Sopranos

I always liked A.J. just for being helpless in the face of that upbringing, and I loved the way they leaned into it. That's really how shitheads are made!

I thought he was a great, and touching, portrait of a kid who had been raised to be a failure in his father's eyes - felt like it tapped into the hypocrisy of American values, that they valued toughness, indulged his every whim then condemned him for being soft and expecting things to fall into his lap. In many ways he is the real tragic figure of the series, much more so than Meadow who mouthed platitudes and virtue signalled, but when push came to shove was totally complicit in her privilege and where it came from.

Interesting points that I'll mull over...Agree that they lost Meadow's character towards the end; she became more and more conventional. (I found it moving, though, when she told A.J. that as Italians, he was always going to be the favoured child; her resignation there--and A.J. seemingly not knowing what to make of her words--was perfect.)

I bought a critical book on The Sopranos a few years ago, I ought to read that right now.

See I read that as Meadow tossing another chip on her pile of self-pity, ignoring her massive privilege and advantage. The family is full of people doing that, probably the most penetrating social criticism the show made.

and - duh - I forgot that the talisman of the final series is the "Ojibwe saying" pinned by the writers to Tony's hospital notice board, "Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky." It gets half a dozen callbacks from there to the end, as Tony misapplies it to people he wants to put down.

(I think Ade's story her last season was about as tragic and moving as television gets.)

agreed on this. we watched the series for the first time last year, and from the minute she started working as an informant you just feel, "Jeez, well, there's only one way this ends."

The music was better than I remembered. The end of that one episode, where Carmela learns of Meadow's engagement, starts crying, looks out at Tony floating in the pool, and Bobby Darin's "If I Were a Carpenter" starts up, that was almost as good as "Both Sides Now" in Mad Men.

Christopher getting high at the fairground while Fred Neil's "Dolphins" plays is one of the most moving parts of the series, I think

The closing tracks were always spot on...John Cooper Clarke's "Evidently Chickentown" portending the forthcoming gang war during the christening scene, and Van Morrison's "Glad Tidings" hopping in after Tony Uncle Bobby guns down Tony Uncle Johnny, that jaunty bass line signaling a strange sense of relief/closure...also "This Magic Moment" when Bobby meets up with his family at the lake house, his life having irrevocably changed...

"It Was A Very Good Year" opening Season 2 also an all-timer

"Evidently Chickentown" for me was the show's greatest musical moment (didn't know it at all previously). "Dolphins" was great too. Other favourites: Cream's "I Feel Free," R.L. Burnside's "Shuck Dub," "White Rabbit," "If I Were a Carpenter," a few others.

Tindersticks' Tiny Tears will always be my favourite.

not the subtlest needledrop but I always appreciated them cutting the Tindersticks what I assume was a pretty fat check for the prominent use of "Tiny Tears"

xp!

Love the live version of The Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" at the end of "Cold Cuts." So connected to Tony's pathologies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haWOLGAHppc

"Living On A Thin Line" by the Kinks was prominently featured in one episode ("University", maybe?) Was played three times, which puts it up there with "Tiny Tears" in the Sopranos pantheon. Least-likely stripper song ever. Also, was surprised to hear "Wood Cabin" by Saint Etienne playing in the background when Jimmy the rat was whacked in Season One.

(xpost) Yeah, "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" was great. Don't think I ever hated Tony as much as his pointless baiting/escalation at that dinner table.

I wasn't sure what I was hearing--it definitely sounded like Ray Davies, yet it didn't sound like a 1966 B-side (I don't think I actually have the song). I thought I might have been hearing a cover version from the last decade or so. A live version explains that.

I can remember getting excited hearing a Murk track in the Bada Bing once, although felt it was possibly unlikely to have actually been played in a real strip club? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrE2Iq39qJ0

No, but Janice would be. https://t.co/RWQDQhq023

— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) April 6, 2021

Definitely! Also Kevin Garvey Sr. from The Leftovers, Scott Glenn's character. Maybe Paul Kinsey from Mad Men, or Aidan Macallan from House of Cards--there's a whole list there.

Kenneth from Mad Men imo

Janice for suuuuuure tho

paulie would definitely "have questions"

Except for his brief meltdown with those Chevy guys, I always thought Ken Cosgrove was pretty grounded, VG.

idk he seemed like a kook to me lol

What would ever give you that idea?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6nDsLx98SI

AJ seems like safe bet

AJ is going to be infamous for the rest of his life because he was goaded into entering the capitol and someone got a photo of him pooping on AOC's shoes

Good morning! I investigated Furio's luxurious silk shirts on The Sopranos. Feast your senses: https://t.co/cCfJfIxnc6

— Gabriella Paiella (@GMPaiella) April 8, 2021

Includes a link to an Artnet story about the Furio actor discovering that he owns a $10 million painting.

a real life webistics https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/21/100-million-new-jersey-deli-linked-to-shell-company-e-waste.html

who's their Matthew Bevilacqua

Instead of a prequel movie, I want a series about Janice’s life post-Tony getting whacked.

it's gonna involve q

and a viral video of her doing some sort of horrible racist shit / getting kicked out for not wearing a mask / hassling a group of kids / yelling DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? / some combination of all the above

Trailer out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHa95iy2lF0

starring a de-aged John Cusack. bold.

I really don't understand how Gandolfini's son is playing Tony. The kid is 19 this year, the series established Tony's birthdate as 1959/60, and the movie takes place in the turbulent Newark of the '60s.

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, February 27, 2019 8:24 PM

Looks terrible

I really don't understand how Gandolfini's son is playing Tony. The kid is 19 this year, the series established Tony's birthdate as 1959/60, and the movie takes place in the turbulent Newark of the '60s.

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, February 27, 2019 8:24 PM

― pplains, Tuesday, June 29, 2021 10:39 AM (five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yes.

Looks terrible

― bruce spr!ngisH3r3 on broadway (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, June 29, 2021 10:44 AM (twenty-five seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

yes

at least they have ray liotta in there playing himself

CHANTIX!

yikes that looks embarrassingly self-parodic. Has Vera Farmiga fallen into the most bizarre niche of typecasting?

Gandolfini's son already laughably tried to play a teenager in The Deuce—I didn't know who he was at first so was deeply confused why they didn't just cast an actual teen actor. He was more convincing when they let him play a sleazy douchebag stock broker in the third season, but he's...not his dad

Movie will probably be fine; the trailer rots. It looks like they gave young Tony some AJ qualities, which is probably the way to go.

***LOUD DRUM SOUND***

***LOUD DRUM SOUND***

***LOUD DRUM SOUND***

***LOUD DRUM SOUND***

***LOUD DRUM SOUND***

***SHITTY MUSIC***

Vital pic.twitter.com/bLZLMGTeVe

— 🔊💚 IT WAS BASS, MIDS, TOPS ALL ALONG 💚 🔊 (@joemuggs) June 29, 2021

awful trailer and lack of due care to a fictional world timeline aside... I'm still actually quite looking forward to watching this shite!

looks like a lame origin story but i gotta think thats just the trailer, i trust dave chase

^

I trusted milch too but the Deadwood movie was mostly forgettable

Tbf, Milch was not at his best when they were making that.

Nic Pizzolatto revealed in December 2018 that he had helped Milch write the screenplay ... Milch, whose Alzheimer's diagnosis was made public in April 2019, took a hands-off approach to the production of the film; he relied on director Daniel Minahan and co-executive producer/writer Regina Corrado to see to the details.