Thompson on Hollywood

Immersed in Movies: Craft-Talking David Fincher's Emmy-Contender 'House of Cards'

Features

From the very first moment that Kevin Spacey broke the fourth wall as the devilishly charming House Majority Whip Frank Underwood in "House of Cards," Netflix's first original TV series, we knew that we were in for "Richard III" in D.C. It's so David Fincher, who signed on as exec producer and director of the first two episodes, while writer-showrunner Beau Willimon ("The Ides of March") plotted the political machinations with transcendent glee. No wonder it's induced binge viewing and attracted Emmy buzz.

By Bill Desowitz
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May 24, 2013 2:22 PM
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Trailer Watch: The Bluths Are Back in 'Arrested Development' Season Four

Television

The trailer for the much-anticipated fourth season of "Arrested Development" has landed. The series, which was cancelled in 2006, was picked up again by original-content crusader Netflix and is set to air all-new episodes on May 26.

By Beth Hanna
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May 13, 2013 2:56 PM
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Navigating the Streaming Studio System, from Amazon and Netflix to Warner Archive Instant

News

Viewers have more than their fair share of choices when it comes to online video content, as both Amazon and Warner Bros. have recently unveiled new streaming services to compete with on-the-rise Netflix.

By Ryan Lattanzio
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May 8, 2013 2:35 PM
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Can Statistics Be Used to Compute a Hit Film Script?

News

Online media streaming services like Netflix and Pandora have long been using algorithms to determine what customers are watching and listening to. Now, according to an article just published in The New York Times, Hollywood may start to employ such data analysis in script development.

By Ryan Lattanzio
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May 6, 2013 1:52 PM
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WATCH: Gory Clip from Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove' Shows Werewolf Transformation

Video

Gore alert! It should come as no surprise, coming from gorehound Eli Roth ("Grindhouse," "Hostel") that the latest clip from Netflix's next original series "Hemlock Grove" is not for the faint of heart. The whole horror series is likely to be as eagerly gross as this scene. Produced by Roth, "Hemlock Grove" begins with a "Twin Peaks" premise: when a 17-year-old girl is brutally murdered in a former steel town in Pennsylvania, all of Hemlock's eccentric denizens-- and violent creatures-- are suspects.

By Maggie Lange
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March 30, 2013 5:20 PM
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Netflix Sets Wachowskis Free with J. Michael Straczynski for New Original Content Series 'Sense8'

Television

Video service Netflix continues to blaze trails in the original content game. In a brilliant move, the company has tapped the Wachowskis ("Cloud Atlas," "The Matrix") and "Babylon 5" creator Michael J. Straczynski to develop a new series, "Sense8." The few details we know about the project promise a ten-episode first season, available exclusively to Netflix members in late 2014, that spans a global tale of "minds linked and souls hunted."

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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March 27, 2013 12:58 PM
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HBO GO "Could Evolve" Into an Internet Package for Non-Subscribers, CEO Plepler Says

News

HBO CEO Richard Plepler is considering the possibility of partnering with broadband internet providers to widen access to the company's HBO GO streaming service for non-subscribers. Plepler told Reuters, "Maybe HBO GO, with our broadband partners, could evolve."

By Beth Hanna
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March 22, 2013 2:01 PM
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Netflix Picks Up 'The Killing' Season Three for Streaming, Connects with Facebook

News

Netflix has picked up exclusive streaming rights for the third season of the FOX TV mystery series "The Killing" after three months, which is a much shorter window than usual. And on Tuesday, the streaming service announced a new integration with Facebook that will make it even easier for people to find the Netflix content they want. It will allow Netflix to connect its U.S. subscribers to their Facebook friends to see what they’re watching.

By Anne Thompson
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March 14, 2013 3:18 PM
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Robin Wright Hits a Groove, from 'House of Cards' to Upcoming 'Congress' and 'Most Wanted Man'

Television

After three strong supporting roles in 2011 ("Moneyball," "Rampart," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), Robin Wright returned with headliner power in Netflix's "House of Cards." Much has been said about how the show (reviews: TOH, Indiewire) heralds the new post-TV era (as of February 12 it was the most-streamed title on Netflix). But for many observers, the big reveal of the series (available in its 13-episode entirety on Netflix) is not the always showy Kevin Spacey, or yet another wily Mara sister, but scene-stealer Wright as Washington powerbroker Claire Underwood.

By Sophia Savage
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February 19, 2013 6:17 AM
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Review: Netflix's 'House of Cards' Is Classy, Campy and Diabolically Watchable (TRAILER)

Television

“Nobody’s a boy scout. Not even boy scouts,” drawls Kevin Spacey’s Francis “Frank” Underwood. As the mastermind congressman suggests, all players in Netflix’s “House of Cards” have sharp teeth and like the taste of blood. The new series, which is based on the original BBC production, is executive produced and helmed in part by David Fincher, and has the cool grey-gold look and streamlined efficiency of the director’s work.