As the only literate Reject, it’s my duty to find the latest, the greatest and the untouched classics that would make great source material for film adaptations. I read so you don’t have to. This week, Print to Projector presents the story of a young man joining an ad agency in the early 1960s, but instead of drinking scotch, chain smoking, and wearing nice suits all day, he stumbles upon the Milgram Experiment, a mysterious suicide of a close friend and is haunted by his true murderous nature.
Culture Warrior: A Reluctant Criticism of ‘Mad Men’
Culture Warrior By Landon Palmer on September 21, 2010 | Comments (10)I really love Mad Men. I talk about it a lot. Since The Wire ended in 2008, and I haven’t seen any episodes of Boardwalk Empire yet, then as far as my knowledge takes me it’s the best damn show currently on television. Nothing I’m saying here is necessarily new, but Mad Men effectively does a great many things I’ve never seen television do before in that it 1) delivers is an incredibly entertaining and engaging media object while it uses its protagonists to criticize and reveal the potentially manipulative processes of media itself, 2) interrogates any continuous notion of the ever-interpretationally-oscillating “good old days” by showing how they were neither that good nor that long ago, thereby criticizing our culture’s all-too-convenient rotating manufacture of nostalgia, 3) utilizes the past to criticize white male heteronormative hegemony and reveal a systematic culture of sexism, racism, and homophobia, and all the while 4) creates compelling drama as manifested by ambiguous, layered characters with the combination of beautiful cinematography and impeccable production design. Mad Men, in short, is an engrossing, enjoyable, and thought-provoking series in unprecedented ways. But for a show to engage in such a rare criticism of a cultural moment, a bit of negotiation is required. And it is in this respect that some major problems with the show have arisen recently.
‘Mad Men’ Star Christina Hendricks Prepared to ‘Drive’ with Refn
Casting Couch By Cole Abaius on September 9, 2010 | Comments (1)There’s something perfect about the sass-filled sex pot of Mad Men joining a film directed by a man who said that “art [was] an act of violence.” There’s nothing poppy and light about Christina Hendricks’s show, but it’s downright froth compared to the madness that was Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson. It’ll be great to see what they have in store for each other. Refn’s next project is Drive – a film starring Ryan Gosling as a stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver (because even stunt driving aint payin’ the bills these days). It also features the brilliant Albert Brooks, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston and, now (according to Variety), Christina Hendricks. It won’t be her first feature film role, but it will be her second major after she’s seen in Life As We Know It – which sounds like a Sundance film but is actually a Katherine Heigl rom-com.
Jimmy Fallon is No Elton John: An Emmys 2010 Recap
Television By Merrill Barr on August 30, 2010 | Comments (15)Every year, we TV people gather around the idiot box to see what shows were the best of last year. Well, at least what the Academies thought were the best, anyway. And, no, the irony of watching a television show about television shows isn’t lost on us. Last night was a gala night for the small screen featuring a few surprises, a few snubs, and Jimmy Fallon in an Elton John suit. Here’s a break down of what went down at the 2010 Emmy Awards.
For those of you who read this weekly, I apologize. I was in Texas for an August wedding last week and was unable to expound on what I kept hearing was sort of a polarizing episode. Last week’s “The Good News”, was pretty excellent, I thought. The first half with Don in California and meeting Anna. These episodes with Don in California have always been a good change of pace because we get to see Don sort of drop his guard.
Review: Mad Men – Christmas Comes But Once a Year
Features By Josh Radde on August 2, 2010 | Comments (3)Christmas hits SCDP and because their Lucky Strike client, Lee Garner Jr., comes to the office, what was once supposed to be a very conservative and small Christmas gathering turns into a sexy soiree. Weirdo kid Glen (from season 1, with the creepy Glen-Betty storyline) begins a childish, but not childish, flirtation with Sally. Peggy contemplates moving forward, physically, with Mark, who believes she is a virgin. “Man your battle stations!”
Don Draper (Jon Hamm) comes off as a bit of a prick when he does an interview and upsets his partners at the recently founded Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce ad firm, while also trying to convince a family-owned bikini shop that it’s ok to sell something sexy. At the homefront, Betty (January Jones) and Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) are living in Don’s house temporarily. I’ve sort of stayed away from hearing about season 4 of Mad Men this year. Last year I did a bunch more to prepare for writing for the season on FSR, and in some ways it ruined what just watching and experiencing Mad Men does for me. That being said, the reviews for this new season will be just as in-depth and I’ll try to touch on more aspects of the show than I have in years past, like the costuming and music, for example, in the week’s coming.
Community, Sons of Anarchy Lead List of Great Shows Without 2010 Emmy Nominations
Television By Neil Miller on July 8, 2010 | Comments (1)Nominations for the 62nd annual Emmy Awards were announced today — and boy, are they a let-down. Plenty of great shows were snubbed while some usual suspects were treated to another round of nominations. In the end, it’s hard to argue with several nominations for Breaking Bad, some send-off noms for Lost and a round of names from the Mad Men cast on the list. But I can’t help but wonder why recognition wasn’t paid to some of television’s best drama, namely Sons of Anarchy, or its best and most overlooked comedies, shows like Community and the dearly departed Party Down. Then of course, there’s Conan O’Brien getting a nomination for The Tonight Show. That made me giggle.
Don Draper’s Mistress to Play with ‘Cowboys and Aliens’
Movie News By Neil Miller on July 2, 2010 | Be the First To CommentIt’s been a busy night for the ladies of Mad Men. First the lovely Alison Brie joins Scream 4, and now Abigail Spencer — best known as Don Drapers fiery school teacher mistress — is joining the Jon Favreau directed actioner Cowboys and Aliens. This will mark her studio feature debut, as she joins Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford and Sam Rockwell. Seriously — how ’bout that cast?
5 Films To Watch In Celebration of Boobquake Day
Cinematic Listology By Cole Abaius on April 26, 2010 | Comments (9)In an effort to do our cinematic part for the science of Boobquake Day, here are a few films you can watch to help aid in what will most likely win the next Nobel Prize.
This Week in Blu-ray: You’re a Toy! You’re a Fox! You’re in HD!
Features By Neil Miller on March 23, 2010 | Comments (1)After taking a week off due to the big fiesta film party that is South by Southwest, I’m back in action with my fingers all over the pulse of the world of Blu-ray. In this entry of This Week in Blu-ray, I’m not only bringing you the releases of this week, but I will be mixing in some choice picks from last week…
WGA Rewards The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air; Will The Academy Follow Suit?
Movie News By Neil Miller on February 21, 2010 | Comments (1)The winners of the 2010 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, radio, news, promotional, and videogame writing were announced last night.Among the big winners were Mark Boal for his work on The Hurt Locker and the team of Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for their work on Up in the Air.
Culture Warrior: Dressing Up the Twentieth Century
Culture Warrior By Landon Palmer on February 2, 2010 | Be the First To Comment
Producers Guild Chooses ‘Hurt Locker,’ ‘The Cove,’ ‘Up’
Movie News By Cole Abaius on January 25, 2010 | Comments (1)Check out which of your favorite television shows and movies won with this complete listing of PGA winners. Tiger Woods isn’t on here.
Culture Warrior: The 3rd Golden Age of Television
Culture Warrior By Landon Palmer on January 12, 2010 | Comments (3)In the last ten years, practices of storytelling and spectatorship in television have changed drastically, and, most likely, for good.
Fright Night Remake Gains Steam, Picks Up Mad Men Writer
Movie News By Neil Miller on November 12, 2009 | Comments (2)Ever since it was resurrected by Dreamworks in May, the remake of Fright Night, the 1985 horror comedy from director Tom Holland, has been striking fear into the hearts of fans across the web. And now, we’re interested to see the reaction.
2009 People’s Choice Nominees Celebrate Mediocrity, Web Celebs
Movie News By Neil Miller on November 10, 2009 | Comments (7)Who needs critics? Who needs experts? Since the dawn of the internet and the democratization of entertainment, who really needs someone to tell them what is good and what is not good? These people, for starters.
Culture Warrior: Slow Isn’t Boring
Culture Warrior By Landon Palmer on November 9, 2009 | Comments (4)Resident Rage-aholic has a few too many and starts ranting about alcohol and its consumers on the screen, both big and small.
Mad Men Finale Review: Shut the Door. Have a Seat.
Television By Josh Radde on November 9, 2009 | Comments (5)The season finale begins with Don ending his business partnership with Conrad Hilton and ends with him starting a new job somewhere else; Betty wants to go forward with divorce proceedings.
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