Cool blondes. Very Hitchcock. Last evening I was zapping around on cable and came across 1968’s The Detective, with Frank Sinatra and Lee Remick. I had forgotten the blue of Sinatra’s eyes, and more mesmerizing – Lee Remick, with her girl-next-door appeal, her reserve, and the smoldering sexuality just beneath. I thought immediately of Mad […]
The Inner World: Mad Men Seduces Us Again
Just when I think the mood, the storytelling, the performances, the surprise of it all can’t get any better – I am seduced. Again. Last evening’s Mad Men took on Don’s inner world – not through observation – but inner dialog, supplemented by various views of our hero as the summer of 1965 begins. Who […]
Why You Should Be Watching Mad Men (Especially if You’re a Woman)
The heart of the matter All those sayings… about a woman’s place, about a woman’s power, about the capacities – and limitations – that are inherently female. Must I really enumerate them? Can’t you rattle them off in your head? They’ve been planted there since you were a child, you know – whether you’re 30 […]
Men and Women. Coming Closer.
Let’s hear it for cable! And for delicious films that we may never have seen when they were released to the theaters. Like Closer – an unexpected treat I enjoyed last night, so effectively constructed that I watched it twice in succession. Closer The characters are stunning. The dialog is smart and raw. Each of […]
Why We Love Our Television Heroes: Mad Men Episode 6
Bigger than life. Flashy. Flawed. Cagey, corrupt, capricious. We love our television heroes, and our anti-heroes. Big screen or small screen, we escape into fictional lives, finding points in common, or nothing in common at all. Mad Men is the perfect example of this phenomenon, as the Emmy award winning drama – again, just last […]
Mad Men Episode 5: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
It’s a morality tale, and all about shame. About warfare and its aftermath, honor and its value, private shame according to cultural standards of the times, and personal experiences of shame. In Mad Men‘s Season 4 Episode 5, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, we feel the weight of the 1960s heavily; World Wart II is […]
Mad Men Season 4 Episode 4: The Rejection
Mad Men continues to do what it does best, revealing characters in all their complexity. “The Rejection” is filled with nifty elements which seed future story lines as bad news transforms into opportunities for some, and drives others into deeper despair. Of course, we don’t yet know which paths our favorite characters will take as […]
Work of Art Finale: The Morning After
We sneered. We jeered. We cheered. No, it wasn’t a sporting event. It was Reality TV – with fourteen artists at the starting line, three down to the wire, and one who took home the prize. Who would have thought that Work of Art would spark so much interest? Who would have imagined that Abdi […]
Work of Art Finale: Abdi wins!
Paint me surprised. And impressed. And surprised. But more on my thoughts – and why – tomorrow. For now, I’m much too aware of my duo of martinis, enjoyed while watching the show. And I’d like to know what you think of Season 1’s winner on Work of Art. You got it! Abdi comes from […]
Popcorn! Martinis! Gearing up for Work of Art Finale!
Mix the martinis! Prepare the popcorn! It’s hard to believe – but Bravo TV’s “Work of Art” is coming to a close tonight, with three artists vying for pop culture’s first “Next Great Artist” title. Despite the controversy over this show, plenty of people are planning on gathering round to see Abdi, Peregrine and Miles […]