Free Republic

The film whisks us back in time to a four-year period beginning in 1967, when violent race riots erupted in the New Jersey city of Newark. It introduces us to the generation of mobsters we only ever heard about in the TV series, and explains their formative influence on the young Anthony Soprano. [snip] Fans... will appreciate how well Gandolfini’s son Michael, who was just 13 when his father died eight years ago, plays the future crime lord as a teenager. It’s not just sentimental casting; he’s completely convincing. They will rejoice, too, in the portrayals of familiar characters as...

Woke up this morning, watched myself a film. Yes, 14 years after HBO’s groundbreaking drama series “The Sopranos” aired its final episode — controversial to this day — its movie prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” premiered Wednesday in New York. Fans packed every seat of the Beacon Theatre, and the dress code was “business.” Some ticketholders interpreted that as Tony Soprano-style tracksuits. They must’ve thought the invite said “family business.”

The widow of actor James Gandolfini has said it was 'surreal' to see his son Michael appearing as a young Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark...Michael, who was 14-years-old when his father died from a heart attack while on holiday in Rome, previously admitted he hadn't even watched The Sopranos until he came to audition for the role of Tony. However, after watching the series for research into his upcoming role, Michael told Esquire he started having dreams about his father: 'I had one where I auditioned for David and I looked down at my hands, and they...