Mad Men – Season 4: as this season progresses, it becomes clear that not only the story and the characters are evolving, but the series itself is; in subtle, as most everything is, but in no uncertain ways. The most obvious is the growing focus on the plot, without any loss in character development and a rich portrayal of the times; the series embrace shifting shades of gray instead of black-and-white. Writing and acting continue to be top-notch (except for […]

Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama

Mad Men – Season 3: in this season, the focus veers ever so slightly towards a plot (as opposed to the characters), without any loss of quality or interest. There’s no point in repeating some of the things said about the previous seasons, as they remain in place.  Writing and acting continue to be strong; Jon Hamm puts on another great season, as do January Jones, John Slattery and Vincent Kartheiser. Read also: Mad Men – Season 1 Mad Men – […]

Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama

Mad Men – Season 2: there is a great sense of continuity in the second season; it picks up where the first one left off (not necessarily in the plot, but in the spirit and mood). It retains everything, either bad (the art direction, too pristine, bothers; there is, at least, a reason for it to be so, as it fits the subject of the show) or good (pretty much everything else: writing and acting, in particular, remain top-notch; Jon […]

Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama

Mad Men – Season 1: on this day and age when television series are, for the most part, plot-centered (those which major or minor story arcs are the reason for the series to exist), when a character-centered series appears, it takes some time to get used to the different pace and tone. Such was the case here; the first season calmly introduces the characters, their traits and relationships, and requires some patience, which is amply rewarded. Well-written and very well-acted […]

Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama

House of Cards – Season Two: considering how interesting the first season was, the biggest strength of the second season is picking up, in tone and in the storyline, where that one left off.

Categories: Non-Film Reviews • Tags: drama