The Big Screen & The Small Screen

It's no secret to many of you that I still often wonder about the larger importance of the entertainment industry as it pertains to my job/career. But there's no question that I personally have gotten much joy and fulfillment out of movies and television throughout my life. And this weekend, seeing the film "Knocked Up" and watching the second-to-last episode of "The Sopranos" continued to prove that, at their best, movies and TV can be truly awesome and meaningful.

I couldn't be a bigger fan of Judd Apatow and all the actors in his coterie and I think "Knocked Up," like "The 40 Year Old Virgin" before it, combines the perfect blend of humor - both dirty and improvised - with a romantic, optimistic touch. I already can't wait to see the deleted scenes and bloopers on the DVD and listen to the DVD commentary (nerd alert, I know). Apatow has the unique gift to portray situations that we readily recognize and can relate to and simultaneously include a brand of extremely funny and ridiculous humor that takes a creative quickness and wit that just doesn't occur in our everyday lives (a certain stuffed animal line from "KU" comes to mind). Though it is inexplicable that Apatow's movies do so well when his equally if not more brilliant television series ("Freaks & Geeks," "Undeclared") couldn't survive past 1 season, I am truly grateful for him and his talented and hilarious gang. I won't ruin "Knocked Up" for those of you who haven't seen it yet. For those of you who haven't seen "40 Year Old Virgin," you have no excuse and I won't spare you. Below please find my favorite exchange:

Cal: You're gay now?
David: No, I'm not gay I'm just celibate.
Cal: I think? I mean, that sounds ga- I just want you to know this is like the first conversation of like three conversations that leads to you being gay. Like... there's this and then in a year it's like, "Oh you know, I kinda wanna, ya know, get back out there but I think I like guys" and then there's the big, "Oh I'm I'm a g-gay guy now".
David: You're gay for saying that.
Cal: I'm gay for saying that?
David: You know how I know you're gay?
Cal: How? How do you know I'm gay?
David: Because you macramed yourself a pair of jean shorts.
Cal: You know how I know you're gay? You just told me you're not sleeping with women any more.
David: You know how I know that you're gay?
Cal: How? Cuz you're gay? and you can tell who other gay people are.
David: You know how I know you're gay?
Cal: How?
David: You like Coldplay.

David: You know how I know that you're gay?
Cal: How?
David: You like the movie "Maid in Manhattan".
Cal: You know how I know you're gay?
David: How?
Cal: I saw you make a spinach dip in a loaf of sour dough bread once.
David: You know how I know that you're gay?
Cal: How?
David: You have a rainbow bumpersticker on your car that says "I love it when balls are in my face."
Cal: That's gay?

Spoiler Alert: Don't read the below paragraph unless you're up to date on "The Sopranos."

I am an avid and loyal viewer of "The Sopranos." I've seen every single episode with one exception (Dr. Melfi being raped? No thank you). I love "The Sopranos" and I respect that it is RISKY. A lot has been written lately about the fact that Tony is both the hero AND the villain and how that is a brave and tricky concept, one that almost no other show has dared to tackle. I agree, but I won't get into that specifically because David Edelstein and David Remnick have stated it better than I ever could. What I will say is this - David Chase is fucking brilliant. Know why? Because he knows exactly what the viewers want and time and time again, he feeds them the opposite. He kills Adrianna, arguably the heart of the show. We want Christopher to redeem himself, he doesn't. We want Tony to be faithful to Carmela, he constantly sleeps around. Chase puts AJ, a pathetic little shit, center stage in the final season. If last night's episode is any indication, it appears that Chase's determination to be unpredictable will carry through to the last drop of the series. We love the rapport between Dr. Melfi and Tony, he has them terminate their relationship with a scathing argument. A lot of us (at least in my family) hate Paulie and love Sil - the former is spared while the latter is shot up. Bobby, the Italian mensch of the group, appears to be shot "800 times" (by my roommate's count which, though exaggerated, is what it felt like watching it). And just when some of us were wondering if Tony was perhaps too much of a bad guy, maybe too evil for us to root for, Chase puts his life in imminent danger and I don't think there's anyone watching who isn't hoping and praying that he survives and kicks some ass in the process. I'll really miss "The Sopranos," I think I'm somewhat in denial that it is ending for good. I applaud it for being so enjoyable and so incredibly tense at the same time. The only thing that cheers me up is that I just googled Satriale's and it exists in real life! (and is "New Jersey's Favorite Pork Store" of course).