Mad Men: Season Two
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Movie Reviews of Mad Men: Season Two
Movie Review: MAD MEN SEASON 3 DVD SET IS FANTASTIC!
Summary: 5 Stars
This boxed set is GREAT. For those who love the series and only watched it once during the regular season, I say it's a must to watch this set, to not only see the episodes once again in crisper visuals, enjoy the incredible writing and impeccable performances (how did they cast such amazing actors across the board?) but also to enjoy some great EXTRAS. The documentaries about the history of this period in America reveal that every reference to the period in the show is meticulously researched, and there's tons of references that you wouldn't even catch if they didn't point them out. Those who say the show isn't accurate to the period are crazy -- yes, some of the behavior may be exaggerated and stylized, but welcome to good drama.
The fashion review doc offers a really entertaining look at period clothing and how the designers on the show go to great lengths to not only adhere to the period but also to add their own flair. The visuals of the episodes are great (I don't know what that guy was talking about who said it was jerky?) allowing the eye to linger on the incredible lighting and set design which rise above most of the major movies of today.
Then there's the many COMMENTARIES, which reveal so much insight. They go deep into the bench of actors for some of the commentaries with the supporting players we love so much, like Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway) and Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell) so we get insights we wouldn't normally get from the big stars.
I particularly like how in this season those supporting characters get more development and the actors get to shine in new story arcs, like Joan's faceoff with Paul Kinsey over his black girlfriend, Peggy's relationship with the priest played by Colin Hanks, Pete and Trudy Campbell's conflict over adoption, Roger Sterling's next disastrous step in his mid-life crisis in dumping his wife for a 20 year-old, and of course the Jimmy and Bobby Barrett arc which creates a chasm between Don and Betty which may never be filled and leads Don to run from his present issues and allows us to learn more about his past.
What a great show. Maybe the greatest. If Season 3 doesn't justify my very existence, I may just hurl myself off a skyscraper like that silhouette guy in the opening title sequence. Kidding. (kinda) :-0
Movie Review: --Superb--
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't have cable & so had to wait for the DVD of the first season -- It is addictive & delicious like a strawberry vanilla ice cream shake melting into perfection -- Especially great is the superb casting -- January Jones is fantastic as are all the other actors -- not least the lead. Having worked in the sixties for Shell Oil Corp. in the Sperry-Rand building on Sixth & 51st -- where the politics, camraderie, martini lunches, humiliations, & male chauvinism -- marvelously evoked by the writers of 'Mad' -- were in evidence. I spent 18 hours (with breathers for coffee & breakfast) watching all 13 episodes of the first season over the course of an all-nighter -- and tonight I am compelled to re-view the last three episodes. It's like a blend of Delillo's first novel 'Americana', Yates' 'Revolutionary Road', with the decor of 'Desk Set' and the bitter comedy of Billy Wilder's 'The Apartment' (which is referenced in an early episode of 'Mad'), with vintage 'Playboy' ambience thrown in for good measure. These were the last years when women wore petticoats, merry widows, stockings, and suspender belts. The only weakness I could detect was the flimsily produced Korean War sequence illuminating Don Draper's secret origins. As far as I can see that part could have been explained in dialogue -- a la Greek tragedy -- without using the cheesy old M.A.S.H. set. All in all it's the best adult soap I've ever seen. I can only hope the season continues for as long as 'Sopranos'. Lastly kudos for the music composer and the animators that created the opening credits sequence -- it's fabulous -- This HBO product is a work in which every participant should derive a lifetime's worth of pride. Great! And writers: withold, withold, withold the easy character explanations. To quote Don Draper: "No one knows why people do things."Movie Review: "Who the heck is Don Draper" becomes a fascinating question
Summary: 5 Stars
AMC has come out of nowhere to challenge HBO as the leading producer of quality original programming on TV. While the roster of hits may not be as deep as HBO's, "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" belong on the short list of Great TV Series from the last two decades.
With Season Two, "Mad Men" builds on the stellar foundation laid by Season One. I'll leave the recapping of the tale to others, but I will say that the deeper exploration of the characters of "Mad Men" is a worthwhile enterprise.
"Mad Men" starts and stops with Don Draper - just who the heck is he? The perfection of the man's profile is only exceeded by his life - gorgeous dutiful wife, the requisite number of kids, the ability to bag almost any woman he sees, and command of his job. What more can a man in the early 60s ask for? But it's clear that behind that stoic demeanor and clenched jaw there is a seething mass of rage and uncertainty - Don is not as ice-cold as his icy stare would indicate.
Sure, there's lots of fun to be had with the time period - we get to see "new" products such as Clearasil and the Kodak slide carousel along with the period-appropriate womanizing, boozing, and fashion. But "Mad Men" is far more than an observant time capsule of a bygone era. It is an exploration of the men and women who lived seemingly perfect lives but were all too flawed and human inside the armor of their movie-star looks and their Manhattan cool.
Season Two wanders pretty far afield as we learn the Story of Don, and it's a fun wandering. Try to avoid spoilers where you can, and enjoy the ride.
Movie Review: Greatest TV Show Ever? Very possibly.
Summary: 5 Stars
Season 1 of "Mad Men" was brilliant; Season 2 is even more so. Judging from the first two seasons, Matthew Weiner and the rest of the "Mad Men" crew are putting in a strong bid for the title of Greatest Television Program of All Time. As some previous reviewers have remarked, a lot of sins from Season 1 are coming home to roost in Season 2. We see the already troubled marriage of Don and Betty Draper (Jon Hamm, January Jones) turn rockier still; the struggles of Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) with her family and her Catholic faith; the continuing workplace humiliation of the shrewd, unflappable Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks); the increasing cold-bloodedness of Roger Sterling (John Slattery), Peter Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), "Duck" Phillips (Mark Moses), and Bert Cooper (Robert Morse). The characters are endlessly fascinating, the dialogue subtle and sharp, the period recreation of the early 1960s miraculous. The storyline takes surprising yet completely believable turns, and the cast is so great that my favorite actor on the show tends to be the one I happen to be watching at the time.
My only caveat: "Mad Men," like "Deadwood," is not a show you can pick up by watching a random episode. To know what's going on and get the show's full impact, you need to begin at the beginning and progress in a completely orderly fashion. Season 2 of "Mad Men" is magnificent, but you won't realize how magnificent it is unless you've seen all of Season 1 first.
Movie Review: A stellar Time Trip
Summary: 5 Stars
The series MADMEN has captured the culture, color and swaggar of the times of 1960. Sadly, it captures the essense of how women were undervalued as professionals and too often exploited by the opportunistic and arrogant energies of the then Patriarchial society where men dominated. The series also showed how smoking and drinking alcohol to excess, especially in the workplace was a very real, accepted and working part of society at all levels. The character development was EXCELLENT and the energies of each individual became real, at least in my mind. The series also characterized the times where the dollar ruled and Capitalism was more innocent, as the advertising business set the tone for America along with the rise of television and the early stages of media hype. The politics were also well developed and blended skillfully into the series. Interestingly, the ego's of the key players were colorfully portrayed and the emphasis and swagger of "pecking order and proces" was also well-done relative to the corporate march in America. The romances were sordid and passionate and gave credibility to the timeless human condition of Libedo over Credo. MADMAN was and is a quintesential classic of American Culture and should be mandatory viewing for students of the so-called American Dream, at least in the developmental stages. Simply put, MADMEN is a CLASSIC!
Capt. Rick Rotundo