Obsessive behavior

This is one thing that I have come to look forward to each week. The sequence reminds me of Hitchcock. It took me a bit but then I realized that I was reminded of Vertigo, a film that has always had a special place in my heart for various reasons.

My ex-boyfriend told me that I had a special talent for spotting cinematic themes in visuals as well as music. When we saw City of Angels in the theater, I commented on the way out how certain camera shots reminded me of Rain Man while the score reminded me of The English Patient. Well and the use of shadows was also reminiscent of The English Patient as well. Just check out the opening sequence of the desert in The English Patient and compare it to the angels standing on rooftops in L.A. in City of Angels. I can't remember now what scene prompted my thoughts of Rain Man but it was something else that involved shadows. I had correctly recognized the cinematographer and the composer. And my ex was the one who had the Masters in film. Oh well. And so now I keep a special eye for both as I appreciate their work. And both usually work with Anthony Minghella. But enough about the stuff in my head. Check out this trailer for Vertigo.



And the music in "Mad Men"? Haunting. So much so that I spent time Saturday night trying to discover what the tune is. Actually, it didn't take that long as they are now listing the music from each episode on the official site. (And then once I knew the artist, I checked out other stuff. I realized that I've heard RJD2's "Ghostwriter" as well and love it. Apparently the track has been used for commercials for Wells Fargo and Saturn. Have I mentioned how much I love music on commercials? Reminds me. There was some other commercial I saw recently in which I really liked the music. Must figure that out. Of course, I've always been a fan of lo-fi or however you want to categorize him.) I'm thinking that I might just have to re-watch all of the episodes to date (I have them all saved on the DVR.) to see if there's some other stuff that's just as catchy. At least now I will no longer have to repeatedly replay the opening sequence on my TV.

Along the way I have read comments about the blatant sexism and racism in the show. Well, gee whiz. Guess what? Folks did behave in that manner back then. And the government said it was OK. To expect anything else from a period show is ridiculous in my opinion.

In the meantime, I will continue to look forward to each week's episode. Because even though I know that I could not have been a part of their world, there's a part of me that wishes I was. Maybe it's just because I miss being able to light up indoors at work. ;-)

Oh, and a last note. I just realized that the last line in "I Could Just Kill a Man" is "All I wanted was a Pepsi." Classic. A line from one of my other favorite songs. It explains so much. Well, it does if you know the other song. And if you don't, the only hint that I will give you is think of ED. It was the next band I thought of after Rage Against the Machine while cruising in my car Saturday morning. Because if you try to buttonhole down my taste in music, you just won't be able to do it. I just like good music. Because it makes me feel good. And if you have any doubt, read this review. Trust me. It really is a music review.