I’m sorry, Ted, but every time we get a car, this place turns into a whorehouse. Before we leap into a discussion of What It All Means, let’s pause to marvel at the weird. Mad Men Episode 6.08 was some seriously weird shit. We’ve heard Matt Weiner say that Mad Men doesn’t have a genre, [...]
May 222013
By far, John Slattery’s finest directing job for Mad Men. Brilliant angles, blocking, scenery, movement, and acting all around.
There had to be a slower-paced episode following last week – but I truly loved this installment. I’d call it deliberate, but not slow by any means.
ELEVATOR
Don presses “Lobby” – going down, indeed.
Sylvia screaming at Arnie – shades of Sharon Stone in Casino. Only less crazy.
“Don’t forget to take some money!!” – money again tied to relationships, love.
SCDP OFFICES
Feels crowded. “First day of school.” Heh.
May 222013
I wish I was as smart as you. I wish it all came easy. But it doesn’t…when I was in sixth grade, they told us that when we got to junior high, we would be either Track One, Track Two, or Track Three. Track One is the smart kids, Track Two is the normal kids, and Track Three is the dumb kids. And what do you think I got? How do you think it feels, to be told you’re dumb, when you’re eleven years old? – Daniel DeSario (James Franco) to Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini), Freaks and Geeks
James Franco may have gotten the great dialogue moments in the Freaks and Geeks episode Tests and Breasts — he tearfully delivers the above monologue (at 1:15 in the clip above) and completely melts Lindsay’s heart, enough to get her to keep lying to her parents, her guidance counselor, and her math teacher about helping the gorgeous rogue Daniel cheat on a math test. Then, after incontrovertible evidence of Daniel’s and Linsday’s cheating is uncovered with all four of those adults in the room, Daniel delivers the exact same monologue, tear-stained inflection for tear-stained inflection, apparently forgetting (or not caring?) that Lindsay has already heard it. (This happens at 6:10 in the clip.) Certainly, this is a prime showcase for the comedic acting gifts of Mr. Franco. But what happens right after Daniel’s monologue encore makes it Linda Cardellini’s scene all the way. Continue reading »
May 212013
Deb mentioned this in her recap; it was a nice little musical connection in The Crash….
In a young-Dick-Whitman-in-the-whorehouse scene, we hear Dream a Little Dream of Me. (I’m not sure which of the early versions it was; there were many. It may have been Ozzie Nelson; does anyone have this definitively?)
Most of us associate the song with the “Mama Cass with The Mamas and The Papas” version. This came out in June of 1968, which is when this wacky episode took place. Continue reading »
May 212013
‘Does someone love me?’ That’s what your question was. That’s everyone’s question. – Wendy, The Crash
What will it take to make Don Draper real?
That’s the question that drives Don to stand silent outside Sylvia’s door, smoking and listening to her domestic chatter with her husband. It leaves him sleepless, bereft of ideas; after receiving an injection from Jim Cutler’s “doctor,” it sends him into the firm’s archives, looking for the image he thinks will inform his pitch. Not the pitch to Chevy: the one to Sylvia. The one that matters to him. Continue reading »
May 202013
Iron Man 3 (2013) 10/10
I’m a little frustrated with myself. It was never my intention to confine my movie reviews to blockbusters, but lately I’ve reviewed quite a few. Yet Iron Man 3 does some things so uniquely and well that I find it is worth discussion.
You see, I have a pet peeve about comic book movies. I am a comic book geek from way back. I have literally read Marvel comics since I could read, and was a collector from my teens through my late twenties. I’m also a film fan; one who doesn’t expect movies to behave like comic books. Each medium has its own strengths and weaknesses. But movies have consistently failed to understand a fundamental principle of comics: The continuing story.
There are some terrific (as well as not-so-terrific) movies out there that launch a comic book series. X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman, Hellboy: They tell an origin story and a kick-off adventure with joy and elegance. They do well at conveying the personality of the original character and setting, while translating the experience to the big screen. Many comic movies have had good second entries as well, although often they are continuing the work of establishing the characters begun in the first film, perhaps picking up a deliberate “To Be Continued” thread. It’s at the point of the third movie that most such films fall apart. Continue reading »
Open Thread: The CrashMay 19, 2013 Episode 8 is here already! My, this season is flying by. Hey there, if you’re new, please note that, before joining the conversation, we really want you to read our comment and spoiler policies. Anything that has already aired on the East Coast at the time of posting is not a spoiler. |
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 Winners and LosersMay 18, 2013 Everyone who’s worked in a company that has gone through a merger knows the drill. It’s like when a young couple decides to move in together and combine two households. Everything that is duplicated – television, sofa, salad spinner – is at risk. Which TV has the bigger screen? Which sofa is more comfortable? Whose [...] |
 Matt Weiner reveals: Why the show is so damn popularMay 17, 2013 Matt said the most bold, interesting thing at the 92nd St Y a few weeks ago. He’s always asked why the show is so successful; why it’s become iconic, why there are Mad Men themed parties and the fashion influence, all that–aside from some of the obvious visual glamor. And he said: he’s always said [...] |
Basket of News, May 11-17, 2013May 17, 2013 Matthew Weiner, with January Jones and Jessica Paré spend 87 minutes at the 92nd St. Y in NYC: (via Basketcases polly draper and MyPeopleAreNordic) Here’s some print highlights. Gothamist unpacks the cultural references in “Man With A Plan.” The Houston Chronicle focuses on The Last Picture Show (and other books from 1968). Janie Bryant talks [...] |
 Name the Brands!May 16, 2013 Addendum–reading through the comments, I see I did just a lame job of expressing my intentions. Sorry for all the confusion it caused! Really I was just looking for every real-life brand that was ever featured on the show. Sheesh, why didn’t I just say that? –Roberta I was talking with a friend about how [...] |
Mad Men at the Paley CenterMay 16, 2013 In this ten minute excerpt from the Paley Center event Roberta referenced, we see Jon Hamm looking at Roberta and answering the question she discusses, although we don’t see Roberta or Jon’s coda about Rachel. When Vincent Kartheiser says “Toss it out,” he has just heard me say “Grimy little pimp” (quoting Lane about Pete) [...] |
 Fan Art Thursday 5/16/13 Mad Men SCDP by Alan SegamaMay 16, 2013 Here’s a fine minimalist print from artist Alan Segama. You can buy prints of it here. Hmm, I wonder if Don is beginning to regret his latest merger. Man, I miss Lane! |
