Episode 107 - The Many Saints of Newark/Venom: Let There be Carnage

On tonight's kick-off episode of SHOCK-tober, Dom is joined once again by old friend and fellow movie critic Dustin "the Duster" Mason to discuss the two releases we got this past weekend: HBO Max's Sopranos prequel "The Many Saints of Newark" and the aptly anticipated "Venom: Let There be Carnage." The Many Saints of Newark is directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, it takes place during the 1960s and 1970s in Newark, New Jersey. The film follows a violent gang war from the perspectives of mobster Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher Moltisanti's father, and his teenage nephew, a young Tony Soprano, in the midst of the city's 1967 riots. It stars Alessandro Nivola as Dickie and Michael Gandolfini as Tony, the character originated by his father in the series, with Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga in supporting roles. The film is populated by Sopranos legacy characters, but does the film hold up the legacy of Chase's game changing series? They also cover Venom: Let There be Carnage, the sequel to the surprisingly successful 2018 Venom film, directed by Ruben Fleischer and starring Tom Hardy. This time, Andy Serkis hops in the directing chair with a screenplay by Kelly Marcel, based on a story she wrote with Hardy who returns as Eddie Brock / Venom alongside Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson. In the film, Brock tries to reignite his career in journalism by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady (Harrelson), who becomes the host of the alien symbiote spawn of Venom, named Carnage. Venom was intended to be the start of a new shared universe, and plans for a sequel began during production on the first film. Harrelson was cast to make a brief appearance as Kasady at the end of Venom with the intention of him becoming the villain Carnage in the sequel. Official work on the sequel began in January 2019, with Hardy and Harrelson confirmed to return along with Marcel as writer. Serkis was hired as director that August, partly due to his experience working with CGI and motion-capture technology which was an important part of portraying Venom and Carnage in the film. Filming took place at Leavesden Studios in England from November 2019 to February 2020, with additional filming in San Francisco in February. The title was announced in April 2020. The film was primarily inspired by the comic book story arc "Maximum Carnage" (1993) and animated series story arc The Venom Saga (1996). The film has been delayed several times due to Covid and whether it would actually make money in theaters, and considering the film's made $91 million at the box office, it's safe to say it's made its money back, but is the film actually worth watching? Keep tuning in for more episodes of the #talkintvpodcast, every Monday!