“The Sopranos” premiered 20 years ago today (January 10, 1999).

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by AKA, Jan 10, 2019.

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  1. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    One of great things I remember about “The Sopranos” (besides Adrianna and Meadow) was when Meadow and her friend were watching a video of Morphine’s “Buena Buena”. I had heard of Morphine by then, but the show even subetly featuring one of their songs was incredibly cool to me.
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2019
  2. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    “Pine Barrens” is probably my favorite episode but not necessarily the “best”.
     
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  3. samurai

    samurai Step right up! See the glory, of the royal scam.

    Location:
    MINNESOTA
    You know what I hate?
    They're trying to screw us out of Columbus Day.
     
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  4. EddieMann

    EddieMann I used to be a king...

    Location:
    Geneva, IL. USA.
    Was able to watch about 80% of all the episodes over the last week. My loving and tolerant wife has really never watched the show so I sat her down to watch Chris’s intervention scene ( The Strong Silent Type). We were roaring with laughter.
     
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  5. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    One of my favorites too.

    But the "best" is probably College from season 1.
     
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  6. AirJordanFan93

    AirJordanFan93 Forum Resident

    I honestly think I am the only Sopranos fan who doesn't like Pine Barrens all that much.
     
  7. AirJordanFan93

    AirJordanFan93 Forum Resident

    I would say this is very much in the running for best along with Long Term Parking from Season 5.
     
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  8. Luckless Pedestrian

    Luckless Pedestrian Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire, USA
    I watched the first two episodes of S1 yesterday, it's been a few years since my last rewatch - what a pleasure! I had forgotten that the Sopranos is, on top of everything else, hilarious. I had forgotten how fantastic Nancy Marchand's performance as Tony's mother is. She plays it dead straight, but with impeccable comic timing, what a pro. And Gandolfini is amazing right from the start, his performance as Tony is the greatest I've ever seen.
     
  9. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Gandolfini is 1b for, with Cranton in Breaking Bad being 1a, but that is splitting hairs.

    As for Nancy Marchand, yes, she was spectacular as Livia. Season 1 is so great because as we get to know the characters, the tone and look of the show was very bright (as opposed to the dark tones of the later seasons), and the mob guys were all pretty likable, and then we had Livia killing it in every single scene where she appeared.
     
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  10. Jack Lord

    Jack Lord Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I don't care for the term "dated" either. I like dated. I love to see glimpses of style and culture from the past, even the recent past.

    Anyway, I cannot recall the episode title, but my favorite scene is one of Tony's arguments with Ritchie Aprile. They are at the Waste Disposal shindig at a country club. Tony upbraids Ritchie for the umpteenth time and orders him to leave. He then has one of his panic attacks. Boston's "More than a Feeling" is playing and you see some chubby woman dancing in slow motion as Tony hits the deck.
     
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  11. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    When the 1st episode was filmed, David Chase had no idea what the future would be. He wasn't even sure if the show would be picked up, months passed between the filming of ep.1 and ep.2. The most striking thing about ep.1 to me was how Gandolfini made 'adjustments' to how he played Tony. His vocal mannerisms are closer to JG's in that 1st ep. From ep.2 forward, the transformation was complete!

    Man, I've never 'gotten' Breaking Bad. I've seen every episode but....it never felt 'special' to me. Obviously, it's on me as the show is legendary but....Cranston better than Gandolfini? Sorry, but in my book it's not even close!;)
     
  12. Jack Lord

    Jack Lord Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    The protagonists are the inverse of each other.

    Tony Soprano is the criminal dealing with the Everyman's problems and outlook.

    Walter White is the Everyman dealing with the criminal's problems and outlook.
     
  13. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Disagree. Gandolfini adopted his character right down to infinitesimal mannerisms with more authority. He could communicate more in a brief severe look or drumming his fingers at the right time than Cranston could in his many, many, many, many mealy-mouthed speeches. Granted, some of this boils down to writing and directing, but Gandolfini was able to transform himself into Tony far beyond any of his previous or subsequent performances, while Cranston delivered a rather typical performance for himself. He's a good actor, but frankly more suited to a slapstick character like Tim Whatley than Walter White. Gandolfini conveyed greater gravitas throughout, as someone really capable of murder, while I felt that Cranston was hedging and not committing, even beyond the dilemmas unique to the character.

    She was perfectly cast, with that whole "oh, poor you" routine down cold.
     
  14. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Disagree with this too. The stories may have started when Tony had been established in the mafia and Walter was just beginning his drug business. But they were both criminals, and both good dads looking out for their families to the extent they were capable. Walter White was set up as an underachieving biochem genius in ways that few could relate to. The terminal illness was a method to make him more sympathetic, but the show's creators manipulated it too brazenly. Tony was the was the more sympathetic character.
     
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  15. DME1061

    DME1061 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Trenton, NJ
    House Arrest.......just watched this one the other day. Ritchie was one of my favorite characters throughout the entire series. Later on in that episode he tells Junior he saw Tony "at the Garbageman's Ball or whatever the F it's called". LOL.
     
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  16. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    i can still stomach how phones are used in this show because after all, they're trying to make calls under the radar. i'm also not pretending 1999 is 2019 when i watch. i can also imagine tony soprano would still drive his burgundy behemoth today if it were in good condition. don't want to draw too much attention, right?
     
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  17. Fastnbulbous

    Fastnbulbous Doubleplus Ungood

    Location:
    Washington DC USA
    He killed 16 Chechoslovakians!
     
  18. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    He bailed on the Chevy Suburban in later seasons. I believe he drove a black Cadillac Escalade (which he wrecked while with Adrianna) and then was in a white one for the rest of the show. Carmela drove a Mercedes if I remember correctly.
     
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  19. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I can’t seem to remember the “Long Term Parking” episode. Can someone remind me?

    By the way, I hated the dream sequence stuff when Tony was in the hospital; just not my cup of tea.
     
  20. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    right, but iirc there was some reluctance to the change, yes?

    also, loved that episode: "kennedy and heidi" when the suv flipped. it was very dark.
     
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  21. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I don’t recall his reluctance to change. It was just like in beginning of the whatever season he was in a newer, more high end vehicle. I could be wrong, though.
     
  22. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    all the more reason for me to continue re-watching. will be able to confirm in 55 or so episodes!
     
  23. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Guy was an interior decorator!

    His house looked like @#%!
     
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  24. Fastnbulbous

    Fastnbulbous Doubleplus Ungood

    Location:
    Washington DC USA
    I guess I'd push back a little by saying WW went into the meth business for the purpose of paying for cancer treatment, which he otherwise couldn't do on a teacher's salary. Only later did he realize he was a born druglord and liked it. TS was a mobster from the day he was born. His dad and uncle were made guys, his mom was basically a mob madam, and it was close to inevitable that he'd be a wiseguy. (His other sister, whose name I can't recall because she rarely appeared) was the only truly "straight" Soprano.

    So whereas WW would never have gone into organized crime but for his illness, TS would've been a mobster regardless.
     
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  25. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Tony’s more normal sister was named Barbara.
     
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