Television Review: "Mad Men" Season 5 (****)

It may seem so long ago, but the more I reflect on "Fringe"s fourth season, the more worthwhile and tenderly soulful it seems. An odd note to start on, but hear me out before scampering off. The fourth season of "Fringe" tackled a massively ambitious, and thus equally risky, storyline. When you erase one of your main characters off the face of existence, that happens. I think I've taken it to heart that when you take massive risks, the results are inevitably going to be a bit messy, but they are no less worth it, I feel. "Fringe"s fourth season allowed us to revel in the show's most camptastic genre splendor, while simultaneously further investigating the emotional connections of its characters.

"Mad Men"s fifth season, much similarly, took many a huge risk in the stories that it decided to investigate. The world we were introduced to at the start of this season was one of being quite simply adrift. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce was almost frozen in shock, still so long after Lucky Strike abandoned them and placed their future in question. In this world of such active indecision and struggle, it really caused our characters to examine the strengths in their own lives. What resulted was a full scale investigation of aging, decay, death, and are we willing enough to fight that? Are we even capable of winning such an uphill battle that seems so impossible to reach?

Film Review: "Bridesmaids" (***1/2)

Overexposure can sometimes be a toxic thing, with such works as Paul being barely one-hit-wonders and others like Battle: Los Angeles and Red Riding Hood making everything so painfully obvious that it hurts. However, on occasion I just want to sit back and let a film assault me in a favorable manner. Bridesmaids happens to be on the higher end of that spectrum, and I feel like I've set this film up for a negative critique. While there is plenty to gripe with this film, as there is with nearly every Hollywood comedic venture, I enjoyed it a great deal more than any other wedding comedy I've had the misfortune of running into.

Being the third wedding related film releasing this month, after Jumping the Broom and Something Borrowed, I was a tad worried that nobody would care. Fortunately that wasn't the case, and I was surprised by how diverse a crowd was in the theater. While obviously skewing towards the female demographic, Bridesmaids was able to take a subject that men normally roll their eyes at and make it surprisingly entertaining. This isn't the "Omigod, he's so hot, and I'm marrying him," tale of true love and all that BS. The groom in the film doesn't even speak a line of dialogue beyond "I do." Writers Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig made sure that this wasn't a boring retread of something you'd already seen before.

Annie Walker, the protagonist of the film played by Kristen Wiig, isn't that kind of girl who is searching desperately for a guy to take care of her for the rest of her life. That's made clear by the opening scene of her and Jon Hamm humping each other in pretty much every position. Hamm's character, Ted, is not in any way her soul mate. He's a douchebag who honestly couldn't care less about Annie outside of use as a sex tool. She's the sort of girl who's been run into the ground, and is routinely used by others as an exercise tool, designed to make them better, or make them seem better. The closest person she really has is her best friends Lillian, who is now suddenly getting married.

Mad Men (Season 4): It Ends Tonight!

Of the shows that I've picked up this season, none has been more addictive than Mad Men. It's been a fantastic ride this season, right from the beginning with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce riding strong. It was a dark and depressing year for Donald Draper, as he has to live with the consequences of being the man he is. His divorce from Betty and removal from his kids pushed him towards some heavy drinking. His attachment to Anna Draper caused an emotional heartache when the news hit that she was dying. When his secret identity was close to being revealed, he had to lose an important account, which would've alleviated the current crisis.

While Don has tried to move forward in the latter half of the season, cutting back on his obsessive drinking and starting a relationship with irresistible blonde Dr. Faye Miller, his company has been flailing. With the exit of Lucky Strike came the collapse of Roger and Joan's relationship, but also new inspiration for Don, who took up this opportunity to create a new future for the company. With change comes the exit of several players, including Bert Cooper who quite last week. It seems like Peggy may have been right about changing the name of the company after all. Sterling Campbell Draper Pryce anyone?

Pete found out that he was going to become a father early on this season, and it gave some kind of closure to his and Peggy's relationship. He's gone through that transformation into an adult this season, and it's actually made him a more tolerable character. As for Peggy, she's had a really great season, with her growing bond with Don as well as her complex and hilarious relationship with art director Stan. She also got a new friendship with a girl who works elsewhere in the building, and new boyfriend who's more tolerable than the last one. Lane Pryce had a struggle with his wife early on in the season, and it looked like it may not recover. An intervention from his father, no matter how sad and unexpected, brought his family back together, and back to America.

Finally, to cap off this magnificent season of story arcs, Sally Draper has blossomed into nice little character. She had an ongoing friendship with Glen, a naughty little kid in the neighborhood. She took steps to take control of her own life, such as cutting her hair, masturbating (nice touch), and running away in order to visit her father. On top of that, she got to go see The Beatles perform. It will be a shame if she ends up being killed off in the season finale, as many people have speculated will happen. I'm sure something huge will happen, but exactly what remains to be seen. We will learn tonight, during the entirely unspoiled season finale, Tomorrowland.

Mad Men: The Suitcase

Everything that's happened in the last six episodes of Mad Men comes to a head in one of their finest hours. Don has spent the last few months belabored by the knowledge that his closest friend, Anna Draper, is dying. In this episode, it becomes more evident than ever that that time has come, and Don isn't ready to let go. He's been bottling up the stress of work, his failed marriage, and just his discontent with his life. It makes sense that that would be let out in one night of extreme alcoholism, anger, and conflict, and he's dead set on not spending it alone.

Nobody in the office knows Don better than Peggy, and even if anybody did, they're all going to the boxing match between Liston and Clay, historically referred to as Muhammad Ali. So despite any plans that Peggy has for that evening, she's spending the night with Don. We get some small nods to Miss Blankenship, Roger Sterling, and the other members of the cast, but we're mostly just dealing with Don and Peggy, who was planning on attending a "romantic" dinner with Mark in celebration of her birthday. Despite having every reason to leave, she doesn't, because Mark's an idiot who brought his girlfriend's family along for no reason.

After all their plans are scrapped, things really go off with panache. In two minutes of pure fury, both our characters express their own issues with one another. Don doesn't care that Peggy does a great deal of his work for him, because he feels like he deserves something good in his life more than she does. On the opposite side, Peggy just wants the slightest inch of gratitude for the work and dedication she puts in every day. This argument could've easily ended their friendship entirely, and it's one of the best moments of the series. If Jon Hamm doesn't take home an Emmy next year for his work here, it will be a great disservice.

The rest of the episode follows how they spend the rest of their evening. They divulge information to one another that they've never told anybody else before. Then, to everybody's shock and surprise, Duck shows up at the office, drunk as three Dons rolled into one. I didn't know who the hell he was when he initially showed up, but he apparently has a romantic past with Peggy that didn't work out. After calling Peggy a whore, Duck gets into a fight with Don, and though it's pretty much just two drunk men fighting, Duck comes out as the victor, and Peggy sends him away for good.

This episode was a lot more of an emotional sucker punch than any other episode in the series. It's as if everything finally has come full circle, and in the next episode, Don will be able to start fresh. However, he won't forget what happened that night with Peggy. We're in the midst of a clearer, brighter, and much more likable Don Draper. After three episodes ending on a closed door, this one concludes with Don leaving the door open.

Mad Men: Waldorf Stories

I wasn't a huge fan of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, but it made the necessary movements to get to this episode. This is a great episode as it gives insight into both the origins of Don and Roger's friendship, it shows Don's continued moral descent, and it sets up for what is being hailed as one of the best episodes in the entire series. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is due for an awards ceremony, just around the same time they're due for a meeting with "Life Cereal". Due to unforeseen circumstances, the two occurrences are jammed together and Don stoops to a new low.

Don has enough to drink about already, but the reason he's more stressed than usual is that he hasn't had a victory that's meant something to him in a while. In his mind's eye, this win would wipe away all the pain he's been dealing with. In truth, he's about to dig himself into a deep hole. When Don's all cocky with confidence after achieving the award, he heads straight into the meeting, drunk as can be. You can tell he's about to make a mistake, but the way he does it offers a bit of a chuckle and a gasp. He's stolen somebody's idea, which is a bit of a stretch for Don by any standards.

The only one aware of Don's "treachery" is Peggy, and rather than hear what she has to say, he locks her in a hotel with the most sexist character we've had on the show. Art director Stanley Rizzo has a stereotypical horny man's view of women. If the world were made his way, he'd have them all naked. It's not until Peggy takes him up on his dare that he begins to feel inferior to her. I've got to commend Peggy for having the lady balls to strip down in front of someone she hates to prove a point, and not once in the entire scene does she break down under sexual tension. She twists it as a weapon of sorts.

At the Clio's, Pete finds out that Ken Cosgrove is going to join in with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and that doesn't sit too well with Pete. There's nothing he can do about it, and it's clear he's had issues with Ken before. I'm glad for it if only because it gives Lane Pryce a reason to be in this episode. It's a nice touch, and it keeps things rooling. Finally, my personal favorite aspect of this episode is the flashback to when Roger met Don, and it's kind of surprising to see how Roger ended up hiring him. There's a nice contrast to the events enveloping Don's life right now. However, by the end of the episode, I wasn't at all sure if Roger hired Don at all. It's one of those unanswered mysteries that makes Mad Men more intriguing. Whenever Lost doesn't answer a question, all they get is flak for it.

Film Review: The Town

Three years ago, critics welcomed Gone Baby Gone by saying that Ben Affleck had finally found his muse in the form of directing. At the time, I felt that it was a bit of a jump, as I do for any film from a first time director. However, seeing as Affleck pulled out another spectacular film in his sophomore effort solidifies him as an up and coming filmmaker. It's hard to get an idea in your head of him directing, because we're used to seeing him playing dumb and emotionless characters. Here he displays ace directing and pretty decent acting as well.

The Town would've been the best heist film of the year if it weren't for a little film called Inception, but it makes a close second place. It's set in Charlestown, one of the most crime infested neighborhoods in Boston. Affleck plays Doug MacRay, an intelligent and calm leader of a group of bank robbers. The opening scene of the film drops us right into the action with a heist going exactly as planned without a hitch, except one Claire Keesey. After tracking her down to ensure that she doesn't tell too much to the FBI, Doug falls for her.

One of the sub-genres I most appreciate is the heist film, because when they do it right, you can't help but appreciate all the thought they put into it. You can't be just another dumb grunt to pull off anything like the stuff Dougy and the gang are dealing with. You have to be precise, and you have to be willing to make sacrifices. The heists in The Town aren't just precise, but they're also intense action set-pieces that easily trump films like The A-Team. You know from the beginning to the end that they're eventually going to get jammed up. That sense of foreboding stays with you throughout the entire film.

This film contains one of my all-time favorite ensemble casts, with everybody bringing something to the table. Though it isn't saying much, this is Ben Affleck's best performance to date, and he's moving in the right direction. His role could've been played by somebody else, but he's able to hold the film together from both sides of the camera, and that's very prevalent here. Rebecca Hall nicely fits the role of Claire, and she's more than just a pretty face. She's going through a lot of trauma, and though Doug keeps trying to help her, their entire situation is just too much for her.

Titus Welliver, better known as the Man in Black from Lost, gets a small role, but he makes the best of the little screen time he is afforded. Pete Postlethwaite is pretty intense as the main villain of this story. His one or two scenes with Affleck add so much to the story. Blake Lively also inhabits a smaller role than most of the players, and she's pretty much cast as your typical coked-out prostitute mother that I hope she isn't given too much of in the future. She does some nice work here.

Finally, we get to my favorites in the film. Jon Hamm may be the guy who's trying to crunch in on our protagonists, but he pulls it off with style and class, as per usual. I was always leaning forward whenever he showed up on the screen. It's a semi-one-dimensional role, but his work with it suggests that he deserves bigger and better roles in the future. Then there's Jeremy Renner, who does a good job at playing both the loyalty and betrayal that his character, Jem Coughlin, is feeling towards Doug MacRay. His accent was so dead-on that I wasn't able to understand some of the things he was saying. That alone is incentive enough to see this film again.

Robert Elswit does some slick and silvery cinematography that greatly amplifies the genre film atmosphere of the film. If I have one quibble with this production, it's the score by Harry Gregson-Williams and David Buckley. It definitely delivers during the action scenes of the film, but it didn't work in some of the more personal moments. It just didn't fit where it should have. The Town has a very firm grip on the audience's attention from the get-go, and that's what delivers the emotional intensity of this picture. It's definitely a must see for anybody who enjoys thrilling, quality entertainment.

A-

Mad Men: The Rejected

Well, we're back in full speed for Mad Men as work on advertising for Ponds cold cream goes well underway. This really leads to the majority of the events in this episode. Pete is told that he has to turn away an account he worked very hard to acquire from his father-in-law, and when he goes to break the bad news to him, his news is muted by the announcement that he's going to have a baby. The way Pete responds to this is somewhat unexpected, as a child is usually something an up and coming business man doesn't need distracting him. However, I'm glad to see that he's happy about it. It helps for the audience to actually care about the characters you put onscreen.

Meanwhile, a focus group of young women is brought together to test a hypothesis that may become the center of the Ponds cold cream advertisement. It unexpectedly forward the shattered relationship between Don and his secretary, Allison. We get from the start of the episode that Allison is fed up with Don, but it's done in an understated manner. When she starts to break down at the focus group, we suddenly get the idea that we may very well lose one of the familiar faces of the office. The climactic argument with Don ends with her revealing a widely held truth: "I don't say this easily, but you are not a good person."

It's harsh and unexpected, but it's also true. Don's out there living like there's no tomorrow, and at the pace that he's drinking, there may very well not be. Finally, adding some light flavor to the episode is Peggy making a new friend, Joyce. She's a lot more freewheeling than Peggy is, and from the beginning there's the idea that she may get Peggy into trouble, and she almost does. At a "don't-even-know-what-to-call-it", Peggy is almost an entirely different person, leaving behind the fact that she has a job and a boyfriend to just have a good time.

Then, as she's dropped head first back into the real world with Pete's news that he's going to be a father, it becomes clear that the two are going in different directions. Pete is becoming a responsible adult, creating a life for his wife and the child she's carrying. The final conversation between Pete and Trudy's father reveals a clever side to him that comes with age. He's starting to adopt Don's persuasive attitude, and not in a bad way. Meanwhile, Peggy is young, and enjoying it while it lasts. The last glimpse between the two is a nice ending to this episode, but it ultimately ends with Don closing the door, shutting away his problems rather than dealing with them.

Mad Men: The Good News

In respect to the fourth season of Mad Men, this is probably one of the most important episodes as it sets up one of the most tragic plot points of the series. Being new to the series, I'm not too familiar with Anna Draper, but from the first moment I saw her onscreen with Don, I knew she was extremely important to him. This episode offers us a rare look at Dick Whitman, the man Don Draper wishes he could always feel like, but can't without jeopardizing his creative career. He wants to be happy, but he also wants to be successful, and in the world that Matthew Weiner has created, you can't have the best of both worlds.

Given that this is the first time I've met Anna Draper, I like how free of stress she is compared to the depressed lives of the men in the office. It's something so rare and special that it seems better for Anna not to know what lies ahead for her. But regrettably, there is a world beyond California, and inhabiting it are the miserable lives of men like Lane Pryce and women like Joan. Joan is a really complicated character to get behind, because we at first sympathize with her for dealing with her husband potentially going to Vietnam, and she usually does a complete 180-degree turn into something of a shark. I feel like there's a magnificent story on the horizon for her.

I've always been a huge fan of Jarred Harris, from his short, but memorable stint on Fringe to his more emotionally hitting role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's nice to see him playing a more real character, and Pryce offers the perfect balance of dark humor for this show. He's thrown around quite a bit, and it offers us quite a bit of enjoyment. The last ten minutes offer him at his comedic best, and I always get a little smile whenever a comedian from the 1960's appears on a beloved television show. Ultimately, not a lot happens in this episode, but it's a welcome reprieve.

For Your Acknowledgement: The Weight of Wealth

In my analysis of this season of Mad Men, I've been very quick to praise the talents of Jon Hamm. I'm surprised I haven't seen more of him, because he's a magnificently charismatic actor. This Friday he appears in Ben Affleck's crime drama The Town, and it's a brilliant opportunity to appeal to a cinematic audience. Hopefully, this will earn him enough recognition to get bigger and better roles, because I can see him one day tucking a Best Actor statue into his briefcase.

Mad Men: Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Mad Men finally gets a Christmas special, because every great series has one. Don't you remember what Lost did with their Christmas episode (The Constant)? Fortunately, Mad Men doesn't pile in an overarching plot about Don saving Christmas with the help of little elves, although that nurse he meets certainly looks like one. A lot more happens here in comparison to Public Relations, with the character of Faye Miller introduced in this episode with wit and charm. Don's careless nature continues to devolve into laziness and neglect, which doesn't quite work his usual wonders on Faye.

We continue on with Peggy's relationship with Mark, or whatever his name is, but even then we realize that they're going to break up pretty soon. He's an idiot, and they don't do well in this show. Lee Garner Jr. inadvertently causes a bit of chaos in the office, but we should probably thank him for giving us one hell of a party. Nothing defines Mad Men comedy more than Roger's stint as Santa. I'm not sure how Freddy Rumsen wasn't able to make it, but I think it would've been beautiful to see an intoxicated Rumsen in the costume.

Speaking of the man, we got some nice interaction between him and Peggy this time around. He's the same old-fashion pig we knew before, but his semi-sexism really comes through to the feministic Peggy this time around. One of my favorite parts of this season is how Sally Draper is becoming more of her own character. It's important to get the kids' side of the divorce, and I think she realizes that her "friendship" with Glen is somewhat unhealthy. Though, I do have to point out how stupid Glen is, as if he really wanted to get the Francis family to move, he should've probably been a little more obviously violent, like actually breaking things.

And then there's Don, who makes one of the larger bad decisions of the season while breaking some of his own rules. Watching this episode again, Don sleeping with Allison feels like a much bigger taboo as we know the consequences of it. Don is devolving more into more of a slob, and that is the most important thing about this season. It's the cost of starting something new, as often you have trouble adjusting, and Don, though suave and handsome, is no exception. Things are about to go entirely downhill for Don.

Mad Men Review: Public Relations

Nearly a year after Shut the Door. Have a Seat. took place, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has somehow made it to unparalleled success. Don Draper is in the prime of his business career, and though he hasn't been with the company since the beginning, he's practically the face of the company. However, his life is just in the beginning of a near endless free-fall out of control. He's been forced to move away from his children, and he can no longer really be a part of their lives. His only vice is his liquor, and though he tries to conceal his desperation, it's clear that he's a shadow of the man he could've been.

This episode shows the intense stakes on a much quieter fashion. After Don behaves a little too modestly during a newspaper interview, he is unexpectedly put on the fire for not promoting any of his clients. It's understandable that Don is trying to be respectable, but when you're having an interview you have respond like you're, for lack of a better response, having an interview. Then again, even at the top of his game, he's being shot from all angles. You see him trying to sell a genius advertisement to a bathing suits company, and despite his indispensable charm, he's shot down. This isn't a great week for Don, a man who's about to hit a few more rock-bottoms.

Meanwhile, Pete and Peggy try to put to boost sales for one of their clients by staging a fight between two actresses over their product. It's an immediate contrast to Dons talk about taking risks, as we see them getting the company into a bit of trouble. However, the highlight of this week is still Don, and the night he gets with his kids is shown in a manner as distanced as Don feels. Everything he had is slowly slipping away, and he can barely do anything besides watch it happen. It really points us in the direction the first half of the season is going to take, and the music tacked onto the end credits really puts us in the position to believe this season is going to have some real fireworks.

Mad Men Review: Shut the Door. Have a Seat.

With two weeks left before Fringe starts up again, I've decided to take up a new show which I feel I'll be involved enough with to actually give intriguing and active commentary on it. I really regret not taking up Mad Men sooner, as I probably should have gotten to it after it won its first Primetime Emmy two years ago. Not even the beautiful season finale of Lost can touch on how brilliantly crafted this show is. As Lost took on the non-linear storyline, Mad Men takes on the 1960's drama, truly bringing something cinematic to the table, which is what each television show should strive to do.

After catching up on the majority of the previous three seasons through recaps and summaries, I started on last year's finale, and it grabbed me almost instantly. I was initially foggy on a few details, but its impact was the same. This episode changes the rules of the series in a way, with things moving faster, becoming more competitive, and important matters are at stake. Sterling Cooper is being sold, and Don isn't willing to give up without a fight. While his family is crumbling around him, he wants to keep the most important thing he has left.

This episode is paced brilliantly, touching on all sides of the story without feeling too bloated or rushed. Every conversation feels like a necessary asset, and despite everything that's at stake, both the characters and the writers display amazing confidence that everything will work out. It's a little bit heartbreaking that, while Don is putting together a new agency with a bright future, his family is falling apart. This episode wraps up all the affairs of the previous season, while setting things up for the next.

The acting here is spectacular, but regrettably not worthy of awards prowess. Though Don Draper is already a fantastic character, he's about to get a whole new layer added onto him. The rest of the characters fill out an ensemble who do their part. Each character gets their own time to shine. This is a spectacular place to start watching the show, and if you aren't yet associated with this masterpiece of modern television, I suggest this as a launching point.