The Sopranos

[AkshayKumar]

So after hearing a lot of good stuff about this show, I finally watched the pilot for the first time an hour back

 

It really has me intrigued. Tony instantly came across to me as a charismatic man, it's hard not to get charmed when he gets those CDs for his mom and shows his concern for his classmate and how he tries to be a good family man, I especially liked his thing with the ducks, was quite endearing, though obviously he's messed up with that scene in the park and all. It's interesting that for a guy who is said to run NJ he seems kind of a chump lol but it's a nice spin on things

 

Most of the characters seem nice, the infighting in Tony's family was done well in the sense there wasn't too much screaming and stuff and you can tell the family cares for each other but they're pretty dysfunctional too

 

I really like the dialogue, especially the conversations with Dr Melfi, it's just the pilot but I like Tony's tendency to sound all philosophical about stuff, I enjoy that stuff and hope there's more of it in the future episodes even though I guess the mafia action will be showed more

 

Nice way to end the episode with the intrigue of what Tony's mom and uncle are thinking of doing

 

One character I didn't like was Christopher he seems like an asshole to me lol, like a punk who thinks he's too hot. I guess that's cause he's young and a mafia dude so he let's the power get to his head but that don't make him likeable lol. 

 

Excited to watch more, I heard of how it ends but I dont know much beyond the very final scene so it's still more or less me jumping into it fresh. 

Edited November 25, 2020 by Utopianthumbs

[Lonely-Martin]

Enjoy this classic series @Utopianthumbs. Look forward to follow up posts.

[Mister Pink]

13 hours ago, Utopianthumbs said:

One character I didn't like was Christopher he seems like an asshole to me lol, like a punk who thinks he's too hot. I guess that's cause he's young and a mafia dude so he let's the power get to his head but that don't make him likeable lol. 

Yeah Chris is one of these tragic characters you see that keeps making the same mistakes over and over and you just want to grab him by the scruff of the neck and tell him where to go. He's a great character though. I particularly liked when he was the made pay the bills for everything he's new blood, even if he's related to the boss man. He has to go through this rite of passage. But he's also example of the young kids coming up. They don't retain any of the graciousness of the old mob before him. Even the guys Chris tries to bring in are very low-grade usually get wiped out very quickly. You kind of get this sense that they are a dying family and the torch can't/wont really be passed down to anyone because those that are coming up are week and the capos are getting older. 

 

Thing about scenes like this is that even though we know how much of a f*ck-up Chris can be, you kind of empathize and feel for him because we've all been that "new kid" or bottom the rank in a new job or whatever. 

 

 

Anyway, glad you are enjoying The Sopranos. I find a I have great respect for fans of this show. Those that still watch it and still champion it to me are people I get along easy with. It's like a Members Club.  

Edited November 25, 2020 by Mister Pink

[AkshayKumar]

Thanks for the feedback guys it's made me more excited to follow this series now! 

 

Watched upto S1E3 and it's getting interesting, things are about to go down between Uncle Jun and Tony. I particularly liked Ep3 and how the Jewish son in law showed resistance to Tony and his crew (btw is there a name given to Tony's family like is it called the 'Sopranos family'? I didn't notice their family having a name and I'm too scared to Google for anything). And I like that there's more philosophical ramblings by Tony and how he tries to find meaning in Dr Melfis painting in her office and all, it's like he is discontent and actually resents with what he's doing but he can't let go of it either, or at least that's the impression I'm getting. 

 

Its just been 3 episodes and this is bound to change as I watch more but I slightly changed my opinion of Tony and Chris, Tony seems more scary than a chump now and a bit more of a temperamental asshole while Chris is a bit more likeable, I like how he tried to keep a cool head in the next two episodes unlike his partner Brendan. 

 

The characters are really well done, not just the Sopranos but even those like Uncle Junior, Tonys mom Livia and Arthur's wife they seem like they're becoming antagonists but I can see why they feel aggrieved against Tony/Carmella too, so though they're not being positioned to root for I kinda sympathize with them too

Edited November 26, 2020 by Utopianthumbs

[Zello]

Man to be able to watch this show for the first time again.  The Sopranos is the show that really started the golden age of Television. I just watched it because it was a "Mob" show but there are many hidden layers and deeper meanings in this show. It's tied with The Wire both for me at #1 greatest shows.

[Mister Pink]

6 hours ago, Utopianthumbs said:

Its just been 3 episodes and this is bound to change as I watch more but I slightly changed my opinion of Tony and Chris, Tony seems more scary than a chump now and a bit more of a temperamental asshole while Chris is a bit more likeable, I like how he tried to keep a cool head in the next two episodes unlike his partner Brendan. 

My apologies man. I misread your original post. I thought you watched the first 3 seasons not episodes. I hope wasn't spoiling Chris's character for you so early. 

 

But yeah, sounds like you are enjoying it. It just gets better and better as other storylines unfold. 

[AkshayKumar]

5 minutes ago, Mister Pink said:

My apologies man. I misread your original post. I thought you watched the first 3 seasons not episodes. I hope wasn't spoiling Chris's character for you so early. 

 

But yeah, sounds like you are enjoying it. It just gets better and better as other storylines unfold. 

Lmao! No worries at all my man your post only got me way more excited to watch the show

 

Yeah it's love at first sight for me, don't worry I'll breeze through 3 seasons before you know it 

[Lonely-Martin]

7 hours ago, Utopianthumbs said:

(btw is there a name given to Tony's family like is it called the 'Sopranos family'? I didn't notice their family having a name and I'm too scared to Google for anything).

The DiMeo Family. It's a fictional one but based off an outfit from the area that is just outside of the five families IIRC, though forgot the actual name of the family that inspired the one in the show.

[Mister Pink]

The DeCavalcante Family is the real family they drew some inspiration from. There are actually FBI tapes of the real mob guys calling each other saying "What's this f*cking thing, Sopranos? Is that supposed to be us?" which was submitted as evidence against them.  

 

Watch the first minute of this but watch no more as there is spoilers in this documentary. But you can hear the recordings in the first minute. 

 

[Lonely-Martin]

2 hours ago, RenegadeAngel said:

I just want to say that The Sopranos has the best theme song I've ever heard in a TV show. It's been 10 years since I've discovered it and it's still on my rotation. Just perfect, both for the show and casual listening. 

It is a cracking track, one I'd have never sought out or heard had it not been for the show. Much like a few tracks from the GTA franchise where I'd not given a song any consideration or not even heard of it, and now it's become a regular one on a playlist for some easy listening. That and...

 

Spoiler

Journey - Don't Stop Believing from the finale has become a classic track as I find myself looking back fondly on that first time I watched the series/that finale. Can't help but see that episide anytime I hear it.

 

[Mister Pink]

I'd highly recommend anyone to check out some more Alabama 3. They're pretty good. I've seen them live briefly before I knew who they were or before I ever watched The Sopranos. Got a free ticket of some randomer outside the venue. It meant nothing to me other than I love music but I was underage (looked older) and I knew I could slip into that venue, and some woman, probably in her 20's, I was about 17. She was asking to see if anyone wanted a spare ticket. I was the only one out of my group of friends that had a chance of going in. Think she thought we were probably trying to go to the gig. I accepted it, like a selfish idiot and went in and watched them for a few minutes then left cause my mates were outside. The band are actually from the UK. 

 

This is a real catchy one from them. It's very similar to Woke Up This Morning. 

 

 

[Naughtius Maximus]

On 11/26/2020 at 11:57 PM, Mister Pink said:

The DeCavalcante Family is the real family they drew some inspiration from. There are actually FBI tapes of the real mob guys calling each other saying "What's this f*cking thing, Sopranos? Is that supposed to be us?" which was submitted as evidence against them.  

 

Watch the first minute of this but watch no more as there is spoilers in this documentary. But you can hear the recordings in the first minute. 

Oh yeah, I remember reading somewhere about a dude in the DeCavalcante Family called Vinny Ocean who was apparently a partial inspiration for the character of Tony Soprano. That documentary is a nice find, I'll be sure to check it out. 

 

On 11/29/2020 at 4:29 PM, Lonely-Martin said:

It is a cracking track, one I'd have never sought out or heard had it not been for the show. Much like a few tracks from the GTA franchise where I'd not given a song any consideration or not even heard of it, and now it's become a regular one on a playlist for some easy listening. That and...

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Journey - Don't Stop Believing from the finale has become a classic track as I find myself looking back fondly on that first time I watched the series/that finale. Can't help but see that episide anytime I hear it.

 

The whole Sopranos soundtrack is quite a gem over all. I remember watching the show and some familiar song kicks in, prompting me to say "Yeah, I know that song and its use in this particular scene is just genius.". And of course, there were a good number of unknown tracks, equally good and proper. The use of Don't Stop Believing was an interesting choice (even though I have mixed feelings about the great finale). For another one, I'd certainly show this:

 

Spoiler

• When Tony B whacks Joey Peeps, Bad N' Ruin by Faces begins to play. The song builds a good tension into Blundetto filling Peeps and the whore with bullets. As Tony B runs back to his car with a bad limp, the song's tempo kinda slows down, fading to the credits.

 

Apart from that, I bumped into this video on YouTube - a nice selection of perfect music-scene collaborations in the show. For some of these scenes, SPOILER ALERT:

Spoiler

 

 

[Mister Pink]

On 12/2/2020 at 1:56 PM, Naughtius Maximus said:

Apart from that, I bumped into this video on YouTube - a nice selection of perfect music-scene collaborations in the show.

Yeah nice video. Whoever made that was great to have no commentary and let the tracks play through. 

 

Sometimes I play GTA IV like I'm a hitman and walk into a cafe like this.. 

 

 

[AkshayKumar]

I'm up to season 2 episode 2 and liking it for sure though I could have picked up the pace more had I not been so lazy. Is it fair to say that Sopranos is more of a family drama than a mob story? Was just thinking about it and so far there seems to be more focus about Tonys personal issues and stress he goes through managing his personal family and the DiMeo family rather than focusing on the DiMeo family operations as much. 

 

I could be wrong but thought I'd think it out loud on here and get other's opinions too. It is different to what I expected but enjoyable. 

 

Tony Soprano and Junior are brilliantly portrayed I don't know who I 'support' of the two though Tony is the main character. Livia is perhaps the best character in the series thought I don't like her lol, but the last couple of episodes in season 1 where people start to see how she played them, good stuff. And that evil grin as she is wheeled off lmao

 

There was this episode in season 1 where Tony and his crew get into conflict with this group of gangsters over some songs that the gangsters believed they were owed royalties to or something, it ends inconclusively but do they follow up on that in a future episode? Was a good episode too, I liked the focus on Christopher and Hesh. 

[Mister Pink]

On 7/28/2021 at 7:05 AM, Wayne Kerr said:

I'm up to season 2 episode 2 and liking it for sure though I could have picked up the pace more had I not been so lazy. Is it fair to say that Sopranos is more of a family drama than a mob story? Was just thinking about it and so far there seems to be more focus about Tonys personal issues and stress he goes through managing his personal family and the DiMeo family rather than focusing on the DiMeo family operations as much. 

 

I could be wrong but thought I'd think it out loud on here and get other's opinions too. It is different to what I expected but enjoyable. 

 

Absolutely. 

 

It's a character study of a man and his two families. It's like a family drama of man who happens to be acting boss in a NJ crime family. The family drama is so interwoven with the drama of his crime family, it's just so perfect. There is a lot of psychology and some symbolism in the show we makes it richer and deeper than your average mob show. There is so much incredible mob stuff if that's what you like. Many characters will come in later on that are just superb! It doesn't get predictable, and there's always surprises and shocking and hilarious moments.  

 

I think the writers guild of America voted this their favourite show of all time. 

[Mindshower]

On a rewatch, I wonder how much Chase or others producing the series were inspired by David Lynch with the dream sequences? I've kinda picked up a Lynch vibe from the show on a recent rewatch; mid level mundane Jersey conflicting with larger than life mobster characters, always feels like a bizarre clash when the crew interacts with the world beyond crime.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Mindshower

[Creed Bratton]

I started watching again recently. On season 3 episode 3 currently. I just have to express how great Janice is as a character. All of these coldblooded killers on the show, and somehow she manages to be the worst person in any room and easiest to hate.

 

I'm pretty sure there was a separate topic for The Many Saints of Newark but I can't find it for the life of me.

 

Anyway, new trailer dropped a couple of days ago. Once again, the movie looks really promising:

 

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by Yokelsson

[Mister Pink]

I have no idea what happened the Many Saints of Newark thread. It wasn't merged with this one and I can't find it either. I'll report this post and see if a moderator will kindly check.

 

Today I learned that the actor that plays Ralf Cifaretto wanted to look different from the other typical wise guys and more like a politician. It was his idea to have his hair, a wig, like that. It's actually modelled after David Nolan as Joe Pantoliano (Ralf) had just worked with Christopher Nolan on Momento. Not sure why he chose that hair but that's what he says. 

 

Mad

 

 

[Mister Pink]

Sorry for the double post. I've seen The Many Saints of Newark at the weekend. 

 

Good film but flawed in many ways. I didn't care much for Dickie Moltisanti. 2 hours is too short. I think they could have mad a whole TV series. It doesn't really benefit going from long form storytelling to a two hour film. The only way 2 hour films work in a sense there are 3 acts and a very definitive story that leaves you wondering what will happen next and how will this conclude. I didn't get this from TMSON. What you get is some as I heard a critic describe as a "collage" of scenes and characters from the the show in their youth and from before. To me, there isn't a traditional story that follows the typical Hollywood formula. And while it's nice to break out of forumulas, I felt that this film needed something more structured. I knew the film was more about the Moltisanti's and that's interesting but it's just too short a time to make anything really spectacular which makes me admire how Scorsese did it with Goodfellas. He crammed a whole professional mafioso's life into a whole film and it felt right. 

 

Visually, the film was great. Acting, superb. Soundtrack, on point! some of the actors doing bits of younger Soprano's characters was phenomenal. We briefly see a young Carmella and it's uncanny how the actress nailed Carmella's facial expressions. 

 

Overall it's a good film, not a great film. I might watch it again in a year's time and see if it grows more on me. 

 

 

[Mr. Scratch]

I ain't got much else to say, it was nice being back in the Soprano's world but I definitely think it  would've worked better if it had The Irishman's runtime or as a TV show. Who knows though, maybe Chase'll do a series.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Mr. Scratch

[Mister Pink]

2 hours ago, Mr. Scratch said:

Who knows though, maybe Chase'll do a series.

I hope so. I mean it would actually work really well I think. After seeing the film you can't just help but think this needs to be a series. 

[SneakyDeaky]

5 hours ago, Mister Pink said:

I hope so. I mean it would actually work really well I think. After seeing the film you can't just help but think this needs to be a series. 

David Chase Signs HBO Overall Deal, Opening Door to Potentially More ‘Sopranos’

 

Details:

The Sopranos creator David Chase has signed a massive new overall deal with HBO parent company Warner Media.

Chase has inked a five-year, first-look deal with the company to develop content for HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

“David Chase is one of the most gifted storytellers working in the film and television industry,” said Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max. “HBO has had a long and celebrated creative partnership with David, and this deal affords us a wonderful opportunity to continue this relationship at HBO and HBO Max.”

Added Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, “David has a singular voice and is a gifted writer and filmmaker. His work is pure and authentic, and highly compelling for a broad audience. The critical reception of The Many Saints of Newark speaks to David’s mastery of both film and television. We are thrilled to keep David in the Warner Bros. family.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.co

[Mindshower]

Has a lot of problems, my biggest being Silvio. Saturday Night Live would've toned it down, I was getting second hand embarrassment watching him drag the lower half of his face down and walk like he's sh*tting himself. If this is the set up for something else, even a sequel film, it'd have gone down a lot better. It's just an okay movie, nothing more.

 

I'll give credit to Vera Farmiga though, what an actress. You can see the Carmella in her, which Nancy was too old and feeble to have that shine through.

Edited October 2, 2021 by Mindshower

[SneakyDeaky]

In the Czech Republic, too, we love pork! Ever had our sausages?

 

The film is heavily flawed, but I don't want to post my impressions yet, I would just like to mention a reference in the movie to the show which no one has really picked up on, and for all the references that are completely shoe-horned in at times, this one is quite subtle. 

 

Huge Spoilers for both the show and movie:

 

 

The 1958 song You by the Aquatones is playing while Dickie is crying in his office before he goes out and gets whacked. This same, somewhat obscure song (was the band's only top 100 hit) also plays in a recurring nightmare Christopher has about Emil Kolar, the first guy he murdered. 

 

You may think it's reaching or a coincidence, but David Chase is still the master with those needle drops.  

 

Christopher has so much supernatural energy around him:

 

He believes he visits Hell during a near death experience

 

A crow comes into the room when he is Made which he believes curses him

 

The song Comfortably Numb is playing before the car crash which gave Tony the opportunity to murder Christopher, which Tony was just happening to be humming to himself the episode before after a restless sleep, which is later alluded to in therapy where Tony, after murdering Christopher, says he's been having sleepless nights wondering if he was going to turn rat, so the song was (another) trigger for Tony to murder Christopher

 

The first time we meet Christopher on the show he is wearing a baseball cap and driving Tony to New York, the last time we see him he is wearing a baseball cap and driving Tony from New York

 

Tony believes his gambling losing streak ends when he is relieved from the burden of Christopher

 

A stray cat starts to visit the pork store and stare at Christopher's picture on the wall in the finale

 

Christopher narrates The Many Saints of Newark from Hell

 

Baby Christopher cries whenever Tony goes near him in The Many Saints of Newark, perhaps because "some babies come into this world knowing things from the otherside" 

 

A song playing in Christopher's recurring nightmare of his first murder just so happens to be the same song playing before his father's final moments. 

 

I don't know if Christopher is a fallen angel or what? I never studied theology. But the kid was born on ley lines or something lol. "Satanic black magic. SICK sh*t!"

 

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by SneakyDeaky

[Mister Pink]

4 hours ago, SneakyDeaky said:

You may think it's reaching or a coincidence, but David Chase is still the master with those needle drops.  

Great post and totally agree. So much detail. It's just so rich. There's not many shows so well thought out. On that level. I'm always learning new subtext and references in the Sopranos after all these years.

[The Notorious MOB]

Are we all just going to ignore the fact that Tony should be twelve years old in the second half of the movie?? Or the fact that Johnny Boy cut off old man Satriale's pinky while he was still in "England"???

 

Aside from that, despite it being really rushed, I really enjoyed Many Saints.

 

I think the mention of Leon Overall and his almost certain relation to Willie Overall (Tony's first murder victim) and his vendetta against the "shines" for them apparently killing his uncle Dickie alone are enough of a set up for some more young Tony stuff. Let alone the abundance of other plot points that could see this spin off into a franchise. I just hope, as always, that they don’t f*ck it up, like they almost did already.

Edited October 3, 2021 by The Notorious MOB

[Zello]

So I finally saw Many Saints of Newark. sh*t was too short.

 

Did like that they wrote this into the movie

Spoiler

 

 

Edited October 8, 2021 by Zello

[DEALUX]

This is not encouraging.

 

 

[SneakyDeaky]

Get ready for more Sopranos. The show's creator, David Chase, is apparently talking with WarnerMedia about a new prequel series.

Previously, while promoting the recent release of The Sopranos movie The Many Saints of Newark, Chase hinted that a sequel could be in the works. Now, confirmation has come that a follow-up is in development – and looks set to be an entire series telling a new Sopranos story.

 

"We're talking to David about a new series, Sopranos related, on HBO Max," the head of WarnerMedia, Ann Sarnoff told Deadline.

 

The Sopranos creator David Chase in talks with HBO Max about new prequel series | GamesRadar+

[Mindshower]

Chase is old, had a heart attack, I believe his wife had some health scares too. Just do a 6-7 episode sort of deal, like Generation Kill and be done with it. The context of an existing prequel series will do the movie a favor critically once it has something to attach itself to, think Dune part 2.