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Netflix originals...

Vic Sage Jul 18 2013 01:01 PM

So now i've watched 2 original series produced exclusively for NetFlix and they were both really good. The first is HOUSE OF CARDS, which i'm sure we've talked about somewhere, but this Kevin Spacey series about Washington politics is just about the best show i've ever seen about the pursuit and exercise of power. Sure it has its lurid overheated melodramatic moments, but there's a lot that feels true, too, particularly with regard to the media's role in the political process. And Spacey's asides to the audience are hilarious and terrifying. He's perversely likeable, even while killing people. Maybe because of his confident pursuit of his own narrow self-interest at everyone else's expense. He's kind of a Nietzchean anti-hero and has a sense of humor about it. The second series I just finished is ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, an hour-long dramedy by the creator of WEEDS, about a yuppy WASP girl, Piper Chapman, a Smith girl from Connecticut who ends up in prison on an old drug money charge (she was given up to the feds by her drug dealing lesbian ex-girlfriend) just as she's about to marry her yuppy Jewish boyfriend, who didn't know anything about her past. I loved WEEDS (some seasons, anyway), so I was willing to give this a shot, even though i wasn't terribly excited by the premise. As in WEEDS, we once again have a lead heroine whose normal upper-middle existence is turned upside down when her own sexual adventurism and need for excitement (and involvement in the drug trade) destroy her conventional life. This time, instead of involving her family in a life of drug dealing, she is dealing with being locked up in a federal minimum security prison for a year. Don't worry... it's not OZ. It's dangerous, and it's prison, but it's not quite that brutal and intense. It's like living locked up in a bad high school, where there's no privacy, and you do shitty jobs, and you're under the control of idiots and morons and control freaks with guns, and there's alot of lesbian sex and bad food, and the constant petty injustices make you want to scream, and sometimes people might want to kill you. How accurate a portrayal is this, of this kind of prison life? I've no idea, but it's all based on a best-selling memoir by the woman whose story this is. It's an addictive show, and the characters, even Piper, grow on you and draw you into their stories and their lives. It's that wonderful combination of funny/absurd/poignant/scary/sad. I can definitely see where some might hate Piper so much they don't care what happens to her, but i found her situation relatable and wished the best for her. I have no idea when the second seasons of either of these shows will get released, but the great thing about a Netflix series is that the release the whole season at once, so you can watch all together, without have to wait a week between episodes. It's so much more satisfying to watch a show that way. The other original NETFLIX series include: * LILYHAMMER, a NYC gangster in Norway, with Stevie Van Zandt * BAD SAMARITANS, a comedy about a group of parolees doing community service * HEMLOCK GROVE - a horror series * ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT - they are continuing the cult comedy series on NetFlix this year I haven't seen any of these yet. Meanwhile, the Wachowskis are developing a new SF series for next year called SENS8.

Mets – Willets Point Jul 18 2013 01:22 PM Re: Netflix originals...

Vic Sage wrote: How accurate a portrayal is this, of this kind of prison life? Has to be more accurate than Reform School Girls, although it will not have dialogue triumphs like "You're just a shit-stain on the panties of life!"

TransMonk Jul 18 2013 02:23 PM Re: Netflix originals...

I'm two episodes into HOUSE OF CARDS and one into ORANGE...I plan on finishing out both seasons.

Fman99 Jul 18 2013 02:30 PM Re: Netflix originals...

The thread where this was discussed previously was this one. The wife and I are nearly done with Lost, we are down to the last 8-10 episodes of the series. All of the loose ends from seasons 4 and 5 seem to be coming to head in the final season. We've enjoyed it, overall.

seawolf17 Jul 18 2013 02:46 PM Re: Netflix originals...

I feel like we gave "Lost" short shrift. Addicted right away, was really into Season 2, got confused in the middle of Season 3, and never picked it up again.

Fman99 Jul 18 2013 06:33 PM Re: Netflix originals...

seawolf17 wrote: I feel like we gave "Lost" short shrift. Addicted right away, was really into Season 2, got confused in the middle of Season 3, and never picked it up again. I thought seasons 4-5 were kind of the lower point of the series after a steady build in momentum over seasons 1-3. But so far season 6 (the last season) is wrapping up a lot of the loose ends.

soupcan Aug 02 2013 07:40 AM Re: Netflix originals...

Vic - glad you liked House of Cards, I too thought it was fantastic. Spacey is great but this is the first time I've ever really been impressed by Robin Wright. She's got some chops she does. Orange Is The New Black - I definitely liked it but maybe it just doesnt intrigue me like HoC or The Wire. I was curious to watch the next episode but not dying to as I was with the other two series. And I dislike Piper. Too self-absorbed for me but I get it. Crazy Eyes, Daya, Mendez...those are the characters I'm digging. And for you Wire fans - The actor playing Mendez on OitNB was also Nick Sobotka on The Wire and the actor playing Healey was Steve on Deadwood. Both of them still kicking ass.

seawolf17 Aug 02 2013 07:49 AM Re: Netflix originals...

Watched the first two episodes of OITNB last night. Meh.

Vic Sage Aug 02 2013 08:35 AM Re: Netflix originals...

as i said, it takes a while to grow on you. or not. i'm not going to shill for it. maybe i'm just hot for Piper. She ain't a redhead, but she's alright.

metirish Aug 02 2013 08:37 AM Re: Netflix originals...

Netflix are finally letting users add multiple profiles(5) , as it is when i go to Netflix most shows that populate come from my son's watching habits....

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 04 2013 03:03 PM Re: Netflix originals...

I finally finished ORANGE/BLACK and was fairly shocked at the ending. I mean, I understand it but still wouldn't expect it. I guess they think it'll be a big hit and she needs more time on her sentence. I felt like some episodes moved too slowly and/or went on too long, but on balance I will give Season 2 a shot.

RealityChuck Sep 05 2013 08:10 AM Re: Netflix originals...

We just got a web-enabled TV and started with Netflix. Arrested Development -- not as good as original, though the complexity of the story arc is fun; characters are doing things in one episode that isn't explained for several episodes later. However, concentrating on one character is less funny than having multiple subplots. House of Cards. My problem is that I was a fan of the original BBC series. Francis Urquhart was funnier, more likeable, and more sinister than Frank Underwood. I have a quibble over the use of the catchphrase, which makes no sense in the US context, and the dark cinematography is very mannered. Still, it's a decent updating and translation to American politics. My wife likes it more, but I'll continue to the end.

soupcan Sep 06 2013 07:39 AM Re: Netflix originals...

Catch phrase?

RealityChuck Sep 07 2013 07:39 PM Re: Netflix originals...

"You might think that. I couldn't possibly comment." Urquhart used it to mislead the press to believe what he wanted them to believe. Underwood uses it because it was in the original.

Vic Sage Sep 15 2013 08:59 AM Re: Netflix originals...

Another series just made available exclusively on NETFLIX is the british series, DEREK, written, directed and starring Ricky Gervais. There are only 7 episodes available right now, and i recommend them. It is unlike any other Gervais project you've ever seen. Its funny, but mostly a compassionate, bittersweet and poignant portrait of a middle-aged retarded man working in a senior citizen's home, and the people in his life. But it's major subject is the power of kindness to redeem us. Some may find it emotionally manipulative; i didn't mind. It's done in that "OFFICE"-style of confessional verite documentary, which i usually don't care for but, again, i didn't mind. And if you're a Gervais fan, you might be disappointed because it lacks the lacerating edge of his standup and brutal satire of his other tv work. But it stands on its own, and Gervais' performance is tremendous. Watch it with a loved one and have tissues nearby.