Sopranos Fans - Many Saints of Newark

[BeaucoupFish]

released tomorrow I can’t wait
The prequel to the Sopranos with Michael Gandolfini (son of James) playing Tony at the same age coming up in New Jersey

trailer here

Most hated character for me is Livia, I can’t be the only one who cheered when she finally died.
Totally agree about poor Bobby and Janice.
One scene I love is during “Pine Barrens” when Bobby is all kitted out to go search for Chris and Paulie and Tony starts to laugh. I’m chuckling away just thinking about it.
Can I ask everyone - why do you like The Sopranos?

Yep pool cue for poor Vito, although to be fair he had just shot the poor innocent guy who was at his mailbox after the car crash. That whole storyline was really sad.

Father Phil gave me the ick, he was just grooming those ladies. Love how Carmella cut him down to size!

I always hoped Carmella would get together with Furio (sigh)

I'm going tomorrow too! I've treated myself to a ticket at the lovely Everyman cinema up the road, since I've been looking forward to it for so long - the trailers look amazing. I rewatched the entire series on a NOW TV 30 day free trial earlier this year so I am all set.

@Thelikelylass thanks so much for the link - I couldn't see any decent seats left for London so I've got one for Southend (where I haven't been in years). Am very excited already

why do you like The Sopranos? because it offers pearls of wisdom on all facets of human life and behaviour. From parenting and relationships, to social conformity and existentialism. It has everything and great cooking thrown in! always fancied trying the baked ziti

Livia was pure evil.

I loved Annabella Sciorra as Gloria, and I swear I nearly peed my pants with the stress when Tony asked Dr Melfi if she wanted to tell him something when she broke down after learning her rapist had been set free

@SocksAndTheCity

I'm going tomorrow too! I've treated myself to a ticket at the lovely Everyman cinema up the road, since I've been looking forward to it for so long - the trailers look amazing. I rewatched the entire series on a NOW TV 30 day free trial earlier this year so I am all set.

@Thelikelylass thanks so much for the link - I couldn't see any decent seats left for London so I've got one for Southend (where I haven't been in years). Am very excited already

Delighted to have helped! Yes I want to go to a posh cinema to see it too. I've watched te series about 4 times but now NEED it again. And why do we love it so much? I love it because elf Tony's complex relationship with the women in his life. That feeds into everything else and gives his character a depth that most 'mob' films don't have. I think I rea tat the creator, David Chase, loathes his own mother, hence Livia.

@grannyjacob
Where do I start? I’m not good with words it’s just a masterpiece to me…so well cast, perfect dark, often humorous script, exceptional acting everything is so well done, we aren’t supposed to like these people all their flaws but despite that they are compelling

Steven made a good point on the podcast that each episode is a whole hour long and it was the equivalent of shooting half a move and they would shoot one episode every 10-14 days so a testament to all crews and editing people to make not one mistake or not do their jobs properly. David Chase is a perfectionist and has focussed attention to detail.
It’s a remarkable series that quite rightly has earned its place in TV history I think

I remember watching it the first time around on Channel 4 and being completely blown away.

The only TV I'd really seen with those sort of production values was ER and we just didn't make things like that here - it was like a film every week. I've always thought it was one of the funniest programmes ever made even at it's darkest, and I love the dialogue and the relationships between the characters.

Even the weakest episodes are better than most TV series' best, and it's so incredibly complex but without being difficult to get into - it always seems welcoming in some way 😊

@Thelikelylass
Do you remember when Tony lost it and beat with the city councillor who ‘that Russian person’ (Irina) moved in with ?
much like he killed Ralph over the horse dying in the stable fire really
Tony loved animals I think
Such a complex character

@BeaucoupFish

I think he did. He was so excited when the ducks and ducklings came to live in his pool right at the start

Christopher mugging Lauren Bacall in the episode where they went to Hollywood 😂😂

What about Skip Lupari who was pussys FBI contact ?
Loved him his scenes with Pussy are brilliant, Pussy thinking he could actually become an agent - superb
And that FBI agent with the lovely brown eyes (the lamp one)
I need to watch it all again

[quote BeaucoupFish]@Thelikelylass
Do you remember when Tony lost it and beat with the city councillor who ‘that Russian person’ (Irina) moved in with ?
much like he killed Ralph over the horse dying in the stable fire really
Tony loved animals I think
Such a complex character[/quote]
Yes, it was his unpredictability and as a viewer you never knew that if he looked at someone in THAT way whether or not they'd make it to the end of the scene! I loved the humour too. My favourite was Uncle Junior visiting Livia in the care gone and an old guy says 'you new here?" And Jun just goes "keep moving buddy"! It's just all delicious the whole series not a duff episode in the whole lot. I'll have to stop now as I need to watch it!!!
Enjoy the film everyone, be great to feed back!

@SocksAndTheCity
I forgot about that too -I really need a refresher
Cristaffa - such class
Not forgetting how he killed Adriannas dog ‘Cozette” laying on her whilst on Herion
And of course ‘Cleaver’

@SocksAndTheCity

Livia was pure evil.

I loved Annabella Sciorra as Gloria, and I swear I nearly peed my pants with the stress when Tony asked Dr Melfi if she wanted to tell him something when she broke down after learning her rapist had been set free

‘Employee of the month’ Harrowing

I think Livia was more complex than just evil, like most of the characters. Imagine being married to Johnny Soprano and him being off at his mistress whilst she was having the miscarriage. She had to put up with a lot!

Bit like Richie Aprile doing Yoga multi layered!

@TokyoTammy

Richie doing yoga 😂😂 completely forgot about that too -lucky I have NOW tv fell asleep last night watching it all over again
Do you remember Frank Sinatra Jr at the card game when Richie got irrationally miffed about not being invited to …that was a great episode in fact the whole series with Richie in is my most loved thinking about it - he’s equally entertaining and hateful
Have to say it again ….’the jaaaaaacket’😂😂
And who can forget him and Janice DTD with a gun ‘it’s okay it wasn’t loaded’

Both of us loved it. But it does have it’s flaws. Vera Farmiga is excellent as a younger Livia. Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti (Chris’s Dad) is a character we only heard about in the series, is rarely off the screen, acts his proverbial socks off and like Tony, is a very complex character whose mood can turn in a moment. Using Chris as a narrator works well.
But the younger Paulie, Silvio, Uncle Junior are little more than caricatures. Instantly recognisable certainly, but that’s all. Plus, the ages of some of them didn’t make sense to me.
The race riots plot line is never fully developed. The ads and trailers made it sound like it’s a film about young Tony, but he’s almost incidental at times. I don’t want to say any more, would hate to maybe spoil it for people. Bottom line for me is it would have been better as a mini-series rather than a one-off. David Chase sadly just hasn’t lived up to the standards set in the original series. Without prior knowledge of The Sopranos, the film is just another mob movie and compares poorly to my all time favourite Goodfellas.
But, I still loved it! And would happily watch it again (and probably again and again) 😁

@grannyjacob
Thank you for coming back with, that’s a very considered and balanced review.
As you say seems some things were not paid the attention to detail that you would expect, like the ages not being right (that sort of thing annoys me)
I’m currently just enjoying the series again prior to watching the film, by which time it will probably be on Sky anyway
what was Ray Liottas role in it if I may ask ? Was he ever mentioned in the Sopranos
Thank you again 🍕

Been to see it at the Everyman in our city this morning. Me and DP were the only ones at the screening!
I absolutely loved it, stylistically it was beautifully shot, felt very rich and was just such a joy to see the characters we know (and some we didn’t) so fleshed out.
I think Michael Gandolfini did a fantastic job especially considering his dad gave what is considered to be one the greatest performances of all time. Talk about big shoes!

RL (one of the reasons why Goodfellas is one of my favourite films) has two parts. One is as Dickie’s Dad, not the nicest of men to say the least and the other as Dickie’s uncle who is in jail for murder (of a “made” man). He acts as a mentor almost to Dickie, and could have easily been given more to do.
I don’t remember either of them specifically being mentioned in The Sopranos, but I might be wrong. Someone else will hopefully comment.

I agree that it’s beautifully shot, but a lot of it just felt flat to me. And I really really hate to say this but I have to disagree about MG. If he wasn’t JG’s son, would he have got the part? He does look very like his Dad at times which helped.
I did forget to say, the music soundtrack is brilliant. If you were watching the film with your eyes shut, you’d instantly know if you were with the mob or elsewhere.
Costumes are also very good.

My DP agrees with you RE MG. Maybe I need more time to think on it, but I think he did well. I’m not sure he would have got the part though I must say. I do have to agree with you about the ages seeming to be confused, I always thought Pussy and Tony were similar ages? Silvio was very cartoonish for me, I think it would’ve been better if the actor pulled back a bit. A lot of Sil’s mannerisms would’ve come with age and time so seeing them on a younger man felt off (the pouting especially). I think having a young Livia who resembled Carmela was a nice touch.
The soundtrack was awesome! After coming out I felt like I’d just watched the first film in a trilogy, lots of building and a nice sum up at the end but a lot of room to play out.

I said earlier I would have preferred it as a mini series but actually think you’re right, it did feel like the first of a trilogy. We can only hope!

@SoundAndVisions
Vincent Pastore was born in 1946
James Gandolfini 1961
Although I always thought JG looked older than he was really, he seemed to age quite a lot over the course of the series, and of course Pussy wasn’t in it for long so we didn’t see him getting older🥲

I just looked at Michael Imperioli’s birth year - 1966
So that makes only five years younger than JG, that is quite a slip, in the trailer he’s playing with Christopher as a newborn, but looks to be about aged 13 🤔