D4 RED DEER ADVOCATE Friday, April 17, 2015
Sopranos’ ending explained — again BY EMILY YAHR ADVOCATE NEWS SERVICES
Photo by ADVOCATE news services
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The stars of Other Space: Eugene Cordero, Karan Soni, Bess Rous, Joel Hodgson, Milana Vayntrub and Neil Casey.
Six reasons to watch Feig’s Other Space The expectations for Other Space are unfairly high. Paul Feig wrote the series, and the last time he set his sights on a television show, it was the completely genius, utterly underappreciated Freaks and Geeks, which lasted one piddly season (NBC didn’t even air the final three episodes) — but quickly gained a huge cult following and launched a generation of comic talent. Could Other Space possibly live up to that? Not really. The first three episodes are fairly entertaining and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. But there are too many moments where you feel like you’re watching an improv set that isn’t quite clicking. The show was originally created for NBC, where it languished for an astonishing eight years, the network holding onto the rights but doing nothing with them. (Note to Feig: Stop working with NBC.) Eventually, Feig reclaimed the rights and took it to Yahoo, where the whole first season debuted Tuesday, begging to be binge-watched. And yet, it might not inspire a whole lot of backto-back viewing. It’s a futuristic comedy about a crew of incompetent astronauts, lost in space on a rickety shuttle with nothing on board to eat but fudge. Hijinks ensue — an alien breaks into the vessel, a beloved robot gets kicked into the ether, a newlyforming planet threatens to swallow the ship — but somehow the ill-prepared bunch manages to survive, one mishap at a time. Even if the show isn’t all it could be, there is reason to watch. In fact, there are six reasons to watch and they are: Karan Soni, Bess Rous, Neil Casey, Milana Vayntrub, Conor Leslie and Eugene Cordero. These are the names of the fresh-faced cast, and you might be hearing about them a lot in the future as part of the next wave of comedic talent. To understand why, we need to rewind a bit. Freaks and Geeks may have flopped, but just about everyone associated with it has had a booming career since. With big-screen hits like Bridesmaids and The Heat, Feig proved women really do go to see movies; he’s been charged with the all-female Ghostbusters reboot. Judd Apatow, who produced and directed a few
episodes, is one of the biggest players in Hollywood. The then-unknown cast included Lizzy Caplan, who went on to star in Masters of Sex; Linda Cardellini, who followed up with big roles on E.R. and Mad Men; and Martin Starr, now of Silicon Valley — not to mention the household names like Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel. Their rise is thanks largely to casting director Allison Jones, the subject of a recent New Yorker profile which termed her the “nerd hunter” for gifting us with some of the most memorable characters in recent cinematic history. She introduced Apatow to Jonah Hill, which led to a memorable cameo in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, followed by a string of other funny roles and a couple of Oscar nominations. Chris Pratt was mired in stereotypical hot guy roles until Jones recommended him for funnier fare; his role in Parks and Recreation paved the way for his turn as Star-Lord in last year’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy. Without Jones we might not have any Ron Swanson gifs; without Jones, Dwight Schrute might have just been a funny name instead of a recognizable synonym for an emotionally unintelligent misfit. Which brings us to today. The six little-known leads were lovingly and meticulously assembled by Jones as chronicled in the New Yorker profile. (The cast also includes includes Mystery Science Theater 3000 alums Joel Hodgson and Trace Beaulieu, who lends his voice to a robot.) So this crew will likely boast a few actors to watch. But who of them will become the next breakout star? They all have moments of really owning their characters. Soni plays the people-pleasing captain of the ship and Rous is his no-nonsense type-A sister; Casey is a socially awkward eccentric with an Oedipus complex and Vayntrub is the flaky navigator; Leslie is a scantily-clad A.I. and Cordero is a sweet but dim optimist. Aside from Hodgson and Beaulieu, who nearly steal the show, the most memorable players of the first three episodes are Casey, whose deadpan expressions really heighten his oddball character — he’s certainly the Dwight Schrute of this ship — and Leslie, who has great comic delivery and timing. As usual, Jones has made some fine discoveries. Even if Other Space doesn’t take off the way Feig’s fans hope it will, it may still make a lasting impression on pop culture to come.
Documentary seeks to tell story of child Latino actors BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A young George Washington Valenzuela was walking to a barbershop in small, dusty Marfa, Texas, when a woman approached him and asked if he would like to be in a movie. He said yes. Weeks later, Valenzuela found himself singing the national anthem in front of Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor in the 1956 blockbuster movie Giant. A new documentary seeks to tell Valenzuela’s story and that of other Mexican-American child actors who appeared in the film but later could only view it in segregated theatres. Children of Giant goes to the West Texas town where director George Stevens and his Hollywood crew set up shop to shoot one of the first, major films to openly tackle racism. For the 60 years since the movie’s release, most of the Mexican-American cast has been largely forgotten, though the movie introduced the nation to the discrimination Latinos faced, documentary director Hector Galan said. “Many people don’t realize how important the film Giant was to Mexican-Americans at the time,” Galan said. “For the first time on a national level the stories of Mexican-Americans were being told.” Based on the novel by Edna Ferber with the same name, Giant follows wealthy Texas cattle rancher Jordan Benedict, Jr., played by Hudson, who marries Maryland socialite Leslie Lynnton, portrayed by Taylor. Their sprawling ranch is located on land once owned by impoverished Mexican-Americans, who still work the land but are denied basic medical care and decent jobs. Benedict’s son, played by Dennis Hopper, marries a Mexican-American nurse, played by Mexican actress Elsa Cardenas, creating racial tension. James Dean also starred in the movie. At the time of its release, the movie was popular among Mexican-Americans, especially since Ferber had interviewed civil rights leaders Hector P. Garcia and lawyer John J. Herrera for her novel and the movie adopted real-life episodes from the new civil rights movement in Texas. Yet, many of the main actors were unaware of the discrimination the Mexican-American extras faced away from the movie set.
In the documentary, Galan interviews Cardenas who recalls how staff at a hotel looked at her suspiciously and how she didn’t know the Mexican-Americans children on the set had to attend segregated schools. He also interviews child actor Tony Cano who remembers incidents of racism. The documentary also covers Stevens’ experience in Second World War as part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Stevens would become one of the first directors to capture images of the Holocaust and his footage would be used in the Nuremberg Trials. “That experience changed him forever,” Galan said. “I don’t think he would have made Giant had it not been for that experience.” In addition, the documentary shows how Dean playfully interacted with Mexican-American teens off screen and shocked the town when he was killed in a car wreck in California weeks later. Children of Giant kicks off a new season of the PBS Voices series on April 17.
Toronto film fest announces new Primetime program for TV content TORONTO — TV is headed to the Toronto International Film Festival. Festival organizers have announced a new Primetime program that will feature international television content. A statement says the program will showcase up to six “high-quality” contemporary programs from broadcasters, streaming services or independent filmmakers. The lineup, which will be announced in the coming months, will include public screenings and Q&A sessions with show creators. TV creators will also be a part of the festival’s industry conference. This year’s festival runs Sept. 10 to 20. ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER
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SHOWTIMES FOR FRIDAY APRIL 17, 2015 TO THURSDAY APRIL 23, 2015 HOME 3D (G) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRISUN 5:25, 7:50, 10:15; MON-THURS 7:25, 9:55 THE LONGEST RIDE (14A) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI 3:25, 6:40, 9:55; SAT-SUN 12:10, 3:25, 6:40, 9:55; MON-THURS 6:50, 10:00 THE LONGEST RIDE (14A) STAR & STROLLERS SCREENING WED 1:30 FURIOUS 7 (14A) (VIOLENCE) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI 3:15, 6:30, 9:45; SAT-SUN 12:00, 3:15, 6:30, 9:45; MON-THURS 6:30, 9:45 FURIOUS 7 (14A) (VIOLENCE) ULTRAAVX FRI 3:50, 7:00, 10:10; SAT-SUN 12:40, 3:50, 7:00, 10:10; MON-THURS 7:05, 10:15 THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT (PG) (VIOLENCE, NOT REC. FOR YOUNG CHILDREN) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI-SUN 3:30 THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT 3D (PG) (VIOLENCE, NOT REC. FOR YOUNG CHILDREN) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI 6:20, 9:15; SAT-SUN 12:45, 6:20, 9:15; MON-THURS 6:35, 9:35 CINDERELLA (G) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI 4:20, 7:30, 10:25; SAT-SUN 1:20, 4:20, 7:30, 10:25; MON-THURS 6:35, 9:20
GET HARD (18A) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI 4:00, 7:10, 9:40; SAT-SUN 1:30, 4:00, 7:10, 9:40; MON-THURS 7:10, 9:40 PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2 (PG) FRI 3:10, 5:35, 8:00, 10:30; SAT-SUN 12:30, 3:10, 5:35, 8:00, 10:30; MON-THURS 7:40, 10:10 HOME (G) CLOSED CAPTIONED SATSUN 12:20, 2:45 MONKEY KINGDOM (G) NO PASSES FRI 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30; SAT-SUN 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30; MON-THURS 7:20, 9:30 UNFRIENDED (14A) (COARSE LANGUAGE, FRIGHTENING SCENES) NO PASSES FRI 2:50, 5:15, 7:40, 10:00; SATSUN 12:25, 2:50, 5:15, 7:40, 10:00; MONTHURS 7:30, 9:50 UNFRIENDED (14A) (COARSE LANGUAGE, FRIGHTENING SCENES) STAR & STROLLERS SCREENING, NO PASSES WED 1:30 WOMAN IN GOLD (PG) CLOSED CAPTIONED FRI 4:00, 6:50, 9:35; SAT-SUN 1:10, 4:00, 6:50, 9:35; MON-THURS 6:55, 9:45 DOLPHIN TALE 2 (G) SAT 11:00
DANIEL BRÜHL
BASED ON THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY
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BY STEPHANIE MERRY ADVOCATE NEWS SERVICES
Eight years have passed since the mysterious series finale of The Sopranos, and the people still want answers. Tony’s dead! Wait, no he’s not! What’s happening? Is it Journey’s fault? Creator David Chase has been giving evasive answers for the better part of the last decade about Tony Soprano’s fate. And he continued his Tour of Non-Explanations this week for the Director’s Guild of America — though granted, he delivered his most detailed non-answer yet, walking the viewer through the last scene, nearly shot for shot. “I thought the ending would be somewhat jarring, sure,” Chase writes. “But not to the extent it was, and not a subject of such discussion. I really had no idea about that.” Riiiight, David Chase, we totally believe you. Anyway, as for that final shot, well, here you go: “I said to Gandolfini, the bell rings and you look up. That last shot of Tony ends on ‘don’t stop,’ it’s mid-song. I’m not going to go into (if that’s Tony’s POV). I thought the possibility would go through a lot of people’s minds or maybe everybody’s mind that he was killed. He might have gotten shot three years ago in that situation. But he didn’t. Whether this is the end here, or not, it’s going to come at some point for the rest of us. Hopefully we’re not going to get shot by some rival gang mob or anything like that. I’m not saying that (happened). But obviously he stood more of a chance of getting shot by a rival gang mob than you or I do because he put himself in that situation. All I know is the end is coming for all of us.” Then — fade to black. So? “I never considered the black a shot. I just thought what we see is black. The ceiling I was going for at that point, the biggest feeling I was going for, honestly, was don’t stop believing. It was very simple and much more on the nose than people think. That’s what I wanted people to believe. That life ends and death comes, but don’t stop believing. There are attachments we make in life, even though it’s all going to come to an end, that are worth so much, and we’re so lucky to have been able to experience them. Life is short. Either it ends here for Tony or some other time. But in spite of that, it’s really worth it. So don’t stop believing.” So, yeah. No definitive answer. This is not too surprising, because in the past, Chase has remained determined not to spill it. Among a few examples: ● June 2007. While talking to The Star-Ledger newspaper directly after the episode: “I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there.” ● October 2007. In a book excerpt: “There was nothing definite about what happened, but there was a clean trend on view — a definite sense of what Tony and Carmela’s future looks like. Whether it happened that night or some other night doesn’t really matter.” ● May 2014: At a panel, refusing to confirm Tony’s fate either way. “I wanted to create a suspenseful sequence ... It wasn’t meant to confound anybody. It was meant to make you feel — not to make you think, but to make you feel.” ● August 2014. A Vox writer claims that Chase confirmed that Tony didn’t die. Chase’s publicist denies this in a statement: “To simply quote David as saying, ‘Tony Soprano is not dead,’ is inaccurate ... Whether Tony Soprano is alive or dead is not the point. To continue to search for this answer is fruitless. The final scene of The Sopranos raises a spiritual question that has no right or wrong answer.” ● September 2014. Elaborating to the Daily Beast on the aforementioned “spiritual question”: “Is that all there is?” As for finale explanations — yes, it looks like that’s all there is. So can everyone stop asking him now?
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