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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Sopranos

06:16 / 02.11.01

Anyone watch it last night in the UK (new series for those of us without Sky)...

I think I'll start watching it more relegiously - missed a few last time...

quote:Hey log off! I don't trust those cookies excellent

Pin

07:00 / 02.11.01

What I saw was damn fine. But then it always is, isn't it? I think i missed... pretty much all of the first two series, but, if I try really, I might just see... some of this one. Possibly a bit more.

07:30 / 02.11.01

Yeah think it'll be worth it, gotta love the way they combined the spyhunter theme with Every breath you take...

HBO seems to be pretty good at making quality TV

20:24 / 02.11.01

Will somebody explain the hype about The Sopranos for me? I tried to watch it once after having many friends tell me how good it was. I turned it off after a half hour out of sheer annoyance. If I wanted to watch a bunch of sleazy New Yorkers/New Jerseyians whining about their lives and acting tough, I would have stayed in New York. I mean, I knew people like the characters from The Sopranos when I lived up there and I hated them then! The last thing I want to do is waste an hour of my week watching them on TV. I have plenty of better ways to waste my time!

[ 03-11-2001: Message edited by: Ofermod ]

22:41 / 02.11.01

I will answer that when sober...

03:57 / 18.11.01

Wow, you must be several brands of drunk!

Ofermod, one of the things about it I like is that pretty much all the characters are detestable, you are allowed to hate them.
How many other shows intentionally set out to give you that?

03:57 / 18.11.01

Yeah sober now slightly... I just think its cool

great writing, the stuff about washing your hands a couple of weeks ago was great.. Its just good... well i'm not as sober as I thought, someone else will explain how its great i'm sure.. anyone?

Ganesh

10:30 / 18.11.01

Ofermod, it's superbly paced and written drama fusing the gangster genre within the frame of psychotherapy sessions, in order to examine the many moral paradozes therein. The cast of characters is wonderfully human, the lead is a charismatic, sexy fat, balding man (not so common, amongst those US dramas which reach the UK) who murders people - yet we can all empathise with his (admittedly sporadic) attempts to be a good husband and father.

What's not to love?

Ganesh

13:07 / 18.11.01

Indeed. The ultimate bear.

gentleman loser

16:20 / 18.11.01

quote:Originally posted by Ofermod:
Will somebody explain the hype about The Sopranos for me? I tried to watch it once after having many friends tell me how good it was. I turned it off after a half hour out of sheer annoyance. If I wanted to watch a bunch of sleazy New Yorkers/New Jerseyians whining about their lives and acting tough, I would have stayed in New York. I mean, I knew people like the characters from The Sopranos when I lived up there and I hated them then! The last thing I want to do is waste an hour of my week watching them on TV. I have plenty of better ways to waste my time!

I have to agree. It's well acted, well written and well directed, but the characters are so annoying and the subject matter is such a turn off for me that it just can't hold my interest. The show seemed to quickly turn into the usual "can we top our last episode?" Hollywood stuff.

Not that I want to keep people from watching it if they enjoy it. It's just my own two cent opinion.

[ 18-11-2001: Message edited by: gentleman loser ]

Ronald Thomas Clontle

16:44 / 18.11.01

I'm very ambivalent about the Sopranos...I've seen a bunch of episodes, and they were solid and entertaining, so I'm not going to put it down or anything... I'm just puzzled why people make such a big deal about it, it's not that special the way I see it...there's a lot of hourlong dramas on tv of similar quality, and the subject matter has been done to death...

I'm also kinda skeptical, cos whenever a pay-cable show like Sopranos or Sex In The City get really big, snobbishness becomes a factor, cos a) HBO original programming is sold on 'snob appeal' and b) only people with the money to pay for those channels can see it, excluding lots and lots of people...

If there is a drama show on tv worthy of the intense hype that Sopranos gets, it's Gilmore Girls. That is a show that truly is unique and special...

17:42 / 18.11.01

Ofermod, my dad felt the same way about Seinfeld...

18:30 / 18.11.01

The reason it's special...

...is series 1. Seeing it the first time, when it arrived with relatively little trump... it just was incredible. So well structured, acted, not OTT at all. And very funny.

All of series 1, beginning to end, is perfect TV. Series 2 was more disappointing - it almost felt like the Sopranos was taking the piss of itself, but there were still some fab episodes - the Sicilian one, the Robert Patrick ones (never thought the T1000 could act so well), and especially the delight that was "Christopher Makes a Movie".

I really hope series 3 will eb better. You could dip in and out of 2; 1, you had to stick with. It was worth it.

09:01 / 19.11.01

Yup what they said, I knew others could say it better than I could

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:19 / 19.11.01

I have to say, last week's episode (in the UK) was fucking incredible. Anthony Jr, Meadow, the flashbacks, Christopher and hsi troubles, the Russian woman's leg... I've missed this show so much.

11:28 / 20.11.01

Shame his Mum's gone now though, she added that bit extra. And she looked like 'Mama' from The Goonies.

12:23 / 20.11.01

*shudder* mamma from the Goonies now there's one scary piece of work....

09:24 / 23.11.01

Anyone watch it then? That last scene how good was that, maybe its just the drink and drugs but I thought that was perfect

09:24 / 23.11.01

Tonight? Yep.
I liked that very last scene too, the whole difference between us and them thing all summed up in one word, no. For that reason alone I don't care what any of it's detractors say, it's pretty darn impressive stuff.
And I can't remember a more horrific rape scene in film or TV either, no tip-toeing around it, just the all out horror. Needs to be shown that it's not just a word like that.

Puts to shame our British made crap like Bad Girls or those big-star Ross Kemp style one-off dramas. Bah!

16:13 / 24.11.01

Haven't watched the two most recent episodes yet - that's a pleasure I'm saving for later on.

The episode where Tony's mum died, however, contained one of the most stupid scenes ever. Not in terms of scripting or acting, you understand, but because of the utterly pointless superimposing of the actress who played his mum into it. It just looked awful. That scene didn't do anything that couldn't have been done just as effectively with a telephone conversation, except show up the limitations of either HBO's technology or their wallet.

One second she's sat facing left, the next facing right. Her hair's brushed back, next thing you know it's to the side.

By the way, does anyone else find it a bit disturbing that a movie aimed primarily at kids should be about a child's search for One-Eyed Willie? And that One-Eyed Willie would prove to be the source of that child's fortune? Hmm?

Nooo. Drop. Mama drop Sloth.

[ 24-11-2001: Message edited by: E. Randy Dupre ]

14:37 / 15.12.01

I've finally caught up, watching my tapes of Series 3 up to the moment.

I'm pretty impressed. OK, digital-Nancy Marchand sucked big fat donkey ass, but this series is far better than the disappointing series 2. Not as good still as the first, nothing will be, but they're setting WAY more up that will be interesting than merely the whole Pussy-thing in S2. Meadow at College, Carmela in therapy too, Christopher as a made guy... properly turning things around, not just trying to "a little" like last series.

The rape episode was excellent, the flashback one was, and also the first one, with the goofy-FBI guys. Liked that. It's impressive again; the only thing that irks me is Joe Pantoliano's abysmal hair. And, in fact, abysmal performance. Shitty character, sure, but he's appalling in the role.

Also: the first ep I saw, as it was the day after I got home, was the Richy-beating-up-the-girl episode. Which really didn't work; lame overacting, trying too hard. Once I'd seen everything leading up to it... it makes way more sense. The control between episodes is far better this time around. Very impressed; S2 was only a weakspot, as S3 is turning out very nicely.

miss wonderstarr

20:08 / 18.01.05

I have what might sound a strange question. I don't watch this show, but I just learned that a woman I know starred as "Tracee" in Season 3. Apparently she was a fairly major minor character, a stripper whose beating was a significant plot point.

Is it possible to download this episode or clips/pix thereof, or would I have to buy the whole season?

NB. I know it might sound like I just want to see her breasts.

20:23 / 18.01.05

Um, try Kazaa Lite. I ended up downloading pretty much all of the latest season thanks to Channel 4's wonderful scheduling.

Also, you might want to check out your local video library. Soprano's videos are available to hire everywhere.

Personally I'd suggest watching the entire series from the beginning. It really is the best thing on telly - possibly EVAR!

Our Lady Has Left the Building

16:27 / 09.10.05

More4, which launches tomorrow, is showing The Sopranos from the very start, nightly, at roughly 11:30 pm.

Disco is My Class War

13:08 / 10.10.05

Could someone please rename the thread title with 'Seasons Five' and chuck on a spoiler warning? Sopranos is one of the few shows I try to keep unspoiled. Happy as I am that Papa Bear is back on the screen, I don't want to know what he's up to just yet.

Back when I've downloaded some...

Disco is My Class War

13:14 / 10.10.05

Okay, and that's me lookin at the post dates again. Sorry bout that.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

16:43 / 10.10.05

I was trying to find a non-season specific Sopranos discussion for the announcement of the rerun. sorry about that MD...