Mad Men (5) and Hunger Games

Coming soon: Mad Men Season 5 and the film Hunger Games

Locations: on TVs and theatres near you

Mad Men and the Hunger Games target totally different demographics and have nothing in common, but they are both coming out near the end of the month. 

While I'm super excited for the new season of Mad Men to start, I am also very intrigued by the Hunger Games phenomenon. I read the first of the trilogy in one sitting, without meaning to. It was very gripping, a total page-turner. The 2nd and 3rd parts started to wear thin though. I'm not going to give any spoilers, but suffice to say, when you have a plot based around a dystopic world with rules and morals of its own, you just cannot go and drop in a deus ex machina over and over again. If a beloved character is about to die under existing 'rules', you should not arbitrarily change the rules so that the character survives! It's called bad plot design, and I really hate that.

The trailer for the first film looks good though, so I might give it a try. If you're crazy enough, you can also try the Hunger Games Workout at your local gym.

Mad Men, on the other hand, has amazing plot lines. Every episode is superbly crafted from first line to last. I love it insanely, including the costumes, the lighting, the moods, the shots. Beautiful. I wonder what will happen now that Don has proposed! And I also wonder if the writers/directors were ever inspired by In the Mood for Love. My favourite film of all time, ITMFL is also set in the 60s, and is a film full of longing silences, looks, and similar camera angles and shots.

There's a countdown on the official Mad Men website, a fashion gallery, and even a 'Mad Men job interview' game, where you can find out if you have what it takes to get hired! How timely, in this economic climate.