Mad Men Rewatch 2013: Season 1 Ep. 12 “Nixon vs. Kennedy” Would the real Don Draper please stand up?!

 Bert, Pete, and Don discussing matters on Mad Men 

Photo Credit: AMC TV

It’s rewatch time!! For the first time ever this summer we will be watching an old season of a television show over the course of several weeks. Installments will be posted Sundays and Wednesdays with the posts spoiling only the episode that is being talked about. This summer the rewatch is on the first season of Mathew Weiner’s 1960’s period piece Mad Men, one of the great first seasons of television.

Thoughts on the penultimate episode of Mad Men’s first season right after I write an epic play in one act…

“Mr. Campbell. Who Cares?”

-Bert Cooper

After watching “Nixon vs. Kennedy” again it made me very happy that I will ultimately end up doing articles on both this episode and the final episode “The Wheel” over the time span of two days. Mathew Weiner and his crew really did save the best two episodes for last. No matter how much I love the rest of the season (and I really love the rest of the season a lot) “Nixon vs. Kennedy” and tomorrow night’s episode “The Wheel” really bring it because of just the sheer amount of satisfying resolution both these episodes bring. “Nixon vs. Kennedy” is an excellent episode that provides many climaxes and continuations to a lot of the show’s big arcs.

Let’s start right away with the Don, Pete, and Bert power off. The tension that leads up to Bert’s fantastic shrug off is phenomenal. It’s not that the reaction is all that surprising; it’s actually perfectly in character for Bert and all his Ayn Rand lovingness. It’s a perfect climax to the Pete, Don conflict that has been on a bit of rollercoaster throughout the season as it shows really how ridiculous Pete has been making this conflict over the course of these episodes. It doesn’t really matter where Don has come from and Pete’s lust and slight stupidity short sights him from actually realizing how bad this conflict is ultimately making him look.

Of course the other big plot point that gets resolved in “Nixon vs. Kennedy” is how Dick Whitman became Don Draper. We find out through flashbacks midway through the episode that Don stole a dead man’s identity and not only that but he stole his dead lieutenant’s identity. After the explosion all that Don could think about is a way out (as we see when he goes to Rachel midway through the episode which we’ll get too) and thus we get the slow train ride away as he watches Adam trying to get the family to recognize that he is in fact the one on the train and not the one in the coffin.

The final point of Don’s arc in this episode is his brush with trying to escape with Rachel. Before Bert Cooper gives his big “who cares” speech Don is actually nervous about what is going to happen to the life that he has built. So he goes instantly to the instinct that the hobo taught him and that is to run away from the situation. Unfortunately for Don the whole running away thing doesn’t sit right with Rachel and she turns him down with fantastic venom. Rachel finally realizes that this guy is really a tragic coward and that he will look for chances to run if he has to. Rachel smartly wants no part of him and swats him like a fly in the form of kicking him to the curb.

The rest of the episode focused on the party held at the office during the election night. “Nixon vs. Kennedy” through the lens of the party provided some great insight into some of the supporting cast in ways not previously done. Take for example the untold relationship between Paul and Joan that was ruined by Paul having an unfortunately large mouth. The scene between the two of them is brief but so sweet and telling of exactly who these people are and how they interact.

The whole party sequence was just great in general thanks to the brilliant fashion it was shot by director Alan Taylor. The sequence was shot in such an energetic fashion with the camera moving in such a cinematic fashion. Taylor has always had a great eye (I mean he did establish the look of the series) and the flair he has in the party scene shows the best that the show can look. Like this episode as a whole it’s fantastic stuff.

Man I love this show so very much!

Some other musings:

• While Harry Crain has been the least developed of the supporting cast so far the scene we get with him and Pete’s secretary is both a little beautiful and very heartbreaking as he realize what’s happened after the storm of drunkenness

• Jon Hamm is so great when he plays vulnerable. Hamm has always gone all out with the character never holding back when faced with a situation that makes his character look awful or cowardly. And boy does Don look bad in that sequence with Rachel!

This is a short one I’ll have a lot to say about “The Wheel” and what makes this a great season in general tomorrow so let’s move on…

Coming up Friday: “The Wheel” the season finale!

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

Fred’s Top 50 Films: 36.This is Spinal Tap (1984)

Rock out in This is Spinal Tap

“We're very lucky in the band in that we have two visionaries, David and Nigel, they're like poets, like Shelley and Byron. They're two distinct types of visionaries, it's like fire and ice, basically. I feel my role in the band is to be somewhere in the middle of that, kind of like lukewarm water.”

-Derek Smalls

Rock and roll is a curious thing isn’t it? Who would have thought when Spinal Tap was released in the mid 1980’s that it was the film that would best capture the culture and lifestyle of rock and roll. Not only that but This is Spinal Tap would go on to create as subset genre the mocumentary. Not only that but This is Spinal Tap is one of the select few 1980’s comedies that is even funnier upon rewatchings as it is on its initial pop.

There are so many memorial gags in This is Spinal Tap it’s amazing. From the classic it goes to 11 moment, to the old sixties imitation bands that the band used to be before Spinal Tap, to Stonehenge the film is jammed full of laughs. The best part about the gags in the film is that none of them feel forced. Yes some are more broad and obvious then others but there is a really great sense of subtlety that is present throughout most of the film. Most of the gags are so funny because they feel true, like they would happen in real life. Take the “Black Album” gag for example, one can see (and have seen since) the idea of the album as a viable real world idea and thus the joke is much finnier than it would be if it was played over the top.

The other great thing about This is Spinal Tap is that it does an incredibly great job of looking like an actual documentary. It feels as if the at times ridiculous laugh out loud moments feel perfectly in tune with the actual ridiculousness of the world of rock and roll. The result makes for a film that never feels like it’s mining for jokes nor that it cheats at any moment. Each joke feels organic and pure which makes the film even funnier and more enjoyable.

From drummers exploding to Stonehenge This is Spinal Tap is one of the greatest comedies of all time. It’s a laugh a minute pure joy ride that is even funnier today than it was back in the mid 1980s. Plus it’s one of the few comedies from the 1980s to hold up well, and that alone is worth a lot of celebration.

-Frederick Cholowski

Previous Film

Next Film (when available)

Mad Men Rewatch 2013: Season 1 Ep. 11 “Indian Summer” The vibrations of “weight loss”

 Peggy and her Weight Loss machine/vibrator on Mad Men

Photo Credit: AMC TV

It’s rewatch time!! For the first time ever this summer we will be watching an old season of a television show over the course of several weeks. Installments will be posted Sundays and Wednesdays with the posts spoiling only the episode that is being talked about. This summer the rewatch is on the first season of Mathew Weiner’s 1960’s period piece Mad Men, one of the great first seasons of television.

Thoughts on “Indian Summer” just as soon as I steal my Boss’s ID in a box…

“You are your own worst enemy.”

-Fortune Cookie

I popped in the DVD for Mad Men’s 11^th hour and within 2 minutes of the episode I was reminded, hey it’s the vibrator episode. The vibrator weight loss machine is a great source for some jokes, both throughout this episode and probably throughout this review (sorry in advance). What “Indian Summer” should actually known for is being the actual plot episode of Mad Men. Mad Men has never been known for its plot as often time the show is focused on characters or atmosphere. That’s not the case in “Indian Summer” as a lot happens throughout the course of an hour. The show moves through a lot of plot in “Indian Summer” to help set up what’s coming in the last two episodes.

Ah where to start, oh yes Adam hangs himself! It’s so devastating how the show just casually puts that at the beginning of the episode. Sure Adam is a really minor part of the overall Mad Men machine but it’s still devastating for him just to be dumped right at the beginning. All he wanted was for Don to be a part of his life and in the end Don’s refusal is directly responsible for his ultimate fate. The hanging is only a brief part of the episode but it leaves a giant emotional impact as Adam has been in the back of the mind since the pivotal “5G.”

The plot certainly doesn’t stop there though as Roger comes back to work… …Only to have another heart attack! Yes after coming back to a large fan fair (and telling Joan that she was a nice piece of ass) Roger has yet another near fatal encounter with heart failure right in the middle of a meeting with Lucky Strike. Roger’s heart attack opens a new door for Don becomes promoted when it’s clear that Roger isn’t going to be back anytime soon. Don eagerly celebrates by again having sex with Rachel (whose sister’s skeptical fortune cookie provides the quote at the beginning of the review) and afterwards telling Betty with somewhat muted enthusiasm (probably because he would rater be having sex with Rachel).

Don being made a partner sets up Pete’s push for the position of head of accounts, which also ends up pushing Pete into stealing Don’s ID in a box. Adam, after hanging himself, left Don behind a box of assumingly personal things revolving around himself and old Dyck Whitman. Pete has been looking for a way to slither into the position of head of accounts for a while now and trying to suck up (and eventually rob) Don who is now a partner seems the way to go. Pete seems so confident that he begins sitting in Don’s desk at the end of the episode (and steels things) after don shows him up by saying that maybe he like Roger’s office (which in reality he doesn’t). Pete may have something with the ID in a box which may be his next step towards account man domination.

Finally we have Peggy and the vibrator/weight loss machine. Peggy gets her second account after the guys can’t figure out what the dang appeal of the thing is (or what a new name for the stupid thing is). Peggy ends up figuring out, after trying it out with her door locked, that the thing gives her the good vibrations. What follows is both a hilarious and ultimately triumphant arc for Peggy, as she is forced to explain how the thing is appealing without embarrassing herself (this is the early 1960’s the concept was hard to talk about she couldn’t just say “it gives me pleasure dang it!”) and ultimately make her first ever big add pitch. The result is cute and funny in its awkwardness yet triumphant and enjoyable as ultimately she does a very good job with the pitch and ends up getting a nice little raise out of it (in an absolutely great scene of mutual understanding between Peggy and Don as they both leave having had great days). Ultimately we see Peggy celebrating with by having a night out with just her and her vibrator and allowing the good feelings to come rushing in (again I apologized earlier).

“Indian Summer” got through a lot of plot over the course of about 48 minutes. It sets up many pieces of plot that should be pivotal in the final two episodes. Plus it had a vibrator weight loss machine, so everyone wins!

Some other musings:

• Who knew Betty had strange dryer enabled fantasies about salesmen. Such a strange and very telling scene that shows just how lonely Betts is at the moment. Someone needs to get her a weight loss machine stat!

• Poor Joan gets the “best piece of ass I’ve ever had” treatment from Roger!

• Poor Bert gets slapped for no reason! No one slaps Bert Cooper!

Coming up Wednesday: “Nixon vs. Kennedy” Election time!!!!!!

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

The Newsroom “News Night with Will McAvoy”: Real time news coverage

Sloan looks worried on The Newsroom

Photo Credit: HBO

A full review of the best episode of The Newsroom to date as soon as I wait for that audio file to download…

It worked it really worked! I sat in disbelief tonight watching the Newsroom’s finest hour “News Night with Will McAvoy” play out in such a clean and effective manner after juggling so many pieces at the same time. Usually the show lets the pieces fall into a strange mess of stupid romantic comedy and over preachy news coverage, but “News Night with Will McAvoy” fit so well together with so many of the pieces that usually bring the show down completely  gone. It was beautiful!

The best thing that “News Night with Will McAvoy” could have done was to make the episode play out in real time. This allowed the scenes to play out with a certain amount of urgency and the storylines to be resolved by the end of the episode. There was no time for dilly dallying and messing around with bad jokes in meetings, weird tech flubs or bad romantic comedy, it was all about clear and efficiently told stories that were effective on every level. If I had it my way this is the way most episodes of The Newsroom would play out in real time as it seems to allow Sorkin to be good with emotional beets and not allow him to trip over himself constantly. Also it puts the best part of the entire show the actual making of News Night. Really it just allows time for the show to use its best element to its advantage and that is always a good thing.

Let’s start with the first Will storyline in forever to actually work well. The arc of Will’s father dying was very well handled both from the writing and acting side. It feels completely in character for Will to react that way and Jeff Daniels plays Will with his usual confused seeming cool. It wasn’t annoying, pretentious, or smug but instead managed to work as a beautiful emotional sequence. Will’s relationship with his father is perfectly displayed in only the brief moments of insight that are given. It’s a beautiful piece of character that needed no bad jokes or romantic tension to pull off and it was wonderful.

Another wonderful character pieces was Sloan’s naked pictures arc in this episode. I was dreading the arc at the beginning of the episode because it made Sloan look like an idiot and it paired her with Don. I feared that it would be a horrible degradation of a great character but I couldn’t be more wrong. Sloan’s arc provided insight into the character and her feelings and didn’t make any stupid moves towards being more romantically interested in Don. It also ended with her freaking kicking her former boyfriend in the balls and punching him in the face then taking a picture of the wreckage she made all out of revenge for the photos of her that he posted. Then in a move of sheer brilliance Don’s there to help her get away, without a stupid awkward romance scene trailing or following. They just worked as a tag team, and handled the situation perfectly. It was isolated from the rest of the episode mostly but it provided two of the show’s better characters something fantastic to do, and that’s what counts.

The rest of the episode revolved around how everyone was dealing with making an actual episode of News Night. Finally we see how Mac can be a very competent executive producer as she makes all the right calls here. The show shows her in complete control of her product and how she’s not messing around with it. She was in control of Will, in control of the other producers around her, and even on the guest who wanted to come out on her show (she was having none of that publicity stunt). When there is a mess up Mac handles it with grace and control. There is none of the yelling and crazy business seen last season. Her handling of Neil can be a tad tough at times but it comes off likable and well placed instead of crazy and annoying. Also Maggie now goes two weeks without being completely annoying and awful, and after last week seems much more sympathetic to me. This may change in a week but for now I’m ok with Maggie for a little bit. (By the way when on the Newsroom timeline does Maggie cut her hair because she hasn’t at the time of this episode)

“News Night with Will McAvoy” was easily the best episode of the Newsroom even better than the show’s very good pilot. It allowed all the most interesting parts of the show to pop and the character arcs to actually work. It was a fantastic episode that is a bright spot for the show, and even if the show goes back to being stupid and frustrating next week (which is a good bet) I will be able to look back at “News Night with Will McAvoy” as an example of just how good this show has the potential of being.

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think.

Breaking Bad “Blood Money” Review: Let the end games begin

 Walt and Jessie talk about things on Breaking Bad

Photo Credit: AMC TV

Full spoilers for “Blood Money.” You have been warned…

A review of tonight’s premiere of Breaking Bad as soon as Scotty beams pies from my stomach into space…

“It was you! All along, it was you!!”

-Hank

So here we are it’s time for the end game. Throughout the absolutely spectacular final season premiere “Blood Money” it’s made very clear very early that we’re on our way to hell on a bullet train and the road there isn’t going to be all that smooth. Vince Gilligan and his merry band of writers have made it very clear in “Blood Money” that sparks are going to fly and hell is about to break loose in all sorts of fascinating ways. It’s just time to sit back and take it all in, however horrifying it will be.

Let’s get straight to Walt and Hank’s epic showdown. It’s clear from the start of “Blood Money” just how devastated and confused Hank is after he reads the note in the Walt Whitman book. All along Hank would have never imagined that Walt had the capability to do all of what he’s done. Hank has entered a different dimension, one so frightening that it’s hard for him to imagine. That’s why Hank doesn’t mention anything to Walt at first and leaves the dinner pretending to be sick. Hank is in total shock and is completely confused by his discovery; he cannot believe that something like this has completely gone right under his nose all along.

From the first moment that he sees Hank after the toilet incident Walt knows that Hank has found out about his double life. Walt has known how to read people for long periods of time now, especially someone as close to him as Hank. Walt is worried right away and begins checking for leads on if Hank is spying on him or not. What he finds is a GPS tracker on his car and that his all important Walt Whitman book is missing. 

 So looking for any sign of Hank finding things out he goes and tries to confront Hank.

At the beginning of the conversation is pretty normal with a little bit of tension present in it. It’s clear that both the men know something is up, the tension continues to build between the two of them. Then Walt, the master he is, pulls the GPS tracker on Hank, probably to see what Hank knows. Then all hell breaks loose. All of Hanks feelings come out at once and he first punches and then grabs hold of Walt. It’s a mix of feelings coming out at once; Hank is angry, disturbed and sad at the same time. The punch leads into a tense talk one that forces Walt to try and to defend himself. It’s a short conflict ending with both parties in a stalemate knowing neither what either party will do. It’s an absolutely fantastic sequence one that feels natural given Breaking Bad’s measured pace yet comes earlier than expected given everything that comes before it. It’s go time now and it’s very reassuring that Gilligan is pulling no punches at this point.

Jessie is also in a dark place, as he has no idea how to react to having five million dollars of “blood money” sitting in his living room. He’s dying inside from what he’s done in the past and wants to ultimately just give it all away. After not being able to give it to the two people that he wanted to give it to due to Walt and Saul’s interference, he just simply throws it out the window at every house on the way, trying to rid himself of all the money he’s gotten from his dark past. Jessie’s arc is as usual disturbing and powerful and allows the audience to hope and pray that Jessie ends up redeemed.

Finally we end where the episode began, with the future. The sequence at the beginning of the episode provided yet another glimpse into what is to become of Walt. This time we get a glimpse of the gated off version of the now abandoned White family house and the skateboarders that now have taken over the empty pool. The big revelation is that Walt is still able to collect the risen that he hid a long time ago and that somehow and for some reason he’s going to have to use it. It’s frightening, ominous and allows the viewer to gain insight on where we’re going. It’s time to sit back and enjoy was what should be a spectacular ride.

Only seven episodes left…

Some other Musings:

• Hello, Carol

• The cancer is back. We get to see Walt going through kimo again, and he even brings it up as a talking point during his confrontation with Hank.

• The sequence where Skyler gets to tell Lidia off is pretty glorious knowing just how annoying Lidia can be. It’s a great showpiece moment for Anna Gunn who doesn’t have all that much to do in this first hour.

• How about Dean Norris and Bryan Cranston in that glorious confrontation? They really put on an acting clinic in this one.

• Is it just me or does it seem that Jessie really doesn't believe Walt's story about Mike?

• Bryan Cranston has turned out to be one heck of a director as this was yet again another fantastcially directed premiere.

• I wish I could write a Star Trek script as fantastic as Badgers. Now what would happen in a Paul Kinsey Badger Star Trek script-off?

The review next week will happen but will be a few days late because of a big schedule conflict.

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

Elysium Review

Matt Damon in action in Elysium

Photo Credit: Sony Pictures

Elysium

A-

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

This summer has had its fair share of big budget, premise based Sci-Fi films. Elysium is the latest and the best of this crop of films. Writer, director Neil Blomkamp, who was responsible for the fantastic District 9, creates a dark and destructive vision of the future with heavy political undertones. Such a film could turn out to be a disaster, but under the steady eye of Blomkamp Elysium manages to shine as bright as possible given its just less than two hour constraints.

At the end of the twenty first century Earth has been practically destroyed. Overpopulation and pollution have ravaged the earth forcing the rich to build a super high tech new habitat called Elysium and the poor to be left behind on the barren wasteland that is Earth. Max a former thief and now lower class worker on Earth suffers an accidental incineration after his boss forces him to try to do unsafe work to keep his job. He is hit with a lot of radiation from the accident and is told that he has only five days left to live. Not ready to die Max sets out for aid from an old boss Spider (Wagner Moura) to get him to Elysium to fix his illness. Spider accepts if Max is willing to do one job for him steal the information that is in an earthbound Elysium executive John Carlyle (William Fichtner). Turns out Carlyle was given the reboot codes for all of Elysium by Elysium’s somewhat extreme defense senator Delacourt (Jodie Foster) who uses frowned upon methods such as her super evil super soldier Kruger (Sharlto Copley). After the codes are stolen let’s just say that Delacourt wants them back and so a now part robot (so he can have more strength while suffering from the radiation) Max has to outrun Kruger’s team of assassins but also ensure that his childhood friend Frey’s (Alice Braga) young daughter Matilda (Emma Tremblay) can get up to Elysium as well to heal her stage three leukemia.

Elysium has a ton of moving peaces which for the most part actually plays to its strengths. Elysium has a lot of political commentary hammered into its less than two hour running time including various comments on sustainability, the military, right wing extremism, and biggest of all immigration. The issues come fast and quickly but Neil Blomkamp manages to make it all work by making a very intense two hour experience one that keeps the viewer on their toes for the entire experience. Elysium is never hard to follow nor is it ever preachy because Blomcamp has a very good human story at the centre. The stories of Max, Frey, Delacourt, and Kruger are all super interesting and that paired with the very well shot action keep the film moving at a very intense pace; especially once the film reaches its second half.

That being said it’s hard not to escape the thought that the material that makes up Elysium isn’t really made to fit into a two hour film, but instead feels like something that should be drawn out over a ten to thirteen episode television miniseries. One of the strengths of Blomkamp’s previous film District 9 is that the story felt contained enough to fit into the span of two hours and all the issues fit well within the time span of the film. Elysium feels like there can be entire films based around one element of the premise alone, and that something like a miniseries could help flesh out many of the ideas and characters that are presented in the film. Ultimately the film has to be judged for what it is, which is a very good and very intense just shy of two hour film that happens to comment on a lot of different issues, but it’s very hard to shake the fact that if it were a longer experience and all the elements of the film were allowed to breath it could be something truly special. It has the potential to be like a season of the Wire that is set in the future, it really does.

The acting in this film is solid across the board. Matt Damon gets to be a more action hero version of himself (think something like a more down to earth Jason Borne) and pulls it off very well given the constraints of his character (which is the writing’s fault more than his, see the previous paragraph for why that is). Jodie Foster isn’t given all that much to do but plays what she is given very well. The real standout in the film is Sharlto Copley who gets to be fantastically evil as Kruger. Copley plays Kruger with so much energy and rage, and ends up steeling every scene he’s in. He carries much of the film’s tension and ends up creating a very memorable villain.

Visually Blomkamp has turned out to be quite the director. Elysium is a wonderfully shot film and one that manages to use its camera movements to dictate both its pace and intensity. There is still some of the camera shaking that remains from District 9 but this time Blomkamp is very smart with how he uses it, often leaving it for moments that are supposed to be utterly chaotic. The result is a beautifully gritty film that makes the most of its R rating. Yes the bloody violence seen previously in District 9 makes its return in full force providing a few exploding heads and bodies. It’s all ultimately well directed and shows how good Blomkamp has gotten over the course of just two films. The score scene here is usual intense Sci-Fi fair but does provide a good way to keep the film feeling constantly intense.

Elysium is the best of 2013’s crop of blockbusters, even though it doesn’t seem to fit in that category all that well. The film is a smart, energetic, and very intense two hour experience that manages to thrill and be thought provoking. The material may have ultimately be better served in a longer form of storytelling, but ultimately Elysium manages to be a very good film that just misses greatness because of its unfortunate constraints.