rob44's - Rented List

Show moreShow less

Wendy (Lena Headey), a hardened immigration officer is offered a high-profile asylum case, judged on her ability to quickly and clinically reject applicants. Through her interrogation, she must uncover whether Haile (Ivanno Jeremiah) is lying and has a more sinister reason for seeking asylum.

We follow Haile on his perilous 5000 KM journey over oceans, across borders, and amidst the flurry of the Calais Jungle to find solace and safety in the UK. But now he must cross the final hurdle. Based on multiple true stories, 'The Flood' is a thoughtful and timely reflection on the humanity within the refugee crisis.

Show moreShow less

"The United States vs. Billie Holiday" follows the legendary Holiday (Andra Day), one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, who spent much of her career being adored by fans across the globe.

However, beginning in the 1940's in New York City, the federal government targeted Holiday in a growing effort to escalate and racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her controversial and heart-wrenching ballad, "Strange Fruit".

Show moreShow less

This is the legendary story of four mop-topped scousers that changed the face of music in the '60s. Ron Nasty, Dirk McQuickly, Stig O'Hara and Barrry Worn, collectively, The Rutles.

From the Hamburg days where they found themselves "far from home and far from talented", through the recording of their classic albums "Sgt Rutter's Only Darts Club Band", "Let It Rot" to the experimentation with tea, the artistic differences and the inevitable split. Relive the phenomenon of the pre-fab four who won over the world with their catchy tunes, whack'y humour and tight trousers. Relive Rutlemania!

After a car accident kills his loving family, a daring neuroscientist (Keanu Reeves) will stop at nothing to bring them back, even if it means pitting himself against a government-controlled laboratory, a police task force, and the physical laws of science themselves.

Show moreShow less

Fourteen-year-old Tyler (Conrad Khan) attends a pupil referral unit, where he is isolated and bullied. At home he must look after his younger sister Aliyah (Tabitha Milne-Price) while his mother, Toni (Ashley Madekwe), works nights.

When the preoccupied and exhausted Toni loses her job, she thrusts the family into a desperate financial situation, leaving Tyler vulnerable to a 'recruiter' who targets children to promote a drug-dealing enterprise out of the city. This powerful drama about a mother and her son who is groomed into a lethal nationwide drugs network - a 'county line' - is inspired by Henry Blake's first-hand experience as a youth worker on the frontline of child exploitation and drug trafficking in the UK.

Show moreShow less

England 1905. When a mysterious capsule lands on Earth at Horsell Common, Surrey, George (Rafe Spall) and Amy (Eleanor Tomlinson) are among the first to examine it. And so begins a terrifying ordeal for humanity as more capsules land, releasing murderous Martian tripods.

George, Amy and their scientist friend Ogilvy (Robert Carlyle) soon find themselves fighting for their very survival against a ruthless enemy beyond their comprehension.

Show moreShow less

Helle (Anna Demetriou) is the only child of King Asmund (Andrew Whipp) and Queen Alva (Victoria Broom) and the one true heir to the Viking kingdom of Volsung.

Yet she is unaware of her true lineage, for Helle was switched at birth with her cousin, her evil uncle Bard (Timo Nieminen) having convinced King Asmund that a female heir would weaken the kingdom. As Helle grows into womanhood, the King realises his mistake. She is strong, brave and good, and the best choice to succeed Asmund on the throne. However, Bard has designs on the throne himself and has Asmund killed before the truth is revealed. On the run and framed for the murder of the King, Helle seeks guidance from the god Odin (Terence Stamp) to gain the training and wisdom she needs to take back Volsung and fulfil her destiny.

Show moreShow less

"American Woman" finds poignant drama in one woman's gruelling odyssey, thanks in no small part to Sienna Miller's outstanding work in the leading role. In a blue-collar town in Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old woman's teen daughter goes missing and she is left to raise her infant grandson alone.

The story is told over the course of 11 years: we journey with her from the time her daughter vanishes, through the trials-and-tribulations of subsequent years, and ultimately to the long-awaited discovery of the truth.

When New Orleans paramedics and long-time best friends Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) are called to a series of bizarre and gruesome accidents, they chalk it up to a mysterious new drug found at the scene.

Show moreShow less

Pete Koslow (Joel Kinnaman) is a former special operations soldier working as an informant for the FBI to help dismantle the Polish mafia's drug trade in New York.

But when the FBI's operation goes wrong, resulting in the death of an undercover NYPD cop, Pete is coerced into returning to Bale Hill, the prison he previously served time in for manslaughter, to take down the cartel from the inside.

Show moreShow less

Outside a mountain town grappling with a series of abductions and murders, Paul (Antonio Banderas), a reclusive writer, struggles to start what he hopes will be a career-saving screenplay.

After a tense encounter at a diner with a drifter named Jack (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Paul offers Jack a place to stay and soon the edgy, demanding Jack muscles his way into Paul's work and the two men begin a jagged game of one-upmanship that will bring at least one tale to an end.

Show moreShow less

Probably the most exciting film discovery of recent times, the films of Mitchell & Kenyon were commissioned by travelling exhibitors at the dawn of the twentieth century for screening in town halls, at village fetes or local fairs.

Advertised as 'local films for local people', the audience paid to see their neighbours, children, family and themselves on the screen, glimpsed at local football matches, leaving work, marching in civic processions or enjoying the annual works holidays. The hugely successful BBC TV series 'The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon' introduced audiences to these miraculous views of the past. For the first time there is now the opportunity to explore the Collection in greater depth. The material on this video is taken from 28 hours of footage of scenes of everyday life and represents a cross-section of the subjects covered in the Collection. From factory gates to football matches, the leaving of Liverpool to the leaving of work, the workers on holiday and at play, this material provides an unparalleled opportunity to see the world through the eyes of the working communities of the time. The films of Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon take us on a tour of everyday life in Edwardian Britain. This video features 35 items in five sections: Youth and Education, The Anglo-Boer War, Workers, High Days and Holidays, People and Places, as well as five additional 'hidden' items. It also includes a specially commissioned score by the Sheffield-based duo 'In the Nursery'.

Show moreShow less

When a drug bust goes wrong, ex-cop Danny Gallagher's (Karl Urban) quest for justice leads him to the car-bomb murder of a government official's wife. As Gallagher learns the woman's secret lover was a seductive federal agent (Sofia Vergara), he finds himself under fire.

But from who - his own cops, a vengeful drug lord, the CIA, or someone even more ruthless?

Show moreShow less

Ken Burns's eight-part, 16-hour documentary series, 'Country Music', chronicles the history of a uniquely American art form, focusing on the biographies of the fascinating characters who created it.

More than eight years in the making, the film follows the evolution of country music from its diverse and humble origins as it emerged, by the end of the twentieth century, into a worldwide phenomenon. Filled with memorable musical moments, interviews with more than 80 country music artists, and evocative footage and photographs - many never seen before - it weaves an unforgettable story that is both intimate and sweeping. No one has told the story this way before.

1. The Rub (Beginnings - 1933)
After centuries of percolating in America's immigrant and racial mix, particularly in the American South, what was first called "hillbilly music" begins reaching more people through the new technologies of phonographs and radio. The Carter Family, with their ballads and old hymns, and Jimmie Rodgers, with his combination of blues and yodeling, become its first big stars. Rodgers' career ends when he dies young from tuberculosis.
2. Hard Times (1933-1945)
During the Great Depression and World War Two, country music thrives and reaches bigger audiences. Gene Autry sets off a craze for singing cowboys, Bob Wills adapts jazz's Big Band sound to create Texas Swing, and Roy Acuff, a singer on the Grand Ole Opry, becomes a national star. Despite a divorce between two of its members, the Carter Family carries on, turning out songs that will become classics.
3. The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945-1953)
Country music adapts to the cultural changes of post-war society. Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, and Earl Scruggs transform traditional string band music into something more syncopated: Bluegrass. Out of the bars and juke joints comes a new sound with electric guitars and songs about drinking, cheating, and heartbreak: Honky Tonk. Its biggest star is Hank Williams, a singer and songwriter of surprising emotional depth, derived from his troubled and tragically short life.
4. I Can't Stop Loving You (1953-1963)
In Memphis, the confluence of blues and hillbilly music at Sun Studios gives birth to "rockabilly", the precursor of rock and roll. Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash are at the forefront. Rhythm and blues star Ray Charles surprises the industry by deciding to record an album of country songs - showing that music travels in both directions across the nation's racial divide. Nashville has become Music City USA, and in its recording studios country music's twang is replaced by something smoother: the Nashville Sound. Patsy Cline is becoming one of its biggest stars when her life is cut short by an airplane accident.
5. The Sons and Daughters of America (1964-1968)
During a time of cultural upheaval, country music reflects the profound changes in American society. Loretta Lynn writes and performs songs that speak frankly on behalf of women everywhere. Charley Pride becomes a country star when people respond to the quality of his voice instead of the color of his skin. Merle Haggard comes out of prison to become the "Poet of the Common Man". Johnny Cash's life and career descend into the chaos of drug addiction, but he finds salvation through a landmark album recorded at Folsom Prison.
6. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (1968-1972)
With the Vietnam War intensifying, America is more divided than ever. Country music is not immune to the divisions. Kris Kristofferson abandons his military career, becomes a janitor in a Nashville studio, then a writer whose lyricism sets a new standard for country songs. Bob Dylan, the Byrds, and other non-country artists find Nashville a creative place to record. And a hippie band from California, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, creates an iconic album with older country artists that somehow bridges the gap between the generations.
7. Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way? (1973-1983)
Defining country music is debated as never before, and the argument sparks a vibrant era. Dolly Parton crosses over to mainstream success to become the most famous woman in country music. George Jones and Tammy Wynette seemingly live out their songs' tragic lyrics - and create musical masterpieces. Hank Williams, Jr. and Rosanne Cash each emerge from their famous fathers' enormous shadows. Willie Nelson finds creative freedom in Texas, and with Wayion Jennings launches the "Outlaw" movement. Emmylou Harris bridges folk and rock and country music and influences a new generation of artists.
8. Don't Get Above Your Raisin' (1984-1996)
As country music's popularity skyrockets, the genre confronts the question of whether it can also stay true to its roots. The success of the "New Traditionalists" - Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Randy Travis, the Judds, and Dwight Yoakam - suggests it can. After first being turned down by every label in Nashville, Garth Brooks explodes onto the scene. And an aging Johnny Cash returns to a studio with just his guitar and his unforgettable voice to record a series of albums that cements his place in the industry he helped to create.

Show moreShow less

"The Dinner", starring Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney and Rebecca Hall, is a dark psychological thriller about a fierce showdown between two couples during the course of an ornately prepared meal at a fancy restaurant.

When Stan Lohman (Gere), a popular congressman, invites his troubled younger brother Paul (Coogan) and his wife Claire (Linney) to join him and his wife Katelyn (Hall) for dinner at a fashionable restaurant, the stage is set for a tense night. Stan and Paul's teenage sons are friends, and the two of them have committed a crime that has shocked the country. While their sons' identities have not yet been discovered, their parents must now decide what action to take. A riveting story filled with many shocking twists and turns, 'The Dinner' is a chilling parable about the savage reality hidden beneath the surface of middle class lives.