Well, at least nobody can accuse you of marching in lockstep with popular opinion. Defending AJ is a tough sell (especially in the final season) but you did a good job. I had a rough childhood, but it made me stronger and better equipped for the real world. I feel like AJ’s childhood had the opposite effect on him.
Wow, what an amazing content. I am not much into videos analyzing movies but I subscribe jus as a token of appreciation. I find it unbelieveable that you have so few subscribers. I guess you must have heavily offended gods of algorithm, somehow.
Thank you for subscribing! 😃 There's a lot of advice going around about "how to get big" and I've not followed any of it 😅 I can't complain though because now my stuff is getting watched compared to a couple of years ago when it was
Absolutely! 👏 As Tony himself says _"You're a nice guy, AJ, and that's a good thing!"_ as if it didn't _go without saying_ that being nice is a good thing 😅
Your’re amazing. Great mind, wonderful analyses. I came across your channel via the Cast Away and Gattaca videos. Terrific ideas in those! The amount views you have on your vids are criminal, you should be in the top tier. Keep going man, I will watch every last one of thesis videos from here on out.
😭 Thank you for the feedback! 😃 Now that I think about it, I should have put some malapropisms in, like how AJ pronounced Nietzsche as _Neechy_ 😅Next time maybe ☕
A lot of people hate AJ because they think he's annoying and a spoiled brat. And he is indeed a spoiled brat. But to be honest, as I rewatched the show, he's pretty much relatable than a lot of people think. These people who hate on AJ deep down realize that they see themselves in him. Every time AJ thinks independently and speaks intelligently, Tony and Carmela immediately shut him down. AJ makes a comment; Tony dismisses it and that's the end of it. In the episode "D-Girl", Pussy seemed more like a father of AJ teaching him to respect the value of things and giving him some sage advice more than Tony ever did. They tell him to wait outside when he's brought some place, he never had a voice in anything. The worst thing that Tony ever did to AJ was not the smack or yanking him out of bed, it was the "male heir" comment. That was totally fucked up. Carmela called him an animal when she and Tony caught him smoking weed in the garage. AJ didn't wanna go fishing, Tony out of pettiness and immaturity misses his swimming competition on purpose. He never really had a chance.
Well said 👏 An aspect which I cut from this video was how often the writers used AJ as a punchline, like the scene I used for the emotional coder to this video where Tony bails him out of jail ends with AJ retching/throwing up, which undermines the emotional breakthrough the two characters just went through. It's a great point you made about how seriously BP treated AJ as his godfather, but likewise this seems incidental, as the writers were probably including this to benefit BP's character regardless of AJ. I cut this aspect from the video because it seemed more like criticizing the show than analyzing the character - i.e. don't worry about creative decisions just worry about the creation - but I may circle back to this dynamic as they seemed to do the same 'hollow punchline' thing to other characters with potential like Artie and Janice. Thank you for the great comment! 😃
Do you take requests? I have watched so many movies and would like to hear your take on some of them. As far as this, you hit the nail right on the head. AJ was just trying to belong, but his parents kept him in an emotional purgatory because they were neglectful enough to throw AJ over the side but overprotective enough to prevent Him from becoming His own Man. They didn’t want him going to the military, they didn’t want him in the “waste management business”, they didn’t want him to do this or that. You’re right, he wanted to fit in somewhere..whether it was in a life of crime, at school, or even in the military. Nothing worked. The only thing he ever got to do was excel at the pizzeria that he worked at. I honestly felt bad for the kid, and can understand where he’s coming from as you try to fit in certain places but it’s just not there for you. In the end of the day, he was really just a pretty good kid who wanted the approval of his big shot father. I personally HATED Tony Soprano! He was such a prick. He made some good points throughout the series and my goodness was James Gandolfini a genius, but that character was insufferable. Cheating on his wife left and right, living a life of hypocrisy, voluntarily goes to a therapist (derapiss) and acts like he’s being forced to go, and just acts like a jerkoff 24/7. But AJ STILL wanted to be accepted by Him even though He wanted NOTHING to do with being like Him. It goes to show You what a powerful influence a Father had over His Son. His Sister was up and down. She had Her moments..but overall I found Her highly annoying. The Mother was the WORST! She was so full of crap and was just not a good Mother. She may have been the biggest hypocrite of them all.
It's so encouraging to read this, thank you! I agree with your assessments of Tony and the whole family; aside from the plot, the secondary/tertiary characters kept me watching - i.e. Chris, Adriana, Steve Buscemi, etc. - but the actual Soprano family was routinely frustrating (except for Uncle Junior being sheer comedy gold) 😅 Between work and family, making videos takes a very long time and I'm already working on multiple projects right now, so if I took a request it could be years before I actually started working on it 😖 Having said that, I'm happy to chat about movies through the socials listed on the channel, or even just in the comments here 😃
@@ExtraCheeseProject That’s awesome! I can imagine a lot of work goes into it. I could talk movies all day so to see someone with the insight that you have is great. I’m subscribing so that I don’t miss when You do have videos. What are some of your favorite movies? I’ll rattle off a few of mine..The Natural, Fight Club, The Drop, Warrior, The Terminator, all the Rocky movies, No Country For Old Men, Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Falling Down,
Awesome, thank you for subscribing! 😃 From your list I haven't seen 'The Drop' or 'The Natural' so I'm gonna watch them this weekend if I have time 😁 The others on your list are some of my favorites as well, especially Fight Club: I saw another video essay - *'Fight Club: The twist that no one noticed'* - it's a great video and a lot to think about! I'd usually list classic fantasy and sci fi movies - i.e. Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes (the originals, although the remakes are good too), Lord of the Rings, Blade Runner - although whenever I've been pinned down to pick a *Top Three* it's (in no particular order) The Thing (1982), The Burbs (1989), and The French Connection (1971) because these three made such an impact on my formative years 😁
@@ExtraCheeseProject yeah if it’s the one by what is anti-logic I saw that analysis of fight club. It blew my mind. The natural is an old-school baseball movie from the middle or the late 80s with Robert Redford playing a young phenom back in like the 30s or 40s time setting and his life and career get derailed by an incident and he shows up about 16 years later and he’s a middle-aged man looking to pursue his baseball dream. Seems somewhat superficial, but the movies got some pretty deep meaning. I have always loved it for my own reasons but then after seeing some analysis videos on it, I really have seen the genius of the movie. The drop is with Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini. You have to watch it! It’s phenomenal. Total sleeper.
@@blacjackdaniels200 The way you described 'The Natural' reminded me of Danny McBride's 'Eastbound & Down' which I'm sure is a completely different vibe 😅 It sounds like a great film, 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and 'The Sting' are other favorites, so Robert Redford in a film is always a plus 🙂 Tom Hardy is incredible as well, I recently watched 'The Bike Riders' and was impressed, there's a kind of _honesty_ to that film, which as a concept is hard to pin down, so it's more like a _"I know it when I see it"_ thing 🤌
Another great examination. I have to say, Im a big fan of mafia (global wise) stuff. I suggest watching Godfather part 3 with the view of 'you reap what you sow." I think its the best, most realistic, but people hate if because they are fuckin stupid and think that criminals are exempt from bad shit happening in the end...Also the female dynamics of part 3 are completely ignored and disregarded, which is a mistake. But sorry for the rant. Great job again. Also, did you see the Sopranos movie?
I've never watched Part 3 because I always stop at Part 2 due to all of the stigma, but next time I watch The Godfather I'll watch the full trilogy, i.e. give it a fair shake 😄 Thank you for the feedback! 😃
I agree, the source file sounds fine, so I think it's compression during the upload making the audio a bit muddled; next time I'll bring the music down by about a quarter to account for this (you live and learn) 😅 Thank you for the feedback!
Man how do you NOT feel bad for AJ. Being a son is hard enough, but in Tony's house? Good God I'd tie a cinderblock to myself too.
Well, at least nobody can accuse you of marching in lockstep with popular opinion. Defending AJ is a tough sell (especially in the final season) but you did a good job.
I had a rough childhood, but it made me stronger and better equipped for the real world. I feel like AJ’s childhood had the opposite effect on him.
Yeah somehow AJ got _the worst of both worlds._ Thank you for the feedback! 😃
Wow, what an amazing content. I am not much into videos analyzing movies but I subscribe jus as a token of appreciation.
I find it unbelieveable that you have so few subscribers. I guess you must have heavily offended gods of algorithm, somehow.
Thank you for subscribing! 😃 There's a lot of advice going around about "how to get big" and I've not followed any of it 😅 I can't complain though because now my stuff is getting watched compared to a couple of years ago when it was
AJ is just like his father without the violent antisocial disorder. He’s meek and defenseless and filled with anxiety.
Absolutely! 👏 As Tony himself says _"You're a nice guy, AJ, and that's a good thing!"_ as if it didn't _go without saying_ that being nice is a good thing 😅
Your’re amazing. Great mind, wonderful analyses. I came across your channel via the Cast Away and Gattaca videos. Terrific ideas in those! The amount views you have on your vids are criminal, you should be in the top tier. Keep going man, I will watch every last one of thesis videos from here on out.
Thank you so much! This feedback is so encouraging that it's made my year! 😭🥲🙏
@@ExtraCheeseProject meant every word buddy! Keep grinding 💪
Oh wow, I just subscribed. I love videos like this❤
Thank you! That's so encouraging 😃
loved this! made me wanna cry, poor AJ :(
😭 Thank you for the feedback! 😃 Now that I think about it, I should have put some malapropisms in, like how AJ pronounced Nietzsche as _Neechy_ 😅Next time maybe ☕
A lot of people hate AJ because they think he's annoying and a spoiled brat. And he is indeed a spoiled brat. But to be honest, as I rewatched the show, he's pretty much relatable than a lot of people think. These people who hate on AJ deep down realize that they see themselves in him.
Every time AJ thinks independently and speaks intelligently, Tony and Carmela immediately shut him down. AJ makes a comment; Tony dismisses it and that's the end of it.
In the episode "D-Girl", Pussy seemed more like a father of AJ teaching him to respect the value of things and giving him some sage advice more than Tony ever did. They tell him to wait outside when he's brought some place, he never had a voice in anything.
The worst thing that Tony ever did to AJ was not the smack or yanking him out of bed, it was the "male heir" comment. That was totally fucked up. Carmela called him an animal when she and Tony caught him smoking weed in the garage.
AJ didn't wanna go fishing, Tony out of pettiness and immaturity misses his swimming competition on purpose.
He never really had a chance.
Well said 👏 An aspect which I cut from this video was how often the writers used AJ as a punchline, like the scene I used for the emotional coder to this video where Tony bails him out of jail ends with AJ retching/throwing up, which undermines the emotional breakthrough the two characters just went through. It's a great point you made about how seriously BP treated AJ as his godfather, but likewise this seems incidental, as the writers were probably including this to benefit BP's character regardless of AJ.
I cut this aspect from the video because it seemed more like criticizing the show than analyzing the character - i.e. don't worry about creative decisions just worry about the creation - but I may circle back to this dynamic as they seemed to do the same 'hollow punchline' thing to other characters with potential like Artie and Janice.
Thank you for the great comment! 😃
Do you take requests? I have watched so many movies and would like to hear your take on some of them.
As far as this, you hit the nail right on the head. AJ was just trying to belong, but his parents kept him in an emotional purgatory because they were neglectful enough to throw AJ over the side but overprotective enough to prevent Him from becoming His own Man. They didn’t want him going to the military, they didn’t want him in the “waste management business”, they didn’t want him to do this or that.
You’re right, he wanted to fit in somewhere..whether it was in a life of crime, at school, or even in the military. Nothing worked. The only thing he ever got to do was excel at the pizzeria that he worked at. I honestly felt bad for the kid, and can understand where he’s coming from as you try to fit in certain places but it’s just not there for you.
In the end of the day, he was really just a pretty good kid who wanted the approval of his big shot father.
I personally HATED Tony Soprano! He was such a prick. He made some good points throughout the series and my goodness was James Gandolfini a genius, but that character was insufferable. Cheating on his wife left and right, living a life of hypocrisy, voluntarily goes to a therapist (derapiss) and acts like he’s being forced to go, and just acts like a jerkoff 24/7. But AJ STILL wanted to be accepted by Him even though He wanted NOTHING to do with being like Him. It goes to show You what a powerful influence a Father had over His Son. His Sister was up and down. She had Her moments..but overall I found Her highly annoying. The Mother was the WORST! She was so full of crap and was just not a good Mother. She may have been the biggest hypocrite of them all.
It's so encouraging to read this, thank you! I agree with your assessments of Tony and the whole family; aside from the plot, the secondary/tertiary characters kept me watching - i.e. Chris, Adriana, Steve Buscemi, etc. - but the actual Soprano family was routinely frustrating (except for Uncle Junior being sheer comedy gold) 😅
Between work and family, making videos takes a very long time and I'm already working on multiple projects right now, so if I took a request it could be years before I actually started working on it 😖 Having said that, I'm happy to chat about movies through the socials listed on the channel, or even just in the comments here 😃
@@ExtraCheeseProject That’s awesome! I can imagine a lot of work goes into it. I could talk movies all day so to see someone with the insight that you have is great. I’m subscribing so that I don’t miss when You do have videos. What are some of your favorite movies? I’ll rattle off a few of mine..The Natural, Fight Club, The Drop, Warrior, The Terminator, all the Rocky movies, No Country For Old Men, Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Falling Down,
Awesome, thank you for subscribing! 😃 From your list I haven't seen 'The Drop' or 'The Natural' so I'm gonna watch them this weekend if I have time 😁 The others on your list are some of my favorites as well, especially Fight Club: I saw another video essay - *'Fight Club: The twist that no one noticed'* - it's a great video and a lot to think about! I'd usually list classic fantasy and sci fi movies - i.e. Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes (the originals, although the remakes are good too), Lord of the Rings, Blade Runner - although whenever I've been pinned down to pick a *Top Three* it's (in no particular order) The Thing (1982), The Burbs (1989), and The French Connection (1971) because these three made such an impact on my formative years 😁
@@ExtraCheeseProject yeah if it’s the one by what is anti-logic I saw that analysis of fight club. It blew my mind. The natural is an old-school baseball movie from the middle or the late 80s with Robert Redford playing a young phenom back in like the 30s or 40s time setting and his life and career get derailed by an incident and he shows up about 16 years later and he’s a middle-aged man looking to pursue his baseball dream. Seems somewhat superficial, but the movies got some pretty deep meaning. I have always loved it for my own reasons but then after seeing some analysis videos on it, I really have seen the genius of the movie.
The drop is with Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini. You have to watch it! It’s phenomenal. Total sleeper.
@@blacjackdaniels200 The way you described 'The Natural' reminded me of Danny McBride's 'Eastbound & Down' which I'm sure is a completely different vibe 😅 It sounds like a great film, 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and 'The Sting' are other favorites, so Robert Redford in a film is always a plus 🙂 Tom Hardy is incredible as well, I recently watched 'The Bike Riders' and was impressed, there's a kind of _honesty_ to that film, which as a concept is hard to pin down, so it's more like a _"I know it when I see it"_ thing 🤌
Another great examination. I have to say, Im a big fan of mafia (global wise) stuff. I suggest watching Godfather part 3 with the view of 'you reap what you sow." I think its the best, most realistic, but people hate if because they are fuckin stupid and think that criminals are exempt from bad shit happening in the end...Also the female dynamics of part 3 are completely ignored and disregarded, which is a mistake. But sorry for the rant. Great job again. Also, did you see the Sopranos movie?
I've never watched Part 3 because I always stop at Part 2 due to all of the stigma, but next time I watch The Godfather I'll watch the full trilogy, i.e. give it a fair shake 😄 Thank you for the feedback! 😃
Excellent vdideo, but the background music is a bit too loud.
I agree, the source file sounds fine, so I think it's compression during the upload making the audio a bit muddled; next time I'll bring the music down by about a quarter to account for this (you live and learn) 😅 Thank you for the feedback!
First
Lately, it feels like you could also say 'last' 😅 Either way, thank you for watching! 😀
@@ExtraCheeseProject Keep it up bro
@@GodSaveTheTsar Thank you for the support! I enjoy making longform videos so, as long as I still have ideas for them, I'll keep at it 🙂