Posts Tagged ‘Tony Soprano’
Monday, October 29th, 2007
We’ve had to wait months to know what all the fuss was about, but now that we’ve seen the final scene from The Sopranos (aired last night on E4), finally we Brits can enter the debate on the seminal show’s ending. Or interesting lack there of. In an interview in new book The Sopranos: The Complete Book, creator David Chase, who recently won two Emmy awards for producing and writing the HBO drama, has spoken of the creative decisions behind that ending.
“There are no esoteric clues in there. No Da Vinci Code. Everything that pertains to that episode was in that episode,” claims Chase. “And it was in the episode before that and the one before that and seasons before this one and so on. There had been indications of what the end is like. If people want to sit there figuring this stuff out, I think that’s just great. Most of them, most of us, should have done this kind of thing in high school English class and didn’t.”
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Tags: climax, conspiracy theories, David Chase, director, Drama, E4, Emmy Awards, ending, fans, finale, HBO, producer, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano, writer
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV News | 2 Comments »
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 »
Friday, October 26th, 2007
What is there to say? After years of following Tony and his two families, Sunday night will mark the end of an era as the superlative mob drama comes to an end. E4 have been counting down the days in a dramatic advertising campaign, with every new reminder only adding to my excitement and suspense. Who will be left standing after the two mafia clans have gone head-to-head? Does Tony really deserve our sympathy as he finds his empire, family and existence under threat from the vengeful Phil Leotardo? And will we ever see a show this consistently brilliant ever again?
The end scene (which I have endeavoured to learn nothing of these past few months) caused controversy when it aired in the US back in June. Some considered it a beautifully crafted moment while others felt unsatisfied and confused. Creator and mastermind behind the show, David Chase defended the scene: “There’s nothing more in TV that I could say or would want to say” and it will be for us here in the UK to make of it what we will. The episode is billed as slightly longer than normal (10.30-11.50pm) and so we will have to savour our last minutes of Sopranos glory. Enjoy.
Tags: crime, Drama, E4, family, mafia, mob, New Jersey, Phil Leotardo, television, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano, TV
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, Set the Vid | No 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 »
Monday, October 15th, 2007
As a naturally sleepy person, staying up til 11.30pm on a Sunday night is quite the effort, but when it comes to The Sopranos I’m prepared to spend my Monday yawning a lot. For the first few episodes of this, the second part of the sixth and final season, I was quite disappointed. The show seemed uncharacteristically laboured and desperate to undermine each of Tony’s significant relationships (maybe to build to an unpredictable ending), but in the past few episodes it’s decided to get its groove back.
After the Grim Reaper decided to make a shock appearance claiming Chris last week, came another will-he-won’t-he-die scenario, this time with Tony’s son, the troubled and depressed A.J. The gloomy fella had been so lost since his fiancée Blanca ditched him, and that combined with his disillusionment with his new chums, led him to jump into the family’s swimming pool with a plastic bag over his head and a cinder block attached to his foot. Fortunately, he had misjudged the length of rope, and it was long enough for him to struggle above the surface and remove the bag. Unable to move with the weight of the cinder block, A.J. cried for help until Tony returned home to dive into the water and save his son. Phew!
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Tags: A. J. Soprano, crime, Drama, E4, mafia, mobsters, programme, Robert Iler, show, television, The Second Coming, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano, TV
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV Reviews | No Comments »
Monday, October 8th, 2007
You might think that after five and a half seasons of bloody violence that The Sopranos’ ability to shock would have dimmed. You would be very wrong, with last night’s episode proof positive that when it comes to leaving your jaw flapping in the wind, the New Jersey mobsters do it best.
The episode started innocently enough, Tony and Chris met with Phil discussing the business of dumping asbestos. So far, so normal. On the journey home from the conference, Tony raged his annoyance with Phil, though Chris tried to encourage Tony’s former “smelling the roses” positive outlook. The two drove on, though Chris, driving, was noticeably high on drugs and distracted by the music on his car stereo. Okay – maybe slightly curious, but still far from earth-shattering. And then it all changed.
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Tags: Christopher Moltisanti, crime, Drama, E4, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, mobsters, murder, the Mafia, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV Reviews | 2 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
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV Reviews | No Comments »
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
Posted in Drama, E4, Imports, TV Reviews | No Comments »
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 »
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007
TV show merchandise often includes t-shirts and coffee mugs, maybe even the odd board game. Not so The Sopranos. Fans of the mobster drama can get their greedy mitts on props from the show courtesy of auction site eBay. Now before you start counting your pennies and riffling down the back of the sofa for any stray coppers, be warned – these aren’t just any old on-set knick-knacks, but the stripper poles from the Bada Bing. Still interested?
With the show now finished in the States (and starting soon on E4 – yeay!), the owners of the Satin Dolls (the club’s real name) are looking to renovate and what better way to pocket some spare cash than by selling off the items to fans of the show? Along with the 12-foot poles, other available goodies include a disco ball, at least ten bar stools as lounged on by the show’s stars, a pool table, a part of the bar where the characters drank and a men’s room sign.
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Tags: auction, Club, E4, eBay, for sale, gangsters, HBO, mobsters, props, stripper poles, The Bada Bing, The Satin Dolls, The Sopranos, Tony Soprano
Posted in Channel 4, Drama, E4 | No Comments »
From:Set The Video: NASA: Triumph and Tragedy, BBC Two, Wednesday, 24 June, 9pm