Mad Men: Season Six

a minority view here at amazon--i still love it
i notice that after 280 reviews that this show has an aggregate rating of three stars. i've read some of the reviews and amazon viewers in general seem to be underwhelmed with the show. i have been reading post episode analyses online plus listening to NPR podcasts about Mad Men. this amazon view is not being repeated there nor do i share it. i like the series as much as i ever did.

take a look at the poster shown on this page for the show. that is don draper both coming and going. look at the signs around him and the disjointedness of the art work. it is not an uplifting poster! this season opens at the end of 1967 and then jumps right into 1968 and the country as a whole is coming apart, just like the poster. so it is not just don draper's world which is being torn.

at the end of last season, much was made of the woman coming up to don and asking him "are you alone?". much has been written about whether that meant don was going to return to being a...
Slow and Steady wins the race....
Every season, the show starts off like an empty flower bed, takes roots and then blossoms. This season is no different. I think it's funny when people complain that Don Draper has no character growth. He's f'ing Batman. He's Tony Soprano. He is not supposed to change, you are just supposed to understand him better. Hoping for some growth from Joan and Peggy this season though and for Pete to do something beyond lust and jealousy. Mad for Mad Men!
An Ever-changing Story
Mad Men has had its good seasons and great seasons (5) .... but I never tire of watching the complexities of the characters being played out over a changing America. Having grown up during this era, I applaud the accuracy of the production. Instead of flashing the year across the screen or something like "6 years later ....", small droplets of newscasts, conversations indicate which year it is. Their comments about the world around them are familiar. Regarding characters: Roger gets better with age, Peggy grows up, Don continues to evolve and Pete realizes that no matter what he does, he can never match Don in deed or misdeed. I'll be sorry to see this series end.
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Stories We Tell

Outstanding and original documentary!
STORIES WE TELL is a difficult movie to describe in a way that will make it sound interesting. So I'll focus mostly on what the movie ultimately explores and illuminates in exciting ways...rather than on the mundane sounding "what happened was."

It's a documentary constructed by actress/director Sarah Polley (DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, GO). Essentially, she mixes interviews with family members and friends along with home movie footage, to tell the story of her deceased mother and the secrets she had. Polley is ostensibly searching for her identity (and that's all I'll say)...but the movie has ever so much more on its mind.

First, it is an exploration of how the things that happen to us become the stories we tell to others and that few experiences are really FACTS, but are interpretations of those FACTS or events. While no one differs enormously on the details of the mother's life or other family events...the feelings about those details, the impressions DO differ,...
Different lives, different truths: "Was it Tom, or Wayne, or Jeff?"
"Stories We Tell" (2012 release from Canada; 108 min.) is the third film from Canadian writer-director Sarah Polley (after "Away From Her" and "Take This Waltz", both excellent). But this is her first documentary, and not just any documentary: this movie looks at the life and times of her parents, and also whether her dad is really her biological father. Her mom Diane comes across as a person who fills the room with energy, whereas her dad Michael is the more introverted type. Nevertheless the two strike up a romance leading to marriage, and eventually kids. Sarah was the third and youngest. At some point in her childhood she is getting teased about not looking like her dad at all, and it becomes sort of a running joke, until it isn't a joke anymore. Sarah eventually decides to investigate the rumors, and gathers all the characters for interviews: her dad (we learn that her mom has passed away many years ago), but also her siblings including two more from a prior marriage that Diane...
Magnificent mix of documentary and feature film
Sarah Polley, a 34-year-old Canadian movie director, delves into a dark family secret in this mesmerising blend of straight documentary and feature film. At the start she says her family had one of the first hand held cine cameras, and this statement appears to explain all the flickering coloured shots of various scenes such as weddings, children playing in the garden etc. It's only half way through that you stop and think "Hang on, how could this particular scene have made it into the family's archive of Super 8 fim?" and then you realise actors have to be involved and then you question whether any of the home movie scenes are real. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, because this is a really thought-provoking work which knocks you off balance in a subtle way. At one point Polley's father tells her she is merciless and I must agree she comes across as more of an inquisitor than a daughter. I only managed to see this once before I had to return it to the rental store and...
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Drift [Blu-ray]

Surfing in West Australia 1972: Nice Surf Scenes and Clichéd Storyline
Set in 1972, West Australia, a 2013 Australian film "Drift" follows the story of two brothers with conflicting personality traits. Andy Kelly (Myles Pollard, who also produces) and Jimmy Kelly (Xavier Samuel) are surfers who start a surf shop in their garage. While their business goes well, their childhood friend Gus (Aaron Glenane) gets involved with a local biker and drug dealer Miller (Steve Bastoni).

Sam Worthington plays JB, a hippie-like surf photographer travelling with a beautiful Hawaiian girl Lani (Lesley-Ann Brandt). Third-billed Worthington, known for Hollywood blockbusters like "Terminator Salvation" and "Avatar," appears in a comparatively smaller role.

Though the film claims the story is "inspired by actual events," I think most of it is very loosely based on facts. The film's drama is not very interesting with stock characters and a familiar storyline. Conflicts arise between the characters in a predictable way, and then they are easily...
Good movie: nice plot, realistic acting, simplicity without unnecessary effects
I recently watched this movie and thought it was very interesting. It has a good plot and interesting characters. Simple filming, realistic expectations. I liked the fact that it did not have extra effects or complicated relationships evolving between the characters just to keep the plot going. It deals 60% with entrepreneurship and 40% with surfing. Maybe they should have marketed it that way, it would probably 'sell more'. A disadvantage is that in the beginning of the movie the relationships between the characters are not explained well, and the viewer gets confused. But apart from that I enjoyed the movie.
Really Enjoyable Movie
All the actors were amazing! I was expecting to see more of Sam Worthington, but Myles Pollard made up for it.
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Disconnect

Doesn't Anyone Talk Face to Face?
Doesn't it seem like everyone is wired these days? Doesn't anyone talk face-to-face anymore? This recent trend has permeated everything we do; if you don't believe me, take a look: LOL; BFF; OMG; W8; BTW; BYOB (kidding...); FYI; ETA; ASAP; RSVP (well, okay... not EVERYTHING is recent)....

With this in mind, brace yourself for an exciting film that addresses our digital world, with grief counseling chat rooms, cyber bullying, on-line sex, and identity theft, plus general e-mails, texting, GPS units and Facebook. It is NOT boring; there isn't a wasted scene, an unnecessary line or a plot hole left unfilled. Kudos to director Henry Alex Rubin ("Murderball" - a terrific documentary) and scriptwriter Andrew Stern ("Return to Me" - one of my favorites), for a movie about moral dilemmas and ethical quicksand that keep us engaged and involved every step of the way.

We see:
* Jason Bateman ("Identity Thief") is a successful attorney named Rich, whose adolescent son...
Powerfully Disturbing Portrayal of the Disconnection in Today's World
"Disconnect" may be one of the most thought-provoking films to come down the pike in recent years that paints an accurate and frightening image of what life looks like now, due to our dependence on the internet, and where it might lead if people don't realize the damage that is being done. The internet is a powerful, useful tool, but the daily abuse of it is almost beyond the scope of comprehending. "Disconnect" gives us an idea about how widespread and frequent that abuse is.

There is a certain amount of irony that our world has become so much closer in the way we communicate. We can literally converse with almost anyone on the planet. I grew up during a time when pen-pal letters from school was about as "close" as I ever got to talking to someone from another country. However, the closer we have become with our communication, the larger the chasm in our connections with others.

"Disconnect" focuses on three main story-lines. The first involves, Ben Boyd,...
It's Better to be Connected than Disconnected
You really need to take a long shower after watching this one. Disconnect contains two basic messages...the Internet is certainly not your friend and you better start "connecting" with friends and family or plan on losing them. Exploitation of young adults for on-line sex sites, cyber-bullying and identity theft are the Trinity of what is essential peril of our Internet usage. Good acting and a tension filled narrative really drove this movie to a good place. Most of the characters in this you just wanted to haul off and hurt. Disconnect reminded me a lot of my reaction after seeing the 2002 movie Thirteen...dazed and scared in my ignorance of not knowing the sick reality in this big bad world of ours.
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Hannibal: Season One [Blu-ray]

A Psychological Slow Burn: A Show That Stays Remarkably True To The Legacy Of Hannibal Lecter
I think it's fair to say that Hannibal Lecter became an American horror icon for most people with the Oscar winning film "The Silence of the Lambs." Personally, I discovered Lecter back in 1981 when author Thomas Harris introduced him in "Red Dragon." As a kid, I read this novel with a sick fascination and it was easily the scariest book I had read up until that point. Michael Mann adapted it into the film "Manhunter" in 1986 with character actor Brian Cox in the Lecter role, but it wasn't until 1991 and Anthony Hopkins that Lecter became incredibly popular. Hopkins revisited the role with another interpretation of "Red Dragon" and then "Hannibal," and has owned the role ever since. When I heard that NBC was helming a drama based on Lecter, I thought it was a disastrous idea! Network television is no such place for such evil! But I must say that the program has far exceeded my rather limited expectations. Created as a prequel to the events of "Red Dragon," the show has a...
Fascinating
Its hard not to compare this show to the Following with Kevin Bacon. On the surface, they're very similar. Tortured main character, gruesome murders, creepy psychopaths. Yet, they are, in essence, nothing alike. Bacon's character is a cliche. Will Graham, the protagonist in Hannibal, is so beautifully drawn, I can't take my eyes off him. He is a "special investigator" with the FBI. Those who work with him see him as fragile, so much so that they all seem to be holding their collective breath, waiting for him to shatter. The thing that makes him weak in their eyes is his stunning depth of empathy. This is how he solves crimes. Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist (and future notorious psychopath) who works with the FBI and Graham, has a different perspective. When Graham asks "how do you see me?", Lecter replies, you are "the mongoose I want under the house when the snakes slither by."

The production quality is high, the supporting cast is great. The show is smartly written.
I Savor This Show
Absolutely brilliantly done with a cast of characters whose acting talents are far superior to nearly every other on network television. You cannot surpass the level of depth of character development, the writing, where as they discuss real theories of psychology; build up, and character development between Will Graham and Dr. Lecter is unlike anything else on television and cannot be done with a movie.

Eventually we will view shows like this one not to be just a show, but rather a series of movies, each telling a story, where at one point a 2 hour movie will not be enough anymore to satisfy our palate for something as savory as this series.

This will become a classic.
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The Bling Ring [Blu-ray]

The death of our youth...
Innocence lost due to the struggling life of stardom is something that Sophia Coppola likes to explore. Maybe it's her background, being brought up in a household that revolved around the arts and was always smothered by fame. In fact, `Somewhere', her least well known film, is said to be an autobiography of sorts (with regards to her childhood with her father). Yes, fame, fortune and the emptiness that comes along with it is something that Coppola has staked her career on. From the solemn romanticism of `Lost in Translation' to the flamboyant ostracism of `Marie Antoinette' to the quiet understanding of `Somewhere', Coppola has exploited nearly every facet of fame and the disastrous effects it has on those caught up in it.

With `The Bling Ring', Coppola moves away from the more intimate aspects of fame and dissects the dangers that that very drug has, not on those who have it by on those who want it. One could call to mind the fascination Coppola flirted with in her...
Exposing the hollowness of the bling culture
"The Bling Ring" (2013 release; 90 min.) brings the now-familiar story of how a group of teenagers living in suburban Los Angeles, with too much time on their hands and an insatiable appetite for "bling", decide to start robbing houses of celebrities while they are out of town. I am not spoiling the plot when I tell you that the "group of five" (4 girls and 1 guy), along with a couple of others, eventually get found out and caught. The first 50-55 min. of the movie deal with the break-ins and the remainder of the movie looks at what happens after their arrests.

Several comments: this is the 5th feature movie directed by Sofia Coppola, and as has been the case with her previous films, this movie is highly stylish in the way it looks at and brings the lives of these teenagers. In fact, the movie is eye-candy pretty much from start to finish. Coppola wrote the script based on the 2010 Vanity Fair article that exposed it all in details not seen before. As to the Bling Ring...
Superficial, voyeuristic... the things this film should be.
A quick scan of rotten tomatoes before this rental showed many criticisms hinged on a lack of character development and unclear meaning. This is why the film is good. Among all characters there were no facile attempts to create a plot or dialogue that goes beyond theft and the desire for fashion. No dumb love story. No developed background into the families that these kids are brought up in (aside from the mutual detachment of the kids and parents). This lack of development and depth seems to be an appropriate commentary on the thought processes that accompany this crime, there isn't much regard for forethought or consequence. Perhaps this is what I liked the most, is as a viewer, we are asked to simply watch and see what happens, which isn't a long shot from what the characters are doing themselves. It's mindless, but it's fun (and it looks good in the process). Aren't films allowed to be just that? If one wishes, there is plenty of substrate here for a commentary on the...
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Redemption [Blu-ray]

My favorite Statham movie.
And a good movie on its own, too. I loved the set-up,the flow of the story was good and there were a few surprises. I was with him all the way on his journey as he fell into a good though dubious oppertunity. The sub-plots were good as well. I didn't know what would come next and liked the unexpected ending. As a movie, I give it four stars, but as a Statham movie I give it a big five stars. Saw it last night ans still thinking about it.
A different movie and role for Statham. Nothing that will change the way he's viewed but I liked and and worth watching. I say B
"I'm looking for someone, her name is Isabel. I've come to save her." Joey (Statham) is a homeless ex special forces soldier on the run from a court martial. When he stumbles on a chance to change who he is he takes it. When someone he knows comes up missing he has to walk the line between who he was and who he wants to be. Since this is a Statham movie I had an expectation going in. I was expecting another Transporter type movie, since that is basically all he does. I am a fan of his but who's gonna argue that. The first half hour made it seem like a different movie for him, then he became a driver/hit-man and I thought...here we go again. For the most part though this was a different movie and role for him and he did a pretty good job. This is nothing amazing and won't really change the way he is viewed but for once this isn't just another Transporter type movie. I liked it, but again I am a Statham fan. Overall, a different type of movie for him and worth seeing. I give it a B.
Redemption
This was a very good movie and everything I expected. I would recommend this movie to friends and family, Statham was great!
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Cold War

Magnificent and unequaled!
I am thrilled that this magnificent 24-episode CNN Cold War series is finally available on DVD. I have two VHS copies that I (and my students) have worn ragged. As a former Foreign Service Officer who served in some Cold War countries, I am amazed at how much I have learned from this series. I find it especially credible because only participants in the Cold War on all sides share their insights, some of which I find stunning.
Personally I can attest that the vignettes on Chile and Angola are 'spot on.' The episodes on the Hungarian uprising and the subsequent disinterment of executed premier Imry Nagy still bring tears to my eyes. The interviews with Beria's son, who was responsible for bugging FDR's residence at Yalta and providing the transcripts to Stalin every morning, underscored that Stalin never played by the rules of Queensbury.
Over all, I found the series even-balanced and broad ranging. Howver, I did feel that the portrayal of McCarthyism and the Rosenbergs was...
CNN Cold War DVD
I received the DVD series this afternoon and here is what I found:
Sufficient container with six (6) DVD's containing 24 episodes
Online access to "Fixster" so one could view series via a "cloud" on iPad, iPhone, laptop (it works).
I viewed the first episode and the last to view them and they seem to be mirror images of the original VHS series.
I also checked out the episodes in question (Soldiers of God) and everything was there. I did not notice any editing from the original series.
Conclusion. If you teach world Civ & the Cold War get this series. Far cheaper than the original VHS series. The content works well for California social
science grade 10 world civilization standards. I have created questions for each of the episodes for use in the classroom and is far more thorough than
what the Pearson text(my district uses) offers. Get it. If nothing else it is a tax write-off. Get it before someone pulls it from Amazon.
Regards,
at long last
finally - the best ever series on the Cold War on dvd. I watched this on tv some years ago and wore out my home made vhs tapes of the series after repeated viewing. As far as I can see - pretty much every aspect of the Cold War period is dealt with in fair detail. If you want more - Vietnam for example - you have series like VIETNAM - A TELEVISION HISTORY - so its quite like THE WORLD AT WAR in that regard. I found the last couple of episodes on the collapse of communism and the USSR of particular interest. Again like THE WORLD AT WAR, the interviews with old participants - such as Mikhail Gorbachev - are fascinating. This is tv history as it should be. Brilliant.
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Frozen Ground [Blu-ray]

Se7en this is not, but it is far more realistic.
Closely based on the real serial killer Robert Hansen this is not an action film but a suspence thriller. Thought provoking it tells the stroy very well and down to small details. Cage is unusual in the role of Jack Halcombe (a character based on the case's detective Glenn Flothe) as a tired detective that starts to puzzle the pieces together in a much larger puzzle than he suspects at the start. Many of the victims (but not all) were prostitutes that no one missed or really cared for. In the rare occasion that they did escape who would take their word against a respectable family man. Cusack's preformance as Robert Hansen is very good. Not the evil in flesh like Hannibal Lecter, he is very evil in his own right and you get to see his real evil behind the front he presents to the world and even a glimpse of terror his wife is forced to live with.

So don't buy this expecting an Cage action flick or Seven. But rather a well told story of real crime.
Honest and Real
I had hoped for just one thing: that this movie would NOT glorify the persons involved, the crimes committed, nor the place where they occurred. I wasn't disappointed, for it was not a "glorified" time in our city. Rather, it was a lengthy span of too many months, seasoned with fairly regular, albeit minimal, media blurps that yet another girl had "gone missing."
"The Frozen Ground" has captured the ambience of those sinister times when we learned to question who we knew and where and how they were spending their time away from the comforts of home and hearth. Amongst ourselves, we spoke in near whispers about common friends with quirky personalities, as we waited for the next "announcement" of a body found, or of a dancer who didn't show up for work.
For all of its horrors, this is a grim and quiet film -- the story of a quiet investigation of a quiet businessman with a terrifying secret life. Alaska's magnificent wilderness plays an honest role, too: cold, dark,...
on the money
I lived in Alaska , I went to church with Bob and his wife Darla taught my kids in the Christian School , Bob was always a guest and speaker at our Father and Son dinners and would bring all his mounted heads and bear rugs and guns to display, Many of my friends hunted with him , I never did as I was always hunting with my boys when they went . The movie is so right to the detail and a really true telling of the story of Bob Hansen , as in the movie ---just to talk and visit with him you would never think, or even believe , he could have done all those terrible things . And the actors did a super job , Cages best .
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Much Ado About Nothing

A magical delight from beginning to end.
Joss Whedon's modern-dress version of "Much Ado About Nothing"--filmed in black and white, in twelve days, in his own Los Angeles house--actually manages to exceed Kenneth Branagh's version of twenty years ago. Branagh's version, to be sure, may have Roger Lanser's glorious color cinematography of a sumptuous Tuscan villa, as well as magnificent performances by Emma Thompson and Branagh as Beatrice and Benedick. But Whedon's version, though slightly claustrophobic, feels more unified than Branagh's, and Whedon's ensemble cast is more consistently excellent than Branagh's.

Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof may not be as golden-throated in speaking the Bard's verse as Thompson and Branagh, but they are just as adept in portraying Beatrice and Benedick's emotions, and they are the superior physical comedians. In fact, Whedon's cast is wonderful straight down the line: Reed Diamond as Don Pedro, Clark Gregg ss Leonato, and especially Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. Fillion's masterful...
Wonderful version
This film was a delightful adaptation of a most entertaining play. Whedon captures the screwball nature of Beatrice and Benedick's romance, as well as the dark thread that is the Hero and Claudio plot. Very approachable for Shakespeare, the dialogue is generally fairly straightforward to follow. Terrific performances. It is astounding that so much could be achieved on the barest minimum budget and in such a tight timescale. It was filmed in 12 days with little longer than that in preparation. One of the leads was only signed on the day before filming began and had to master his lines and performance between shooting. Unbelievably good in those circumstances!
Watch it. You won't regret it.
Enjoyable restaging
Whedon keeps Shakespeare's text intact, but changes the setting entirely. Instead of seventeenth century trappings,this is entirely contemporary - with solemn bodyguards, papparazza-on-staff, and a booziness that brings the Gatsby era to mind.

A few details work in surprising ways. A woman takes the role of Conrad, and completely reworks the character in the process. Fillion's Dogberry approaches the level set by Michael Keaton in Branagh's star-studded version. And, in touchstone moments, the conversations that Benedick and especially Beatrice "overhear" have all the comic quality of any rendering I've seen, and better than many. You simply have to experience for yourself Amy Acker's physical comedy in the Beatrice scenes.

This won't convert anyone put off by the archaic language, but might be a good introduction for someone unfamiliar with Shakespeare and with how contemporary his timeless...
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