The season 3 of Mad Men has just ended and as another testimony to this TV-series’ popular cultural influence several fashion houses have officially announced Mad Men-inspired lines to hit the streets next year! Some have already launched their shark grey “Don Draper” suits.

The truth is that even though this show’s production quality is impeccable much of its stylistic appeal is thanks to Don Draper and his pivotal character. Let’s just say that Mad Men IS Don Draper! But while the character looks like perfection personified and basically oozes charisma Jon Hamm, the actor playing him, couldn’t be further away from the fictive persona he portrays. Look at the pictures below, while Don Draper looks sharp like a billion dollar God of power and style Jon Hamm looks like a …hobo basically! I don’t think that I have ever seen such dramatic difference between an actor and the character he plays. At least not this way around, its like as if Don Draper has been roughed up to play Jon Hamm! I think, just like Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, this will be one of those cases where an actor’s on-screen ego will become so larger than the actor himself that it will become a professional burden and he wont get any other roles because of the unshakable personification!

I’ve watched “Moon”. In its barely one and a half hour of running time it has not a single element and twist that we sci-fi fans haven’t seen before, one way or the other. However not like this! In-between its generic sci-fi facade there is a philosophical manifest embedded and hidden. Here is the trailer but WARNING is in order since it spoils the “twist” of the movie!

This is a poetic allegory to life, an answer to the existential question raised by the enlightened man. The inner dialog leading to the revealing of the ultimate truth: who are you and what are you in the grand scheme of things called life? Now that is not an easy topic to take on, let alone answer! Amazingly this rather humble movie does it like few have done in past. “Moon” takes you all the way to the dark side of the moon in order to show you the dark side of life in perspective! A romantic approach to reality. Needless to say is this hidden gem that is getting a discrete release highly recommended, however only to those with an eye for the hidden and a deeper understanding for the profounder meanings. Because on the sci-fi side there is not much new to look at.

“950000 miles from home, the hardest thing to face… is yourself.”

The official trailer is out! Finally! It looks like they’ve done a hell of job translating the unique and characterizing visual features of The Sands of Times game trilogy into the movie. New photo showing Sir Kingsley looking the part as expected!

As previously mentioned I’m a big fan of the games and so far this looks exactly the way I would have wanted for the game to look like as a movie.

Needless to say is the anticipation even higher now, especially after the trailer confirming all the buzz! Not to mention the anticipation for seeing the gorgeous miss Arterton joining prince Dastan in this adventure as the heroine Tamina!

How do you like my brand new trilby hat? I love “Blood In, Blood Out (Bound By Honor)” and have as long as I can remember wanted a “Vatos Locos” hat (thus the pose). Now I’ve found one! In H&M’s new collection. If you have no idea what I am talking about and happen to like gangster movies then do catch this epic flick. It’s the poor man’s “God Father”! Came in early 90’s, flew under radar and exploded in a massive underground wave of fans and fanatics! I have it on DVD but still find myself watching it when TV reruns it, often at midnights. Watch the trailer, don’t let yourself be put off by the B-style edit and music since its far from the actual film. And see if you can spot my hat in it!

If you found my description and review of “Cashback” interesting or even had a chance to watch the movie and appreciate it the way I did, then by no means let “500 Days of Summer” slip by unwatched!

How I loved this one! It was as if it was custom-made for me! A romantic movie for my taste, realistically charming. The aesthetic style and the philosophical tone were completely in tune and enhanced by the beautiful soundtrack. Joseph and Zooey’s chemistry was made in the indie heaven, the perfect match!

I must say that “500 Days of Summer” is not for everyone, it is after all “not a love story”! However if you enjoy movies like “Cashback” then this is highly recommended. One of my absolute favorites this year. And it’s not because I happen to have a huge crush on the offbeatly adorable and quirky cute Zooey Deschanel at the moment! I could be recommending it just because of those big bright blue eyes, but I’m not!

Hami will be releasing a collection of all his works for cinema, television and stages. The album will feature themes from “Hadafe Asli”, “Salam”, “Pato Zamin Nazar”, “Mardane Koochak”, “Poshte Shemshadha” and “Bekhatere Sogand”. To mention a few.

Top designer Tom Ford is constantly on the rise! As a fashion aficionado one can’t help but to admire Ford, he is perhaps one of the few - if not the only - designers who himself/herself looks like a model and dresses fashionably. Why eat straight from the fridge when with just a bit of effort you can throw together a nice meal of whats in the fridge, Ford argues. The same principle applies to clothes, according to the man.

This fashion icon has recently crossed over from his home realm to a new one, namely the film industry. In his directorial debut Ford has adapted the acclaimed Isherwood novel “A Single Man”.

Being openly gay, despite desired by many women, Ford has taken on the challenge of dedramatizing the still controversial subject of homosexuality in a dramatic way. Ford’s work has been praised for its pictorial perfection and philosophical complexion. Parallels have been drawn to another novel-turned-movie namely “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly“, in terms of tone and atmosphere.

The unexpected grandeur of “A Single Man” has already been awarded in all film festivals that it has been shown at. I’m a huge fan of Ford’s and can’t wait to see his new creation in motion!

As you might know the network pulled the plug on the Terminator spin-off “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” after the second season. Due to failing and fading popularity.

However this unique handmade promotion replica is getting more popular and sought after as there is only one of its kind! This is truly one exceptional bust (pun very much intended). The resemblance is so striking that even Summer Glau herself is mesmerized by her bust!

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m an aspiring children’s story writer. The aspiration comes from my love for the books from my own childhood which I still today keep and read while going on nostalgic trips, but also from my work with kids which has updated my passion for the genre, upgraded my knowledge of the craft and inspired me to create something for all of us children (of all ages). Therefor I am currently working on a couple of projects as both story writer and illustrator. As a fan of children’s story books and an aspiring writer there is simply no higher status to look up to than Maurice Sendak!

Maurice’s multi-awarded “Where the Wild Things Are” was first published back in 1963. Twelve years before I was born! However it has followed the generations through the years ever since, as the timeless story it really is. What makes Maurice’s story so grand is his metacognitive narration and subliminal messages through the images and most importantly the size and serial appearance of his images!

While the few lines of text and the artwork tell one story there is another being told between the lines, or in his case within the pages’ white borders! One is how the size of the images increase the more the child finds his freedom to explore his world of fantasy and how it reduces when the surrounding reality puts outer limits to it! Numerous academic researches and reports have been written analyzing the few but rich pages of this humble yet majestic piece of work. I can’t explain how thrilled I am that this magnum opus has been adapted into a film which will be premiered in a few weeks.

The best part is that it is directed by Spike Jonze who has according to his own directorial style put an “indie” twist to the whole thing (something you can see in the teaser poster above) which will translate the mood of the book into motion pictures. If you happen to be in touch with the child within, then by all means go and watch this beautiful story together!

So how did the new Star Trek work for me, you might now wonder (you probably wont but lets just pretend you do for the sake of the post!lol). J. J. Abrams has done a hell of job to reinvent Star Trek! He has brought things out of the dark and dusty old sets and given things an exterior. If there is anything a sci-fi scenario provides it is the potential to an unlimited universe and strangely its the first time that Star Trek’s universe is being adequately exhibited and properly explored. Abrams has also given the show’s rather slow pace a jolt and momentum that keeps going all the way through.

However what Abrams’ Star Trek enjoys in terms of visual and stylistic strength it tends to lack in terms of storyline! The story itself is a decent one, however there is a certain termite that consumes it from within (much like a phenomenon in the movie). It seems like Abrams hasn’t really untangled himself from the whole time traveling mess that has plagued his LOST or the alternate reality vision that is taking over his FRINGE (if you are a fan of these shows you will recognize the entire terminology and debate that goes on in this movie)! That having been said this is still a GREAT movie experience (get the limited blu-ray edition above from amazon) and a faithful successor in a line of a long tradition. I still haven’t turned Trekkie though, in case you wonder, but almost! hehe

Abrams’ Star Trek is an excellent lesson in source-respect and consistency for George Lucas to learn from!

If you happened to enjoy my description and recommendation of “Elegy” then I have a new “realistically romantic” gem for you. The movie “Two Lovers” is as the title suggests a story about a love triangle connecting three individuals with interesting characters. In particular the complex male character played perfectly by Joaquin Phoenix, one of the most realistically contradictory characters that I’ve ever seen in a movie. The movie is also supposed to be Joaquin Phoenix’s last cinematic performance! He has apparently decided to go a …rapper! A full-fledged professional one. The guy is one of my favorite actors, who delivers a role even when he isn’t in top shape, so I hope that its just a phase he is going through. Anyways, do check out “Two Lovers” if you’re into unconventional love stories with a character depth.

I had been anticipating Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz’s new venture “Broken Embraces”, especially since I happened to love their previous work “Volver”! Which in my opinion delivered a more mature and balanced Almodóvar. But after having seen his latest opus I’m truly disappointed as Almodóvar has gradually gone from overwhelming to underwhelming!

“Broken Embraces” does start off rather interesting, however a dull and unengaging back-story takes it all away. This is really pale for any director, let alone Almodóvar! All the twists are such clichés and not even of the best kind! You never start to feel for the characters in the movie despite it being called “Broken Embraces” and just screams for empathy! This is in my opinion Almodóvar’s weakest yet and perhaps also an end to a professional love affair!

The lovely Sarah Shahi (1, 2) recently gave birth to a cute little son and we couldn’t be happier for her. However in the process of pregnancy her …frame seems to have gone bigger! Much, much bigger as a matter of fact! And having a thing for …frames, especially big and bold …frames, I can only bow before the wonders and splendor of mother nature!

According to FarsNews the upcoming motion-picture based on Reza Sadeghi’s life will feature three concerts and a new music video. Most likely there will also be new material recorded for this project according to sources, however its not final yet since his album is still being postponed. The movie is said to be called “Bikhodaahaafezi” and star Sadeghi as himself.

Its the television season and the shows and series kick off one after the other! Another one that has just premiered its second season is Fringe, which proved itself solid all the way through season one. If you haven’t watched it get yourself the DVD or the Blu-ray with a cool lenticular cover.

Spoiler alert for the trailer!

“It wouldn’t be SHOWTIME without a yearly dose of CALIFORNICATION” says the show’s producer Greenblatt. “This unapologetic show, about a group of characters led by the inimitable David Duchovny, has quickly established itself as one of our signature comedy series. Beneath its veneer of debauchery, however, is a complex take on love and adult relationships that surprisingly turns poetic and romantic just when you least expect it.” And I couldn’t agree more! My annual reunions with the like-minded Hank Moody is one I really look forward to each year. And I’m loving the poster and direction for the new season, hehe!

If you are a fan of art-history or period pieces/costume dramas then I recommend you the latest BBC series “Desperate Romantics”. Its a fictive and romanticized account of the lives of the artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

A romanticist movement that aimed to break academic ideals in order to go back to the original ideals of nature. Another influential school in my life and art. The six-episode mini-series is just as much comedy as it is drama, for better and worse!

One of the television series I caught this summer was the controversial Australian “Satisfaction”. A show based on the lives of a handful escorts in a luxurious Melbourne brothel. Interestingly the show has managed to entwine nudity and adult theme with everyday drama and serious dramaturgy, without coming across forced or provocative! “Satisfaction” tries to dedramatize sex and bring it to the public forum, something I personally believe in and like about it. In a way “Satisfaction” is the Aussie cousin to the British “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” from the very same network, namely SHOWTIME. However it is both edgier and heavier! So far two seasons have been aired and season three will kick off in December.

I have always had a fascination for angels and an admiration for the fallen ones! And if there is anything that amuses me more than superheroes kicking each other’s asses its archangels kicking each other’s asses! Therefor “Legion” is going to rock my wings off (if I had any that is)! Even though it looks like Terminator gone angels!

In case you’ve followed my Mad Men recommendation I must now notify you that the third season of the well-made series has already kicked off! Don’t miss it!!