The Sopranos
- The Invunche
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:43 am
- Location: Denmark
- tryavna
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:38 pm
- Location: North Carolina
I think it's because "aloof" often gets associated with the adjective "cold," as in Leonard Maltin's review of The Osterman Weekend: "Consistently interesting but aloof and cold, despite a top-notch cast."
That being said, "aloof" is not necessarily always pejorative, but it carries that connotation for most English speakers.
Here be a fuller range of meanings.
That being said, "aloof" is not necessarily always pejorative, but it carries that connotation for most English speakers.
Here be a fuller range of meanings.
- Faux Hulot
- Jack Of All Tirades
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:57 am
- Location: Location, Location
"You know, I consider myself a fairly open-minded person, but have you heard about these new grade-school books? One's called Heather Has Two Mommies; the other one is Daddy's New Roommate. I gotta draw the line here and say this is absolutely disgusting. Grotesque.flyonthewall2983 wrote:I'm so glad it addressed the double standard of being repulsed by one form of homosexuality and being turned on by another form.
I'm talking, of course, about Daddy's New Roommate. Heather Has Two Mommies, on the other hand, is quite fetching. You know, they kiss in Chapter 4! Oooh! Go, mommies, go!""
-- Bill Hicks, 1994
-
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
- Andre Jurieu
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:38 pm
- Location: Back in Milan (Ind.)
That had to be the most shocking moment of TV this year. It was particularly shocking after Christopher told her he loved the fuckin' haves and have nots.flyonthewall2983 wrote:No comment on Lauren Bacall getting knocked on her ass?
I assume that I'm not alone (ben?) in my enthusiasm at seeing Max Casella have his role expanded, though I never would have expected to see him get his ass kicked by Artie. Seriously, Artie?
Apparently we'll see more Vito stuff next week.
- souvenir
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:20 pm
you mean Sir Kingsley? Christopher's mention of "Law & Order: The SUV's" makes me laugh just thinking about it, especially considering that Michael Imperioli has been on the regular Law & Order a few times.Jem wrote:I keep chuckling to myself at "Sir Ben's" delivery of "Fuuuck" when he realises Chris is on his flight. Priceless.
- Michael
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm
No comment on Lauren Bacall getting knocked on her ass?
It nearly knocked ME on my ass. What a trouper that Lauren Bacall is and I loved hearing her say Fuck!
Apparently we'll see more Vito stuff next week.
I was hoping that the VIto thread had ended and that he would just have a happy life in New Hampshire. Still Tony set the scene for him to return by making sure everyone knew they were to accept him if he returned. I loved it when he was talking to Vito's replacement and said in a "come on, get real tone," "this isn't the first time it's happened." Well of course not.
It nearly knocked ME on my ass. What a trouper that Lauren Bacall is and I loved hearing her say Fuck!
Apparently we'll see more Vito stuff next week.
I was hoping that the VIto thread had ended and that he would just have a happy life in New Hampshire. Still Tony set the scene for him to return by making sure everyone knew they were to accept him if he returned. I loved it when he was talking to Vito's replacement and said in a "come on, get real tone," "this isn't the first time it's happened." Well of course not.
- Jean-Luc Garbo
- Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:55 am
- Contact:
- Fletch F. Fletch
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:54 pm
- Location: Provo, Utah
Heh. It was nice to see Artie get some screen time. But c'mon, Max is a punk. He already got the beat down once before so it's not surprising he'd get it again. Still, his retaliation on Artie was pretty nasty but I did like how they ended the episode with Artie cracking open his dad's book of recipes and going back to the basics...Andre Jurieu wrote:I assume that I'm not alone (ben?) in my enthusiasm at seeing Max Casella have his role expanded, though I never would have expected to see him get his ass kicked by Artie. Seriously, Artie?
-
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
-
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
-
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
- Michael
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm
An excellent review of the last episode from Alan Speniwall (The Star Ledger):
Sins of the past catching up with everyone
Monday, May 22, 2006
Hey, it could have been worse. Fat Dom could have told Carlo to go home and get his shine box.
"The Sopranos" cast has so many "Goodfellas" alums that the writers can't help but pay occasional homage. In season one, it was Christopher shooting that baker in the toe, and last night it was Carlo and Sil's virtual re-creation of the taunting-inspired murder of Billy Batts -- played by smilin' Frank Vincent, the man at the center of this new mess.
This is very, very bad what these two did. Phil can get away with killing one of Tony's captains because Vito was marked for death anyway and because, hey, he's the boss of New York. Even if Tony wanted to go to the mattresses, he doesn't have the manpower to do it. But if/when Phil -- who's wanted Jersey blood since the Tony B. thing -- figures out what happened, he can rain five boroughs worth of fury down on Tony and what the late Carmine called "a glorified crew."
As Tony drove away from Satriale's, you could see him figuring out exactly how much trouble he's in. And after he finished that mental calculus, what's the first thing he did? He called his construction buddy to get AJ a job, because he knows he may not have much time left to straighten the kid out. (The shakycam scene in the garage, where Tony's desire to help AJ battled mightily against his impulse to smash his face through that windshield, was one of James Gandolfini's finest moments.)
And while Tony was realizing how small and vulnerable he is compared to New York, half a world away, Carmela was having her own sense of self smashed to bits. In Caldwell, she may be hot stuff, but when she sees France with all its treasures and history, she realizes she's just another insignificant speck, and that "it all gets washed away."
History was everywhere in last night's episode, which featured more callbacks to old events -- chopping up bodies at Satriale's, AJ's nihilist phase, Carm and Roe's aborted trip to Italy, Mr. Wegler's book about Abelard and Heloise, Richie Aprile's gay son, the deaths of Jackie, Jackie Jr., Cosette and Adriana -- than any "Sopranos" hour I can remember.
The sins of the past are catching up with everyone, and the future is cloudy at best. With Meadow moving out, her business in ruins and AJ a lost cause, Carm can't think of anything to do but hit Paris with Rosalie. Melfi asks Tony how he wants to live his life, and he changes the subject because he can't imagine what he might want -- or whether he'll be around to get it. We know the show is ending, but suddenly it feels like the characters know that, too.
Last week saw the end of Johnny Sack's life as a respected wiseguy, and last night saw the end of Vito's life, period. After looking like a man with a death wish last week, he made a half-baked attempt to get back in with the Family, only to wind up dead and impaled on a pool cue at the hands of Fat Dom and Gerry the Hairdo. (To make sure Vito got the message, Phil even came out of a closet to confront him. Guy becomes boss and suddenly he's Mr. Symbolism.) RIP, Vito. We'll always have Johnny cakes.
Meanwhile, Carm's unease over Adriana's disappearance reached its conclusion with that dream about Ade and Cosette reunited. As soon as Carm checked into a hotel in a strange city, you knew she was in for at least one disturbing dream, and David Chase once again used a nightmare to tell a character a truth they would never accept in the waking world.
The whole trip seemed like a dream for Carm -- and not a good one. (Her final glimpse of the Eiffel Tower's searchlight scanning the horizon even echoed Tony's view of the Costa Mesa beacon.) Though she initially had her breath taken away by this grand old setting, the weight of the place, and the presence of Rosalie as traveling companion eventually put her in a morbid frame of mind. Roe's not just Carmela's best friend; she's the widow of the previous boss, and she had a son who died because he was just as big a selfish screw-up as AJ.
Though "Cold Stones" featured two murders, it kept the muted, disappointed tone of the season to date. With only one more episode to go before this spring season ends, I still see an implosion coming, not an explosion. Thanks to Memorial Day, we'll find out in two weeks, followed by one last hiatus before the final eight episodes in January.
Some other random thoughts:
It's nice to see that Phil, like every other tough guy on this show, is really controlled by the woman in his life. Outraged as he may have been about Vito's secret, would he have had such a mad-on to brutalize the guy if he didn't have to listen to his devout wife droning on about the evils of homosexuality? And would he have bothered to tape Vito's mouth shut if Mrs. Phil hadn't reminded him about repentance and Heaven?
A tale of two cities, told in edits: Carm looks at a sculpture of a beautiful woman and we cut to someone scraping bird splutz off the Bing sign; she looks at a Virgin Mary statue and we see Tony getting a happy ending from a stripper; she snaps a picture of a neon pig restaurant sign and we cut to Murmur telling a dirty joke with a pig as the punchline. David Chase flees to Paris at the start of every hiatus; nice to know those are working holidays.
Portrait of an open marriage: Carm all but tells Tony to sleep around while she's gone, and he takes her up on it.
In Paris, Carmela dreams about Adriana being dead, and when she returns to Jersey, one of the first things she does is take a load of laundry down to the very spot where Christopher ratted Ade out to Tony.
The river denial: Not only does Vito think he can survive a return to Jersey, but when Carm mentions that Meadow and Finn were having problems, Meadow - who last week would not shut up about that - snaps, "I never said that!"
Is Rosalie the most down-to-earth, likable character this show has? Not complicated or bound up with neurosis like everyone else, she's game to hook up with the Belleville biker ("They got a Belleville in France!"), and when Carm has her own AJ-esque nihilistic moment, Roe calms her down by humming a little Edith Piaf. Roe rules.
Sins of the past catching up with everyone
Monday, May 22, 2006
Hey, it could have been worse. Fat Dom could have told Carlo to go home and get his shine box.
"The Sopranos" cast has so many "Goodfellas" alums that the writers can't help but pay occasional homage. In season one, it was Christopher shooting that baker in the toe, and last night it was Carlo and Sil's virtual re-creation of the taunting-inspired murder of Billy Batts -- played by smilin' Frank Vincent, the man at the center of this new mess.
This is very, very bad what these two did. Phil can get away with killing one of Tony's captains because Vito was marked for death anyway and because, hey, he's the boss of New York. Even if Tony wanted to go to the mattresses, he doesn't have the manpower to do it. But if/when Phil -- who's wanted Jersey blood since the Tony B. thing -- figures out what happened, he can rain five boroughs worth of fury down on Tony and what the late Carmine called "a glorified crew."
As Tony drove away from Satriale's, you could see him figuring out exactly how much trouble he's in. And after he finished that mental calculus, what's the first thing he did? He called his construction buddy to get AJ a job, because he knows he may not have much time left to straighten the kid out. (The shakycam scene in the garage, where Tony's desire to help AJ battled mightily against his impulse to smash his face through that windshield, was one of James Gandolfini's finest moments.)
And while Tony was realizing how small and vulnerable he is compared to New York, half a world away, Carmela was having her own sense of self smashed to bits. In Caldwell, she may be hot stuff, but when she sees France with all its treasures and history, she realizes she's just another insignificant speck, and that "it all gets washed away."
History was everywhere in last night's episode, which featured more callbacks to old events -- chopping up bodies at Satriale's, AJ's nihilist phase, Carm and Roe's aborted trip to Italy, Mr. Wegler's book about Abelard and Heloise, Richie Aprile's gay son, the deaths of Jackie, Jackie Jr., Cosette and Adriana -- than any "Sopranos" hour I can remember.
The sins of the past are catching up with everyone, and the future is cloudy at best. With Meadow moving out, her business in ruins and AJ a lost cause, Carm can't think of anything to do but hit Paris with Rosalie. Melfi asks Tony how he wants to live his life, and he changes the subject because he can't imagine what he might want -- or whether he'll be around to get it. We know the show is ending, but suddenly it feels like the characters know that, too.
Last week saw the end of Johnny Sack's life as a respected wiseguy, and last night saw the end of Vito's life, period. After looking like a man with a death wish last week, he made a half-baked attempt to get back in with the Family, only to wind up dead and impaled on a pool cue at the hands of Fat Dom and Gerry the Hairdo. (To make sure Vito got the message, Phil even came out of a closet to confront him. Guy becomes boss and suddenly he's Mr. Symbolism.) RIP, Vito. We'll always have Johnny cakes.
Meanwhile, Carm's unease over Adriana's disappearance reached its conclusion with that dream about Ade and Cosette reunited. As soon as Carm checked into a hotel in a strange city, you knew she was in for at least one disturbing dream, and David Chase once again used a nightmare to tell a character a truth they would never accept in the waking world.
The whole trip seemed like a dream for Carm -- and not a good one. (Her final glimpse of the Eiffel Tower's searchlight scanning the horizon even echoed Tony's view of the Costa Mesa beacon.) Though she initially had her breath taken away by this grand old setting, the weight of the place, and the presence of Rosalie as traveling companion eventually put her in a morbid frame of mind. Roe's not just Carmela's best friend; she's the widow of the previous boss, and she had a son who died because he was just as big a selfish screw-up as AJ.
Though "Cold Stones" featured two murders, it kept the muted, disappointed tone of the season to date. With only one more episode to go before this spring season ends, I still see an implosion coming, not an explosion. Thanks to Memorial Day, we'll find out in two weeks, followed by one last hiatus before the final eight episodes in January.
Some other random thoughts:
It's nice to see that Phil, like every other tough guy on this show, is really controlled by the woman in his life. Outraged as he may have been about Vito's secret, would he have had such a mad-on to brutalize the guy if he didn't have to listen to his devout wife droning on about the evils of homosexuality? And would he have bothered to tape Vito's mouth shut if Mrs. Phil hadn't reminded him about repentance and Heaven?
A tale of two cities, told in edits: Carm looks at a sculpture of a beautiful woman and we cut to someone scraping bird splutz off the Bing sign; she looks at a Virgin Mary statue and we see Tony getting a happy ending from a stripper; she snaps a picture of a neon pig restaurant sign and we cut to Murmur telling a dirty joke with a pig as the punchline. David Chase flees to Paris at the start of every hiatus; nice to know those are working holidays.
Portrait of an open marriage: Carm all but tells Tony to sleep around while she's gone, and he takes her up on it.
In Paris, Carmela dreams about Adriana being dead, and when she returns to Jersey, one of the first things she does is take a load of laundry down to the very spot where Christopher ratted Ade out to Tony.
The river denial: Not only does Vito think he can survive a return to Jersey, but when Carm mentions that Meadow and Finn were having problems, Meadow - who last week would not shut up about that - snaps, "I never said that!"
Is Rosalie the most down-to-earth, likable character this show has? Not complicated or bound up with neurosis like everyone else, she's game to hook up with the Belleville biker ("They got a Belleville in France!"), and when Carm has her own AJ-esque nihilistic moment, Roe calms her down by humming a little Edith Piaf. Roe rules.
-
- Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 9:06 pm
-
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
- Belmondo
- Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:19 am
- Location: Cape Cod
Minor spoilers here. These first four episodes of the final season seem to share the common theme that Tony is becoming disenchanted and alienated from everyone who surrounds him. Will the show end "not with a bang, but with a whimper"? It is all a bit downbeat, dreary, unexciting and exhausting. Perhaps this is the Mob at their most basic "banality of evil" level, and perhaps the writers are giving us the most intelligent send-off ever by showing us that we never should have become infatuated with these people in the first place. Of course, there are five episodes left and I have no clue as to what they may contain, but if they continue to go in this direction, then we all will have learned an important lesson about empathizing with the bad guys - problem is, it's no fun to watch. Where did Tonys' gambling problem suddenly come from? It came from the fact that we are running out of storylines and the writers had to find something new to make the main character the focus of a single episode! Not a good sign. I have loved this show since the first night it appeared on HBO, but now it is time to go. Just my opinion - don't shoot me; I got a wife and a kid and a dog and a cat.
- Michael
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm
Well, Tony gambles now and then. I think he has gotten very financially desperate since Vito who was his highest earner got killed and his soldiers haven't busting their asses much lately. So that results in his out-of-control gambling. In other words, he's losing control of everything, including his wife, more and more every episode.Where did Tonys' gambling problem suddenly come from?
I really loved the episode with Uncle Junior two weeks ago. It was probably the end of him. Nicely done. And I also think the last episode was the end of Hesh. What The Sopranos is doing is finishing off some minor business (Junior, Hesh, etc) before narrowing down to the core of the family.
-
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
I believe so too, and that the Tony/Christopher saga will be the main event of this. I think the movie was his veiled message of his resentment, whether that character knows it or not.Michael wrote:I really loved the episode with Uncle Junior two weeks ago. It was probably the end of him. Nicely done. And I also think the last episode was the end of Hesh. What The Sopranos is doing is finishing off some minor business (Junior, Hesh, etc) before narrowing down to the core of the family.
BTW...do you think HBO is a little squirmy about the segment where the Asian character who attacked Junior in the home?
Last edited by flyonthewall2983 on Wed May 02, 2007 9:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- benm
- Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:42 pm
Belmondo, you speak the truth.
(spoiler)
All these new characters being added, Phil all of a sudden becoming the boss and Tony's non-existent gambling problem. It seems like the easy way out to just completely wipe out the Soprano family and there's definitely nobody that's going to step up to the plate, unless of course Janice takes over in this sex-roles coup.
This is why the wire is a superior show. It too highlights different aspects of a criminal problem but it never forces a typical arc of a story with the build-up to a climax and then a neat conclusion.
(spoiler)
All these new characters being added, Phil all of a sudden becoming the boss and Tony's non-existent gambling problem. It seems like the easy way out to just completely wipe out the Soprano family and there's definitely nobody that's going to step up to the plate, unless of course Janice takes over in this sex-roles coup.
This is why the wire is a superior show. It too highlights different aspects of a criminal problem but it never forces a typical arc of a story with the build-up to a climax and then a neat conclusion.
-
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
- jorencain
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:45 am
I feel like an idiot because I don't quite understand what happened to Hesh's wife at the end of the episode. OK, I know WHAT happened, but how? Why? Should we be led to believe that Tony was involved? I feel like I didn't catch on to something, because if that really was just out of the blue, I don't know how convincing that is. Sorry if that's a completely obvious question.Michael wrote:And I also think the last episode was the end of Hesh. What The Sopranos is doing is finishing off some minor business (Junior, Hesh, etc) before narrowing down to the core of the family.
- Fletch F. Fletch
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:54 pm
- Location: Provo, Utah
Yeah, that was a little odd. I got the feeling that maybe Tony had her killed as a warning to Hesh to back off and stop being such a nudge about money as that seemed to be Tony's overriding gripe throughout the episode.jorencain wrote:I feel like an idiot because I don't quite understand what happened to Hesh's wife at the end of the episode. OK, I know WHAT happened, but how? Why? Should we be led to believe that Tony was involved? I feel like I didn't catch on to something, because if that really was just out of the blue, I don't know how convincing that is. Sorry if that's a completely obvious question.Michael wrote:And I also think the last episode was the end of Hesh. What The Sopranos is doing is finishing off some minor business (Junior, Hesh, etc) before narrowing down to the core of the family.