only her life, but sometimes the lives of those around her. These five gripping tales told over ten episodes are drawn from the crime novels of bestselling Danish author Elsebeth Egholm. - Director:
- Jannik Johansen
- Cast:
- Iben Hjejle, Lars Brygmann, Lærke Winther Andersen
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Starring Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, "The Hundred-Foot Journey" is an uplifting and feel-good comedy bursting with flavour, passion and heart. When the icy proprietress (Mirren) of a Michelin-starred French restaurant in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val gets wind of the Kadam family opening an Indian restaurant just 100 feet from her own, her protests escalate to all-out war between the two establishments. But as these two worlds collide, despite their different tastes they find an unlikely source of compromise that will change both sides forever. - Director:
- Lasse Hallström
- Cast:
- Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal
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