newcritics

It is possible to undergo a profound crisis involving non-ordinary experiences and to perceive it as pathological or psychiatric when in fact it may be more accurately and beneficially defined as a spiritual emergency. — Stanislav Grof
The end of season two of Mad Men finds us all in crisis.
Crisis. It’s a very powerful and [...]

Programming note:  Two more episodes of Mad Men left before the series finishes up its second season, which means there are only two more chances to join in Tom Watson and Mrs Peel’s live-blogging of the show.  Check in with them right here tonight at 10 PM Eastern.
Three episodes back now on Mad Men, in [...]

In the 1960s and 1970s, when I was a wee lad and people actually defined themselves by the music they liked, one was routinely compelled to chose sides–AM v. FM, Beatles v. the Stones, Punk v. Disco.  But one sound was ubiquitous and universally beloved, the sound of Motown–deceptively dense, guitar chanks and tambourine clanks [...]

She is as famous for movies she turned down as those she made and now, after years of retreat into real life, Debra Winger at 53 is back as a reminder that nothing is more erotic than beauty and brains.
Her disappearance inspired a documentary, “Searching for Debra Winger,” in which middle-aged Hollywood women pour out [...]

When we last saw Don, he was in the glow of sunlight through the window of DC8 on his way to Los Angeles to get away from his domestic travails. It’s the primal tactic of flight when fight doesn’t work. Good old running away. After the week we have witnessed, we should all be so [...]

Just a quick note to draw readers attention to today’s Thelonious Monk birthday broadcast streaming on WKCR.org.
KCR’s birthday broadcasts–24 hours celebrating and exploring a jazz great on his or her birthday–have long been one of the best things about living in New York that the Internet has made a global pleasure.
Monk was pure New York–born [...]

Here we are folks, the last call for Newcritics Wednesday Night at the Movies. This post in no way goes into everything that can be said about Serpico and 25th Hour–it’s more like quick thematic notes, the whole truncated by some domestic goings-on chez Campaspe. But the Siren will be at Newcritics at 9 pm [...]

Let’s set the Mad Men natterings - high toned, upscale criticism - aside for moment, shall we? And let’s be honest - not everything about television is classy. That’s not (solely) why we watch.
I’m not too proud to admit that I watch popular entertainments, the kind sometimes known as “cheesy”. I take real issue with [...]

Among true fans of Mad Men, Jon Hamm’s loss at the Emmys was something of a body blow. Hamm’s portrayal of the surly two-faced creative director Don Draper on the early 60s period drama was the favorite going in, a buttoned-up Madison Avenue heir to Tony Soprano - the new leading leading man.
But as good [...]

Well, almost anyway. Dread Zeppelin. They were a one-joke band, but it was a good joke, wasn’t it?

“Heartbreaker” by Dread Zeppelin courtesy of Youtube.

The best book ever written about the scourge of drugs and the racial chasm in the deep interior of Brooklyn was Greg Donaldson’s gritty 1994 true life new journalism book, The Ville. It covered the lives of two men - one a Housing cop and the other a gang member - along with a vast [...]

The Wednesday Night at the Movies Open Thread at Newcritics starts at 9 pm Eastern time. Saunter over and join the party.

So when the Siren posted her list previously, it was pretty safe. Some people may dislike The Apartment, but nobody is going to jump up and down and scream about its inclusion.
With Susan Seidelman’s [...]