To say I was excited for the 4th season of "Arrested Development" would be an understatement. The original 3 seasons of the show compromise my favorite comedy series of all time. There is no series that I have watched more times on purpose than "Arrested Development." The series even ended well by coming full circle with the story and wrapping up most of the major storylines. I didn't need anymore. But if the creator and the entire original cast is going to come back and do the show, you better believe I'm going to get excited and pay attention.
The 4th season takes a different approach that embraces the spirit of "Arrested Development's" classic setup of jokes that will pay off many episodes later. Each episode focuses on one character where we get their story and a lot of setup for everyone else's story. This makes the season feel like an 8 hour movie instead of a 15 episode TV season. And that really is how it should be treated. It was made for binge viewing. Maybe finishing it off in 2 to 3 sittings of 5 episodes each. In fact looking back their are definite storylines that could be separated. The creator has long wanted to do a movie version of the show and you can almost feel that desire in this new season.
So how did it work? Well there is definitly some rust that takes a few episodes to shake off. The first 3 or 4 episodes are slow setup episodes were you don't get the payoff to the jokes until the last episode of the series. That's fine but there is a little too much setup and not enough funny. But once we get past those episodes things really start to click and the season really hits its stride during the last half of the season where it feels like every episode is a winner. The last 5 in particular were fantastic and I couldn't stop watching them, devouring them all in one sitting. "Arrested Development" was always slightly darker than most of the comedy available on TV and this season brought it to another level. They really embrace how awful some of these people are. I almost feel bad for laughing at some of things they end up doing to innocent people. Almost.
After getting through the entire season my only problem is with how it ends. As I mentioned already the original 3 seasons ended great with no need for a followup. Not so here. Now if there is no more "Arrested Development" in my future I will be very upset. There is some interesting stuff going on here and I want to see how it all plays out. This new season scratched an itch I didn't realize I had and has left we with a serious need for more. Hopefully I won't have to wait 5 years this time. Overall Season 4 gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises Review - Spoiler Free
The emergence of the comic book movie genre in the early 2000’s was started by 2 different trilogies, X-Men and Spiderman. In both instances the first two movies teased the third and when that third movie finally came out it was a disappointment. Both were overloaded with villains and failed to pay off on the storylines and character arcs that they had established. The Nolan Batman trilogy was not formed the same way. Each movie was not intended to build towards the next. However, “The Dark Knight Rises” solidified the three movies as a trilogy. A trilogy that does not disappoint in its final act like so many have before it. Nolan has made three different movies, each focusing on a different type of movie. “Batman Begins” will be remembered as one of the best origin movies, “The Dark Knight” will be remembered as one of the best Joker/psychological thriller movie, and “The Dark Knight Rises” will be remembered as one of the best action movies of all time.
During the build up to the movie concern began to grow as more and more new characters were added to the mix. But by casting high caliber actors and with the clever scripting the trap that many other third installments fall into was avoided by Mr. Nolan. The most notable new casting belongs to Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Bane is a difficult character as he has been mishandled in the comics for years until recently in “Secret Six;” but Hardy played Bane in the way that he should be played. As someone who becomes an evil Batman. He has the training and the strength but instead of trying to save the city he is trying to destroy it. The Bane in this movie is the best version of Bane I have ever seen and that includes the stories I have read in the comics. There has been a lot of negative press regarding Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I never really understood this, I guess people only know her from “The Princess Diaries,” but she is terrific, she portrays the sexuality and the conflicting feelings that Catwoman should have. Both put in a great performance and the returning cast puts in the fantastic performances that we have come to expect from them.
Nolan has filmed a great story here. I was fortunate enough to see the film at an IMAX theatre and all of the big action sequences in the movie were truly epic. One of the most memorable parts of the movie was the actual music. The chanting that has been heard throughout the previews for the movie builds throughout the film and when it starts playing the audience starts moving to the edge of their seat. All of this served to help the audience follow a plot that at times can feel a little complicated. If there is any weakness to talk about in the film it’s that there are parts in the middle of the movie that slow the flow down and we get an exposition dump that isn’t delivered clearly. This is all cleared up by the end of the movie but it was at this point where I wanted the movie to move forward. The ending of the movie had a couple of moments that took away from the impact of the film and it did get a little bit comic bookie at the end.
Overall though the film is a great piece of work and is a fantastic end to the Nolan trilogy. They don’t have to make another Batman film ever and I would be happy. But we all know that won’t happen. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
During the build up to the movie concern began to grow as more and more new characters were added to the mix. But by casting high caliber actors and with the clever scripting the trap that many other third installments fall into was avoided by Mr. Nolan. The most notable new casting belongs to Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Bane is a difficult character as he has been mishandled in the comics for years until recently in “Secret Six;” but Hardy played Bane in the way that he should be played. As someone who becomes an evil Batman. He has the training and the strength but instead of trying to save the city he is trying to destroy it. The Bane in this movie is the best version of Bane I have ever seen and that includes the stories I have read in the comics. There has been a lot of negative press regarding Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I never really understood this, I guess people only know her from “The Princess Diaries,” but she is terrific, she portrays the sexuality and the conflicting feelings that Catwoman should have. Both put in a great performance and the returning cast puts in the fantastic performances that we have come to expect from them.
Nolan has filmed a great story here. I was fortunate enough to see the film at an IMAX theatre and all of the big action sequences in the movie were truly epic. One of the most memorable parts of the movie was the actual music. The chanting that has been heard throughout the previews for the movie builds throughout the film and when it starts playing the audience starts moving to the edge of their seat. All of this served to help the audience follow a plot that at times can feel a little complicated. If there is any weakness to talk about in the film it’s that there are parts in the middle of the movie that slow the flow down and we get an exposition dump that isn’t delivered clearly. This is all cleared up by the end of the movie but it was at this point where I wanted the movie to move forward. The ending of the movie had a couple of moments that took away from the impact of the film and it did get a little bit comic bookie at the end.
Overall though the film is a great piece of work and is a fantastic end to the Nolan trilogy. They don’t have to make another Batman film ever and I would be happy. But we all know that won’t happen. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Godfather - The Oscar Project Part XLV
Now we’re getting into the really good stuff. The 1972 winner for the Best Picture Oscar was “The Godfather.” I have seen this film many times before so there weren’t really any surprises for me here. It is one of the most influential film of the past 50 years. Not only does it begin the telling of a great story that is finished with “The Godfather II” (I won’t mention the third film), but it also brought to prominence a slew of great actors which includes Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan.
“The Godfather” follows the story of Michael Corleone, the youngest brother of a family of Italian-Americans. The first part of the movie sets up the world of underground crime that the family is involved in. Things take a turn for the worse when the head of the family, Vito, played by Marlon Brando, refuses to begin trafficking drugs. When he is shot, Michael gets drawn into the world of crime and eventually must flee the country and live in Italy. While there he marries a local girl who is then murdered in an assassination attempt on Michael. Eventually Michael returns to America after his older brother is killed and takes over the family, marries the girlfriend that he left in the states and then must deal with the fallout of the death of his father. The movie ends with him becoming a Godfather to his nephew and at the same time settling all family business by taking revenge on his enemies.
What more is there to say about this movie that hasn’t already been said, the first thing I think of when I think about “The Godfather” is the theme music. If you’ve seen the movie you are probably already hearing it in your head. The second would be the acting; my favorite scene is at the end when Michael is confronting someone that betrayed him. You can see that he has completely given into the world of crime at this point and is an evil man. Pacino puts in the performance of a lifetime here, and he isn’t the only one to give a solid performance, there isn’t a weak spot to be found in the acting. The only point that people have really ever found contention with is the complicated plot. It may take several viewing to fully understand what is going on. And it did take me more than one watch to be able to fully describe the plot to someone. It’s a movie that makes you work. But it is so good that you won’t mind.
“The Godfather” will remain on Top 10 lists for a long time. And it should. The film holds up to any of the gangster and crime films of today. If you haven’t seen it rent or just go buy the film. You won’t regret it. 5 out of 5 stars.
“The Godfather” follows the story of Michael Corleone, the youngest brother of a family of Italian-Americans. The first part of the movie sets up the world of underground crime that the family is involved in. Things take a turn for the worse when the head of the family, Vito, played by Marlon Brando, refuses to begin trafficking drugs. When he is shot, Michael gets drawn into the world of crime and eventually must flee the country and live in Italy. While there he marries a local girl who is then murdered in an assassination attempt on Michael. Eventually Michael returns to America after his older brother is killed and takes over the family, marries the girlfriend that he left in the states and then must deal with the fallout of the death of his father. The movie ends with him becoming a Godfather to his nephew and at the same time settling all family business by taking revenge on his enemies.
What more is there to say about this movie that hasn’t already been said, the first thing I think of when I think about “The Godfather” is the theme music. If you’ve seen the movie you are probably already hearing it in your head. The second would be the acting; my favorite scene is at the end when Michael is confronting someone that betrayed him. You can see that he has completely given into the world of crime at this point and is an evil man. Pacino puts in the performance of a lifetime here, and he isn’t the only one to give a solid performance, there isn’t a weak spot to be found in the acting. The only point that people have really ever found contention with is the complicated plot. It may take several viewing to fully understand what is going on. And it did take me more than one watch to be able to fully describe the plot to someone. It’s a movie that makes you work. But it is so good that you won’t mind.
“The Godfather” will remain on Top 10 lists for a long time. And it should. The film holds up to any of the gangster and crime films of today. If you haven’t seen it rent or just go buy the film. You won’t regret it. 5 out of 5 stars.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Mad Men - S5E13 - The Phantom
With two huge episodes before this one it is not surprising that “The Phantom” lacked a lot of big moments that we expect from the season finale of “Mad Men.” Instead we get a nice character piece. A large portion of this episode focused on Pete and his continued adventures with his mistress. It turns out that she is going to get shock therapy to help with her depression. She believes that she has found a kindred spirit in Pete as someone else that cannot be happy. But she’s wrong as he believes that he can be happy if he is with her. After the shock therapy, she no longer remembers Pete though. It is revealed later that her husband makes her do this every time she cheats on him. The ensuing fight on the train leads Trudy to let Pete get what he has wanted, an apartment in the city. Finally Pete gets what he wants just to have something that he actually cared about ripped away.
We also get a nice little check in with Peggy. It’s quite a different experience with her boss who wants her to do anything to land a client instead of Don who would look at the merit of the creativity as a means of landing a client. She is of course put on what will be named Virginia Slims and their future tagline, “You’ve come a long way baby.” Something that Peggy can relate too. The closing shot at the end shows that even though she has moved forward she still has a long way to go before she’s truly arrived and sees an Eiffel Tower out her window instead of two dogs having sex.
Roger had a minor story as well as he was able to bed Megan’s mother and tried to convince her to take LSD with him. She refused, but he was insistent on regaining the clarity and optimism that he had lost since last taking the drug. The ending shot clearly indicates that he has again tried the drug. Meanwhile Megan was being exceptionally pouty about not landing any acting gigs. She wines and complains until she finally gets Don to help her, sacrificing her marriage to help her career.
As for Don, he continued to struggle with Lane’s suicide since it so closely mirrored what happened to his half-brother during the first season. In fact it affected him so much that he began to see his brother everywhere. After trying to make things right with Lane’s wife and refusing to help Megan, with a perfectly reasonable explanation, all while suffering with a tooth ache he finally visits the dentist and while he is under sees his brother again who promises to help him remove the pain, but also promises that he will still be ‘hanging’ around. The whole experience and a quick meeting with Peggy that helps him clear out the cobwebs, inspires him to help Megan. But as Peggy told him, when you help someone they move on, and once Don helps Megan with her career, she will move on. As he walks away, you can see that their relationship is now over. She may still be around, but it won’t be the same any more. And if him walking away from Megan isn’t enough, the smile he gives when the young ladies hit on him should be more than enough to signal that Don is back on the market looking for someone new.
This season on “Mad Men” has been different. I’m used to a nice slow burn from a television series that doesn’t feel like TV. This year more than any other felt like regular television. Maybe it’s just that they’ve been away for a while and the bar has been raised, but I don’t feel like this was the same as previous seasons. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get great character development or great stories. It was just easier. I’m used to working to enjoy “Mad Men” and I liked that. We have a year to wait to see if this is a pattern or something that Weiner had planned to bring into focus how the final two season will need to play out.
We also get a nice little check in with Peggy. It’s quite a different experience with her boss who wants her to do anything to land a client instead of Don who would look at the merit of the creativity as a means of landing a client. She is of course put on what will be named Virginia Slims and their future tagline, “You’ve come a long way baby.” Something that Peggy can relate too. The closing shot at the end shows that even though she has moved forward she still has a long way to go before she’s truly arrived and sees an Eiffel Tower out her window instead of two dogs having sex.
Roger had a minor story as well as he was able to bed Megan’s mother and tried to convince her to take LSD with him. She refused, but he was insistent on regaining the clarity and optimism that he had lost since last taking the drug. The ending shot clearly indicates that he has again tried the drug. Meanwhile Megan was being exceptionally pouty about not landing any acting gigs. She wines and complains until she finally gets Don to help her, sacrificing her marriage to help her career.
As for Don, he continued to struggle with Lane’s suicide since it so closely mirrored what happened to his half-brother during the first season. In fact it affected him so much that he began to see his brother everywhere. After trying to make things right with Lane’s wife and refusing to help Megan, with a perfectly reasonable explanation, all while suffering with a tooth ache he finally visits the dentist and while he is under sees his brother again who promises to help him remove the pain, but also promises that he will still be ‘hanging’ around. The whole experience and a quick meeting with Peggy that helps him clear out the cobwebs, inspires him to help Megan. But as Peggy told him, when you help someone they move on, and once Don helps Megan with her career, she will move on. As he walks away, you can see that their relationship is now over. She may still be around, but it won’t be the same any more. And if him walking away from Megan isn’t enough, the smile he gives when the young ladies hit on him should be more than enough to signal that Don is back on the market looking for someone new.
This season on “Mad Men” has been different. I’m used to a nice slow burn from a television series that doesn’t feel like TV. This year more than any other felt like regular television. Maybe it’s just that they’ve been away for a while and the bar has been raised, but I don’t feel like this was the same as previous seasons. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get great character development or great stories. It was just easier. I’m used to working to enjoy “Mad Men” and I liked that. We have a year to wait to see if this is a pattern or something that Weiner had planned to bring into focus how the final two season will need to play out.
Friday, June 8, 2012
E3 2012 Recap
The first full week of June every year is always highly anticipated as it indicates that it is time for E3. For those that don’t know E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo and is held every year in California. It is essentially the biggest event for video games held every year. The show starts with a press conference from the larger companies, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, EA and Ubisoft. Then the actual floor opens for the press to try out the games that will be released in the future. The event isn’t open to the public, but they do air the press conferences on television and internet along with reports from the show floor.
Every year I look forward to this week so that I know what I can expect to play over the next year. Unfortunately with the conference getting larger many of the companies are releasing information ahead of time, which ruins some of the surprises that happened at past E3’s. Here is what went down this year.
It started with Microsoft. Their big game was Halo 4, which does look pretty cool and it will be nice to not fight the covenant or the reach for once. They were also able to show off Splinter Cell and Call of Duty, but to be honest I’m over the first person shooter genre. It just doesn’t offer enough interesting game play for me to keep coming back. A good chunk of their show was dedicated to the introduction of SmartGlass. This new piece of software will allow your smart phone and tablet devices to add additional functionality to the video games you are playing on the Xbox. While this seems interesting and is an obvious shot at Nintendo, it will be interesting to see if they can get it to work right with all of the different tablets and smart phones available. They also had Usher.
Then came EA who I barely watched. I thought they showed some generic stuff and nothing that really interested me except for SimCity 5. I loved the old SimCity games and this one looks to recapture some of the magic of old. If my computer can run it I might want to check it out. Then came Ubisoft which showed some great WiiU demos in Rayman and ZombiU, but I was much more interested in Assassin’s Creed III, which will switch things up and focus on the American Revolution. I also am very interested in their new IP, Watchdogs. It was a breath of fresh air to see something new up there.
The first day ended with Sony. I don’t own a Playstation but this conference brought me closer to wanting to buy one. They were able to show off three big exclusives, all of which looked like great and fun games with Beyond: Two Souls, Playstation All Stars: Battle Royale and The Last of Us. They all looked great but I have no idea how I am going to convince my wife that we need a Playstation. Suggestions are welcome.
The second day started with Nintendo, who had a lot of pressure on them as they are trying to launch a new system, the WiiU, this year. They needed to come out with something big and I just don’t think they were able to do it. Pikmin 3 looks great, but it’s not enough. I’ve played Batman, I don’t need to play it again even if the controls are different and NintendoLand is at best a tech demo and looks to be nothing more than a collection of mini games. They needed something big and they didn’t bring it. In fact the only really new game they showed was NintendoLand. That just isn’t enough. In fact the most interesting game, Project P-100, wasn’t even part of the conference. Swing and a miss.
I typically use E3 to make my Christmas list and right now Assassin’s Creed III is looking pretty lonely. Maybe Tomb Raider will get added, but I’m not really excited this year. I want to play guys, bring it.
Every year I look forward to this week so that I know what I can expect to play over the next year. Unfortunately with the conference getting larger many of the companies are releasing information ahead of time, which ruins some of the surprises that happened at past E3’s. Here is what went down this year.
It started with Microsoft. Their big game was Halo 4, which does look pretty cool and it will be nice to not fight the covenant or the reach for once. They were also able to show off Splinter Cell and Call of Duty, but to be honest I’m over the first person shooter genre. It just doesn’t offer enough interesting game play for me to keep coming back. A good chunk of their show was dedicated to the introduction of SmartGlass. This new piece of software will allow your smart phone and tablet devices to add additional functionality to the video games you are playing on the Xbox. While this seems interesting and is an obvious shot at Nintendo, it will be interesting to see if they can get it to work right with all of the different tablets and smart phones available. They also had Usher.
Then came EA who I barely watched. I thought they showed some generic stuff and nothing that really interested me except for SimCity 5. I loved the old SimCity games and this one looks to recapture some of the magic of old. If my computer can run it I might want to check it out. Then came Ubisoft which showed some great WiiU demos in Rayman and ZombiU, but I was much more interested in Assassin’s Creed III, which will switch things up and focus on the American Revolution. I also am very interested in their new IP, Watchdogs. It was a breath of fresh air to see something new up there.
The first day ended with Sony. I don’t own a Playstation but this conference brought me closer to wanting to buy one. They were able to show off three big exclusives, all of which looked like great and fun games with Beyond: Two Souls, Playstation All Stars: Battle Royale and The Last of Us. They all looked great but I have no idea how I am going to convince my wife that we need a Playstation. Suggestions are welcome.
The second day started with Nintendo, who had a lot of pressure on them as they are trying to launch a new system, the WiiU, this year. They needed to come out with something big and I just don’t think they were able to do it. Pikmin 3 looks great, but it’s not enough. I’ve played Batman, I don’t need to play it again even if the controls are different and NintendoLand is at best a tech demo and looks to be nothing more than a collection of mini games. They needed something big and they didn’t bring it. In fact the only really new game they showed was NintendoLand. That just isn’t enough. In fact the most interesting game, Project P-100, wasn’t even part of the conference. Swing and a miss.
I typically use E3 to make my Christmas list and right now Assassin’s Creed III is looking pretty lonely. Maybe Tomb Raider will get added, but I’m not really excited this year. I want to play guys, bring it.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Mad Men - S5E12 - Commisions and Fees
“Mad Men” is quite the ride this season. Normally we have a slow build up, but this season every episode is thrilling. I thought after the events of last weeks’ episode we would slow down a little before the season finale, but apparently not. This week let’s start with the adventures of Sally Draper. We see that the relationship between Sally and Betty has not improved as Sally refuses to go on a ski vacation and demands to stay with her Dad and Megan (rich people problems). While in the city Sally tries her best to act like a young woman and not a little girl; the signs clearly point to her not yet being a woman. She pours a ton of sugar into her coffee and when she calls her boyfriend, Glen, over she plays dress up while the two of them decide to go to the museum and pretend they are adults. But then suddenly and forcefully she does become a young woman by having her period; which makes her act like a scarred little girl by running to her mother for comfort. It is in this moment that Betty finally shows compassion to her daughter and the two of them bond in a way they haven’t before, because Sally is no longer just her little girl.
Over in the Don corner of the universe, we see that he is still upset about what happened with Joan and Jaguar. However, it is brought to his attention that he issued a check to Lane for $7,500. Knowing that he didn’t sign the check, he confronts Lane and asks him to resign. Witnessing Lane’s breakdown and how Don wasn’t able to help him drives him to build the business bigger. He confronts Roger and tells him he wants Dow. The company that told him he would never be hired because of his letter. They get the meeting and Don is ferocious, he is hungry. You could very well view his scene of Don talking Dow as Don talking to himself. It will be interesting to see how long this continues after this episode.
Before finishing Don’s story it is time to visit with Lane Pryce. After being honored with a position with 4A’s (and advertising association) he is confronted by Don. The breakdown leads him to fall even further with lies to his wife and inappropriate comments to Joan. However his wife has a surprise, she bought him a Jaguar. There is nothing more that could symbolize his failure more right now. It drives him to decide to commit suicide and the car won’t start. A fitting result given that he couldn’t start Jaguar at the company either. He decides instead to commit the deed at work. Seeing as he has already given everything to the company that is where he should end it all. When Don finds out what he did, he instantly knows why Lane did it. And he can’t leave him there. And so the three men who lifted him up from PPL are forced to bring him back down. Lifting him up from where he was is what ultimately led to his doom; it’s poetic that those three are the ones to bring him down.
Only one more episode left. I don’t expect anything as altering as the past two episodes to occur but it should help to wrap up the season nicely.
Over in the Don corner of the universe, we see that he is still upset about what happened with Joan and Jaguar. However, it is brought to his attention that he issued a check to Lane for $7,500. Knowing that he didn’t sign the check, he confronts Lane and asks him to resign. Witnessing Lane’s breakdown and how Don wasn’t able to help him drives him to build the business bigger. He confronts Roger and tells him he wants Dow. The company that told him he would never be hired because of his letter. They get the meeting and Don is ferocious, he is hungry. You could very well view his scene of Don talking Dow as Don talking to himself. It will be interesting to see how long this continues after this episode.
Before finishing Don’s story it is time to visit with Lane Pryce. After being honored with a position with 4A’s (and advertising association) he is confronted by Don. The breakdown leads him to fall even further with lies to his wife and inappropriate comments to Joan. However his wife has a surprise, she bought him a Jaguar. There is nothing more that could symbolize his failure more right now. It drives him to decide to commit suicide and the car won’t start. A fitting result given that he couldn’t start Jaguar at the company either. He decides instead to commit the deed at work. Seeing as he has already given everything to the company that is where he should end it all. When Don finds out what he did, he instantly knows why Lane did it. And he can’t leave him there. And so the three men who lifted him up from PPL are forced to bring him back down. Lifting him up from where he was is what ultimately led to his doom; it’s poetic that those three are the ones to bring him down.
Only one more episode left. I don’t expect anything as altering as the past two episodes to occur but it should help to wrap up the season nicely.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Mad Men S5E11 - The Other Woman
“Mad Men” gave us one of the best episodes ever this week in the form of “The Other Woman.” This time the storyline revolved around 2 people. Don, Joan and Peggy. Let’s start with Peggy. Due to the Jaguar pitch being the focus of all the men in the office, Peggy has to take care of all of the other business. While she is happy to be trusted with so much responsibility, she is disappointed that she is not being appreciated with catered lunches full of lobsters. To make matters worse, after she convinces a client to not pull a commercial she gets no praise and instead has money thrown at her face. This drives her to take a lunch with Freddy Rumson, who encourages her to try and spread her wings. We next see her take a meeting with Ted Chaough, Don’s arch-nemesis, who offers her a very good job and promises her appreciation.
Before getting to the end of her story let’s check in with Joan. It turns out that one of the people that will vote on the Jaguar ad campaign is a super pervert and is demanding a night with Joan for his vote. Pete, being the most perverted of the partners, pushes for ways to make this happen. Don wants no part of it and Roger can’t believe she would even consider it. After agreeing to $50,000 to offer her, Lane, who is still trying to hide his embezzlement, convinces her to instead ask for a partnership in the company. Pete works to make this happen and now that he feels more empowered at work he brings up the apartment again at home to Trudy. Her response shows us that not only is Pete not really in charge at work, but he has barely any say in things at home.
While all of this is going on Don and the boys are trying to come up with a slogan while at the same time dealing with the fact that Megan may have to go to Boston for a play. Fortunately for Megan as the play, “Little Murders” lasted a grand total of 7 performances. Megan in this becomes something beautiful that Don realizes that he can’t control that opposite of Jaguar. Eventually Ginsberg is able to put this together with a killer pitch for Jaguar, “At last, something beautiful you can truly own.” And as he said it my smile matched Don’s. It was the perfect counterpoint to what he was feeling with Megan. However he is then given the news that an agreement has been reached with Joan. Realizing they have the perfect pitch, Don rushes to Joan’s house to stop her. After their time out last week he has respect for her and doesn’t want her to do something she would regret and doesn’t want to lose her.
It is during Don’s pitch to Jaguar that we learn that Don was too late and Joan had already gone through with the date. In one of the best sequences ever on Mad Men we see Don sell an object as Joan is reduced to one. The firm ends up landing Jaguar as a client, but Don is of course less than happy because he knows what the price was. The show could have ended here and been perfect, but Mad Men hit us with one more great scene. Peggy enters, and then quits. Don tries to keep her, but all he can do is kiss her hand, realizing that no matter what he has done for her he has never and could never own Peggy and he now has one less beautiful thing in his life.
Before getting to the end of her story let’s check in with Joan. It turns out that one of the people that will vote on the Jaguar ad campaign is a super pervert and is demanding a night with Joan for his vote. Pete, being the most perverted of the partners, pushes for ways to make this happen. Don wants no part of it and Roger can’t believe she would even consider it. After agreeing to $50,000 to offer her, Lane, who is still trying to hide his embezzlement, convinces her to instead ask for a partnership in the company. Pete works to make this happen and now that he feels more empowered at work he brings up the apartment again at home to Trudy. Her response shows us that not only is Pete not really in charge at work, but he has barely any say in things at home.
While all of this is going on Don and the boys are trying to come up with a slogan while at the same time dealing with the fact that Megan may have to go to Boston for a play. Fortunately for Megan as the play, “Little Murders” lasted a grand total of 7 performances. Megan in this becomes something beautiful that Don realizes that he can’t control that opposite of Jaguar. Eventually Ginsberg is able to put this together with a killer pitch for Jaguar, “At last, something beautiful you can truly own.” And as he said it my smile matched Don’s. It was the perfect counterpoint to what he was feeling with Megan. However he is then given the news that an agreement has been reached with Joan. Realizing they have the perfect pitch, Don rushes to Joan’s house to stop her. After their time out last week he has respect for her and doesn’t want her to do something she would regret and doesn’t want to lose her.
It is during Don’s pitch to Jaguar that we learn that Don was too late and Joan had already gone through with the date. In one of the best sequences ever on Mad Men we see Don sell an object as Joan is reduced to one. The firm ends up landing Jaguar as a client, but Don is of course less than happy because he knows what the price was. The show could have ended here and been perfect, but Mad Men hit us with one more great scene. Peggy enters, and then quits. Don tries to keep her, but all he can do is kiss her hand, realizing that no matter what he has done for her he has never and could never own Peggy and he now has one less beautiful thing in his life.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Mad Men - S5E10 - The Christmas Waltz
It’s been two weeks since my last “Mad Men” recap and analysis so this week you’ll get two updates. The first episode was “The Christmas Waltz.” The episode ended up focusing on Harry Crane and Lane Pryce. Harry is treated with a visit from an old friend and we get to learn what happened to Paul Kinsey. It turns out that he went all Hare Krishna. During the Krishna chant Harry becomes enamored with Paul’s “girlfriend” Lakshmi. Harry also learns that Paul is trying to get out and take Lakshmi with him. Paul wants Harry to pass on a script for “Star Trek”, a script that was never used, but he is also pressured by Lakshmi to leave Paul alone, so much so that she has sex with him to guilt him into never seeing Paul again. Harry finally decides to do the decent thing and just give Paul some money so that he can get out of the situation he is in. All that we really get from this is that Harry is really just a shmuck. Not only does he sleep with Paul’s girlfriend but he also doesn’t tell Paul the truth.
Over at the office we also follow Lane Pryce as he learns he owes $8,000 dollars to the British government. He doesn’t have the money and ends up embezzling the money and borrowing an extra $50,000 dollars so that he can hide his embezzlement by giving everyone bonuses. Unfortunately for him the timing is bad as they are now in contention for Jaguar again and Mohawk is pulling its advertising due to a strike. Lane goes so far as to forge Don’s name on a check to get his money though. We are seeing how much Lane has changed since we first met him and how he is slowly becoming more and more dirtier. Odds are as the season finale approaches this will be the main problem that SCDP will have to contend with.
Lastly let’s check in with Don. At the urge of Pete he goes to test drive a Jaguar. On his way out he picks up Joan who has just been handed her divorce papers. The two hit the Jaguar showroom and behave like a perfect couple. It’s very reminiscent of how Don acted with Megan for the Cool Whip bit. His success last week with the Snoball ad may have invigorated him and allowed him to enjoy his work again. The two end up at a bar and decide to start their relationship over. Since Don has always been afraid of Joan. Eventually the two split as Don goes to return the Jaguar. He returns home to an angry dinner throwing wife and does not seem to be very happy. The next day he sends flowers to Joan. It’s interesting what they are setting up here. It almost feels like Joan and Don may be destined for a date.
The episode ends with Don giving a nice St. Swithens Day speech about how the company will get Jaguar and it will be their defining moment. How right he was. More to come this week.
Over at the office we also follow Lane Pryce as he learns he owes $8,000 dollars to the British government. He doesn’t have the money and ends up embezzling the money and borrowing an extra $50,000 dollars so that he can hide his embezzlement by giving everyone bonuses. Unfortunately for him the timing is bad as they are now in contention for Jaguar again and Mohawk is pulling its advertising due to a strike. Lane goes so far as to forge Don’s name on a check to get his money though. We are seeing how much Lane has changed since we first met him and how he is slowly becoming more and more dirtier. Odds are as the season finale approaches this will be the main problem that SCDP will have to contend with.
Lastly let’s check in with Don. At the urge of Pete he goes to test drive a Jaguar. On his way out he picks up Joan who has just been handed her divorce papers. The two hit the Jaguar showroom and behave like a perfect couple. It’s very reminiscent of how Don acted with Megan for the Cool Whip bit. His success last week with the Snoball ad may have invigorated him and allowed him to enjoy his work again. The two end up at a bar and decide to start their relationship over. Since Don has always been afraid of Joan. Eventually the two split as Don goes to return the Jaguar. He returns home to an angry dinner throwing wife and does not seem to be very happy. The next day he sends flowers to Joan. It’s interesting what they are setting up here. It almost feels like Joan and Don may be destined for a date.
The episode ends with Don giving a nice St. Swithens Day speech about how the company will get Jaguar and it will be their defining moment. How right he was. More to come this week.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
2011-2012 Television Season Review Part I
Some years it’s almost a relief when the TV season ends. It all depends on how much I am enjoying the season this year and the quality of television that is being produced. It also depends on how well the Tigers are doing at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, this year they have been a bit of a letdown and now I don’t have any excuses not to watch their continued decent into misery. But lets take a look at what the 2011 – 2012 television season gave us.
Sunday Nights – Sunday has become one of the busiest nights of television for me. There is way to much on that I enjoy watching. In addition to the network shows, cable shows great stuff on Sundays as well with “Sherlock,” “Mad Men” and “Game Of Thrones.” But I’m going to stick with the network stuff for this review.
Fox Animation Block – Another year and another decent season. All of these shows are starting to blend together. Particularly the Seth McFarland block of “The Cleveland Show”, “Family Guy” and “American Dad,” in fact these three blend together so much that “The Simpsons” stands out more as something original. Not bad for a show in its 23rd season. They get a C for the season.
The Amazing Race – To be honest I barely remember the fall race. But I do remember the winter/spring race. It was a good solid race and the team that won was a powerhouse. I didn’t feel like anyone else had a chance and it was difficult to like a lot of the racers since there was so much negativity this year. They’ve earned themselves a B-.
Once Upon a Time – The big freshman hit of the year. I was worried about this show when it began. After all, how long could this curse thing hold our interest? Fortunately, the writers recognized this and gave us a few other storylines that we could invest in apart from the curse. I was pleasantly surprised though when the curse was lifted at the end of the first season. It looks like next season will focus on whatever Gold did at the end of the season combined with Snow and Charmings fight to take back the kingdom in flashbacks. It should make for a fun season. An A- for the freshman year.
Monday Nights:
The Voice – I enjoyed the second season of “The Voice” about as much as I did the first season. In which I started out really liking it and then got bored with it by the end. It would be nice to see them change things up a little for the next round. But with it being in the fall, I’m not sure I really want to watch another round by then. I give them a C.
How I Met Your Mother – The show has really begun to show its age. Every once in a while it has a few moments of genius, but right now I’m watching it for the plot, not the comedy. But they may continue to run the show for as long as they can since it still brings in great ratings. They get a C+.
2 Broke Girls – Another freshman hit. This is probably the most offensive show on TV, but it sure is funny. I don’t really care too much about cupcakes here, I just want more inappropriate joke. That is what will keep me coming back. Both girls bet a B-.
Smash – I was really looking forward to this show all year. It started out great, but then it stalled for a while before picking up again at the end. I’m happy to see that a lot of the really bad subplots have been dropped and I am interested to see how it will be retooled next year. Hopefully it doesn’t stray to far into “Glee” territory. The strong end gets them a B.
Tuesday Nights:
Glee – Sigh, I must be a masochist, otherwise why would I still be watching this show. For every great number that they do, they perform 20 bad ones. The plot makes no sense and I hate the two leads. This season ended with a lot of closure. I have yet to decide if I will be back. It might just be to check out how they plan to handle the story now. I don’t know, maybe it’s best to just cut it. This season gets a C-.
New Girl – Probably the best new show this year. And a show that learned to evolve. It started as a way to just look at the cuteness of Zoey Dechenal. But it evolved into a great and very funny sitcom. I loved the arc the characters took and look forward to seeing if they can repeat it again next year. For Schmidt alone it gets an A.
More to come so stay tuned!
Sunday Nights – Sunday has become one of the busiest nights of television for me. There is way to much on that I enjoy watching. In addition to the network shows, cable shows great stuff on Sundays as well with “Sherlock,” “Mad Men” and “Game Of Thrones.” But I’m going to stick with the network stuff for this review.
Fox Animation Block – Another year and another decent season. All of these shows are starting to blend together. Particularly the Seth McFarland block of “The Cleveland Show”, “Family Guy” and “American Dad,” in fact these three blend together so much that “The Simpsons” stands out more as something original. Not bad for a show in its 23rd season. They get a C for the season.
The Amazing Race – To be honest I barely remember the fall race. But I do remember the winter/spring race. It was a good solid race and the team that won was a powerhouse. I didn’t feel like anyone else had a chance and it was difficult to like a lot of the racers since there was so much negativity this year. They’ve earned themselves a B-.
Once Upon a Time – The big freshman hit of the year. I was worried about this show when it began. After all, how long could this curse thing hold our interest? Fortunately, the writers recognized this and gave us a few other storylines that we could invest in apart from the curse. I was pleasantly surprised though when the curse was lifted at the end of the first season. It looks like next season will focus on whatever Gold did at the end of the season combined with Snow and Charmings fight to take back the kingdom in flashbacks. It should make for a fun season. An A- for the freshman year.
Monday Nights:
The Voice – I enjoyed the second season of “The Voice” about as much as I did the first season. In which I started out really liking it and then got bored with it by the end. It would be nice to see them change things up a little for the next round. But with it being in the fall, I’m not sure I really want to watch another round by then. I give them a C.
How I Met Your Mother – The show has really begun to show its age. Every once in a while it has a few moments of genius, but right now I’m watching it for the plot, not the comedy. But they may continue to run the show for as long as they can since it still brings in great ratings. They get a C+.
2 Broke Girls – Another freshman hit. This is probably the most offensive show on TV, but it sure is funny. I don’t really care too much about cupcakes here, I just want more inappropriate joke. That is what will keep me coming back. Both girls bet a B-.
Smash – I was really looking forward to this show all year. It started out great, but then it stalled for a while before picking up again at the end. I’m happy to see that a lot of the really bad subplots have been dropped and I am interested to see how it will be retooled next year. Hopefully it doesn’t stray to far into “Glee” territory. The strong end gets them a B.
Tuesday Nights:
Glee – Sigh, I must be a masochist, otherwise why would I still be watching this show. For every great number that they do, they perform 20 bad ones. The plot makes no sense and I hate the two leads. This season ended with a lot of closure. I have yet to decide if I will be back. It might just be to check out how they plan to handle the story now. I don’t know, maybe it’s best to just cut it. This season gets a C-.
New Girl – Probably the best new show this year. And a show that learned to evolve. It started as a way to just look at the cuteness of Zoey Dechenal. But it evolved into a great and very funny sitcom. I loved the arc the characters took and look forward to seeing if they can repeat it again next year. For Schmidt alone it gets an A.
More to come so stay tuned!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The French Connection - The Oscar Project Part XLIV
The 1971 film “The French Connection” is most remembered for the car chase that happens at the end of the movie. The chase movies of today are not known for being typical Oscar bait, so I was curious to see what else this movie would bring to the table. What I got from it was a good, solid police story, but nothing that would really stand out in today’s world. It would be filed alongside Lethal Weapon and Bad Boys now. So the importance of this movie comes from it starting a genre instead of being a movie that has stood the test of time.
The movie revolves around two cops, Popeye and Cloudy, as they investigate the smuggling of narcotics from Marseilles to New York. As the plot moves along, we see the criminals attempt to bring the drugs in while the two police officers get closer to finding them. Soon a high speed chase ensues between Doyle and an assassin that has the killer hijacking an elevated train and killing a police officer. Eventually they cops realize the drugs are being smuggled over in a car. The movie ends with a shoot out between the police and the smugglers.
The story tries to show the human side to the police officers and Gene Hackman and Roy Schieder both put in decent performances. But I have seen better from both of them since this performance. The movie itself tells a nice story that is good popcorn fun. But there are better cop movies and better heist movies that you can see. Having watched those movies over the past 30 years before seeing “The French Connection” makes this movie nothing more than a novelty for those who want to know where the drama got its big break from.
It really is a decent movie, it just doesn’t hold up in today’s world. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.
The movie revolves around two cops, Popeye and Cloudy, as they investigate the smuggling of narcotics from Marseilles to New York. As the plot moves along, we see the criminals attempt to bring the drugs in while the two police officers get closer to finding them. Soon a high speed chase ensues between Doyle and an assassin that has the killer hijacking an elevated train and killing a police officer. Eventually they cops realize the drugs are being smuggled over in a car. The movie ends with a shoot out between the police and the smugglers.
The story tries to show the human side to the police officers and Gene Hackman and Roy Schieder both put in decent performances. But I have seen better from both of them since this performance. The movie itself tells a nice story that is good popcorn fun. But there are better cop movies and better heist movies that you can see. Having watched those movies over the past 30 years before seeing “The French Connection” makes this movie nothing more than a novelty for those who want to know where the drama got its big break from.
It really is a decent movie, it just doesn’t hold up in today’s world. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Mad Men S5E9 Dark Shadows
It seems mighty convenient that this weeks Mad Men titled “Dark Shadows” aired the same week that a movie with the same name was released in theatres. But, it is a fairly harmless product tie in and it works with the time period, so good for Mad Men. This week lets start with Roger. After being asked to help bring in a Jewish customer for the company by Bert, he turns to Michael since he is Jewish, but it isn’t enough and he also has to bring in his former wife Jan. Both of them he is forced to pay off to convince them to work with him. Which says something about his relationship with people; everyone knows him as the money. Even though the dinner goes great, he does manage to upset Jan by sleeping with her at her new apartment, which ruins the new place for her. I think this really upsets Roger as he sees himself as a changed man after his LSD trip. If he hasn’t changed as people are suggesting will he take another trip to try and change again?
We also finally got to see what Betty has been up to, and we find out that she has grown a little and is now in Weight Watchers. I’m a little disappointed here, because last we saw her she was eating Sally’s ice cream. What changed and drove her to diet? Where is that story? Anyways, she is using the Weight Watchers meeting as her own personal psychiatry session. She expresses to them about her difficult time when she had to pick up the kids from Don and saw they’re great apartment with the great view, and got a view of Don’s young, thin wife and then watches her kiss her kid’s goodbye. Betty tries to extract her revenge by telling Sally about Anna Draper. This at first drives a wedge between Megan, Sally and Don. But Megan acts as the adult and explains to Don what Betty is trying to do. Sally overhears this, and once Don explains who Anna was is okay. But not before exacting her revenge on Betty by telling her how Don and Megan told her all about Anna. It seems Sally has some claws to match her mother’s and may be more like Betty than she realizes.
Finally let’s check in on Don, after realizing that Michael has been producing a lot of work and has a funny pitch for his next idea, he finally returns to trying to write a tagline. Try as he might it was Michael’s pitch that everyone agrees to go with. That doesn’t work with Don though and he sells the client on his Devil idea after leaving Michael’s pitch in the cab. This makes Michael upset and when he tries to confront Don about it; Don just puts him in his place by letting him know how little Michael means to him. After all he’s Don Draper, he doesn’t need Michael Ginsberg, Michael Ginsberg needs him. There has been a lot of talk about people wanting to leave SDCP this season, I think Michael is pretty high on the list of soon to be former SDCP employees.
We also finally got to see what Betty has been up to, and we find out that she has grown a little and is now in Weight Watchers. I’m a little disappointed here, because last we saw her she was eating Sally’s ice cream. What changed and drove her to diet? Where is that story? Anyways, she is using the Weight Watchers meeting as her own personal psychiatry session. She expresses to them about her difficult time when she had to pick up the kids from Don and saw they’re great apartment with the great view, and got a view of Don’s young, thin wife and then watches her kiss her kid’s goodbye. Betty tries to extract her revenge by telling Sally about Anna Draper. This at first drives a wedge between Megan, Sally and Don. But Megan acts as the adult and explains to Don what Betty is trying to do. Sally overhears this, and once Don explains who Anna was is okay. But not before exacting her revenge on Betty by telling her how Don and Megan told her all about Anna. It seems Sally has some claws to match her mother’s and may be more like Betty than she realizes.
Finally let’s check in on Don, after realizing that Michael has been producing a lot of work and has a funny pitch for his next idea, he finally returns to trying to write a tagline. Try as he might it was Michael’s pitch that everyone agrees to go with. That doesn’t work with Don though and he sells the client on his Devil idea after leaving Michael’s pitch in the cab. This makes Michael upset and when he tries to confront Don about it; Don just puts him in his place by letting him know how little Michael means to him. After all he’s Don Draper, he doesn’t need Michael Ginsberg, Michael Ginsberg needs him. There has been a lot of talk about people wanting to leave SDCP this season, I think Michael is pretty high on the list of soon to be former SDCP employees.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Mad Men - S5E8 - Lady Lazarus
This week’s “Mad Men” was entitled “Lady Lazarus,” which also happens to be the name of a Sylvia Plath poem. The poem describes a woman that is continuously brought back to life even though she wishes for death. Her first death was an accident, but her second death was something that she brought on herself. After she is brought back, she is determined to take control of her life from then on. It’s not hard to see how this relates to Megan’s journey in this episode. Megan wanted to be an actress, but that life ended up dying. She was brought back to life through Don’s proposal but she was unhappy in what she was doing. So she commits career suicide and comes back determined to live her life the way that she wants, as an actress.
The more interesting journey in this episode belonged to Pete. Roger dumps off a sporting account on him at the beginning of the episode, I’m curious is Roger is trying to implement some sort of plan here, to bog Pete down with enough day to day work that he bungles it all and can’t handle it, much like he couldn’t handle taking the skis out of his office. On the way home that day he meets up with the wife of one the people that he regularly rides the train into the city with. Pete knows that the man is in the city cheating on his wife and gives her a ride home. They of course end up doing it. Pete sees this as an opening to have something that he doesn’t have yet, someone that he can meet up with on the side and be in control of. This of course isn’t what happened. She denied him in several situations. It was once again showing Pete that he wasn’t in control. She kissed him first and now she is ending it. Work is the only place that he has some semblance of control and even that is barely there after he was taken out by Pryce a few weeks ago. We know that Pete has a loaded gun in his office, and this episode took the chance to point out the suicide clause in his life insurance policy. Signs are pointing to a possible early exit for Pete coming soon.
The Megan situation from the episode was really about how it affected Don though. Don was happy at work. He enjoyed working with Megan and that was very evident by the banter the two of them demonstrated for the Cool Whip commercial. While that showed Don’s joy at working with his wife, it also demonstrated how happy Megan would be with acting. Eventually Megan does quit though and Don must deal with the ramifications. He tries to perform the Cool Whip bit with Peggy for the Head of Desserts, seriously that was his title, but it doesn’t go well. Why? Because both he and Peggy are upset for Megan leaving and without Megan, Don just doesn’t care about his work again. Don’s world is changing and he is starting to be out of touch with what is popular. The biggest evidence of this comes in the final scene. As Don comes home to his wife leaving, a major change for him, Megan has him listen to the Beatles song, “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Revolver, the album and song that signaled the evolution of the Beatles. Don can barely listen to the song, shuts it off and heads to bed, signaling that he, for one, is not ready to evolve.
The more interesting journey in this episode belonged to Pete. Roger dumps off a sporting account on him at the beginning of the episode, I’m curious is Roger is trying to implement some sort of plan here, to bog Pete down with enough day to day work that he bungles it all and can’t handle it, much like he couldn’t handle taking the skis out of his office. On the way home that day he meets up with the wife of one the people that he regularly rides the train into the city with. Pete knows that the man is in the city cheating on his wife and gives her a ride home. They of course end up doing it. Pete sees this as an opening to have something that he doesn’t have yet, someone that he can meet up with on the side and be in control of. This of course isn’t what happened. She denied him in several situations. It was once again showing Pete that he wasn’t in control. She kissed him first and now she is ending it. Work is the only place that he has some semblance of control and even that is barely there after he was taken out by Pryce a few weeks ago. We know that Pete has a loaded gun in his office, and this episode took the chance to point out the suicide clause in his life insurance policy. Signs are pointing to a possible early exit for Pete coming soon.
The Megan situation from the episode was really about how it affected Don though. Don was happy at work. He enjoyed working with Megan and that was very evident by the banter the two of them demonstrated for the Cool Whip commercial. While that showed Don’s joy at working with his wife, it also demonstrated how happy Megan would be with acting. Eventually Megan does quit though and Don must deal with the ramifications. He tries to perform the Cool Whip bit with Peggy for the Head of Desserts, seriously that was his title, but it doesn’t go well. Why? Because both he and Peggy are upset for Megan leaving and without Megan, Don just doesn’t care about his work again. Don’s world is changing and he is starting to be out of touch with what is popular. The biggest evidence of this comes in the final scene. As Don comes home to his wife leaving, a major change for him, Megan has him listen to the Beatles song, “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Revolver, the album and song that signaled the evolution of the Beatles. Don can barely listen to the song, shuts it off and heads to bed, signaling that he, for one, is not ready to evolve.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Patton - The Oscar Project Part XLIII
The 1970’s starts with a film that reminded me a lot of one of the early films of the 60’s. “Patton” tells the story of General Patton and his command during the second World War. The way the story plays out is very similar to the way that “Lawrence of Arabia” plays out. Both feature strong military leaders that end up being ignored by the government by the end of the film. Except this one featured an American leader as opposed to a British one.
“Patton” of course opens with his famous speech in front of the American flag. It is meant to be a version of his pep talk that he would give the third Army. We then learn about his command and his harsh rules. Eventually we also see how effective he is at his command. He leads his army across Africa and is able to make quite a bit of headway in Sicily before he is relieved for threatening a soldier suffering from shellshock. However it is shown that Germany is so afraid of Patton that they believe that he will lead the invasion. He is given a dummy command to distract Germany while the invasion of Normandy takes place. Eventually he does get a command in Europe and is able to drive it as far as he can go. But he constantly says the wrong things to the press and upsets leaders from other countries, and is quietly removed from command again.
This was another actor driven movie. It was George C. Scott’s performance as Patton that really sells this movie. Director Franklin Schnaffner did a good job of directing, but since I couldn’t help but compare the film to “Lawrence of Arabia” I can’t help but feel that he came up short compared to the excellent job that was done with that film. Making the film live and die by the performance of Scott. And he nailed that performance. History buffs complain that it is not completely accurate to Patton. But I contend that it is how Germany and the United States viewed Patton. I think that it was more critical to meet that image than to try and fit what the man was precisely, given the context of the movie.
Overall I think “Patton” makes for a pretty decent biopic. My only complaint is that it doesn’t tell a complete story. I would have liked a more complete ending. Still I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
“Patton” of course opens with his famous speech in front of the American flag. It is meant to be a version of his pep talk that he would give the third Army. We then learn about his command and his harsh rules. Eventually we also see how effective he is at his command. He leads his army across Africa and is able to make quite a bit of headway in Sicily before he is relieved for threatening a soldier suffering from shellshock. However it is shown that Germany is so afraid of Patton that they believe that he will lead the invasion. He is given a dummy command to distract Germany while the invasion of Normandy takes place. Eventually he does get a command in Europe and is able to drive it as far as he can go. But he constantly says the wrong things to the press and upsets leaders from other countries, and is quietly removed from command again.
This was another actor driven movie. It was George C. Scott’s performance as Patton that really sells this movie. Director Franklin Schnaffner did a good job of directing, but since I couldn’t help but compare the film to “Lawrence of Arabia” I can’t help but feel that he came up short compared to the excellent job that was done with that film. Making the film live and die by the performance of Scott. And he nailed that performance. History buffs complain that it is not completely accurate to Patton. But I contend that it is how Germany and the United States viewed Patton. I think that it was more critical to meet that image than to try and fit what the man was precisely, given the context of the movie.
Overall I think “Patton” makes for a pretty decent biopic. My only complaint is that it doesn’t tell a complete story. I would have liked a more complete ending. Still I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Mad Men - S5E7 - At the Codfish Ball
The episode “At the Codfish Ball” boils down to one shot at the end of the episode, a moment where everyone has a realization of where they are in life. But before we get to that shot let’s take a look at how we got there. This week I’ll start with Peggy. After a quick scene where we get a call back to a previous argument between Peggy and her boyfriend Abe, while at SCDP having beer and chatting with her fellow co-workers, Abe is instantly turned into someone that they can bounce ideas off of to see if they work instead of just treating him as an equal in the conversation. He leaves and is next seen calling Peggy and ordering her to be at dinner. Based on previous arguments Peggy believes that he is going to break up with her. But both Joan and the audience most likely think otherwise. Peggy is on a one-way trip to proposal town. It was nice to see that the relationship between Peggy and Joan that developed last season has continued. After going after each other the first couple of years the relationship feels earned.
Peggy takes her advice and gets all dolled up. But “Mad Men” of course throws a curve ball and Abe just asks to move in with her. At first I think oh no big deal, but I’ve forgotten it’s the 60’s and that just didn’t happen. When asked Peggy freezes, and as you watch her face you can see the hope that she briefly had for the life every girl dreams of is shattered, and after saying yes the smile disappears and Peggy doesn’t get to complete her change and remains as she is. Of course this doesn’t mean that it won’t bring any drama. The two tell Peggy’s Mom about their plans and she doesn’t take it well. As she storms out she plants the seeds of doubt about Abe into Peggy’s mind and then compares her to a cat. It will be interesting to see how this relationship plays out. I don’t see good things in the future, I can see Peggy perhaps proposing herself one day and that probably won’t make Abe happy.
Now let’s check in on the Drapers. Megan’s parents are visiting from Canada to watch Don get an award. Don also has to take care of the kids, but more on them later. It is clear that Megan’s parents are not a happy couple. Emile takes every chance he gets to insult Don and her mother Marie is hitting on everyone in sight. During this Megan has an idea to pitch to Heinz, Don loves it, even more impressive is that when Megan learns they will be dropped by Heinz, she is able to help Don turn them around and sells them on her idea. It was a great scene with a great Don Draper pitch. It’s been a while and it was nice to see that man at work. The combination of work and his wife made him happier than we have seen in a while, making him believe that working with his wife can work. But there are still 6 more episodes this season, I’m sure things are heading for a change.
The next day while the men celebrate, Megan doesn’t seem to want to join in. When Peggy tells Megan that this is as good as this job gets, she seems to get even sadder, because she still hasn’t earned acceptance from her father. Later at the award ceremony, Megan asks her father why he isn’t proud of her. He tells her, in English, that she hasn’t earned anything, all this opulence and recognition she married into, she shouldn’t be taking credit for it because she hasn’t done anything. Meanwhile Don is busy meeting all sorts of people, until someone explains to him that it’s futile. They will bury his desk in awards but he won’t find any further success because of his letter against Lucky Strike. He is just as important as the award he got, he received without given a speech, not on a big stage and the other two that received the award were so old they may have collapsed of old age on the way home. This is now the limit of what Don can achieve no matter how brilliant he is.
Then we had the journey of Sally Draper. After lying about how her grandmother hurt herself but taking all the credit for taking care of her, Sally is able to convince her Dad to let her go to the award ceremony. We also learn that she has been keeping in touch with Glen. Though it definitely seems to be a “just friends” thing still. She uses Glen as a way to express how she really feels. Sally is looking at her chance to go to the award ceremony like going to a ball, her coming out in other words. She makes the glamorous entrance in the apartment to the people waiting, but is then disappointed when there is no grand staircase to enter, the dinner is something she doesn’t like, her Father’s award is a non event and her date, Roger Sterling who is still on his epiphany from trying LSD, is receiving fellatio from Marie. The title of this episode is “At the Codfish Ball” a song and dance number performed by Shirley Temple, for whom the drink Roger brings her is named after. Sally sending it back just demonstrates how disappointed she is with this adult lifestyle.
The final shot of the ball features everyone (except Roger) returning to the table and on each face you can see how disappointed they are with the way the night has progressed. It is a great shot that sums up the episode without anyone having to say a world. The episode continues though with another call to Glen from Sally, when he asks her how the city is, I may be mistaken but I swear I saw a look of excitement on her face when she gave her one word answer, “Dirty.”
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Mad Men -S5E6 - Far Away Places
Well let this weeks’ “Mad Men” be a lesson to you, marijuana and LSD can be fun, but don’t you dare try the orange sherbert. That stuff will mess you up. This weeks’ episode was split into 3 different intersecting stories similar to storytelling featured in “Sin City” and “Pulp Fiction.” We first followed our favorite female copywriter, Peggy, through her day. After a small fight with her boyfriend about how she only thinks about work, Peggy learns that she must make the Heinz presentation by herself, again. Why? Because Don has pulled Megan away to a Howard Johnson’s. Peggy makes the pitch and the client isn’t sold. In past seasons Don would have sold the client on the pitch, with him not there, it’s up to Peggy to do this. Unfortunately her Don imitation fails miserably and the client leaves angrily and if they follow history they will head over to Y&R.
Peggy is frustrated and heads out to go and see “Born Free” during which she gets offered some Marijuana. Since she failed being Don at work she decides to try being Don outside of work which means getting high on marijuana and giving some guy a handjob with the lioness roar signifying that Peggy finally feels triumphant. Upon returning to the office, Peggy goes to Don’s office, after all she now sees herself as Don. She sleeps in the office before she is woken up in a role reversal from previous episodes by Dawn. Lying on the couch probably made her realize that she isn’t Don. A recurring motif throughout the episode of people having epiphanies while lying down. After trying to fall on her sword and accept failure of the Heinz account to Don, Peggy learns the first unpleasant truth of the night. Ginsberg was born in a concentration camp and adopted. While it was the truth it doesn’t mean that it is good.
The camera than shifts to Roger as we learn it was he who wanted to go to the HoJo with Don as two perverted single men so that he could get out of a date with his wife. After seeing just part of the agonizing dinner that Roger had to sit through, we learn the real reason for the party. Roger is going to do some LSD! What follows was a scene that is one of the most fascinating that Mad Men has ever made. We get Roger hearing music as he opens a bottle of Vodka, the only thing that gives him joy right now. A cigarette burning out to quickly, something that used to give him pleasure is now gone, since Lucky Strike has left him. A vision of himself with half white and half black hair, a way for him to see how he views himself as compared to who he is. Don, the man that has brought him to where he is now, giving him reassurance appears behind him in the mirror. Burt, the man who has helped him make all of his money, appears on his money. Eventually his attention turns to his wife, who is holding a beautiful flower. It symbolizes not only her beauty though, but his love for her. He has only ever loved her beauty, and like the flower his love was quick to wilt. Then as the two of them lay on the ground they uncover the next unhappy truth. Their marriage is over, they both knew it, just didn’t want to say it. Roger awakens and views his wife looking beautiful and draped in green, the color of his money, and says goodbye to his old life.
Finally we turn to Don, we’ve already seen him abduct Megan to go to a Howard Johnson and we get to see that Megan wasn’t happy about this. She wanted to work, not just jet off with the boss. Once they get to the restaurant/hotel and Don wants to work Megan is furious. He can like to work but she can’t, before the argument continues, the infamous orange sherbet is delivered. After trying to refuse and Don believing she is just acting out, Megan really acts out by shoveling a ton of the cold treat into her mouth. This act of defiance begins the real fight with Megan landing the dirty blow of telling Don to call his mother who she knows is not a possibility. Don leaves, but comes right back to find that Megan is gone. Refusing to believe that she has done the most sensible thing and just gone home Don tries calling everywhere and then just sitting at the HoJo before finally driving back to New York. On the way he remembers the drive back from Disney and Sally wishing the vacation would never end even though she knows that it has to. Don is wishing the same thing about his relationship with Megan. Once Don gets home and breaks down the door we see their brief fight and the two end up lying on the floor just like Roger and Jane. But here they don’t want to see the ugly truth. That Don’s happy little marriage isn’t as happy as he thought it was.
The two of them come to work where Don gives Megan a look that asks if they’re okay. She gives a small nod while she wipes her nose. An indication that she can at least appear okay. Then we get the ultimate Bert Cooper smack down. He scolds Don for being on a love vacation and tells him he needs to get back to work. As Don watches the employees walk by, first the team of copywriters, followed by Peggy, all on her own, he realizes that he can’t possibly work while his wife is there, but she loves working. He has no way to try and keep his vacation going. It’s over.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Midnight Cowboy - The Oscar Project Part XLII
The 1960’s are brought to an end by the only film to ever win the Academy Award with an X rating, “Midnight Cowboy.” Released in 1969 the film was actually given a rating of R first, but some psychologist thought that kids would be to easily influenced by it and that the film should be rated X. This rating was changed 2 years later in 1971 and is now a rated R film. So the notoriety of the film being rated X isn’t nearly as scandalous as one would believe. After watching the film there are plenty of rated R movies released in our time that would have to be rated XXX if compared to this movie.
“Midnight Cowboy” tells the tale of Joe Buck as he moves to New York to become a hustler. He quickly learns that this won’t be easy and loses all of his money. Some of it is to Enrico Rizzo. Eventually while down on his luck Rizzo takes him in and the two of them help each other survive New York by stealing. Eventually they end up a strange party that takes on a very Andy Warhol vibe. Here Joe gets high and ends up booking his first client, who is also able to help him schedule another client. However at this point, Rizzo gets sick and wants Joe to take him to Miami where he has always dreamed of going. Unfortunately Rizzo does not make it and the movie ends with Joe holding his dead friend on the bus while they arrive in Miami.
This is one of those movies were everything really clicked together. The movie actually felt dirty, like the characters, everything was very gritty and real. Both Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight put in great performances. However, I found the real star of the show to be the directing. The establishing shots that demonstrated where the characters where both physically and emotionally was extremely well done. In particular is the party in the middle of the movie, the portrayal of Joe experiencing something so different than what he is used to is just incredible. The only lacking part of the movie honestly was the plot. I didn’t feel any connection to these characters or want to see where they would end up. The movie never felt like it really went anywhere. I realize it was more about the emotions of the characters but the plot could have used some work and been a little tighter.
Overall it’s a fine movie and if you are interested in some real good direction and character work, than this is the movie for you. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Mad Men - S5E5 - Signal 30
This week Matthew Weiner turns the wheel of characters and it lands on Pete, the man that the audience loves to hate and can’t help but not watch. The episode “Signal 30” begins with Pete watching the driving instruction film of the same name. Pete has obviously decided that living out in the country requires him to have a driver’s license and most likely a large car that he can show off in the future. While there he begins flirting with a young high school senior. A girl that probably reminds him of what his wife used to be like before she started only wearing curlers. As she taps her sandal we transition to Pete not being able to sleep due to a leaky faucet. Getting up he goes and grabs his trusty toolbox and then “fixes” the drip and believes that he has fixed his life.
Eventually through much subterfuge, Pete and Trudy are able to have Don, Megan, Ken and Cynthia over to their house for dinner. After Don wins the best dinner jacket award and Pete shows off his stereo, which is the same as a metaphor for a man in his 40’s needing to buy a long sleek car, they sit down for a nice awkward dinner. But surprisingly only for Pete. He is consistently seeking approval from Don in this episode. The highlight of the dinner is the story from Ken about the robot that maintains a bridge. Pete simply scoffs at this story, but Don shows actual interest. Showing that Don is clearly more interested in personal things than just having a big successful job and the illusion of being happy. I think it is important to note the reference to the gun in this episode. We haven’t heard about it since season 1 and this little reminder should be a reminder to the audience. A general rule for TV is you don’t introduce a gun without it going off.
Soon after dinner, Pete’s sink fix breaks. In comes Super Don to save the day with little or no help needed from anyone, including the tool box. As the Pete’s quick fix breaks we also see the rest of the illusion of his perfect family façade break as we are leave the house party with the image of him not taking any responsibility for his baby. Even though the baby is crying she clearly is not the saddest one in the room. To counteract this Pete continues hitting on the high school student, but is shot down thanks to someone Handsome (literally and figuratively). This leaves only one place were Pete can try to feel important and that’s work. But this episode takes care of that too.
Before finishing up the Pete Campbell line let’s take a look at Mr. Pryce. Lane is desperate to move on from London. He is happy in America and wants to let go of England. His wife isn’t the same and they go to an English pub where they watch England win the World Cup in soccer. While there he gets the opportunity to bring in new business in the form of the car company Jaguar. Seeing that he has little else to do Roger gives him advice in a great scene that will earn him another Emmy nod. Probably one of the best Roger scenes of the show. Lane tries and fails. Pete of course pushes him aside, asserts his dominance and says that they will take care of his friend. Which, of course, means taking him to a whore house.
At the whore house we get a little more insight into Pete. He longs to be the king. When the lovely lady takes him to her room, she tries the wife waiting for her husband to be home. He has that so it doesn’t work. She tries the virgin, he just lost that so he’s bitter, doesn’t work. Finally she simply says, “You’re my King.” Bingo! At the same time we see again how Don has grown as he doesn’t partake in the establishment. And on the ride home Pete wonders why Don is disappointed in his actions tonight. Don simply replies that he thought Pete was happy and he is just throwing that all away. When Pete accuses Don of having done the same thing, he makes it clear that he is finally happy with Megan, and he wouldn’t throw that away.
Their late night escapade does have repercussions though. After Ken is turned in for writing by Pete, Lane learns that the client’s wife found chewing gum on his special area and the agency loses the account. This makes Lane furious and he takes it out on Pete, who is kind of enough to tell Lane that he has no purpose here. And thus begins the greatest fight of all time as Lane and Pete square off as the other partners watch in disbelief and enjoyment. Lane is able to knock Pete down and leaves the room. Later Joan comes to take care of Lane, who wanting to show his manhood and because he falls in love with any girl that is nice to him, kisses her. Classy Joan just gets up, opens the door and then sit backs down and congratulates him for doing what everyone in the office has longed to do, punch Pete.
The episode ends with Pete talking the elevator down and telling Don that he has nothing. As Pete watches the senior girl he was flirting with be taken advantage of by Handsome it closes on him lying awake listening to the slow drip. For a long time I’ve been expecting Roger to take the plunge off of the building, but I’m starting to think Pete may be headed for an early exit.
Eventually through much subterfuge, Pete and Trudy are able to have Don, Megan, Ken and Cynthia over to their house for dinner. After Don wins the best dinner jacket award and Pete shows off his stereo, which is the same as a metaphor for a man in his 40’s needing to buy a long sleek car, they sit down for a nice awkward dinner. But surprisingly only for Pete. He is consistently seeking approval from Don in this episode. The highlight of the dinner is the story from Ken about the robot that maintains a bridge. Pete simply scoffs at this story, but Don shows actual interest. Showing that Don is clearly more interested in personal things than just having a big successful job and the illusion of being happy. I think it is important to note the reference to the gun in this episode. We haven’t heard about it since season 1 and this little reminder should be a reminder to the audience. A general rule for TV is you don’t introduce a gun without it going off.
Soon after dinner, Pete’s sink fix breaks. In comes Super Don to save the day with little or no help needed from anyone, including the tool box. As the Pete’s quick fix breaks we also see the rest of the illusion of his perfect family façade break as we are leave the house party with the image of him not taking any responsibility for his baby. Even though the baby is crying she clearly is not the saddest one in the room. To counteract this Pete continues hitting on the high school student, but is shot down thanks to someone Handsome (literally and figuratively). This leaves only one place were Pete can try to feel important and that’s work. But this episode takes care of that too.
Before finishing up the Pete Campbell line let’s take a look at Mr. Pryce. Lane is desperate to move on from London. He is happy in America and wants to let go of England. His wife isn’t the same and they go to an English pub where they watch England win the World Cup in soccer. While there he gets the opportunity to bring in new business in the form of the car company Jaguar. Seeing that he has little else to do Roger gives him advice in a great scene that will earn him another Emmy nod. Probably one of the best Roger scenes of the show. Lane tries and fails. Pete of course pushes him aside, asserts his dominance and says that they will take care of his friend. Which, of course, means taking him to a whore house.
At the whore house we get a little more insight into Pete. He longs to be the king. When the lovely lady takes him to her room, she tries the wife waiting for her husband to be home. He has that so it doesn’t work. She tries the virgin, he just lost that so he’s bitter, doesn’t work. Finally she simply says, “You’re my King.” Bingo! At the same time we see again how Don has grown as he doesn’t partake in the establishment. And on the ride home Pete wonders why Don is disappointed in his actions tonight. Don simply replies that he thought Pete was happy and he is just throwing that all away. When Pete accuses Don of having done the same thing, he makes it clear that he is finally happy with Megan, and he wouldn’t throw that away.
Their late night escapade does have repercussions though. After Ken is turned in for writing by Pete, Lane learns that the client’s wife found chewing gum on his special area and the agency loses the account. This makes Lane furious and he takes it out on Pete, who is kind of enough to tell Lane that he has no purpose here. And thus begins the greatest fight of all time as Lane and Pete square off as the other partners watch in disbelief and enjoyment. Lane is able to knock Pete down and leaves the room. Later Joan comes to take care of Lane, who wanting to show his manhood and because he falls in love with any girl that is nice to him, kisses her. Classy Joan just gets up, opens the door and then sit backs down and congratulates him for doing what everyone in the office has longed to do, punch Pete.
The episode ends with Pete talking the elevator down and telling Don that he has nothing. As Pete watches the senior girl he was flirting with be taken advantage of by Handsome it closes on him lying awake listening to the slow drip. For a long time I’ve been expecting Roger to take the plunge off of the building, but I’m starting to think Pete may be headed for an early exit.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Oliver - The Oscar Project Part XLI
Finally, the fourth and final Oscar winning musical from the 60’s, “Oliver.” Surprisingly another musical I had little information about. I had only really seen the opening scene with the porridge and my only other experience was Joey from “Friends” trying out for Fagan in an episode. I knew it was about orphans that robbed people while they sang happy songs and in general was a light hearted musical.
“Oliver” tells the story of an orphan named Oliver that eventually escapes to London where he takes up with a gang of other child robbers. Fun was had and songs were song. Then Oliver gets caught by the cops. However he is quick to be let go into the hands of a wealthy citizen who we later here he is related to. Eventually, Fagan, the leader of the gang of child thieves, and Billy, the really evil adult guy, come after Oliver because they are worried that he will turn them in. However, he has no plans to. Eventually the story turns dark and characters are threatened and killed and by the end of the story, Oliver gets a happy ending.
Overall the movie was decently put together. I found that Fagan was played incredibly well, but there weren’t really a lot of other standouts. The music and plot were decent, but it really felt like two separate movies. The first act was a fun story about robbing orphans while the second half took this really dark turn. Like it expected the audience to age 10 years during the intermission. It was a little jarring and it would have served the movie better to incorporate both tones throughout the movie. I actually liked both of these movies but I didn’t feel like they belonged together.
Overall if you have kids watch the first half and then let them watch the second half when they are older. It’s like turning off “Old Yeller” before, well, you know. Anyways it was definitely the best of the 4 musicals from the 60’s in my opinion. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
“Oliver” tells the story of an orphan named Oliver that eventually escapes to London where he takes up with a gang of other child robbers. Fun was had and songs were song. Then Oliver gets caught by the cops. However he is quick to be let go into the hands of a wealthy citizen who we later here he is related to. Eventually, Fagan, the leader of the gang of child thieves, and Billy, the really evil adult guy, come after Oliver because they are worried that he will turn them in. However, he has no plans to. Eventually the story turns dark and characters are threatened and killed and by the end of the story, Oliver gets a happy ending.
Overall the movie was decently put together. I found that Fagan was played incredibly well, but there weren’t really a lot of other standouts. The music and plot were decent, but it really felt like two separate movies. The first act was a fun story about robbing orphans while the second half took this really dark turn. Like it expected the audience to age 10 years during the intermission. It was a little jarring and it would have served the movie better to incorporate both tones throughout the movie. I actually liked both of these movies but I didn’t feel like they belonged together.
Overall if you have kids watch the first half and then let them watch the second half when they are older. It’s like turning off “Old Yeller” before, well, you know. Anyways it was definitely the best of the 4 musicals from the 60’s in my opinion. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Mad Men - S5E4 - Mystery Date
The game Mystery Date is an old game from the 1960’s that involved girls playing through a game to find out who was behind the door for their mystery date. It is also the title for this week’s episode of “Mad Men.” In which several of the main characters open their doors to find something they weren’t expecting.
Let’s start with our lead, Mr. Don Draper. Here again we get hints about how little he cares about work. He doesn’t even bother to listen to the entire pitch from the new copywriter Mr. Ginsberg. In fact we learn that there was another idea based on Cinderella that Don turned down because he didn’t want to fight for it. If it’s a good idea than Don used to convince the customer that it’s what they want. He doesn’t do that anymore. He spends the rest of the episode sick and is told to go home by his wife, who we learn is aware of his infidelity with Betty, and for the most part is okay with his past because she was the same way.
While at home Don gets a “visit” from his Mystery Date who turns out to be an old flame, Andrea, from his previous life or as I like to call her “metaphor for his previous life.” After a quick fling, Andrea tells Don this will happen again and he has no choice in the matter. This angers him and he strangles her and then kicks her body under the bed. At this point it would be best for me to bring up the historical subplot happening during the episode about the Speck murders in Chicago. Speck murdered several young nurses and left one living because she was hiding under the bed. Here even though Don has “killed” Andrea and thereby killing that part of him that would cheat on his wife, he also hid her under the bed, meaning that some small piece of that part of him is still there. Don eventually wakes up to Megan serving him breakfast and realizes that the entire night was just a dream.
We also get to spend some time with Sally Draper in this episode. She is being watched by her evil step mother (Cinderella reference?) and we learn about the small amount of rules that Betty puts on Sally, which is quite a difference from last season were she placed many rules on her. Sally soon learns about the Speck murders and is scared. Pauline gives Sally a Seconal, a barbiturate sleeping pill that contributed to the deaths of Judy Garland and Jimi Hendrix. Sally does end up sleeping, under the couch, the one area that she thinks is safe.
Joan got her Mystery Date from her husband. He came back as not what she was hoping. He seemed fit and like he was going to be a good father, but then he dropped the bombshell, he was going back to Vietnam for another year, and he had volunteered to. This of course pissed off Joan and after a night of fighting, she kicked him out. But not before bringing up the lingering subplot from Season 2 when Greg essentially raped her on the floor of the office. It was nice to see this finally closed and I feel like we may finally get back the Joan from Season 1 and 2 that I loved and has been missing since then.
Back at SCDP, Peggy mans up and coerces an extra 410 dollars out of Roger since he forgot about a Mohawk campaign that was due Monday. We are seeing that instead of trying to fight, Roger is just falling deeper into failure. Peggy works late at night and we get a scary sequence of her alone in the building and moving slowly through the hallways. She opens the door to Don’s office and finds out that her Mystery Date is Dawn, Don’s African American secretary. She convinces her to come over and the night goes great until Peggy goes to bed and a tiny hint of racism comes out when Peggy pauses and looks at her purse full of cash. She leaves the purse there, but Dawn has noticed and makes sure to leave early before Peggy wakes up and all Peggy is left with is the guilt.
Let’s start with our lead, Mr. Don Draper. Here again we get hints about how little he cares about work. He doesn’t even bother to listen to the entire pitch from the new copywriter Mr. Ginsberg. In fact we learn that there was another idea based on Cinderella that Don turned down because he didn’t want to fight for it. If it’s a good idea than Don used to convince the customer that it’s what they want. He doesn’t do that anymore. He spends the rest of the episode sick and is told to go home by his wife, who we learn is aware of his infidelity with Betty, and for the most part is okay with his past because she was the same way.
While at home Don gets a “visit” from his Mystery Date who turns out to be an old flame, Andrea, from his previous life or as I like to call her “metaphor for his previous life.” After a quick fling, Andrea tells Don this will happen again and he has no choice in the matter. This angers him and he strangles her and then kicks her body under the bed. At this point it would be best for me to bring up the historical subplot happening during the episode about the Speck murders in Chicago. Speck murdered several young nurses and left one living because she was hiding under the bed. Here even though Don has “killed” Andrea and thereby killing that part of him that would cheat on his wife, he also hid her under the bed, meaning that some small piece of that part of him is still there. Don eventually wakes up to Megan serving him breakfast and realizes that the entire night was just a dream.
We also get to spend some time with Sally Draper in this episode. She is being watched by her evil step mother (Cinderella reference?) and we learn about the small amount of rules that Betty puts on Sally, which is quite a difference from last season were she placed many rules on her. Sally soon learns about the Speck murders and is scared. Pauline gives Sally a Seconal, a barbiturate sleeping pill that contributed to the deaths of Judy Garland and Jimi Hendrix. Sally does end up sleeping, under the couch, the one area that she thinks is safe.
Joan got her Mystery Date from her husband. He came back as not what she was hoping. He seemed fit and like he was going to be a good father, but then he dropped the bombshell, he was going back to Vietnam for another year, and he had volunteered to. This of course pissed off Joan and after a night of fighting, she kicked him out. But not before bringing up the lingering subplot from Season 2 when Greg essentially raped her on the floor of the office. It was nice to see this finally closed and I feel like we may finally get back the Joan from Season 1 and 2 that I loved and has been missing since then.
Back at SCDP, Peggy mans up and coerces an extra 410 dollars out of Roger since he forgot about a Mohawk campaign that was due Monday. We are seeing that instead of trying to fight, Roger is just falling deeper into failure. Peggy works late at night and we get a scary sequence of her alone in the building and moving slowly through the hallways. She opens the door to Don’s office and finds out that her Mystery Date is Dawn, Don’s African American secretary. She convinces her to come over and the night goes great until Peggy goes to bed and a tiny hint of racism comes out when Peggy pauses and looks at her purse full of cash. She leaves the purse there, but Dawn has noticed and makes sure to leave early before Peggy wakes up and all Peggy is left with is the guilt.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
In the Heat of the Night - The Oscar Project Part XL
While I did grow up in the 80’s and 90’s when cable TV was in almost every home, I spent many summers with my Grandparents in northern Michigan. Up there we didn’t have cable and we were relegated to only the main network stations, of which there was only 3 and ½ at best that came in with a decent signal. So when we wanted to watch television the choices weren’t very wide and we had to watch what Grandma and Grandpa wanted. So I got to watch a few more procedural police dramas than I probably should have at a young age. One that I remember was “In the Heat of the Night.” I thought it was a little goofy and to be honest I didn’t get the whole racist thing at such a young age so I just didn’t get it. The television show was based on the 1967 Oscar winning movie of the same name. Watching it now, fully aware of the civil rights struggle of the 60’s, I get it now. “In the Heat of the Night” is one of the most powerful movies about race that I have ever seen.
The movie tells the story of a murder investigation in the small town of Sparta, Mississippi. At the beginning of the investigation the local sheriff arrests the first black man he sees. This turns out to be a detective (Tibbs) from out of state whom is trying to leave town after visiting his Mom. Eventually Tibbs decides to help the small town police force solve the murder. Throughout the movie Tibbs does several things that anger the southern town that has yet to overcome racism. Eventually mobs try to chase him out of time, but his duty and want to find the truth keep him there until he is able to solve the murder and at the very least earn respect from the local sheriff.
This film was really two stories in one film. The first is the murder mystery. The mystery here is great and full of twists and turns and it never feels like we are just being feed an endless string of red herrings. Each person we look at fits what we know about the murder at the time and then another clue is found that leads us somewhere else. The second story is southern racial tension. Seeing the view of a strong black character with a temper is quite different to the quiet strength that usually gets portrayed in this type of situation was great to see and since it was Sydney Poitier acting it made the emotions feel very real. He really owned this movie. It is easy to see why he is so fondly remembered for this film. All the other aspects of the film were handled very well, but it was the acting of Poitier that really stood out.
Overall this film still carries a strong message and has a great murder mystery that isn’t easily solvable and would keep a new audience on their feet. It gets 5 out of 5 stars.
The movie tells the story of a murder investigation in the small town of Sparta, Mississippi. At the beginning of the investigation the local sheriff arrests the first black man he sees. This turns out to be a detective (Tibbs) from out of state whom is trying to leave town after visiting his Mom. Eventually Tibbs decides to help the small town police force solve the murder. Throughout the movie Tibbs does several things that anger the southern town that has yet to overcome racism. Eventually mobs try to chase him out of time, but his duty and want to find the truth keep him there until he is able to solve the murder and at the very least earn respect from the local sheriff.
This film was really two stories in one film. The first is the murder mystery. The mystery here is great and full of twists and turns and it never feels like we are just being feed an endless string of red herrings. Each person we look at fits what we know about the murder at the time and then another clue is found that leads us somewhere else. The second story is southern racial tension. Seeing the view of a strong black character with a temper is quite different to the quiet strength that usually gets portrayed in this type of situation was great to see and since it was Sydney Poitier acting it made the emotions feel very real. He really owned this movie. It is easy to see why he is so fondly remembered for this film. All the other aspects of the film were handled very well, but it was the acting of Poitier that really stood out.
Overall this film still carries a strong message and has a great murder mystery that isn’t easily solvable and would keep a new audience on their feet. It gets 5 out of 5 stars.
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