The first season of Mad Men announced itself as an immersive experience, applying the slow boil to the story of an early-’60s ad executive (Jon Hamm) whose professional magic touch barely masks a profound inability to find an identity in a changing America. Mad Men: Season 2 (Lionsgate) makes it clear that the immersion will only grow deeper with the years. Here, Hamm’s character’s ennui turns infectious in a season in which nobody seems to know where they fit in, or who they’re supposed to be once they do find their place. It’s every bit as gripping as what came before, and a little more moving as well…
What’s the worst thing about The Haunting In Connecticut (Lionsgate)? That it juices the “true” story of a haunted house with pathos-inducing stuff about a kid dying of cancer? That it’s seemingly the best gig the talented Virginia Madsen and Elias Koteas can score these days? Or that it isn’t scary at all? The finale lands on a little unsettling imagery, but there’s a long, dull, familiar slog to get to those modest rewards…
In spite of Keira Knightley in the lead role, The Edge Of Love (Image) barely found its way to American theaters, and for good reason: Its potentially intriguing tale of Dylan Thomas’ exploits during World War II is less vivid history than frozen museum piece. Knightley stars as the woman who comes between her childhood sweetheart—the drunk, womanizing poet Thomas (Matthew Rhys)—and his equally combative wife (Sienna Miller).