Open Discussion ' Apr 23, 2012

As usual ' talk about whatever you like as long as it's related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself ' just remember to play nice.

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'Mad Men' Season 5, Episode 6: 'Far Away Places' Recap

Throughout this season, Mad Men has been suggesting a sense of disorientation around the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and much of it has to do with Don Draper (Jon Hamm) finding himself romantically sated by his new wife Megan (Jessica Paré). The degree to which this causes a shift in the nature of things around him has been documented from the season's premiere. Don has been so ensnared by his new temperament it is as though he's been absent from SCDP.

The trick of 'Far Away Places' is how it distorts the viewers' perception of events by layering the chronology so that the same day is told from the perspective of Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), Roger (John Slattery) and finally Don. It's disorienting at first, but it leaves the characters examining a truth they had been unaware of, or unwilling to acknowledge after taking, literally or otherwise, some kind of trip. While Peggy and Roger are marched down the road through the use of mind-altering substances, Don has been, to paraphrase Bert Cooper (Robert Morse), drunk on love. And by episode's end, it's time to sober up and get back in the game.

The effect of Don's absence is evident in a miserable pitch to Heinz where Peggy and Raymond Geiger have it out over a campaign he says is based on a memory that's sentimental for him, but not going to get kids to buy beans. Peggy labels the client as purposefully argumentative, basically rejecting Raymond's rejection of her work and getting herself removed from the account. Since Don's off with Megan inspecting a Howard Johnson, there's really no one to answer to, and, rudderless, Peggy finds herself going to the movie her boyfriend Abe (Charlie Hofheimer) wanted to see with her that evening. She ends up sharing a joint with a complete stranger, who takes a seat next to her and things progress in a relatively unwholesome manner.

Later, Peggy is woken by Dawn (Teyonha Parris) who tells her Don is on the phone. A disheveled Don is in a state, which Peggy assumes is due to the Heinz pitch. Things only get weirder from there as she speaks with Michael Ginsberg (Ben Feldman) about his father ' only Ginsberg claims the man she met is not his real father, apparently. Ben refers to himself as a Martian and says his (false) father told him he was born in a concentration camp, and was found in a Swedish orphanage years later. Ginsberg continues by saying he received a communication (from Mars?) telling him to stay right where he was, but that he's yet to find anyone like him.

Like Don at the dinner party in last week's superlative 'Signal 30,' Roger Sterling finds himself a guest at a home he'd rather not be in, until his wife Jane (Peyton List) coaxes him into taking LSD, that is. And like the dinner party at the Campbells, we get the clearest sense of what the episode is trying to convey. Roger overhears: 'Only awareness can make reality. Only what's real can become a dream. Only from a dream can you wake to the light.' And with Don appearing in the mirror as a spirit guide, of sorts, Roger understands he needs to be alone with Jane in the truth ' and the truth isn't necessarily good.

While the two are in the bath, Roger sees the 1919 World Series and tries to point it out to his wife, but she simply cannot see it. Like another planet, or a Howard Johnson in upstate New York, a lifetime of memories can also be a far away place that keeps two people apart. Eventually, the two come to the conclusion that the marriage is over and agree to split amicably, but expensively.

Don and Megan's reactions to the Howard Johnson speak volumes about where they see themselves as individuals and as a couple. While Don is seemingly pleased to be at the HoJo, writing up copy on the fly, Megan is not so impressed, referring to it as a stop on the way to some place, not a destination as Don described. The fact that Don pulled Megan away from the Heinz pitch comes to a head after she confronts him that, even though being his wife comes with some perks, she's not necessarily looking to take advantage of them all. The wake up call being that maybe Megan sees this marriage as brief stop on the road to her eventual destination, while for Don it may be the end of the line.

They fight and Don leaves her in the parking lot, returning a short time later to find out she's left with a group of young men. Fearing the worst, Don stays the night, reluctantly returning home to find Megan already there. As in 'A Little Kiss' the fight turns physical, and after settling down, the pair reveal to one another that they essentially put one another through their worst fear: being left by the other.

To a certain degree it comes down to these three characters realizing the situations they've somehow trapped themselves in. While Roger seems to have woken to the light, Peggy and Don, as much as they seemed to have it together, may still be in the dark.

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Mad Men continues next Sunday with 'At the Codfish Ball' @10pm on AMC. Take a look at the typically cryptic sneak peek below:

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'Dark Knight Rises' Early Reactions; Over An Hour Shot in IMAX

Thanks to 20th Century Fox's brilliant official and viral promotional campaign for Prometheus ' plus Marvel over-saturating the market with Avengers material ' all combined with Warner Bros.' virtually non-existent marketing for The Dark Knight Rises in recent months ' and Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy finale has been left in the dust, prompting a number of film geeks to drop it from atop their Most Anticipated Lists for 2012.

That will surely change once Avengers arrives in (U.S.) theaters next week, with a third Dark Knight Rises trailer attached. In the meantime, early reactions both official and unconfirmed ' coupled with new reports that the film will include over an hour of IMAX footage ' are sure to stir things up, as far as talk around the movie blogosphere goes.

First, here is a confirmed early reaction to Dark Knight Rises from WB executive vice president of domestic distribution, Jeff Goldstein (via The Wrap):

'This is what a summer popcorn movie is all about. I don't want to oversell it, but this has elements that are ground-breaking and are really a thrill ride.'

Next, we have an unconfirmed early reaction from what Cosmic Book News describes as 'a reliable source' (head over to CBN for the full reaction, which includes a possible MILD SPOILER):

It is one of those films that leaves you on the edge of your seat much like 'The Dark Knight' did, in that it feels like a rollercoaster, like you have no idea where the story will go. I have been told a summary of the movie, and I definitely don't want to spoil it, but if you think you know where it is heading, think again! It will leave you thinking 'how do did they come up with that; it's genius.'

Catwoman is more in line with the comics than people think despite her not having a whip or cowl. It's more character driven and less about looks. Bane is so frickin' ruthless it's bad, like Joker is crazy and does his crimes on a whim in any style; Bane is like a freight train and has the city bricking it.

So, to summarize: we have a vague, encouraging statement from a studio executive and an anonymous claim from someone who (for all we know) simply pieced together previously-released information about Dark Knight Rises' plot ' or tidbits from Tom Hardy's interview, wherein he compares/contrasts Bane and Joker - so as to make their reaction seem legit.

Yeah, suffice it to say, you shouldn't get over-excited by any of this. Still, positive buzz is positive buzz, no matter the source. Besides, we won't have to wait long to see some additional footage from the film ' and then, we can decide for ourselves whether or not Nolan's last Caped Crusader flick is his best.

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Dark Knight Rises to Feature An Hour of IMAX Footage

Speaking of how Dark Knight Rises will look: the Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Nolan shot more than 60 minutes of the film using the 65 mm lens and IMAX camera technology. To put it in perspective, that's well beyond the previous estimates of 40-50 minutes ' and more than double that in either The Dark Knight or last winter's IMAX hit, Mission: Impossible ' Ghost Protocol.

"My Batman movie will be THIS BIG!"

Here is a statement from Nolan, on his decision to shoot so much of Dark Knight Rises in IMAX:

'There was a huge irony that we were told it would be too difficult to shoot a Hollywood movie on IMAX when we had this gigantic camera department, grips, electric, hundreds of people working for us. These were cameras that had been to the top of Mount Everest, to the bottom of the ocean and into outer space, but people thought we couldn't make a feature film. It was absurd.'

Nolan has made no secret of the fact that he considers IMAX 'the best film format that was ever invented' and he ' along with his trusted director of photography, Wally Pfister ' even gave thought to shooting all of Dark Knight Rises using IMAX technology, at one point. As anyone who remembers watching the bank robbery/prologue from The Dark Knight ' or the Hong Kong sequence ' on a 70 mm IMAX screen can attest, Nolan truly knows how to utilize that format for its optimal potential.

Count us all the more excited to see the filmmaker step up his IMAX game to the next level with Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises in theaters around the U.S. on July 20th, 2012.

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Source: The Wrap, Cosmic Book News [via Comic Book Movies], The Wall Street Journal

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Bryan Fuller Interested In New 'Star Trek' TV Series

Even though his hands are plenty busy working on the Munsters reboot titled Mockingbird Lane, and now that his plans for the Hannibal television series have revealed an ambitious seven-year storyline, one would think Bryan Fuller would have little time to ponder a new Star Trek television series.

Apparently, that's not the case.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly regarding the upcoming NBC series Hannibal, Fuller was asked about his thoughts on a new Star Trek television series and what he had discussed with filmmaker Bryan Singer prior to J.J. Abrams rebooting the franchise with his successful 2009 feature film release.

It seems that since Abrams and Paramount are the current gatekeepers to the Star Trek franchise, any such television series would likely have to be met with their approval, and coincide with the release schedule of any further installments beyond next year's tentatively titled Star Trek 2.

In his statement, Fuller said:

'Bryan and I are big fans of Trek and have discussed a take on what we would do, and we would love to do it. I don't think anything is going to happen in any official capacity until after the next movie comes out. And I'm sure it would be wisely under J.J. Abrams' purview of what happens. He's the guardian of Trek right now.'

While that may be somewhat disheartening news for fans eager to have Trek back on the small screen, despite Fuller's hesitance, common sense suggests that Paramount and Abrams certainly see the potential in a new series ' provided it's done right, of course. Given Abrams' penchant for producing hit television ' especially within the sci-fi realm - and Fuller's past credits on Star Trek: Voyager, along with Pushing Daisies and Heroes, the idea of a Fuller/Singer collaboration with the support of J.J. Abrams sounds like a sure-fire hit.

The question remains, however, whether this proposed Star Trek series would be based directly on the lore established in Abrams' films, or if it will take its cue from Bryan Singer's unproduced Star Trek: Federation series?

According to details that emerged last year, Star Trek: Federation would take place in the same continuity as the original shows and films, but in the year 3000. Additional aspects saw the series serve as something of a metaphor for the decline of the Roman Empire, with Starfleet having fallen from scientific prominence seemingly waiting for another Kirk to lead the charge in restoring Starfleet to former glory.

Director Bryan Singer in Star Trek: Nemesis

An excerpt from the proposal says it best:

'The Federation hasn't had a flagship in over two hundred years. They haven't done anything either scientifically or in terms of exploration that comes near the deeds done in the long ago Age of Expansion.

There is no sense of true unity in the Federation and unity will be required if these new aliens return in force. The people need a symbol to remind them who they are, what they mean to each other and that there are prices to be paid for living in paradise.

They need, in short, a sense of Enterprise''

That proposal varies a great deal from Abrams' new, alternate timeline, and seeing as how mainstream audiences and (many) Trek fans took a shine to the reboot, it would seem a trip back to the original timeline might be counterintuitive in terms of the audience's preference, and certainly, cross-promotion.

Whatever the case, it seems any Star Trek series will be years away from production, so there will be plenty of time to get the storyline straight.

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Screen Rant will be sure to update you on any news regarding a new Star Trek television series.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, TrekMovie

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'Magic City' Season 1, Episode 3: 'Castles Made of Sand' Recap

If 'Castles Made of Sand' had begun the series, Magic City would have been off to a rather promising start. While the series has improved with each passing week, the jump in quality from the premiere to last week's 'Feeding Frenzy' and now 'Castles' has given some legitimacy to Starz' eagerness in awarding the show an early second season renewal.

Discovering a character's history (shared or otherwise) can be something of a tricky proposition. On one hand, the writer clearly wants to establish a sense of continuity between the unseen past and the present, but what often results is a long, drawn-out exercise in exposition. To a certain extent we were given too much of that in the premiere and a little less in episode two. Here, however, with all of the characters more or less established, the idea of exploring their past, and what it may mean for their future is handled with a fairly deft touch.

After introducing Meg Bannock (Kelly Lynch) in last week's episode, we finally get to see how she and Ike (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) interact with one another. Their previous phone conversation suggested a hint of sublimated romance between the two, and as they enjoy a glass of scotch, it's clear that is certainly the case. The scene also manages to be the series' best attempt at providing some context to the time period and to Ike Evans' place in the world. Previous attempts have forced the perspective a bit too heavily, but here, as Ike is wholeheartedly ignored by an anti-Semitic waiter, Magic City takes a step forward in its storytelling ability by not singling the moment out with a response other than Ike's laughter. As Meg tells him, they've met on her turf, and without any unnecessary dialogue, the audience grasps just what it means to be a Bannock, and what stock Ike's late wife came from.

More importantly, Meg and her money become Ike's way of dealing with a bigger and certainly more dangerous problem in Ben Diamond (Danny Huston). Here, Diamond, too, has cooled his heels from the glass-smashing, dog shooting evildoer he was portrayed as in the first two episodes. Now, Diamond has settled comfortably into a role where the players of Magic City, and the audience alike, are aware of the menace he represents. Huston's performance in the scene with Stevie (Steven Strait) is a perfect example of how Diamond's ruthless reputation precedes him ' even when he's merely offering his services as a favor to Stevie's father.

Perhaps Ike's dad, Arthur (Alex Rocco), summed it up best when he equated Diamond to a cancer that Ike is simply going to have to live with ' until it either kills him or goes away.

The Magic City trio of Morgan, Lynch and Huston offers everything good about the show so far. Hinting that Lynch may play a bigger role in the future of the Miramar Playa, and possibly, Ike's life, is a sign the series is headed in the right direction. To that extent, placing Meg Bannock as a potential rival for Vera (Olga Kurylenko) in Vera's mind, anyway, is as good a reason as any to give Vera a storyline that does not directly involve Ike.

Up to this point, Vera has been a bit of a question mark for the series. She could have been comprised of any number of clichés afforded to women possessing her beauty ' a Betty Draper clone comes to mind ' and certainly, Vera's story does closely resemble the former Mrs. Draper. For instance: her looks took her to the precipice of fame, only, for whatever reason, she chose marriage to an older, incredibly successful man over a career. But unlike Betty, Vera lacks that undercurrent of anger and pettiness, and instead seems genuinely hurt that Ike would prefer time with his dead wife's sister to an evening with someone she holds in high regard. So when pageant director Cliff Wells (Steven Brand) propositions Vera with the promise of all she had given up, there is clearly a moment where she considers Cliff's offer. What drives her to refuse the proposition is likely the same thing that drove her to accept Ike's proposal of marriage. It's a tad thin, but enough to keep any interest in Vera alive.

'Castles Made of Sand' also beefs up the thin plotline concerning Stevie's relationship with Ben Diamond's wife Lily (Jessica Marais). What once seemed like a destructive act perpetrated by a lawless woman has now morphed into a plea for help from a woman unable to fathom the trouble she's gotten herself into by marrying a gangster. Perhaps the dichotomy between Lily and Vera will provide for some decent character development between the two.

Given that Magic City season 1 is only 10 episodes long, it seems clear that the Mike Strauss (Leland Orser) murder is going to be the major catalyst for the season's larger plot thread. After seeing Ike extend an offer of employment ' spawned by a rejection of free money ' to Mike's wife (widow), we see the way he is playing both sides. Assisting the wife of a man whose death he played a small role in, but at the same time, Ike is proactive in his efforts to make sure any loose ends don't lead back to the Playa.

Since these efforts result in yet another dead body (albeit by suicide), D.A. Klein (Matt Ross) may be now be setting his sites on Ike more than ever.

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Magic City continues next Friday with 'Atonement' @10pm on Starz.

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'The Dark Knight Rises' Gets New Trailer With 'The Avengers'

With all of the hype generated by the LA and Moscow premieres of The Avengers adding to the excitement from the full-force marketing push by Disney and Marvel Studios, The Dark Knight Rises has taken a temporary back seat as their comic counterparts enjoy the spotlight.

That shift in attention has made for some interesting discussion behind the scenes here at Screen Rant as we debate and ponder which of the comic book juggernauts is the most anticipated of the year, but it's impossible to tell right before one releases thanks to said studio marketing. Interestingly enough, The Dark Knight Rises will re-engage its promotions by attaching a brand new trailer (its third) to The Avengers.

The news comes from Nolan Fans who spotted the third TDKR trailer listed on the WB Exhibitor site. According to that site, the new trailer will come with all screenings (2D, 3D, IMAX) of The Avengers when it hits wide release (in North America) on May 4th.

The Marvel-Warner Bros. marketing is nothing new and moviegoers may remember seeing the exact scenario back in 2008 when the third The Dark Knight trailer played before Iron Man in theaters (the two movies that began the Marvel vs. DC cinematic universe debate) and again two years later with Christopher Nolan's Inception playing a new trailer before Iron Man 2.

Early buzz on The Avengers points towards it being the biggest and best offering from Marvel to date and we expect nothing less from Nolan's follow-up to The Dark Knight. Our question then becomes, which of these two (and The Amazing Spider-Man) are you looking forward to most and which will score the best among critics?

Check out the previously released trailer for The Dark Knight Rises and join in on our trailer discussion!

The Dark Knight Rises cast sees the return of Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Nestor Carbonell and Michael Caine along with franchise newcomers Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Juno Temple, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Burn Gorman, Diego Klattenhoff and Alon Aboutboul.

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20, 2012.

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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for more on Batman.

Source: Nolan Fans

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'Awake' Season 1, Episode 8: 'Nightswimming' Recap

Over the past seven episodes, Awake has worked to offer new ways in which Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) and his two worlds can offer insight into one another that help to solve a case, offer new insight into Britten's condition or provide clues as to the larger conspiracy that has been hinted at on more than one occasion. The beauty of the show, however, is when it utilizes the police elements to tell a better story about Britten and help move his story forward.

In 'Nightswimming,' Britten, naked at a college swimming pool and addressing two police officers from the high dive, begins the episode with a certain amount of whimsy. Awake isn't necessarily a dreary show, but starting things off with the series' main protagonist in the buff isn't exactly textbook either.

After the rather curious opening, Britten and Freeman (Steve Harris) are working with Marcus Ananyez (Elijah Alexander), after he narrowly survived being killed by a car bomb planted at the behest of his (former) employer Maxim Basayev. After a little prodding by the two cops, Marcus is ready to enter the Witness Protection Program. Marcus' wife Alina (Ayelet Zurer), is another matter, however. It turns out, Alina was unaware the seedier details of her husband's employment, and after realizing that her life and his would soon come down to a single suitcase each, she flees. Naturally, Marcus refuses to cooperate unless his wife is safely brought into Witness Protection.

Mercifully, the episode doesn't become about bringing Basayev to justice, but rather about bringing two people who have drifted apart back together. Of course, none of this would have any meaning if Britten and his wife Hannah (Laura Allen) weren't in the process of moving to Oregon ' a move which Britten still has some reservations over. Just as Marcus and Alina are about to be permanently displaced, so will Britten and Hannah; only their lives were interrupted under much different circumstances.

After tracking Alina down, Britten offers her the chance to enter Witness Protection on her own, or with her husband. One way or another Alina will be altering her life irrevocably; it's up to her whether or not the love she used to know with her husband is enough for them to start over. To a certain extent, the same has to be said for Britten and Hannah: the life as they once knew it has ended, so they can chose to begin anew, or let the past keep them at a tepid distance. Given that the writers of Awake, largely Kyle Killen, have worked to make Hannah so likable ' and a refreshing antithesis to the typical Hollywood grieving mother ' it's easy to see why Britten's psyche (if it is indeed just that) pushes him to make a gesture that reconstitutes the love between the two.

Notably, Britten manages to do this without the assistance of either one of his therapists, Dr. Lee (B.D. Wong) or Dr. Evans (Cherry Jones). The absence of his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) is also noticeable, but since this appeared to be just a standalone episode focused on Hannah, and the notion of people letting go those things from the past that prevent them from moving forward, there probably isn't too much to read into with that.

Some of the other standout episodes like the pilot, 'That's Not My Penguin' and 'Kate is Enough,' all had elements that balanced the series' larger mystery with grief and a twinge of optimism, which suggested Britten was headed down a new path that would lead him to some momentous discovery. 'Nightswimming' does this on a smaller scale; leading Britten toward something uncertain in Oregon ' which is causing him to uproot more than his own life, but that of people who rely on him like Jake (Steve Lawrence) his C.I. But the episode also suggests that when it comes to Britten and Hannah, there is something from the past worth going back to, and the slightly sad trip down memory lane that eventually leads to a naked high dive plunge, is as good a place as any for this couple to start over.

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Awake returns next Thursday with 'Game Day' @10pm on NBC. You can preview the episode below:

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