Categorie archief: Televisie

R.I.P. Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Vincent Pastore, the Italian-American actor from New York who played the legendary Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero in The Sopranos, has died. He was 80 years old.

Pastore was a former club owner in New Rochelle, New York. He became friends with Matt Dillon and Kevin Dillon – two of his regulars – who convinced him to try acting. He was in his forties when he got into the business. He died with nearly 200 film credits to his name (including Flodder in Amerika!).

In 1990, he had a small role in GoodFellas (credited as ‘Man with Coatrack’), one of the greatest gangster films ever made. That year marked the start of the decade of the mob movie, and Pastore appeared in many of them: State of Grace, New Jack City, Carlito’s Way, Sugar Hill, Gotti, The Last Don, A Brooklyn State of Mind, and Witness to the Mob.

In 1999, he was cast in The Sopranos as Big Pussy Bonpensiero, one of Tony Soprano’s crew members. His character’s name was based on a real gangster, apparently – something show creator David Chase had picked up somewhere. In fact, there were two Pussys in the mob: Big Pussy and Little Pussy. This became one of the big mob jokes in the pilot episode:

HESH: I hear Junior wants to whack Pussy Bonpensiero?
TONY: Pussy Malanga.
HESH: Oh, Little Pussy?
TONY: Yeah, Little Pussy. What, you think he’s gonna fuck with Big Pussy? My Pussy?

In the first season, Big Pussy became one of the leading characters. Then, in episode 11, Tony is told by a corrupt cop on his payroll that Pussy is a rat. A heartbroken Tony tells his soldier Paulie to go and check, and after a tense confrontation, Pussy flees.

Later that season, Tony suspects the cop was actually referring to Jimmy Altieri, another “fat fuck with black hair”, and Jimmy is killed on Tony’s orders. Pussy is exonerated, but he remains on the run, fearing his friends want to whack him.

When season one became a phenomenal success, fans wondered what happened to Pussy. David Chase realized he had to bring him back for season two. And so Pussy returns – only for us to quickly discover he’s working with the FBI to get Tony indicted. The way Tony eventually discovers this, and deals with it, leads to my favorite moment in The Sopranos in my favorite television episode of all time, from any show.

He would always remain famous for this role. I remember him coming on the ‘Talking Sopranos’ podcast, telling the story of how he took his grandchildren to the zoo and people recognized him: “Hey, it’s Pussy!”

So, 26 years after his fictional death in Funhouse, now Pussy has joined Tony (James Gandolfini) and Paulie (Tony Sirico) in Tony’s heaven crew.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Read some of Big Pussy’s best lines on The Sopranos here.

F1rst Season Review: The Studio

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

The Studio is an inventive Apple TV+ comedy co-created by Seth Rogen, who also stars as Matt Remick, the head of Hollywood’s Continental Studios.

Remick should be the ruthless studio executive calling the shots, but he acts like a major pussy instead. He craves more than anything to be liked by the movie talents he so admires. Think Michael Scott in the movie business. His need to be liked and respected makes it nearly impossible for him to run the studio effectively.

It was high time for a show that satirizes the current state of the film industry, and The Studio delivers brilliantly. The series offers a slightly exaggerated (but not by much) behind-the-scenes look at mainstream filmmaking – how creatives and executives talk, how egos collide, and how projects rise and fall.

Each episode revolves around a cinematic theme – the long shot, the director’s cut, the cash grab, the missing real – presenting Matt and his team with a new challenge to tackle. The show is packed with cameos from actors and directors playing obnoxious, often hilarious versions of themselves.

Take Ron Howard in Episode 3, “The Director’s Cut”: He’s made a new movie, Alphabet City, which Matt and his team adore, except for one terrible, overlong sequence that everyone hates and no one understands. It’s Matt’s job to tell Howard to cut it, but he lacks the guts. This results in pure comedy gold.

The joke density is relentlessly high, and at times, it’s even more cringe-inducing than The Office at its worst. In one painfully awkward scene, Matt tries to insert himself into Zoë Kravitz’s Golden Globes speech via teleprompter, desperate for a shoutout to feed his fragile ego – only to be bleeped out, while Netflix’s Ted Sarandos gets thanked constantly.

The supporting cast is outstanding, with Bryan Cranston totally killing it as Continental’s CEO, Griffin Mill. I’m eagerly awaiting the next season and the clever movies within the movie they’ll dream up next. Dumb Guys 3 anyone?

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F1rst Season Review: MobLand

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

In 1980, Pierce Brosnan made his screen debut in The Long Good Friday, one of the greatest British gangster films ever made, starring Helen Mirren. Now, 45 years later, Brosnan and Mirren reunite as the power couple at the heart of SkyShowtime’s hit series MobLand, joined by Tom Hardy and Paddy Considine in pivotal roles.

The show’s creator, Ronan Bennett, is no stranger to crime drama, having previously helmed the British series Top Boy and written the screenplay for Michael Mann’s Public Enemies (2009), the John Dillinger biopic.

The first two episodes of MobLand are directed by Guy Ritchie, and the series takes off like a rocket. We’re thrown into the chaos as Eddie Harrigan – the volatile grandson of gangster boss Conrad Harrison (Brosnan) – causes mayhem in a London nightclub, all set to the high-energy beats of The Prodigy’s Firestarter.

Tom Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, the Harrigans’ fixer, called in to clean up Eddie’s mess. But this is only the beginning. As the Harrigans – all of them unhinged, especially Conrad and his wife Maeve (Mirren) – plunge into a brutal gang war with rival Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell), Harry’s workload only intensifies. The first season unfolds as a single, gripping narrative across ten episodes, chronicling this violent feud.

What sets MobLand apart is Maeve’s role: she’s far from the typical ‘gangster’s wife’. She’s a full-fledged partner in crime, her schemes and manipulations often outshining even her husband’s ruthlessness. Together, they’re the Macbeths of London’s underworld.

That said, the story doesn’t break much new ground. The show occasionally veers into the absurd, particularly in a Rambo-esque warehouse scene where Harry single-handedly takes out dozens of gangsters. There are plot twists and brutal murders – some land, others don’t. In a masterclass like The Sopranos, these elements feel organic. Here, they sometimes come across as a smokescreen for the lack of deeper substance, even if the series remains entertaining.

Another issue is the sheer savagery of the lead characters. They’re so cruel and unlikable that it’s hard to care about their fates. At times, I even found myself rooting for their downfall, which isn’t usually the point of a story told from one perspective.

The season ends with the introduction of a new female gang boss, Kat McAllister (Janet McTeer of Ozark fame), but she didn’t leave much of an impression on me. So, I’m not particularly hyped for Season 2.

Adding to the uncertainty, news broke this week that Tom Hardy has been fired from the show due to troublesome behavior, meaning fans will have to watch Season 3 without him.

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F1rst Season Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

While waiting for season 3 of House of the Dragon – a show I am possibly enjoying even more than Game of Thrones – HBO has dropped a third Westeros show, which is titled: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This is a prequel to Game of Thrones.

This is quite a different beast (dragon) than the previous two shows. It is lighter on its feet – in the beginning at least – and shorter in duration: season one consists of only six episodes of around 35 minutes each. It is however filled with interesting stories and memorable characters and is quite frankly a must see.

The show is an adaptation of ‘The Tales of Dunk and Egg’ series of novellas by George R. R. Martin, beginning with ‘The Hedge Knight’. It’s about a knight – Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Duncan’s master has died, but he made him a knight before he departed. Now Duncan wants to enter a tournament in Ashford.

At first glance, Dunc comes across as something of a lovable goof, but there’s an underlying depth to him that becomes evident early on and that’s what makes this series so compelling. The magic lies in the slow-burn revelation: as viewers, we’re right there with him on his journey, uncovering his layers as he uncovers them himself.

His partner in adventure, the quick-witted and resourceful Egg – brilliantly brought to life by Dexter Sol Ansell – adds the perfect dynamic: where Dunc stumbles, Egg steps in with sharpness and charm, making their bond one of the show’s strongest assets.

At the gathering in Ashford, a contingent of Targaryens arrives and, as we’ve come to expect from this family, their presence spells trouble. The tension escalates when Duncan strikes Prince Aerion ‘Brightflame’ Targaryen in defense of a lady’s honor, setting the stage for the fifth episode’s trial by combat.

This is where the show gets really exciting: a trial of seven, pitting seven knights against seven others in a brutal, no-holds-barred showdown. It’s easily one of the most visceral medieval battles I’ve ever seen on screen, with cinematography so stunning it leaves you breathless.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms feels refreshingly vibrant. It balances sharp humor, razor-sharp writing, and rich character development, all while delivering the lavish production values you’d expect from a Game of Thrones universe.

I eagerly await season 2 arriving in 2027. In the meantime, House of the Dragon Season 3 arrives in June 2026, promising an all-out war as the Dance of the Dragons erupts into full-scale battles. With the story hurtling toward its four-season climax, the stage is set for epic, fire-breathing chaos.

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