August 10, 2011
MAD MEN review
When I first heard of the series Mad Men, I assumed it was an overly hyped show about pompous ad executives sitting around drinking, smoking talking about clients, with an over-emphasis on making the series super sleek, clean and stylish, with boring plots, stiff acting and very slow story development.
Man was I ever wrong...
The characters are multi-layers, the plots are intriguing and engaging, the sets, costumes and cinematography are top notch, and the casting and acting are tremendous. For some damn reason, I thought for sure this would be a boring show about boring people, I couldn't understand what all the hype was about. I'm hear to tell you it's well deserving of all the praise, it has shattered my expectations, I watched all four seasons within a month.
The show is set in the 1960s, initially at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City, and later at the newly created firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The focal point of the series is Don Draper (Jon Hamm), creative director at Sterling Cooper and a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, as well as those in his life, both in and out of the office. As such, it regularly depicts the changing moods and social mores of 1960s America.
Mad Men has received critical acclaim, particularly for its historical authenticity and visual style, and has won multiple awards, including thirteen Emmys and four Golden Globes. It is the first basic cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, winning it in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
I was constantly fascinated with the progression of the characters the gradual reveal of their individual back stories. With hilarious and realistic characters introduced portrayed, and the furniture, cars, sets, costumes, colors and lighting of the whole thing just transports you back to early 60s New York, just as Deadwood transported you back to 1880s small town western U.S.A.
The character development and the method in which they structure their story arcs are particularly unique. Somehow they make the characters evolve and yet stay the same. They turn seemingly boring content into compelling writing for the actors feed off of.
Most notably, in the concluding episode of Mad Men’s Season One, Don Draper (John Hamm) begins to realize the tragic consequences his actions have had on those he loves. This resolution, or change, comes with his successful pitch to the suits from their new client, Kodak:
This first season of Mad Men is the exception to the rule that change (in character development) equals happiness. More often than not, the resolution of a Main Character’s problem comes with a greater peace of mind, a release of personal angst. Concepts like these and many others are explored as main characters in the series go through lots of personal denial and self-discovery and it leads to some compelling storytelling.
The first two seasons were my favorite, not that the following two weren't spectacular, new characters are introduced, old ones leave, characters evolve, sometimes in unexpected directions that some may find unsatisfactory,. However, as whole, the series is of the highest quality. Not to mention the ever growing mystery surrounding the lead characters hidden past... it sounds chessy, but trust me, it's crazy and enigmatic. I highly recommend this series.
"Advertising is based on one thing, happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay." -Don Draper
The characters are multi-layers, the plots are intriguing and engaging, the sets, costumes and cinematography are top notch, and the casting and acting are tremendous. For some damn reason, I thought for sure this would be a boring show about boring people, I couldn't understand what all the hype was about. I'm hear to tell you it's well deserving of all the praise, it has shattered my expectations, I watched all four seasons within a month.
The show is set in the 1960s, initially at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City, and later at the newly created firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The focal point of the series is Don Draper (Jon Hamm), creative director at Sterling Cooper and a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, as well as those in his life, both in and out of the office. As such, it regularly depicts the changing moods and social mores of 1960s America.
Mad Men has received critical acclaim, particularly for its historical authenticity and visual style, and has won multiple awards, including thirteen Emmys and four Golden Globes. It is the first basic cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, winning it in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
I was constantly fascinated with the progression of the characters the gradual reveal of their individual back stories. With hilarious and realistic characters introduced portrayed, and the furniture, cars, sets, costumes, colors and lighting of the whole thing just transports you back to early 60s New York, just as Deadwood transported you back to 1880s small town western U.S.A.
The character development and the method in which they structure their story arcs are particularly unique. Somehow they make the characters evolve and yet stay the same. They turn seemingly boring content into compelling writing for the actors feed off of.
Most notably, in the concluding episode of Mad Men’s Season One, Don Draper (John Hamm) begins to realize the tragic consequences his actions have had on those he loves. This resolution, or change, comes with his successful pitch to the suits from their new client, Kodak:
He’s speaking of Kodak’s new gadget, but we know he is really speaking about himself. The problem of his philandering and self-centered approach has been solved, but only with a great emotional cost. Don returns home triumphant – only to find his house empty, his heart denied the usual emotional catharsis that comes when a problem is solved. Combining a change of heart with the crush of emotional turmoil contributes to the honesty and sincerity many point to as strengths of the show’s writing."This device isn’t a spaceship; it’s a time machine. It goes backwards and forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called the wheel. It’s called the carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels, around and back home again to a place where we know we are loved."
This first season of Mad Men is the exception to the rule that change (in character development) equals happiness. More often than not, the resolution of a Main Character’s problem comes with a greater peace of mind, a release of personal angst. Concepts like these and many others are explored as main characters in the series go through lots of personal denial and self-discovery and it leads to some compelling storytelling.
The first two seasons were my favorite, not that the following two weren't spectacular, new characters are introduced, old ones leave, characters evolve, sometimes in unexpected directions that some may find unsatisfactory,. However, as whole, the series is of the highest quality. Not to mention the ever growing mystery surrounding the lead characters hidden past... it sounds chessy, but trust me, it's crazy and enigmatic. I highly recommend this series.
"Advertising is based on one thing, happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay." -Don Draper
August 09, 2011
Black Dynamite - Pilot Episode!
In this unaired pilot for the upcoming Black Dynamite series, our ass-kickin-friend-of-the-community Black Dynamite takes on his childhood mentor and surrogate father: That Frog Kurtis, a Puppet TV educator turned super villain!
August 08, 2011
Dream World
This documentary is about Jason Paul, a free runner that tries to find new ways in his daily life to fulfill his inner needs. On his journey to London he discovers that friendship and companion are essential values in life. Written and directed by Frank Sauer
Voice Actor - John Ratzenberger
Ratzenberger has had a voice part in ALL of Pixar's feature films made to date. His roles include: - Hamm the Piggy Bank in Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010)
- P.T. Flea, the Circus Ring Leader in A Bug's Life (1998)
- The Abominable Snowman in Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- The school of Moonfish in Finding Nemo (2003)
- The Underminer in The Incredibles (2004)
- Mack the truck in Cars (2006) and Cars 2 (2011)
- Mustafa the Waiter in Ratatouille (2007)
- John in WALL-E (2008)
- Tom the construction worker in Up (2009)
Ratzenberger had the chance to make fun of his tenure at Pixar during the end credits of Cars, where his character, Mack, watches car-themed versions of Pixar movies ("Toy Car Story", "Monster Trucks, Inc.", and "A Bug's Life"), notes that all the characters Ratzenberger has played were excellent, until he realizes that they're the same actor, at which point he remarks, "They're just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?"
Ratzenberger's favorite of his Pixar characters was P.T. Flea, because "in real life I always get a kick out of those kinds of characters, people who just go into a rage for [no] explicable reason. He was always on edge. His blood pressure was always way over the top, and everything that he did was done in a panicked state. So it was a lot of fun to play him."
Ratzenberger is best known for playing mail carrier Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers. He had read for the part of Norm Peterson, but after the audition, he could tell they weren't going to give him the part. Sensing an opportunity, he asked if they had written a bar know-it-all, which the producers decided was a great idea. Cliff became known for his outlandish stories of plausible half-truths, irrelevant trivia, and ignorant misinformation, and was known for being an overall pretentious blowhard. Cliff and Norm, the primary customer characters, became iconic bar buddies. Ratzenberger provided the voice for an animated version of Cliff on The Simpsons 6th season episode "Fear of Flying".
Ratzenberger's work for Pixar, as well as his small parts in Superman, and The Empire Strikes Back, technically makes him the 5th most successful actor of all time, as measured by a total box office of over $3,000,000,000.
Voice Actor - William Sanderson
William enlisted in the Army, serving two years. After his discharge he enrolled in Southern Methodist University. He later earned a BBA degree and a JD law degree from Memphis State. His interest in acting kept him from taking the bar exam.
Sanderson moved to New York and studied with acting teachers Herbert Berghof and William Hickey, whom he would call his greatest influences. He soon began landing roles in off-Broadway productions and independent films.
Sanderson's distinctive hound dog face lends itself to character acting, and he moved to Hollywood to take on small roles in films like "The Onion Field" and "Coal Miner's Daughter."
William made a name for himself playing a toymaker/genetic designer in the science fiction film, "Blade Runner." Following this, Sanderson took on a completely different type of roll, playing quirky backwoodsman "Larry" in the popular sitcom Newhart.
Sanderson has continued to make films, such as "Fletch," "City Heat," and "Gods and Generals." He took a star turn in the comedy "Stanley's Gig," opposite Faye Dunaway.
William has also kept busy with roles in television, including a recurring role on Maximum Bob with Beau Bridges, and guest shots on The Young Riders, Matlock, The X Files, The Practice, ER, and the mini-series Lonesome Dove among many other projects.
Sanderson's most recent role is of the town sheriff on True Blood and a few years earlier; the hotel owner E.B. Pharnum on the HBO drama, Deadwood, for which he has won critical praise, and in my opinion; was his best performance ever.
He has also done cartoon voice-over work on Batman: The Animated Series and Santo Bugito.
Credit List
| Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1994, Animated Series) | Otis | |
| Batman: The Animated Series (1992, Animated Series) | Dr. Karl Rossum | |
| Higglytown Heroes (2004, Computer Animated Series) | Barnabus Q. Giggle | |
| Jumanji (1996, Animated Series) | Professor J.S. Ibsen | |
| Santo Bugito (1995, Animated Series) | Clem |
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