#275 Mr. Crossing The Streams (Bonus Ep75) – Great TV binge watching suggestions!

CTS Announcer 0:01

Looking for your next TV show or movie to binge? Well buckle up, grab the remote and settle into your couch for this special edition of crossing the streams. We're here to help you tune in and get the most out of those 50 monthly streaming channels you're currently paying for. So without any further ado, here's your host of crossing the streams. Jeff Dwoskin.

Jeff Dwoskin 0:29

Hey, oh, it is I Jeff Dwoskin, your host of classic conversations and your guide through this bonus episode of crossing the streams. What is crossing the streams? It's where we answer the universal question. What should I be binge watching next? You just watched something. And now you got to watch something else. Well, you've come to the right place. We've got your back on our YouTube channel. We have over 125 hours of binge watching streaming suggestions just waiting for you. Those are the full shows right here right now. We have three segments from three of those shows coming right at ya. That's right. I'm live episode 23 all the way back from Live episode 23 The West Wing we have from Live episode 43 Many saints of Newark and Mr. Korman on Apple TV coming to us from Live episode 37. So much goodness coming atcha me my co hosts guests just sharing shows we think you'll love and should check out. Well. Without further ado, let's jump into many saints of new work from a live episode 43 Saudi Emilio Take it away, saying I'm excited to talk about it. It's the many saints of Newark. This is the prequel to The Sopranos. So Sally is going to take lead on it I've seen I've seen the first half. And James has seen it as well.

Sal Demilio 1:58

Well, I'd love to hear you guys's take on it. If you've seen it. I could spend the whole hour on this. So I'm not going to kind of paraphrase. But basically, I saw it at the movies. I didn't want to see it on HBO Max. I'm like, I gotta see this on the big screen. So I went to like one of the first movies at noon on Friday. I was not expecting it to be like this, to be honest with you. But I can see why now that I've that I've seen the movie. I know what's going on and I'll tell you what I think is going to happen. But basically this movie is the prequel, Tony Soprano is like nine years old in this movie that he's 18 But really the movies about Dickie mazzani, which is Christopher's father in the original sopranos, played by Michael Imperioli, the movies really I think I'd love to hear you guys say but I think it's about him. Because the whole movie revolves around him. It takes place in the 60s, Tony Soprano, and obviously Christopher wasn't even born yet. So those characters don't even come out into this movie. And Michael gana Feeny did a great job. But he wasn't really given a lot of material, or he wasn't given a lot of serious lines, or he really didn't have to stretch his emotions too much. But he did a great job. He's 22 years old, he's probably got some of the best acting coaches so that kids future's bright, but I don't think he was thrown into a big role in this. It was more of the really older who played Tony Soprano, his father, he actually played his brother as well. And this basically without giving too much away, I thought it was very, very well done. But what I think is gonna happen David Chase has many, many more, maybe even a whole new series because the movie was just so so shortened time compared to the show, you know, towards the end. I mean, at the end of the movie, you know, Christopher's just being born and Tony Soprano was only 18. So they have so much more to do on this. They can take that story all the way up until the sopranos that's my take on it, but I thought it was very, very well. Very well done. I get the five tomato sauce jars me and I loved it.

Ron Lippitt 3:59

Wow, five tomato sauce jars. Yeah,

Sal Demilio 4:01

I loved it. Yeah, I did.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:04

Wow, I had a different feeling about it. Here's the thing. I am not into prequel movies. I'm not into like the guy trying to now act like little Stephen, you know, and like it just really trying to figure out who everyone is. And in the obvious self awareness of things that are going on, like Christopher, who was actually is actually born at the halfway mark, but like, in front of the young Tony Soprano, and someone's like, babies sometimes No, yeah, is the whole theme in the beginning. Like Christopher the character is narrating from beyond the grave and makes a point five times to remind us that Tony Soprano killed him in the beginning. And you know, it just it just played out like it was any mob show. And so I was just like, why don't you just make a mob show and somebody must have been Like dealing and wheeling and dealing with Ray Liotta 's agent because in the beginning he plays the stereotypical Ray Liotta character, you know that over the top high on is just like and then he dies. How was that what had died and then suddenly he's the jazz aficionado been in jail, rather of the person that was killed your hip the other version of really? He's like jazz. Yeah, he's so so so cool about jazz he's returning records that aren't jazz. And is this like, God? I don't know. I don't like I didn't like the Star Wars prequels either I just I hate when they purposely tried to connect to things that didn't need to connect. I always rather a story go forward and try and show you that the history the home movies,

Speaker 4 5:54

maybe that's what the many saints was missing. It was missing Jar Jar Binks and that.

Ron Lippitt 6:01

Yeah, well, so first off, first off, Jeff, I would say that the folks that Godfather two might might disagree with you, but putting the pieces together. About a prequel about a prequel and having having the pieces fit perfectly together.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:15

Robert Janiero wasn't doing a Marlon Brando impersonation person.

Ron Lippitt 6:19

Got it? Well, so I guess that's my question to Sally. So is the movie I haven't seen it yet. So there's the movie? Is it a one and done prequel? Or is there more material?

Sal Demilio 6:31

I think there's a ton of room because I think and I probably should have gave it for tomato sauce jars, because to make it five, I think they should have taken a bigger, bigger time period. Take it take it up to you know, where Christopher and Tony are in their 20s and 30s. But I think that's what they're setting up through either another movie or maybe even another series, with Michael Gandolfini, just Yes,

Ron Lippitt 6:53

yeah. Can I see if that's what they're doing? I can get behind that. Because, you know, first off the sopranos is a top five show on anybody's list. Right. So if you if you can honor that show, by creating content that's worthy of it, especially in chapters like it is, it sounds like you're there setting up that I I respect that even if it's not, it'll never be the caliber of sopranos? No, but that's okay. It doesn't need to be

Sal Demilio 7:20

correct. I agree. There's only one James Gandolfini that can make the old James Gandolfini was still live in this thing would be unbelievable, obviously. Right? But But

Jeff Dwoskin 7:29

the issue with making it the sopranos is there's none of those characters can die. Right? So there's no stakes with any of those characters, because they have to live to be correct heard of The Sopranos. So why not just create a new story. That's what that's why I say, like, all these reboots, or reduce or whatever, it's like, just come up with a new story. I mean, just come up with something else. I mean, it's like

Speaker 4 7:53

they gotta kill off new newly established or newly introduced characters, I'll just real quickly, my wife said, Nope, and walked out about 30 minutes into it. It's like, it's like, all over the place. I can't even follow it. I sat through the whole thing. And although I liked some of the performances, I was like, if you're gonna make this into a series, because one of my friends is like, oh, he'll have another movie on this. And I'm like, I don't want to watch another movie on it. You could possibly get my attention on it if you make it into a new series. But the thing about I love the period, I love the time frame in the 60s, the 70s grew up in those 60s and 70s. So I liked the time period, but I'm the same way. I know that Jr. and his mom, and you know, and the guy that was doing the impersonation of Stevie is actually a very good actor. And he got his walk and everything down but I just felt like doing the impersonation was was too much. You know, but I enjoyed it enough that I finished the whole thing.

Ron Lippitt 8:55

Sure. Interesting, you know, so I'm a big fan of Breaking Bad and then Better Call Saul, right? And so I'm using this as comparison because Better Call Saul is essentially a prequel series to Breaking Bad and in this particular case, I happen to think the writing and performances are every bit the caliber of Breaking Bad so I guess what I'm saying is it's possible to create content that's worthy of its predecessor the sopranos though man you're you're picking a super hard precedent.

Sal Demilio 9:30

Yeah, it's it's it's tough to read duplicate that sale but I thought they did a decent job David Chase is behind it. And Alan Taylor directed it so I mean, I thought it was well done, but I wish I would have I wish any objection I wish it would have been a longer set movie like just show more. There was only so you know, as a lot of it was about the jersey riots and 67 I mean, a lot of the movie was that

Speaker 4 9:55

I think they were they were establishing the new the African American guys a new character. correct to take take it somewhere because again, they can't do that much with the characters that we know correct we already know their backstory to a certain degree you know, we know where Carmen and all them ended up and how they ended up you know we in flashbacks and and you know storytelling in the first the first show of The Sopranos we kind of know all that. So they have to introduce new compelling characters for us to be interested in because there's only so much you can do with the people that we know. Yeah, I'd give it three and a half slices of pizza

Jeff Dwoskin 10:38

All right, thank you sounds Emilio and James Healy Jr. For all of your perspective on the many saints of Newark, the prequel to The Sopranos. I will defend myself real quick when Ron lipid said, well, Godfather two was a good prequel. Yes, it was, but it was also written in and taken from the same book that the original Godfather movie was. So that story was all weave together at the same time. 30 years later, Mario Puzo didn't say, let's write a backstory to the Godfather and make it all make sense. It already made sense. That's the difference. Anyway, let's move on. Let's head over to a segment from Live episode 37. Mr. Korman? Take it away, Ryan Lippitt. Tell us all about Mr. Korman.

Ron Lippitt 11:21

You know, what's an Apple TV's got good stuff. I think it's not it's not just head last, although I will say it's Jeff. It's still such a freaking good show. It's at last so it is the anchor. It is the anchor. So those of you listening if you haven't, if you haven't caught Ted last. So yeah, you've got to check out the show. It literally is the best show. And I asked Would it be funny for a non sports fan? Wonder percent my wife, my wife is not a sports fan. And my wife wouldn't know the first thing about soccer. And it's her favorite show.

Sal Demilio 11:49

Okay, that's the worst sport so it's not. So Right.

Ron Lippitt 11:53

Yeah, no one no unnecessarily so so let me tell you about, Mr. Korman, because this is a brand new release and Apple TV was produced by the 24 Production Company, which I you know, when I heard a 24 I'm like, gosh, I feel like I've heard this company before. And it wasn't until I looked it up that I realized they produce the witch Yeah, all those movies, you know, a number a number of horror movies Exactly. And a number that have won a bunch of awards. So they're, they're choosing good stuff and producing some really great stuff. You know, Joseph Gordon, love it. I you know, when I saw this guy, when I saw the ad for Mr. Korman, I'm looking at him. I'm like, I know, I've seen this guy somewhere before. I just cannot think of where it was. And then it suddenly it suddenly occurred to me, it was Batman.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:38

Robin. Oh, was he really? In the in the Nolan trilogy?

Ron Lippitt 12:44

I figured out for me personally, it was. Did anyone see the movie Snowden? You know about the intelligence officer, The True Story documentary? Oh, no. Oh my gosh, that was such a freaking good movie. And I remember at the time thing and gosh, whoever this is kid who's playing Edward Snowden is amazing. And it's Joseph Gordon Levitt and, and he's a talented dude. He's only he's, you know, just turned 40. He's a dancer, singer, producer, actor, writer. I mean, frickin, I'm always amazed by how talented some of these new folks are that that are appearing on these shows that are just excellent shows right out of the gate. We're three episodes in now to the very first season to 10 episode series. These are half our shows. And Mr. Korman is out by the way it is written, produced and starring Joseph Gordon Levitt, he just does it all.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:33

You know, tempos into episode. Oh,

Ron Lippitt 13:37

I liked you know, tempo. Juno Temple is That's exactly right. Zan

Jeff Dwoskin 13:41

to last. It was awesome. Really? Oh my gosh, yep, I watch this

Ron Lippitt 13:46

and The Other Boleyn Girl. But anyway. So So coming back to the conversation just the you and I had a little bit ago about about characters and the character study in the ark. So Mr. Korman is about a fifth grade fifth grade teacher in the San Fernando Valley that you know right from the start as a much like somehow becoming a teacher was like his fall back on from what he really wanted to do with his life and we're only again we're only three episodes in so I reserve the right to come back to this Jeff when we're at the end of the season because I have a sense for where this is going but bottom line is there's no doubt they have more than hinted of his love for music producing music and and writing it and perhaps even being a singer and you know band member so so you know something is coming from the story but it is a very dark story. It's a dark story about a guy who is seemingly given up on all of his dreams given up on life as a terrible relationship with with his mother doesn't have any meaningful close relationships with with girls and just as kind of a loser that is really suffering the effects of just kind of giving up on everything. And, you know, there's humor in it, but it's all kind You see these shows that it's really dark humor. So there's funny moments but it's all kind of wrapped around this just this dark story. And just this last episode the third episode, it became a musical like, like clear blue sky like they started him and his mother who hate each other are starting to like sing a really compelling song just like with all this episode three, so with all this crazy production and and just wow, amazing song, and then it kind of fizzles back into the real world into the and they're back in the story and they keep moving on as if as if nothing ever happened. But it just it's so courageous and it's so brilliant to produce a show like this. It just doesn't follow any any normal rules. And I have to tell you, I am completely buying into the show like it is really got me and I'm super excited to see where this character goes. I'm super excited to see the talent of Joseph Gordon Levitt and I think that this is going to be a huge winner for Apple TV again, I just, I guess I gotta get Apple TV now too.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:04

All right, that was Mr. Korman. Thank you, Ron lipid. We are always talking about how much we love to have is so here. I think it's come up in two of the random segments I pulled for today's show. Up next though, we have a special guest Brian Sweeney joined us on episode 23. Way back when to talk about the West Wing. Take it away, Brian. Brian A is going to take us to the West Wing, who was one of the greatest shows ever

Brian Sweany 16:33

go. Well, Brian one was talking about watching all these wacky shows and different shows the new shows and then I was doing that but then during the pandemic, I started just getting caught up on everything you know, so I watched Breaking Bad beginning to end I watched Better Call Saul beginning the end. I kind of like checked it off, check it off, check it off. Then if you remember in October, they had that election special where they aired Hartsfield's landing as a play. And I watched that and I was like, I forgot how much I liked this show. Because when so westwing aired from 99 to 206. And when it first aired, I actually lived out east near DC. So I kind of felt like you know, there was this kinship I had with it. And then of course 911 happened in West Wing became kind of just this escapist thing where you you you watched it because you wanted to remember or you wanted to believe that DC was a noble place that our leaders were noble people and and so it became kind of this aspirational show that I watched in real time. And then I you know, I watched like the first four seasons when Sorkin left, I basically left the show, and then kind of forgot about it. And then this came on and then I'm like, You know what, I'm going to sit down, I'm going to rewatch it. So from that moment from October until about the first of April, I rewatched, all seven seasons, 156 episodes to special episodes. So 158 One hour episodes, a lot of lot of TV watching regained my appreciation of it, but also looking at it through the lens of a 49 year old instead of a 32 year old I had a much different perception of the show, you know when you were young and when Sorkin was kind of new to the game. That whole single camera chasing people through offices was like, Well, I've never seen anything like this. This is awesome. And you watched it and then Sorkin would get on a soapbox and nine times out of 10 It was the same soapbox I was on so I was like oh, this is cool. And then I'm like now I'm like 49 Watch. I'm like he's pandering a little bit, isn't it? Yes, he's he's pandering and so some of it didn't work as well. But then I also kind of appreciated some of the posts Orkin stuff for that same reason that oh, it was it was good to take a break from him. If anybody is not familiar with the backstory. Sorkin left after season four Rob Lowe left after middle of season four. This was his character Sam seaborne he ran that's how he was written off the show. He ran for Congress in California and then just disappeared that the real reason is Martin Sheen was making 300 grand an episode and and Rob Lowe was making 75,000 grand in episode and really the the show was supposed to be at the very beginning. It was supposed to be about Rob Lowe. Sorkin had envisioned it as a show that would follow all all the like minor players you know, not the President not the Chief of Staff. But the people behind the West Wing and it would follow their lives because they'd be in the pilot episode was Rob blow sleeping with a hooker that's what the pilot was, is that Rob Lowe got in trouble for for sleeping with a $3,000 a night Call Girl by day or by night Lawyer by day of course lawsuit and by day so I put but the thing that I had and I had to write this down when I want to get this in is that what what blew me away about the show is it's basically the center of the television universe the the sheer enormity of cameos by actors and I'm talking like one episode or uncredited, big actors that just came in when and you're like, I remember none of these people being in the show. And the reason I don't remember any of them being in the show is because this is when they were cutting their teeth and these were their, their their first jobs. Let's see, we've obviously Elisabeth Moss was the daughter. He was pressed she was president Bartlett's daughter. And I was like, I don't I don't remember her being president by the end but her older sister was helped me out here. What's her name? She was in Mystic Pizza. The the one that hooked up with the teacher.

Howard Rosner 20:39

Sky. Julia Roberts. Yeah, it's

Brian Sweany 20:42

a sky. Yes, yes.

Bryan Green 20:44

Yeah. Yeah. Oddly

Howard Rosner 20:45

enough, was also with Rob Lowe and Wayne's World. Yep,

Brian Sweany 20:49

that's right. But then you had a So Glenn Close and Edward James almost were Bartlett's two Supreme Court Justice appointees. The one Supreme Court Justice appointee that he didn't that he ultimately rejected was, I think I wrote it down. Well, he played he played the coach in the light shadow. Remember him? Remember that show and this and then. Yeah, yeah.

Ron Lippitt 21:13

How are you like a savant?

Brian Sweany 21:16

But I mean, it was crazy. I mean, time. Ty Burrell was a Rotarian who wanted a seatbelt law. Amy Adams was a random Indiana farm girl, Jane Lynch was a member of the press corps for like an episode and a half, like these huge people that were just in and out that you never saw what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was, was James from good times. And he was replaced by John Locke from the from last like it was like, like there's there's 30 shows in every episode. You know, Ed O'Neill played a Pennsylvania Governor played the Pennsylvania Governor like it like so many people were in this show. And it was and to it's wild, because the show I always say the show starts with pagers and ends with cell phones, like you see in real time, like the world progressing into the 21st century. It was a treat I you know, I forgot episode or season six and seven. I watched for the first time I had never seen him. I was like Jimmy Smith's running for president. I totally forgot about that. And then I suddenly remembered Wait, Jenny Spence, Jimmy Smits was with John Spencer in LA law, like they were both lawyers on and so it was just, it was pretty fun to watch and it was exhausting for my wife because she was like, Are you what? Because I always because I had a rule you have to watch the you have to watch the intro song. You can't you can't press skip intro. It's part

Unknown Speaker 22:42

of our

Bryan Green 22:45

that song four times that song changes four times over the course of the show. The first version only lasted for three episodes and then changed it four times they slowed down the tempo. They brought up the tempo. That's true horns. Yeah, that's true fascinated by that.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:02

Channing was his wife, stalker. Wife. And then my the Elizabeth Elizabeth. The daughter you mentioned is she's just going into the fourth season right now The Handmaid's Tale and she was on Mad Mad Mad.

Brian Sweany 23:14

Yeah, yeah, she and I can't. That's another story entirely. I'm struggling with Handmaid's Tale right now. It's just so relentlessly oppressive and

Ron Lippitt 23:24

I dropped. I dropped I checked out on the third CFO

Jeff Dwoskin 23:28

I realized I was a guy I never watched it.

Brian Sweany 23:35

Let's rewatch Ted last Oh, for the fifth time just to

Howard Rosner 23:40

last so is the absolute sorbet of TV watching right now. You know, I wasn't a big West Wing guy watching sometimes. But I'm a big Sorkin fan. I feel to your point, Brian, of all these people. I feel like a lot of actors are the same about Sorkin as they are about Mamet. He writes dialogue. He writes smart dialogue. Sorkin preaches more than bam, it no question, you know, because like the newsroom was a great show Sorkin and super well acted, but obviously preachy, no question and vary from one political side. But take that out of it. The dialogue is just so smart. It's it is not dumbed down. It is. It is it does wrap

Bryan Green 24:28

up, pat, pat at the tat tat. And that's how the show moves along. And I think that the one thing about Aaron Sorkin is he had the right actors that was an ensemble that came together at the right time that all understood, even though that some of them were young or unknown, they understood how to elucidate that, that kind of that back and fourth, that pitter patter, in a way. I mean, you know, Sheen is brilliant in that role as president. He is brilliant and he he understands how to give a speech and convince you at home that he's the president. The United States you don't want him to be the President of the United States, and he does it in the sing songy voice I think you're right about the whole Mamet,

Jeff Dwoskin 25:06

that whole core cast is insane and the Allison Janie who was one of the best ever Brad Whitford amazing the late great John Spencer. You know, it's just Richard Schiff. I mean, like,

Brian Sweany 25:17

Elizabeth you know, with IN THE HANDMAID'S TALE you know, he's back he's in Handmaid's Tale and it's fancy and we'll play off each other with but he's he's in The Handmaid's Tale. He's one of the he's one of the commanders. He's one of the commanders he

Howard Rosner 25:31

went on to do studio 60 I think we'd forget. It was a great

Brian Sweany 25:39

one. I was gonna say, Brian was talking about the pitter patter what I enjoy watching oftentimes is American president because that was was gonna bring that up that was Sorkin kind of workshopping for for westwing. Later, because Martin was in fact Chief of Staff Chief of Staff. He was

Jeff Dwoskin 25:59

the American president is one of my favorite. Right. Michael Douglas, his speech. Hi.

Howard Rosner 26:07

If I'm wrong, but Sorkin wrote a few good men did he not? He did.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:13

Yeah. Did he write the play and movie or just?

Howard Rosner 26:17

I thought he wrote the screenplay. Yeah.

Ron Lippitt 26:21

He just couldn't handle the truth.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:22

You can't handle the truth that we're

Brian Sweany 26:23

moving social the social network fantastic, because I would feel like a few good men was probably the most organic of anything of anything he did.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:38

All right, thank you, Brian Sweeney for taking us through the West Wing. And a lot of people in there Brian Greene, lot of friends of the show, chatting away about the West Wing. We also had Mr. Korman from Live episode 37 and many saints of new work from a live episode 43 South Emilio James Healy, so much goodness, got a lot of homework in front of you a lot of shows to watch, go hop on the couch, find your cozy spot, grab the remote, cross your own streams, and we'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 27:11

Thanks for listening to this special edition of crossing the streams. Visit us on YouTube for full episodes and catch us live every Wednesday at 9:30pm. Eastern time. Now turn this off and go watch some TV. And don't forget to tell your family yeah, I'll be busy for a while.

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