smw's - Rented List
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Murder One Case 2 follows three riveting cases, beginning with an explosive political assassination that has a major impact on the personal and professional life of high-powered attorney James Wyler (Anthony LaPaglia).
When the Governor of California and his mistress are brutally slain, the charismatic but combative Wyler must draw on his experience on both sides of the legal fence to defend the enigmatic young woman accused of the grisly double homicide.
Engaged in a strategic battle of words and wits with the tenacious prosecuting attorney Miriam Grasso (Barbara Bosson), Wyler relies on the topnotch staff of legal associates in his charge: Chris Docknovich (Michael Hayden), Arnold Spivak (J.C. MacKenzie), Justine Appleton (Mary McCormack) and Aaron Moseley.
Gregory Itzin returns in the role of District Attorney Roger Garfield, a well-connected Los Angeles politico who has set his sights on the Govern's mansion.- Director:
- Michael Fresco
- Cast:
- Anthony LaPaglia, Mary McCormack, Michael Hayden
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"The Holly and the Ivy" is a heart-warming tale set in post-war Britain. Ralph Richardson plays Reverend Martin Gregory, a recently widowed minister who is reunited with his family one Christmas. Martin is torn between his roles of clergyman and father. His zeal for attending to his parishioners leads him to neglect the needs of his own family, until emotions boil over one Christmas. - Director:
- George More O'Ferrall
- Cast:
- Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson, Margaret Leighton
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Thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and policeman Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), both obsessed with their professions and determined to achieve big things, find themselves caught in a cat and mouse chase as McCauley sets plans in motion for one last heist before his retirement. When Hanna gets assigned to the case of the notorious thief, he dedicates himself to making McCauley's arrest the pinnacle of his career. - Director:
- Michael Mann
- Cast:
- Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
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DNA (2004)Donovan
Powerful psychological thriller about Joe Donovan, a former police forensic scientist turned author, who finds himself investigating evil crimes and wrong-doings that are often a little too close to home for comfort. Starring Oscar nominated Tom Conti, and Samantha Bond. Donovan discovers to his horror that he's the prime suspect in a murder case he is working on. As the plot twists and turns, his son is also implicated in the murder, Donovan is determined to discover the truth and clear both their names - Director:
- Simon Delaney
- Cast:
- Rhea Bailey, Jonathan Beswick, Samantha Bond
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Created by Norman Hudis, who scripted the earliest 'Carry On' films, this popular sitcom reunited Hudis with some of the films' most charismatic and best-loved stars, including Hattie Jacques, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, and their future co-stars Bernard Bresslaw and Norman Rossington. Enjoying a highly popular run in the early 1960's, 'Our House' centres on the comic interactions between the contrasting characters who share a large house together. They include a librarian who transforms into a foghorn outside the hushed confines of her workplace (Hattie Jacques); an easy-going oddball employed by the local rates office (Charles Hawtrey); a woman with a slightly alarming employment record (Joan Sims); and a law student (Norman Rossington) in thrall to his overbearing father. Deryck Guyler (Please Sir!) and Roy Hudd guest-star. Of the 39 original episodes, only three survive in the archive. Unseen for over fifty years what remains of 'Our House' are essential viewing for all 'Carry On' aficionados and lovers of vintage British comedy. - Director:
- Ernest Maxin
- Cast:
- Frederick Peisley, Leigh Madison, Hattie Jacques
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From ten-time Emmy Award winner Steven Bochco, co-creator of the international hits 'NYPD Blue' and 'L.A. Law', come 'Murder One', the first television drama to follow a single case for an entire season. This intricately detailed show explores every facet inside and outside of a scandalous, high-profile Los Angeles trial until its shocking verdict is reached. - Director:
- Charles Haid
- Cast:
- Daniel Benzali, Mary McCormack, Michael Hayden
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After his father is killed in a tragic accident, young Jim Craig (Tom Burlington) has to leave the mountains, where he has grown up, to look for work. He makes the acquaintance of grizzled prospector Spur, and Spur's more respectable brother Harrison (both played by Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas). When Jim falls for Harrison's daughter, however, the old man doesn't approve. But Jim is in love and won't be deterred. He will prove his worth, no matter what the challenge! Adapted from the epic poem by 'Banjo' Patterson, and filmed on stunning locations, 'The Man From Snowy River' isn't just a glorious Australian classic: it's one of the finest family films ever made. - Director:
- George Miller
- Cast:
- Kirk Douglas, Tom Burlinson, Terence Donovan
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As life crumbles around her, the sole detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates the murder of a teen in this riveting, suspenseful HBO original limited series. Oscar and Emmy winner Kate Winslet has created an iconic character in Detective Mare Sheehan, a worn-down, brutally honest, beer-swilling local basketball legend who must cope with the loss of her son while dealing with her nosy mother, rebellious teenage daughter and grandson at home, and an ex-husband who lives a stone's throw away with his new fiancee. Just as the case of a missing young girl has grown cold, the murder of a teen adds immense pressure on Mare to find the killer in a town where everyone is a potential suspect. - Director:
- Craig Zobel
- Cast:
- Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart
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Ex-Navy officer (Richard Widmark) is hired to transport a nuclear scientist to Alaska, where it is believed the Russians are plotting to drop an atomic bomb on Korea from an American plane, thus starting World War 3. Despite his doubts as to the political motivation of his employers, he is convinced of their sincere belief in their cause, and as such is willing to risk his life to help them. - Director:
- Samuel Fuller
- Cast:
- Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi, Victor Francen
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John River (Stellan Skarsgärd) is a gifted police officer with a secret. As a man haunted by manifestations of the dead, including a tormenting killer, Thomas Cream (Eddie Marsan) and the murder victims whose secrets he must unlock, he walks a tightrope between maintaining respectability at work and managing his own fragile state of mind. His colleague and confidant, Detective Sergeant Jackie Stevie Stevenson (Nicola Walker) lends River the emotional support he so badly needs, whilst his boss, Chief Inspector Chrissie Reid (Lesley Manville) is conflicted between River s obvious talents and his evident problems. Adrift in a London full of other exiled souls, River's own isolation helps him connect with the troubled victims who crash into his world, and to see the truth in ways his colleagues are drawn to admire and question, in equal measure. But as his long-held defences are eroded by love and loss, River is torn between the living and the dead; will he have to choose once and for all? - Director:
- Tim Fywell
- Cast:
- Lesley Manville, Stellan Skarsgård, Nicola Walker
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This three-part drama sensitively portrays a teenage romance between an English boy and a Swedish girl. A joint Swedish-British production, 'Annika' stars Jesse Birdsall and Christina Rigner alongside Bulman star Don Henderson, and was co-written by Colin Nutley, a multi-award-winning English director now living and working in Sweden. Nutley is highly acclaimed for his insightful treatment of the mores of his adopted country, and several of his films have been chosen to represent Sweden at leading international film festivals and at the Academy Awards. Eighteen-year-old Pete Daniels is spending the summer doing casual work on the Isle of Wight when he meets and falls in love with Annika, a fifteen-year-old language student. Their relationship quickly intensifies - but the time inevitably comes when Annika has to return to her homeland, and Pete makes a life-changing decision. - Director:
- Colin Nutley
- Cast:
- Christina Rignér, Jesse Birdsall, Ann-Charlotte Stålhammar
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Young teacher Ben finds an ancient door-knocker in the garden of his new home. According to the local museum curator, it comes from the recently demolished Geap Manor – a sinister old place which seemed to attract… unpleasantness. So begin three stories from the dark history of this crooked house… Ghastly, strangled whispers haunt the dreams of an Eighteenth Century businessman. A 'Roaring Twenties' couple come face to face with their family's scandalous past and with a terrifying, ghostly bride. And, in the present day, the door knocker itself seems to have unfinished business, leading Ben on a journey back into Geap Manor's blood-drenched past, and a confrontation with its original owner, the devilish Sir Roger Widdowson. - Director:
- Damon Thomas
- Cast:
- Lee Ingleby, Mark Gatiss, Derren Brown
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From the imagination of Steven Spielberg, The Goonies plunges a band of small heroes into a swashbuckling, surprise-around-every-corner quest beyond their wildest dreams! Following a mysterious treasure map into a spectacular underground realm of twisting passages, outrageous booby-traps and a long-lost pirate ship full of golden doubloons, the kids race to stay one step ahead of a family of bumbling bad guys…and a mild-mannered monster with a face only a mother could love. - Director:
- Richard Donner
- Cast:
- Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen
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Up-and-coming young lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) has just been fired by his prestigious law firm. They say he hasn't got what it takes. Andrew knows it's because he's got AIDS. Determined to defend his professional reputation, Andrew hires fierce, brilliant personal-injury attorney Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to sue his former employers for wrongful dismissal. Joe is initially reluctant to take on the case. Although he as grown up knowing the pain of prejudice, he's never had to confront his own prejudices against homosexuality and AIDS...until now. One man is fighting for his reputation, his life and for justice. The other is battling to overcome his own and society's ignorance and fear. - Director:
- Jonathan Demme
- Cast:
- Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell
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James Bolam and Michael French return as father and son doctors in the third series of Born and Bred. Daily life settles in after the Christmas celebrations and Phyllis is stunned when Harry, her absent husband reappears after six years. Len and Linda are anxious about becoming foster parents and a plan for the brewery to buy the village pub is scuppered by the underhand tactics of the locals. Tom and Arthur's relationship deteriorates when Tom is offered a job in New Zealand which Arthur promptly steals. As Tom is heading for the port Phyllis and Deborah discover that Ormston is under threat of demolition for a new road scheme. Len and Linda finally get their foster child. - Director:
- David Tucker
- Cast:
- James Bolam, Michael French, Maggie Steed
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