Moviefone Editorial

Tag: house-of-cards

  • #TBT: Kevin Spacey’s Road to ‘House of Cards’

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    Kevin Spacey currently plays “House of Cards” protagonist Frank Underwood, who is arguably one of the greatest villains ever to grace TV. Season 3 of the Netflix hit returns tonight at midnight, so we thought we would throw it back to some great photos from earlier in his accomplished career for this week’s edition of #TBT. Before he became scheming politico, the Academy Award winner played iconic characters in beloved films like “The Usual Suspects,” “American Beauty,” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Here are some snapshots from his Hollywood history.

  • 7 Things to Know Before Watching ‘House of Cards’ Season 3

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    We’re just a few hours away from the midnight release of the highly-anticipated third season of political drama, “House of Cards.” We can’t wait to see what deceitful dealings Frank and Claire Underwood have up their sleeves now that they’re in the ultimate positions of power. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll be spending at least some of your weekend with your beloved Netflix. But before you do, you may need a refresher in what went down last season. Here are 7 things you should definitely be aware of before diving into “House of Cards” Season 3. Spoilers ahead.

  • 5 Reasons to Love Frank Underwood on ‘House of Cards’

    frank underwoodIt has now become commonplace to get excited every time a snowstorm rolls into town, because that gives us an excuse to binge-watch hours upon hours of House of Cards.” The excitement is due to the show’s main character, Francis Joseph Underwood. Whether Frank is devising some diabolical plan or reminding everyone just how much more smarter then them he is, we can’t help but be intrigued. Here’s five reasons why we love Frank Underwood:

    1. He Gives the Best Advice
    With his southern drawl and knack for spewing out hometown sayings (Gaffney, S.C., must have a lot of sayings), Frank just can’t help but share his infinite wisdom with us. It doesn’t matter if his speeches deal with the high pressure world of Congressional coups or he’s simply working through a problem out loud, some of Frank’s most captivating moments occur when he faces the camera to share a soliloquy. Some of Frank Underwood’s best quotes are:

    • ” Shake with your right hand, but hold a rock in your left.”
    • “The only thing more satisfying than convincing someone to do what I want is failing to persuade them on purpose. It’s like a Do Not Enter sign. It just begs you to walk through the door.”
    • “She’s right. I should take better care of myself. But it’s the principle. I wont be a slave to anybody or anything you can order with a toll-free number.”
    • “Never slap a man while he’s chewing tobacco.”
    • “I’ve always loathed the necessity of sleep. Like death, it puts even the most powerful men on their backs.”

    2. He Married Claire
    They say behind every great man stands a strong woman. Well, Claire Underwood stands behind no one. Her cunning attitude and quick wits make her a perfect partner for Frank. More than once she’s gotten him out of a jam. Claire can go from having an affair one minute to sabotaging her lover’s life the next. She even managed to turn a scandal for a politician’s wife (having an abortion) into a great moment for her personal and professional life (accusing her former college rapist, now a high-ranking military General, of being the reason she got the abortion in the first place). If there’s one thing Claire Underwood has taught us it’s that you don’t rise to the rank of First Lady of the United States by just shaking hands and kissing babies.

    3. He Gets Away With Murder
    No one is safe with Frank Underwood around. Not even dogs (as we learned in the opening moments of the show). Frank has no gripes with murder, as long as it serves a purpose with getting him closer to his goal. Peter Russo was just a pawn in a game to force the Vice President out of the way. Zoe Barns just got a little too close to a story, and too close to a subway platform for that matter. Either way, all characters are forewarned. Frank knows how to cover his tracks.

    4. Frank’s Focus
    Who didn’t feel bad for Freddy the BBQ Guy when Frank tossed him aside like yesterday’s baby back ribs. Or how about when Frank turned the shooting death of a child into a negotiation tool to stop a teachers’ strike. Frank is resourceful. He will not let anything stand in his way. It’s worked out so far. He’s gone from the guy whipping votes in Congress to running the country from the White House (although there might not be a difference between the two). Without running a campaign, Frank has become President by outsmarting his opponents, Chiefs of Staff, Washington lobbyists, hired hookers included.

    5. No One Messes With Frank
    Hell hath no fury like Frank Underwood scorned. This all started from him getting screwed over right? All they had to do was make him Secretary of State like they promised. But then again, we wouldn’t have a story to watch. Where would the nation’s capital be without the thrill of Washington Herald reporters fearing for their lives, or a menage-a-trois with a secret service agent, or former waitresses/prostitutes knocking out Harry Stamper (Is he really dead?). Either way, the fact that Frank was wronged first is why we can’t help but root for him. A small part of us wants him to win — maybe not commit any more murders along the way — but win nonetheless. Long Live President Underwood.
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  • This ‘Sesame Street’ ‘House of Cards’ Parody Is Perfect (VIDEO)

    House of Bricks, Sesame Street, House of Cards parody“Sesame Street” has come up with yet another perfect pop culture parody with “House of Bricks,” a clever take on Netflix series “House of Cards.”

    The segment stars Frank Underwolf, doing his best Kevin Spacey impression, in a spin on the classic tale “The Three Little Pigs.” Underwolf wants to blow down houses made of straw and sticks so he can get into the one he really wants: “The White Brick House.”

    Underwolf’s southern drawl and penchant for delivering monologues into the camera — which confuses the Three Little Pigs — are a spot-on parody of the Netflix series, as is the twist ending, in which nothing is as it seems. Check out the clever clip below.
    Season three of “House of Cards” debuts on Netflix on February 27.

    Photo credit: YouTube
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  • Netflix Accidentally Posts ‘House of Cards’ Season 3 Two Weeks Early


    “House of Cards” fans eagerly anticipating the series’s late February debut on Netflix were probably pretty excited when they found out that the streaming service had posted the first 10 of 13 new episodes more than two weeks earlier than planned.

    Unfortunately, Netflix caught wind of its error not long after the mistake was made public, and pulled the episodes from the service almost immediately. The company later blamed faulty technology for the accidental posting.

    “Due to a technical glitch some Frank Underwood fans got a sneak peak,” Netflix said in a statement. “He’ll be back on Netflix on Feb. 27.”

    The official “House of Cards” Twitter account also commented on the mistake, joking, “This is Washington. There’s always a leak.”

    Based on the episode descriptions that were (briefly) available during the snafu, it looks like the Russian president will play a large role in season three of the Emmy-winning series. Fans will have to wait until February 27 to learn more.

    [via: Time, The Hollywood Reporter, House of Cards]

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  • ​The 17 Best and Worst TV Presidents

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    The president of the United States used to be such a lofty figure, so far removed from the fantasy life of the American people, that he (or she) was seldom portrayed as a recurring character on TV dramas. But somewhere between Bill Clinton’s saxophone solo on the old Arsenio Hall late-night talk show and Barack Obama’s interview with comic Zach Galafianakis on “Between Two Ferns,” the chief executive became a TV pop culture staple.

    These days, you can barely change the channel without coming across a small-screen president, whether on ABC’s “Scandal,” CBS’ “Madam Secretary,” or NBC’s “State of Affairs.” Not to mention the about-to-launch seasons of Netflix’s “House of Cards” and HBO’s “Veep,” whose ambitious lead characters (played by Kevin Spacey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, respectively) will finally be settling into the Oval Office in this year’s story arcs.

    Of course, TV presidents are all over the map, and not just in the red-state-blue-state sense. Some are feckless, some faultless, and some funny. Here’s how some of our favorites rate in the polls, from worst to best.

  • Thank God: BBC’s Series Will Remain on Netflix

    Well this is a huge relief: the BBC and Netflix have hugged it out and the British series threatening to leave the streaming service at the end of the month (among them: “Top Gear,” “Luther,” the original “House of Cards” and, critically, “Doctor Who” and its spin-off “Torchwood”) are secure. As The Best of Netflix points out, “these types of last minute deals are often very common.” The site theorizes that the shows will be around at least for “the next several months,” although points out that most of these contract re-ups last for a year or more.

    We have actually just started making our way through the vast and complicated “Doctor Who”-niverse and are somewhere in the David Tennant years, so we would have to do a lot of cramming in order to make it through before Netflix pulled the plug. And we haven’t even gotten into “Torchwood” yet!

    Below is the list of series saved from the chopping block. Certainly the public outcry following the news of these series getting zapped made an impact, so, if your favorite show is looking like it’s going off of the provider, please make a stink on social media. It actually does help!

    Classic “Doctor Who”
    “Doctor Who” seasons 1 -7
    “Copper” seasons 1-2
    “House of Cards” trilogy
    “Keeping Up Appearances” season 1
    “Luther” seasons 1-3
    “Monarch of the Glen” seasons 1-6
    “North & South”
    “Robin Hood” seasons 1-3
    “The Buccaneers”
    “The Office” U.K. seasons 1-2
    “Top Gear” seasons 17-20
    “Torchwood” seasons 1-4
    “Wallander” seasons 1-3

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  • Watch Golden Globe Winner Kevin Spacey in the ‘House of Cards’ Season 3 Trailer

    Last night House of Cards” (produced by another Golden Globes nominee, David Fincher). And, as if by magic, during the commercial break following Spacey’s win, we got a lengthy, insanely moody trailer for the third season and it looks pretty tremendous.

    The trailer is incredibly quick, with only the briefest flashes of action, but it looks like there are going to be serious complications, both in Underwood’s ascension and in his relationship with his steely wife Claire (Robin Wright). Also, we noticed that the “Deep Web” hacker guy from last season is back, which is both topical and timely!

    It’s unclear whether or not this will be the final season for the all-star Netflix series, considering the British series only ran for three seasons (although the entire series ran for a total of twelve episodes), but we don’t think this is going to be the season where Underwood gets his comeuppance. Man are we longing for that comeuppance!

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  • New Year’s Resolutions for TV Characters

    Sansa Stark at her wedding in Game of Thrones

    Sure, that sort of behavior makes for great drama and comedy, but it also makes for messy lives. If our favorite TV characters really want to clean up their acts, they’ll take our advice and adopt these custom-tailored New Year‘s resolutions.

    Sansa Stark (“Game of Thrones”): I will not accept any wedding invitations.

    Mindy Lahiri (“The Mindy Project”): I will remember that life is not a romantic comedy, and everything doesn’t turn out the way it does for Meg Ryan.

    Lisa Simpson (“The Simpsons”): After 25 years, I will finally pass the second grade.

    Don Draper (“Mad Men”): Maybe seeing Bert Cooper dancing down the hallway after his death is a sign that I shouldn’t drink so much.

    Saul Goodman (formerly of “Breaking Bad,” soon to be seen on “Better Call Saul”): I will find a better class of clientele. Maybe just white-collar criminals.

    The cast of “Scandal”: We will stop mixing work and our social lives.

    Frank and Claire Underwood (“House of Cards”): Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.

    Alicia Florrick (“The Good Wife”): Me, too.

    Fitz (“Scandal”): Oh, one more for me: no more presidential phone sex. You never know who’s listening…

    Jane Villanueva (“Jane the Virgin”): I’ll go through with the malpractice suit against the gynecologist whose epic blunder left me pregnant, even if she is the sister of hunky, wealthy Rafael. Or at least I’ll make Rafael cough up for daycare.

    Jonah (“Silicon Valley”): I will never get into a driverless, computer-controlled car again.

    The cast of “Orange Is the New Black”: Is it too late to get time off for good behavior?

    Paige (“The Americans”): I know my parents are weird and secretive, but I will not look too hard for the skeletons in their closet, since I might be super creeped out by what I find.

    Sheldon Cooper (“The Big Bang Theory”): I will interact more with lesser human beings, and I won’t always bring disinfectant wipes.

    Jules Cobb (“Cougar Town”): I’ll stop drinking so much red wine and switch to something less heavy-duty. Like white wine.

    Will Graham (“Hannibal”): I will try to get some sleep, though I’ll surely be troubled by nightmares.

    Jack Larsen (“Stalker”): Um, maybe I should stop being a stalker? Or at least appearing to be one?

    Sterling Archer (“Archer”): You know that whole “Miami Vice” thing we did throughout last season? I’ll forget it if you viewers will.

    John Thackery (“The Knick”). Imagine how much more brilliant and trailblazing a surgeon I could be if I weren’t high on liquid cocaine all the time. Maybe I could have invented transplant surgery in 1900 if I weren’t so busy probing the spaces between my toes for injectable veins.

    The extended Braverman clan (“Parenthood”): When we have our series finale at the end of January, we won’t make you cry… too much.

    The cast of “Parks and Recreation”: Neither will we… oh, who are we kidding? You’ll weep as hard as if Li’l Sebastian died all over again.

    Valerie Cherish (“The Comeback”): I’ll be back.

    Robert Crawley, Lord Grantham (“Downton Abbey”): I will consult with my family before embarking on any new business ventures, since I’m clearly hopeless at such things. Although that American fellow, Ponzi, seems like a successful money manager…

    Dowager Countess Violet Crawley (“Downton Abbey”): I shan’t be making any resolutions, as I do not require any self-improvement. Though I can think of others who do.