20 June 2013

RIP: James Gandolfini

The Los Angeles Times has a smart appreciation of James Gandolfini and, by obvious extension, "The Sopranos." Check it out here.

In tribute, try the overlooked gem "Romance and Cigarettes." Directed by John Turturro (Aida's brother), Gandolfini is fantastic as a guy in Bensonhurst who must choose between his wife (Susan Sarandon) and his mistress (Kate Winslet). It's a bizarrely entertaining musical. (Four stars from the late Roger Ebert.)

Here's a clip



I consider "The Sopranos" to be the greatest TV show ever. It was cinematic in its depth and scope. As a writer/critic at the Albuquerque Tribune in 2007, I recapped the series finale.

"A big 'Sopranos' finale? Just you  fuhgeddaboudit." (It goes without saying that if you haven't finished catching up on the series, you should not read this analysis about how it all ends. The piece even includes a "snitch alert"; get it?) Here's Tony's final scene with Uncle Junior, discussing "this thing of ours":


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