"Mad Men" goes to the movies; Watch out for 'Sherlock Holmes 2' and 'Lebanon'

By Sarah Sluis

Over at Film Journal, we're big fans of the AMC show "Mad Men." So it was a pleasure to discover that the Film Experience Blog has been keeping track of all of the movie allusions in "Mad Men," and taking

the time to explain them. Today, the blogger points out "Mad Men" references to The Apartment and Psycho. Office manager Joan mentions the film to ad agency partner Sterling, with whom she's having an affair, in a pointed reference to the pain that a workplace affair can cause to the woman. He doesn't seem to get the hint, and says the movie is extreme like Psycho. Also of interest is how pop culture references are used to make in-jokes about art director Salvartore being in the closet, as when series leading man Don Draper tells his wife, "All men like Joan Crawford. Salvatore couldn't stop talking about her." Show creator Matthew Weiner's knowledge of movies is encyclopedic. The show, which picked up several Emmys last Sunday, is one to watch for its insights into to how people related to the movies of the day.

In Today's Film News, Warner Bros. is already moving forward with plans for a Sherlock Holmes sequel. The film isn't set to release until Christmas. The last time the studio started working on a sequel before the film came out, it was The Hangover. If we're to trust their judgment, Sherlock

Holmes could be a holiday success on par with that major summer hit.

Another film to watch is Lebanon, which was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics in a market filled with many potential buyers. The Israeli war film could be this year's Waltz with Bashir, the animated film about the Israeli-Lebanon war that SPC rolled out last year, which earned $2.2 million in the U.S. and $8.8 million abroad. With an Israeli film about the Lebanon war already under its marketing and distribution belt, SPC seems like the perfect distributor for this movie. Taking place during the first Lebanon war in 1982, it follows a tank and a group of paratroopers who are trapped in a hostile town (read the THR review here). Its characters are anti-heroes and their mission is not one of glory but terror. The movie is expected to appeal especially to those with ties or interests in Israel and the Middle East.