I picked up the first half of season 1 of AMC's "Mad Men" last night, after hearing so much about it (and it's 16 Emmy Nominations) and wanted to see what all the fuss is about. For those not familiar, it takes place in the 1960s, where advertising men on MADison (haha) Avenue reigned supreme. If that doesn't sound interesting, then think again; it's fascinating and it explores the fact that everyone has many layers within their personality. I won't talk about much of the plot, but there's so much going on that if I started talking about it I might accidentally ruin a twist (and this is only after 6 episodes!). Here's a few things that I CAN comment on:
The Opening Credits Sequence: Best I've seen in a long time.
The Cast/Acting: They're all excellent, especially Jon Hamm as mysterious Don Draper and Vincent Kartheiser as smug and uppity Peter Campell, who just wants to impress Don (and possibly take over his job).
The Writing: sharp and smart without being over the top or grating. Though there's plenty of drama, the show doesn't try to force in a bunch of "explosive dramatic moments" (something that bothers me about most TV dramas). Instead of blowing a bunch of hot air, the show's dramatic moments are often handled in low whispers.
The Production Values: As good as any movie set in the period. Costumes and sets are all top notch.
The directing: the best for last. The camera work is beautifully handled, and feels like it could be up on the big screen.
I know the show just started it's second season last week, but I'd advise anyone interested to start with season 1, because even though there are only 13 episodes, there's a lot to catch up on.
Grade: A
No comments:
Post a Comment