Sopranos: the fat lady has sung.
Tag Archive for 'HBO'
Having invested so many years in watching the Sopranos, I am filled with sadness that the show is now down to one final episode. There can be no doubt, that the Sopranos is one of the finest television programs ever created. Watching the second last episode tonight has left me in a veritable state of shock. The overwhelming sense of foreboding and tension that preempts next week’s final episode - is simply breathtaking. And here we are on the throes of the final curtain being drawn. The ultimate showdown between the New York and New Jersey families is finally upon us. Leotardo’s NYC crew certainly has the upper hand. With a successful hit on Bobby Bacala and the severe injuring of Soprano’s lieutenant Silvio Dante - the New Jersey crew is not only weakened, but in hiding. Soprano has pulled in his closest soldiers… but is everything what it seems? Will Soprano’s ultimate betrayal come in the form of the enigmatic Paulie Wallnuts?
In all my years of watching and being able to comprehend what is television, I have never felt such foreboding and tension generated by a tv show. Simply put, this is television at it’s finest!
HBO Has Faith In Preacher. HUGE news this! ‘Preacher’ was one of my fave comic book series of all time. To say it was a brilliant story arc in the history of DC/Vertigo comics is an understatement. I hope they can pull this off with some success because if they do… it will truly blow people away. HBO! Preacher! WOOHOO!!!
I paid a visit to my fave comic book store ‘Alternate Worlds’ yesterday afternoon. Whilst I practically grew up reading comic-books from a very young age, these days I find I just don’t have the time to collect and read them anymore. Still, I like to visit comic-book stores at least once every couple of weeks to check out what new goodies are in. And I am glad I did yesterday as they had this sensational new Deadwood book in stock which was just screaming to be purchased. Entitled, Deadwood: Stories of the Black Hills, the book has been written by show creator David Milch and it stands as one of the most gorgeously designed books I have seen in a long, long time. The photography and typography throughout have left me staring at the pages with mouth agape in total shock and awe at the sheer beauty of this veritable tome of Al Swearengen badness! Check out the HBO site for a sneak peek.
Still, one can’t help but to feel bemused about HBO’s decision to wrap up the show with two movie-length episodes next season. Not a decision that has been met well with fans of the show, as well as the store attendant yesterday as we were in deep discussion about the permeations and happenings at the town of Deadwood. If you’re a fan of the show, take it from me, this book is an essential companion.
HBO’s Season 4 of The Wire begins today. And I still haven’t managed to finish watching season 3 yet. Do check this show out folks. Vastly underrated but full of HBO goodness! MCNULTY!!!
Apparently, HBO has been developing a new series called ‘The Centurion’. It takes place in Rome during the height of the empire. The interesting thing is that the story focuses on the idea that aliens regularly visited and encouraged the civilization there. via Aintitcoolnews.com
One doesn’t miss the Sopranos so much once a new season of HBO’s Deadwood begins. Now in its third season, Deadwood just keeps on getting better and better. Unfortunately, the powers that be (and who have NFI) have decided that this third season will be the final of Deadwood with two 2 hour movie length episodes scheduled to wrap the series up next year. Absolutely devastating news for all us Deadwood die-hards as this is truly one of the best shows on TV right now. It is absolutely Shakespearian in it’s prose and vulgarity. Each and every character is so superbly crafted and played by some of the finest actors in the biz today. Make sure you check out this show whether on the two seasons that have been released on DVD or the leechers’ route of Usenet and/or torrents. (Oh and HBO too if it is available in your neck of the woods).
Reason enough to love this time of the week as both Deadwood and HBO’s other piece of brilliance, Entourage are broadcast. Both awesome. Both highly recommended by this blog!
HBO and creator, David Milch have decided on how they will end the popular drama, Deadwood.
The cable network reached an agreement with Milch to wrap up the show as a pair of two-hour movies rather than a full-blown fourth season, says The Hollywood Reporter. The issue of whether HBO would order a fourth season was forced in recent weeks by the fact that the cast members’ contractual options for a fourth season are due to expire soon.
Milch was offered a six-episode pickup for Season 4 rather than the 12-episode norm.
On Sunday, June 11th, HBO will premiere the third season of Deadwood. The award-winning show is one of the most acclaimed dramas on television. One of HBO’s signature series, Deadwood is an unflinching, character-driven drama that takes elements of the traditional western and turns them upside down.
Take a look at new artwork from the upcoming season:
Sopranos Series 6 Episode 11
If last week’s episode of the Sopranos was a little laid back, tonight’s episode ‘Cold Stones’ would have been more than enough to satisfy the Sopranophile with a penchant for bloodlust and mob killings.
Phil Leotardo. The old-school mobster hardened by doing 20 years in the slammer is now poised to take over completely from imprisoned boss John Sacrimon. Leotardo, ever the dramatist, menacingly and symbolically ‘comes out of the closet’ (literally) to finally murder his cousin-in-law Vito Spatafore simply because he is gay. Vito’s only ‘crime’ was - as Paulie Walnuts put it - being a ‘catcher’ so in the mob world, he has to die. As sickening as that thought is, is as sickening as Vito’s inevitable death unfolds on the screen. Beaten to death and mutilated like an animal by his brother-in-law Vito before Tony’s crew could do the job.
Even though Vito is now out of the picture, he will continue to haunt both the Jersey and New York families. Vito was a captain in Tony’s crew. It was Tony’s responsibility to have him killed, yet Leotardo took it upon himself and did the deed nonetheless.
Are we being set up for the ultimate showdown between the Jersey & New York? When Silvio and Carlo savagely kill one of Vito’s killers in the backroom of Satriales… all hell has been unleashed. The war that has been brewing for several seasons now, will be in full swing next season.
And in typical Sopranos fashion, all the mayhem and bloodshed was inter spread with tender and moving moments… Vito’s young children reading about the death of their dad in the local paper will have to live with the ’shame’ for the rest of their lives. And Carmella has trekked off to Paris, marvelling in the sheer majesty and beauty of the city, she is stil haunted by dreams of the missing Adriana, and will soon realize exactly what happened to her. (She will hire a Private Investigator in the series finale - June 4 - to look for the whereabouts of Adriana).
Sopranos Series 6 Episode 10
From the outset and on first viewing, I found this week’s episode of the Sopranos to be a little on the disappointing side. With the season about to end in a couple of episodes, surely some of the lingering and foreboding story-lines would begin to see some sort of resolution or we would see the crescendo of an almighty climax approach. Maybe my impatience is clouding my judgement on this one. I may feel differently about if if I watch it again but god-dammit, I wanted more from this episode and selfishly (a trait that is evident in all the characters of the show) I didn’t get it.
Selfishness was running rampant in tonight’s episode. Janice (ugh she is infuriating!) bleating and moaning for more. Carmella whining about her spec-house… (she’d be more than happy for Tony to use mob persuasion on building inspectors as long as she can get what she wants). Leotardo pining for the old-school. Christopher moaning about the Maserati he paid $25,000 (!!!!) for being impounded. And finally Vito missing the old neighborhood. Missing it so much that he feels it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. He abandons his new life and job in New Hampshire and fast-tracks it back to Jersey hitting another car in the process. Rather than file a police report, he murders the driver in cold blood.
Are things on the skids between Meadow and Finn? Ever since Vito has been AWOL, Finn’s been ignoring Meadow which leads to suggest the only reason he ever proposed to her was to protect himself from Vito after witnessing his co-curricular activities. With Vito now back in Jersey, could a showdown between them occur.
And in other developments, Bacala is inches away from being killed by a pack of black teen hoodlums. Paulie’s biopsy came back positive. He’s getting radiation treatment to battle the cancer. Only Tony knows. And John Sacrimoni accepts a plea bargain of a 15-year jail sentence in exchange for admitting his connection to organized crime. (And wasn’t Leotardo pissed off about that admission!)
Sopranos Series 6 Episode 9
So the swindlers are shaking down the swindlers. The church wants fifty big ones from Paulie Walnuts who usually fronts ten large for the annual Feast of Whomever. You can bet your bottom dollar that Paulie stuck to the original deal of $10,000 because the Feast was marred with problems due to the budgetary constraints. A kiddie ride grinds to a halt and several children suffer some minor injuries. The incorrigible Janice quickly pounces on this and tries to scam her way to some sort of compensation. As she is want to do, its another fruitless cause for Janice to try and champion. I don’t know about you, but she is the most despicable character on this show and now tubby hubby Bobby Bacala is getting money from the ride owner AND demanding a slice from Paulie Walnuts besides the fact that no one from his family got hurt in the ride. Nice!
Fabulous scene between Christopher and Tony as we finally find out how Chris broke the news to Tony about Adriana singing to the feds. In the last season we were never privy to this exchange and how it ever went down. To see Christopher informing Tony of Adriana’s betrayal was just amazing and as powerful as any other high drama moment on the Sopranos. The scene reinforced the closeness between Tony and Christopher yet just as Christopher’s life is beginning to be on the improve… he tangles with the big H again after some time being clean. You really would not want to be in Christopher’s shoes when Tony finds out about this one.
Hmm Tony and Leotardo are striking a deal whilst Johnny Sack rots in prison. Surely this will come to a head when the rest of the New York crew find out what’s happening. Or is Leotardo making his move with cry-baby Sacrimoni behind bars?
And whilst we’ve had all that to deal with, Paulie Walnuts is in the midst of a intense crisis as he fears he has the big casino. Cancer. In his depressive state, he finally makes peace with the woman he thought was his mother and in a touching scene at the end of the episode, the two are watching TV together.
