Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Sopranos (1999-2007)

Genre: TV / Drama
Starring: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco
Number of seasons: 6



Here is the story of Tony Soprano, his immediate family and his extended family as the boss of a criminal organization in New Jersey. Through the six seasons, we see Tony Soprano’s rise to power as a mob boss and then we see him trying to juggle the stress and pressure of all the responsibilities that come with that job in the “waste management business”.

Tony Soprano is a very flawed character to say the least. He has people beaten or killed at a whim, or he does it himself, he cheats on his wife, he leads a criminal organization and all of that, but James Gandolfini still managed to make us care about him and feel for him at times. You could see, underneath the rough exterior of a mob boss trying to keep up appearances, different layers of a human being caring for his people and searching for a meaning to it all.

The supporting cast was also very solid. Lorraine Bracco was really shining as Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist, one of the only women who could ultimately resist his charm. I also got a kick out of Little Steven Van Zandt, as Silvio, right-hand man to Tony Soprano.

Through the six seasons, there are some awesome episodes of The Sopranos. That being said, one of the major flaws of the show to me is that too many storylines get started just to lead nowhere. Some interesting developments were just dropped without a proper conclusion, and I found that lack of continuity extremely frustrating.

And what more can we say about the ending? It has been discussed over and over again by people for years. I will not ruin it for those who have yet to watch, but what a letdown. Many justifications have been given for the conclusion chosen, but none of them really appeased my disappointment.

The Sopranos is still a show worth seeing, for the cast, the shining moments in the script, the compelling stories and the many Godfather references (for the fans of the genre). Unfortunately, just like the main character, it is very flawed. Still an enjoyable….Fade to black….
Rating: «««


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