Around The Watercooler -- "Bleak House"

Ok, now a confession. When I said the new Masterpiece Theatre was great fun, I didn't make myself clear. It's well-cast and well-acted (with Gillian Anderson quite unrecognizable with a deep voice and British accent). But the movie is directedly idiotically by Justin Chadwick. Over-the-top zooms, dramatic pans, and hilariously goofy scene cuts (if they switch from London to Bleak House, it's sure to include three quick cuts with thudding ominious music that makes the movie seem like a James Bond film rather than a sober, period drama). Obviously, they were determined to sex up Dickens and make it seem as "modern" as possible. Of course, all they really do is make the viewer feel like they're watching a chop-socky movie -- all that's missing is some bad dubbing.