After rereading her review of the "TBU" I still can't tell if she really liked it.

-- True2Blue

Keep working on those reading skills, True2Blue. You might not be ready for movies.

True2Blue,

There's a good chance Stephanie Zacharek is praising the movie because it's worth seeing.

Here's an idea: Go see the movie and make up your own mind about it, instead of trying to second guess SZ's motivations.

If the 92% rating on RT means nothing to you, why do you read critics at all? Unless it's just a cheaper way for you to pretend you know what you're talking about than spending a few bucks on a ticket.

But no, it's apparently more fun for you to criticize critics than it is for you to go to movies. Kinda sad.

The lookalikes are no joke. They make me think of The Bizzaro World Sopranos, or an Alternate Universe Sopranos -- a glimpse at what sort of mundane life they would have led without the mob connections.

Pertnear

I thought I was seeing the lookalike thing too. Thanks for helping me believe I'm not losin' it.

The waitress is the first one I noticed. Big girl, big hair -- dead ringer for Janice.

You're right, Clockwork Smurf. I was twisting things around unfairly because I was a little aggravated at Perry for his apparent attitude that The Sopranos is another jewel in his rock crown.

The point remains though, that Chase wanted the song, and if all the assurance Perry needed was to be told no Soprano would take a bullet during the song, then Chase knew he could give that guarantee without sacrificing any of his artistic intentions. It's just the sort of slippery deal Tony himself would make :)

I admit I'm a hostile witness, because up until now if I heard Journey on the radio I couldn't hit "search" fast enough. But after watching the last scene several times, the song has earned a lot of cred for me. It's pretty much perfect. I almost get a lump in my throat when Carmela walks through that door with those first piano chords.

Nevertheless, I haven't changed my opinion that it's a middlebrow rock anthem. That's another thing that makes it so perfect. The Soprano family members and crew are not known for their exquisite taste. On the contrary, from Carmela's nouveau riche interior decorating to Paulie's monstrosity of an Espresso machine, the pervading flavor is vulgar and crude. A.J.'s underage girlfriend has classier taste in music than Tony does.

When Scorsese wants to underscore his drama with operatic rock bravado, he uses The Rolling Stones. Tony punches up Journey. ...Whoa! Hey! I'm just sayin'!

Steve Perry ought to be proud Chase chose his music -- and grateful. Now, forever linked to this scene, that song has been elevated to a realm of momentous impact that it never before possessed.

------

Not quite buying the dream theory, sunny miller, but it's an interesting slant. I want to believe that Chase is above such stuff, but there is that talking fish... :)

As for Tony ever being exposed to Yeats, in season 5 Dr. Melfi tells Tony, "The center cannot hold. The falcon cannot hear the falconer."

But it's obvious that the meaning sails right over his head.

Not to throw a monkey wrench into anyones theory, but follow this link and you will have a clearcut answer to what really happened in the diner.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1562298/20070612/index.jhtml

Meaningless article, actually.

I'm still not sure about all the things I think the ending implies, but I'm sure about one thing: David Chase isn't letting a has-been rock-star dictate terms to him. If Steve Perry wants to think he negotiated to spare us all the gory trauma of an on-screen slaughter, that's kinda sweet, but who in their right mind would ever think that kind of denoument was a possibility?

But then the whole bombastic ego-tripping delusions-of-grandeur thing is why Tony would like Steve Perry.

anonymous says

"The discussion on Televisionwithoutpity.com is like an honors graduate course compared to Salon's remedial freshman summer school."

So I went to check it out. Here's a sample:

I understand Lorraine Bracco had recently been on Conan and appeared to be drunk. Can't find a clip, but can someone who saw it recap/confirm this?

ejluther

I didn't see her on Conan - but I have noticed that she's always kind of "loopy" on talk shows. I think it's just her way. Speaking of her being on THE VIEW, she also mentioned something like, "David Chase wrote another scene for Melfi and Tony". I wonder if he's changing the ending around...

alsep73

i remember reading an interview saying that when she was a teen she drank alot of wine. when her friends wanted to drink pop she wanted to drink wine

smellyvalentine

Thanks for the great tip, anonymous, but I think I'll stick with Salon.

"...if "The Empire Strikes Back" faded to black just as Vader makes his tragic revelation to Luke..."

yeah, if only. Because it all went straight to hell at hyperdrive speed after that. Next thing we know, Ewoks and Jar-Jar Binks...

We should be so lucky that Lucas knew when to quit. At the peak.

Terrific post, jennifer rexroat. You nailed it.

I'd go a step further with one of your ideas. Among the song choices Tony flipped through on the tabletop jukebox, these titles were prominently featured:

Somewhere in the Night

Turn, Turn, Turn

Only the Strong Survive

Victim of Love

I've Gotta Be Me

A Lonely Place

This Magic Moment

I'm Alive

Who Will You Run To

Magic Man

Don't Stop Believing

Any Way You Want It

Anyone who thinks David Chase is vague, sloppy, lazy or disrespectful to the characters and his audience just isn't looking too deep.