Season 2 of "House of Cards" will be available next Friday, February 14th. Can't wait!

Yes!!!

Has any one watched the original 'House of Cards'? Its on netflix too - really really good. I kinda preferred it to the first season of the American Version. Ian Richardson is really excellent in it.

Speaking of superior British TV versions... The Office

The original BBC series of The Office is on Netflix. It's original, has depth, smart and hilarious. Ricky Gervais is genius with his realistic, raw and naked performance of the smart, immature, and both caring and selfish boss who wants to be appreciated.

The American remake is funny, but it fails to capture the realism, realistic characters, and raw emotion that gives the BBC version an intense humor. Steve Carell is a funny and talented actor, but I found him an unrealistic goof in The Office. If he was supposed to copy the Gervais' character, he missed the most important component.

John Krasinski (Jim) and Jenna Fischer (Pam) do a good job of capturing the character realism. And Rainn Wilson (Dwight) makes it work, although not quite as well as Mackenzie Crook, who performs Gareth with a very authentic raw nakedness that evokes a great deal of empathy. Wilson doesn't capture that near as well.

I loved both the British and American versions of The Office. I thought that they captured a different mode - While David Brent is totally incompetent and the British version is SUPER uncomfortable, I think the American version is less cynical and more sappy - But in a good way that worked for me.


Both Butter and Young Adult are available - Just reviewed them in the Last Seen Thread:


Butter (2011)


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Second-time viewing and I loved it even more this time around. I love the characters, I love the actors - Everyone is simply brilliant and this movie turns well on sweet moments to dirty humor. Olivia Wilde is simply STUNNING and a scene-stealer, Jennifer Garner is brilliant, and Rob Corddry is really charming. I love this little movie. Definitely recommended.

4.5/5


...


Young Adult (2011)


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This was my second time watching this movie and I loved it even more. I think it's a sad but honest and accurate portrayal of a woman going through a midlife crisis. Well-written and brilliantly acted, Charlize Theron is incredible to watch as her character just implodes. And Patton Oswalt is really sympathetic and charming. Definitely recommended as a good, solid character drama.


4.75/5

First series of the American office is a bit hit and miss, with the script being too heavily lifted directly from the UK office and Carell not really finding his feet in the role. After that its quality, but very different from the UK version... That said, I thought they find a real hack job on the final series, awful writing.

I enjoy watching the Am version from time-to-time. The UK version had me hooked, had to see them all. They weren't pacing themselves. I agree the Am ver is more lighthearted (sappy as you say). Curious though, what did you find cynical in the UK ver?

Agreed, Am ver was a different animal and usually well written and executed. I'm just finding out last season was the finale. I see ratings fell after the 5th season. The last season garnered only about 60% of the 5th season. Not sure what ratings execs require these days.

Season 2 of House of Cards is now available!!! Can't wait to get home from work and start watching it!

I took up the challenge.... There really wasn't enough Dracula Mantis for my tastes. ::smile::

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Finished Season 2 of House of Cards yesterday. All I can say is wow. :shocked: