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The Sopranos (Seasons I to IV)
Shanghai Star. 2003-12-11
Creator: David Chase
Directors: John Patterson, Tim Van Patten, Steve Buscemi, Allen Coulter,
James Hayman, Nick Gomez and others
Starring: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli,
Dominic Chianese, Jamie Lyn-Sigler), Robert Iler, Drea de Matteo, Tony Sirico,
Peter Bogdanovich, Nancy Marchand, Steven Van Zandt, Aida Turturro, Joe
Pantoliano
The New York Times has described "The Sopranos", as the "most important
work of popular culture in the second half of the 20th century" and it must be
said that the multi-award-winning series tries hard to live up to the hyperbole.
As the title suggests, the scope of the "The Sopranos" is truly operatic and
the four seasons released so far have lifted the gangster film genre to a new
level.
Inter-textual references abound throughout the total 52 hours running time most notably to Francis Ford Coppola's three "Godfather" movies. There's a
running gag where one mobster, the consigliere Silvio (Steven Van Zandt),
takes off Al Pacino as Don Corleone: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull
me back in."
Another in-joke is the police mug shot of Frank Sinatra hanging on the wall of
the gang's strip joint hangout. The mug shot was taken in 1938 when New
Jersey police arrested the then "Young Blue Eyes" for adultery (yes, it was
illegal back then).
There are also scenes from the gangster movies of the 1930s. The head of
the family, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), watches with amusement reruns of William Wellman's 1931 epic "The Public Enemy" with James Cagney
and we are treated to several appearances by Edward G. Robinson as the
gangster Rico in Mervyn LeRoy's 1931 masterpiece, "Little Caesar".
Another RICO - the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act is the ever-present nemesis of the Soprano mob. The FBI's attempt to bust
the gang by fair means or foul is a constant distraction to Tony Soprano as he
tries to run his two "families".
His first family consists of a murderously manipulative manic-depressive,
narcissistic mother, Livia (the late, great Nancy Marchand), a bumbling but
vicious uncle, Corrado (Dominic Chianese), a neurotic, new-age hypocrite of
a sister, Janice (Aida Turturro), a woman-bashing heroin addict of a nephew,
Christopher (Michael Imperioli), a put-upon wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), a selfcentred daughter, Meadow (Jamie Lyn-Sigler) and an apprentice juvenile
delinquent as the son, Anthony Junior (Robert Iler).
His second family is even more dysfunctional. There's two-faced Paulie
Walnuts (Tony Sirico), mad, bad, kinky and treacherous Ralphie (Tony
Pantoliano), the utterly sociopathic Richie Aprile (David Proval), the stool
pigeon "Big Pussy" (Vincent Pastore), the moody and unpredictable
consigliere Silvio Dante, and rival mob leaders Johnny Sack and Carmine
Senior.
With all this on his plate, it's no wonder Tony Soprano begins to suffer panic
attacks and feels the need for some outside professional help. He finds it in
the form of psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) but when the
good doctor inevitably finds herself enmeshed in Tony's life and has to go into
hiding, she, in turn, needs a psychiatrist. She finds one in Dr. Elliot
Kupferberg (Peter "The Last Picture Show" Bogdanovich).
The body count at the end of the fourth season is said to be 39, the results of
a variety of euphemisms called "hits", "clips", "whacks", "pops" and "burns".
At the end of "Little Caesar", Edward G. Robinson asks: "Can this be the end
of Rico?". Millions of Americans were asking the same thing about "The
Sopranos" until last month when HBO announced that a fifth season would
go to air next March
They haven't been able to whack Tony yet.
Barry Porter
Matrix Revolutions
Directors: The Wachowski brothers
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Carie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves
The culminating episode of the "Matrix" trilogy has received a distinctly
lukewarm reception from critics and audiences. Those eagerly anticipating a
sublime metaphysical resolution to the elaborate "Matrix philosophy" built up
over the two previous installments have seen their hopes cruelly dashed.
Since meeting such high expectations would have involved nothing less than
the formulation of a full-blown religious myth for the age of information
technology, it is best to take such disappointment relatively lightly.
Appraised as a science fiction adventure rather than a gospel of digital
illusion, "Matrix Revolutions" reveals a more balanced mix of strengths and
weaknesses. Depicting the final confrontation between the robot armies of
the machine world and the human renegade base of Zion, the movie ties up
the trilogy's loose plot lines by delivering some truly epic futuristic battlescenes along with numerous schmalzy moments of romantic closure.
Neo (Reeves) completes his cosmic quest, supported by lashings of superb
Wachowski trade-mark special effects, but otherwise the philosophical
pretentions of the story are more-or-less written off. The sense of intellectual
anticlimax that so enraged the series' fans is deepened by the introduction of
several bizarrely random and redundant characters, but if you switch off the
grey matter and concentrate on the explosions and aching tear-ducts there's
no reason to be bored.
Nick Land
Uptown Girls
Director: Boaz Yakin
Starring: Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Heather Locklear, Jesse Spencer,
Megan Corletto, Donald Faison, Marley Shelton
Molly Gunn (Brittany Murphy) is the freewheeling daughter of a late rock
legend. She is also the star of Manhattan social scene and enjoys all the
affluence and parties all the time without a care in the world. But when her
attorney tells her that her inheritance has been embezzled and she has to
live a life in a new way - getting a job, she becomes a little desperate.
At a station, she falls in love with a singer-guitarist Neal (Jesse Spencer) but
Neal has his own plan to be successful in music, the relationship never works
out very well. Molly finds a job working as a nanny to Ray (Dakota Fanning),
a spoiled 8-year-old girl, who has a dying father and a business executive
mother Roma (Heather Locklear) who neglects her daughter.
In my eyes, Ray is the highlight of the whole comedy with her talk like a harsh
and know-it-all adult. She has grown up with lots of nannies and now she
looks much like an adult, trying to get Molly to grow up. Both Molly and Ray
feel they are actually very lonely in this world. After many tough fights
between Molly and Ray, they both recognize their own shortcomings and they
become very good friends in the end. Eight-year-old Ray finally becomes a
child and 22-year-old Molly becomes an adult.
This is a so-so comedy without great excitement or superb performances
from the actresses. But for young parents, this may serve as a warning in
raising their much spoiled only child and "little emperors" at home. Without
proper parental care, their habits could become very quirky.
Parenting is much more important than giving the child sufficient financial
support to buy things and go to good schools. For many young girls who live
on others' wealth, Molly serves as another warning that they should learn
proper skills to be able to support their own lives.
Xing Bao
Shanghai Lyceum Theatre
57 Maoming Nanlu
Tel: 6372-8701
Opening performances
The over-140-year-old Lyceum Theatre has been renovated and will stage a
series of old golden melodies. The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, whose
predecessor the Shanghai Municipal Council's Orchestra had premiered in
the very theatre, will accompany renowned violinist Yu Lina, vocalists Fan
Qiong and Wang Zuoxin, to offer audiences classic songs from 1930's
Shanghai, together with senior host Zhou Liangliang, Chen Gang and Jiao
Huang.
7:15pm, December 12-13
120-500 yuan
Movies
Quite a few big hits from Chinese movie makers are being released around
the Christmas and New Year season.
Cell Phone
Feng Xiaogang has released a comedy for every new year season of the
past few years except for last year. His productions always generate high
expectations from the potential audience. Ge You, Zhang Guoli and Xu Fan
will star in Feng's new year movie as usual, but Feng has suggested that
"Cell Phone" is not really a comedy.
My Father and I
Xu Jinglei, one of the few very popular young domestic movie actresses, has
turned to directing. Her first work tells the story of a relationship between a
father and daughter. Her appealing personality helped to secure help from
celebrated movie makers like Jiang Wen, Feng Xiaogang and many others,
who appear in her maiden work.
Infernal Affairs III
The final episode of this Hong Kong series is released at the same time all
over Asia. A grand launch ceremony will be held in the Shanghai Film Centre
on December 11.
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Hollywood blockbuster hits town, starring Johnny Depp, the sexiest man
alive according to People magazine, and Orlando Bloom, the elf prince from
Lord of the Rings.
The Italian Job
A remake of Paramount's 1969 classic, starring Mark Whalberg, Charlize
Theron and Edward Norton.
Star Runner
A Hong Kong production starring Vanness Wu, from the pop group F4.
Hidden Track
A Hong Kong romance about the legend of a hidden track at the end of a
music album. Jay Chou, the R&B; singer from Taiwan, makes his screen
debut in this movie. The movie is actually named after the star in its Chinese
title.
Super Cinema World
5F, Metro City
1111 Zhaojiabang Lu
Tel: 6426-8181 ext 200
Golden Cinema-Friendship
5F, Friendship South, Shopping Mall
7388 Humin Lu
Tel: 6412-0260
Shanghai Film Arts Centre
160 Xinhua Lu
Tel: 6280-6088, 6281-7017
UME International Cineplex
4F, No 6, Lane 123, Xingye Lu
Tel: 6373-3333
Copyright by Shanghai Star.