Tag: Politics

House of Cards (Season 3)

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NOTE: This review contains MILD spoilers for the latest season of House of Cards (Netflix).

HoC_S3_AirForce1 Frank & Claire in front of Air Force One

Well, those two crazy kids FINALLY made it… to the White House!  However, it’s NOT all easygoing at the top for Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), or very exciting (as MANY viewers, including ardent fans, have commented).  A FEW eps were a BIT tough to get through- a rarity for this series in seasons 1 and 2.  There is less scheming, fewer asides to the audience (by Frank), and more talk re: policy changes (this is NOT The West Wing).   

HoC_S3_Doug Surprise: Doug survived the attack at the end of S2!

This is a BIT of a spoiler- Doug (Michael Kelly, slowly being revealed) survived the attack in the woods at the end of Season 2.  A LOT of time is spent on his recovery in this season- TOO much IMO!  Yes, Doug has a lonely life, sleeps w/ pros, and lives for his work (even when President Underwood has NO time for him).  We get to meet his older brother, his wife and kids, and learn more about that aspect of Doug’s life.   

HoC_S3_Frank_RussianPrez Frank reaches out to the (Putin-like) Russian prez- a FUN adversary!

I really liked the scenes between Frank and the tough-as-nails Russian president, who is like a taller version of Putin.  This guy is NOT intimidated easily by Frank- GREAT to see!  The actor did VERY well w/ the role.  Forget boring/wimpy adversaries like President Walker and even Raymond Tusk, this prez won’t back down easily!

HoC_S3_portrait Frank & Claire sit for their official portrait

This season is MAINLY about the (worsening) relationship between Frank and Claire.  They’re even sleeping in separate bedrooms (GASP)!  Robin Wright continues to shine, BUT we wouldn’t expect less.  Claire has a new role (aside from First Lady) this season, as you will learn.

HoC_S3_E7 Frank drinks & talks w/ his (potential) biographer.

Frank recruits a novelist to write his biography, BUT the writer goes off on his own direction.  Sorry, but he’s a boring character.  There is a journalist (played by Kim Dickens) recently the detective on Gone Girl) that is a BIT more interesting, BUT  thought she’d have more to do. 

hoc_ps3_157_h.jpgHeather Dunbar is a VERY strong counterpoint to Frank!

I LOVED seeing Heather Dunbar (played by the statuesque Elizabeth Marvel) as the total opposite of Frank in her demeanor, morals, tactics!  She takes on Jackie Sharp (Molly Parker, seems underused) in a debate scene (which is quite dramatic).  I’d seen Marvel on several eps of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.  Is Dunbar really as clean (moral) of a candidate as she seems?  What’s going on w/ Gavin?  Will Remy be back?  And how will Rachel be dealt with?  You’ll find out… IF you make it through the season.     

Top 10 Moments from Selma (NOW PLAYING)

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Selma_opening

NOTE: This post contains mild SPOILERS.

10) J. Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker) tells President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) that the FBI can create a wedge in the family of MLK, Jr. (David Oyelowo).  

9) Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo) quietly meets with Malcolm X in a church.  He offers assistance to the movement. 

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8)  Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey) punches out a policeman who violently lay hands on her in front of the Selma courthouse.  

7) LBJ tells Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth) that “no way in Hell” will he be on the same page as the backward-thinking man when it comes to history. 

6) Coretta confronts Martin about her fears and insecurities, including the other women in his life.    

5) Rev. Reeve, a white Episcopal priest from Boston, is attacked by a group of young (also white) men.  (I didn’t know about this event before!)

 

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4) The prayer on the Edmund Pettis Bridge- a silent, BUT powerful moment.

3) Some little girls in their Sunday best discussing Coretta’s hair before the church bombing (of the 16th Street Church in Birmingham). 

Selma_already prepared  

2) Amelia Boynton’s “you are already prepared” speech to Coretta- VERY well-written, touching, and inspiring!  (Ms. Boynton is still alive at age 103!  She’ll be a guest of honor on Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech.)

Selma_funeral

1) MLK, Jr.’s emotionally-charged speech at Jimmie Lee Jackson’s funeral.  (Jimmy, an unarmed black man, was shot and killed by a state trooper in a diner.  This was witnessed by his mother and elderly grandfather.)

 

House of Cards: Season 1, Chapter 3

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SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen, or don’t want to know, details from this episode.

Since Steve suddenly took ill, Frank gets a young new driver/body man, Edward Meecham (Nathan Darrow, who was part of the company of Richard III w/ Spacey).  Darrow has a tough job, communicating w/o saying much, as his position requires.

house-of-cards-season-1-chapter-3-frank-church
Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) at the pulpit.

Truth be told, I never really knew him… or what his dreams were.  He was quiet, timid, almost invisible.  …The man never scratched the surface of life.  Maybe it’s best he died so young…  –Frank talks about his father (in an aside)

This ep takes us to Frank’s hometown of Gaffney, South Carolina-shooting was still done in Maryland.  (Yes, the peach statue is real!)  We see a different side of Frank, as he talks w/ regular folks: the mayor, town council, a pastor, and the grieving parents of a teen girl (who died while driving and texting about the statue).  The speech in the small, simple church was both self-serving and compelling!

Frank still conducts meetings (via phone) with Marty Spinella (Al Sapienza), lobbyist for the teachers’ union and various others.  The education bill Frank wants to take to Congress needs some revisions.  Controversial issues like performance standards and teacher tenure come up.

Zoe is praised by the owner of the newspaper, much to the dismay of Tom.  He doesn’t like Zoe’s (ungrateful) attitude, plus the fact that she’s becoming a media darling.  

I know what it’s like to be beautiful and capable and ambitious…  What I see in you is a woman I admire, which doesn’t happen often.  I want to enable you.  I want to clear the way, so that you can achieve what you want to achieve, on your own terms.  -Claire says to Gillian

Claire uses a soft sell to recruit Gillian Cole (Sandrine Ho), the founder of her own start-up (World Well).  Gillian is smart, young, and idealistic, but lacks health insurance (coughing through the job interview).  Claire insists that Gillian see her GP.  Though she’s still a bit skeptical, Gillian agrees to a trial run at CWI.

Peter dumps out the little bag of cocaine (great bit of nonverbal acting from Stoll), and gets to work, even on a Sunday.  Christina is surprised, pleasantly.  Though she got a great job offer, Peter needs her more, we can sense. 

What did you glean from the scene with Claire jogging through the graveyard?  That old woman’s comments affected her somehow.