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If you enjoy history at all, especially the Revolutionary War era, HBO’s miniseries “John Adams” is absolutely a “must see.”
The made-for-TV seven-part epic starring Paul Giamatti (yes, the pinot noir lover from the movie “Sideways”) was first broadcast in March and April.
The series, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by David McCullough, is a great video rental opportunity, but trust me — once you get started you won’t be able to easily quit watching.
Giamatti is fabulous in the lead role, and Laura Linney is equally strong as wife Abigail Adams, the “dearest friend” to the title character. Their 54-year marriage has been well-chronicled as the nation’s original love story, and it plays well in this series.
Not without fault from critics, of course, in some of the details and creative license taken, the series really is a wonderful history lesson in seven compelling parts.
- John Smalley, La Crosse Tribune
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American Movie Classics, that cable TV channel hardly anyone watched anymore, put itself back on the map with one of the most innovative and absorbing series to hit the airwaves in decades — “Mad Men.”
It’s 1960, and in one of the more aggressive advertising firms on Madison Avenue, executives cavort in the steno pool, while at home their corseted and perfectly coiffed wives wait with dinner on the table.
But all is not as it seems in this pre-Kennedy era America. In the first 13 episodes, the lives of those along the avenue turn out to be a collision of “Peyton Place,” “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying” and “Valley of the Dolls.”
With one of the finest acting ensembles ever filmed, fantastic music and superb writing, the first season — now out on DVD — is a must-have for home libraries. And, if that isn’t enough, the set comes boxed as a Zippo lighter. Hey, it was 1960 — everyone smoked (even at the office).
- Ryan Stotts, La Crosse Tribune
