Posts Tagged ‘criminals’
Monday, October 29th, 2007
The End. Finished. Over. Last night, the 86th and final episode of The Sopranos had its premiere on UK television and now we Brits can finally appreciate the controversy that surrounded the show’s last scene when broadcast in the US. But before we get to that, let’s take a look at how creator David Chase decided to spend our final minutes with Tony Soprano.
Waking at the safe house he had fled to, Tony and his crew adapted to life without green vegetables and with a new recruit in the form of a stray cat. Tony met with Agent Harris, informing him of the bank used by the two Arabs he was interested in, hoping that the FBI worker would reciprocate with news of Phil Leotardo’s location. Harris didn’t oblige on this occasion, but this odd relationship was clearly a source of optimism for a beleaguered Tony.
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Tags: A. J. Soprano, Agent Harris, Carmela, climax, crime, criminals, Drama, E4, episode, final, finale, gangsters, HBO, Janice, Made in America, Meadow Soprano, mobsters, New Jersey, Paulie, Phil Leotardo, season, series, Soprano, the Mafia, the Mob, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano, Uncle Junior
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV Reviews | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
And then there was one. Last night was the penultimate episode of HBO drama The Sopranos and it was a masterclass in suspense. Since we were first introduced to Tony and his crew back in 1999, his New Jersey family of mobsters have suffered a fragile and tempestuous relationship with the New York based Lupertazzi clan. Under Johnny Sack things were relatively smooth running as the two bosses worked together to protect mutual interests, but since the aggressive and uncompromisng Phil Leotardo succeeded Sack, the bond has become weaker and weaker, leading to this final showdown between the two camps.
We all knew it could happen. The dangerous world Tony inhabits combined with the ineasy union with the New York family has made this ‘war’ feel like the most natural climax to what has been a thrilling show. And yet, inevitable though it might be, never at any moment during last night’s episode entitled ‘The Blue Comet’ did the action feel predictable, stale or dull. In contrast, as Tony rallied his troops and Phil spat out orders to ‘decapitate and do business with whatever’s left’, The Sopranos effortlessly cranked it up a gear, producing one of the best hours of TV I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying for quite some time.
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Tags: criminals, Dr. melfi, Drama, E4, gangsters, HBO, mobsters, the blue comet, the Mafia, the Mob, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV Reviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007
With the return of The Sopranos on E4 and the Emmy wins for the show on Sunday night – all eyes are on the stars that play the mobsters. And it was after some serious examination of actor Michael Imperioli’s mug that I realised that Tony’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti bears an uncanny resemblance to Stereophonic’s front man Kelly Jones. Both share a heavy brow, a mop of dark hair and an intense stare. The only difference is that one is a small, Welsh guy that duets with Tom Jones while the other is an Italian American Capo that kills people with Tony Soprano. Just don’t them too muddled up – unless you want to get whacked.
Tags: actor, band, Christopher Moltisanti, criminals, E4, Emmys, Kelly Jones, lookalikes, looking, mafia, Michael Imperioli, mobsters, musician, similar, singer, The Sopranos, The Stereophonics, Tony Sopranos, TV, Welsh
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports | No Comments »
Monday, September 17th, 2007
We’re now three episodes into the second part of the sixth and final season of The Sopranos and it seems like every new instalment wants to isolate Tony from his mob family as much as possible. In Soprano Home Movies Tony got in a scuffle with Bobby Bacala, last week his relationship with Chris hit an all-time low and in last night’s chapter matters between himself and Paulie Walnuts became dangerously fraught. Can we expect to see him and Sil fall out next, I wonder?
I had been more anxious than usual to catch up with Tony and the boys this week after the Radio Times reviewer condemned the episode as “one of the worst ever.” Could this be true? Worse than Tony’s painful journey through his subconscious when on the brink of dying from his gun shot wound? I was surprised to hear such a critical analysis, especially now that we are hitting the final stretch, and though I think the reviewer was overly harsh, I can see where they were coming from.
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Tags: criminals, Drama, E4, gangsters, mobsters, murder, organised crime, Paulie Walnuts, the Mafia, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano, Uncle Jun, Uncle Junior
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Monday, September 10th, 2007
Hollywood seems to love the graphic horror genre known as ‘gore porn’ or more succinctly, ‘gorn’ at the moment. With endless movies featuring gruesome torture and murder (see the Saw movies – or if you have any sense – don’t) littering cinemas, Christopher Moltisanti is clearly on to a winner with his new mafia/ slasher flick Cleaver. Having been his pet project for a while now, Tony’s protégé finally got to unveil his work at the film’s premiere.
Carmela was upset with what she saw onscreen: a chubby mob boss with a taste for white bathrobes and ordering his crew from his basement. Mmm – sound like Tony? Her mood worsened when the cinematic Tony, as played by Daniel Baldwin in the absence of Sir Ben Kingsley, got it on with his minion’s fiancé. Was this scene a direct reference to Tony and Adriana? Carmela certainly thought so, and her suspicions were further aroused when the boss was killed by his subordinate, depicting what she labelled Chris’s ‘revenge fantasy.’
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Tags: cancer, Carmela Soprano, Christopher Moltisanti, Cleaver, criminals, Dr. melfi, Drama, E4, film, gangsters, Johnny Sack, mobsters, movie, organised crime, premiere, programme, show, the Mafia, The Sopranos, therapy, Tony Soprano, TV
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Monday, September 3rd, 2007
In my younger years, Sunday evenings were all about packing your bag for school the next day and having a bath. Now thankfully with no school bag to pack and without my parents to nag me to wash behind my ears, Sunday evenings have come to adopt an entirely new meaning: that of great TV. Dexter on FX, Weeds on Sky One and last night came the cherry on top – the first of the final nine episodes of The Sopranos on E4.
Last night’s instalment took us back to 2004 and the season five finale when a meeting between Tony and Johnny Sack was interrupted by the Feds. Oblivious to the police assault, Johnny Sack was arrested but Tony made a run for it, discarding his gun in the snow in the process. This fateful fire-arm was found by a local teenage boy who back in the present day has blabbed to police authorities on the gun’s origins. With some potential dirt on Tony, the Essex County authorities came knocking rather loudly on his door before cuffing him and taking him back to the station. But where were the FBI and will this long-forgotten act be enough to take down the great Tony Soprano?
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Tags: birthday, Bobby Bacala, Carmela Soprano, criminals, drug deal, E4, gangsters, Janice, lake house, mobsters, murder, organised crime, the Mafia, the Mob, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV Reviews | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 31st, 2007
Only nine episodes left and so many questions remain. For fans that have stuck with the drama since Tony first met with Dr. Melfi, these last instalments are the final pieces to the jigsaw. But do we think that creator David Chase will help us with any answers or is The Sopranos going to keep us guessing? For those of us looking for some degree of closure, we hope the following issues might be addressed. Here are TV Scoop’s top ten burning questions.
10. Will Bobby Bacala be made a ‘capo’?
Tony’s sister Janice is a woman operating in man’s world and she certainly has the skills of manipulation and cruelty required. Now married to lovable loser Bobby Bacala she is desperate for her hubby to earn the power and prestige she thinks he deserves. Has he got what it takes? Obviously not, but whether he’ll get the promotion Janice is angling for is another matter.
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Tags: A. J. Soprano, Adriana, Bobby Bacala, Carmela Soprano, criminals, Drama, E4, gansters, Janice, Meadow Soprano, mobsters, Paulie Walnuts, Phil, Silvio, the Feds, the Mob, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano, top questions, Uncle Junior
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports | 3 Comments »
Friday, August 31st, 2007
I know that the final episodes were aired in the US a few months back but I have resolutely sought to stay in the dark. With many shows the odd plot spoiler is welcome, even invited in for a cup of tea and a bit of a chat, but The Sopranos is different. The mobster drama is a league above virtually everything else on TV and therefore these last few hours in its presence should be cherished and kept sacred.
For those of you foreign to the world of Tony Soprano, the Bada Bing club and polyester leisure wear, I fear it might be too late. Jumping in now will leave you confused and bewildered – who’s he? What’s she doing? And what’s a goomah? Best get yourself the DVD box-sets, skive a few days off work and give yourself a much needed education. For the rest of us already in love with the HBO drama, the end of the show brings with it mixed emotions.
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Tags: criminals, Drama, E4, gangsters, HBO, mobsters, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, Set the Vid | No Comments »
From:Set The Video: NASA: Triumph and Tragedy, BBC Two, Wednesday, 24 June, 9pm