Not a huge fan of the imagery, but at least they chose a cool BJM song and yr boy Anton got Paid behind it. If you wanna hear some hilarious shit, find the recent interview with Anton Newcombe where he talks about the money he got from this and all kinds of other bonkers-ass shit.
Yeah, but he's not a gangster. He's the party boss that runs the political machine in Atlantic City.
He's not a hoodlum or a hardman, but of coarse he's a gangster. Well racketeer is probably more suitable.
Apart from the political side of his job, his income come mainly from organized crime; extortion, bootlegging, gambling and prostitution.
Party bosses received their money through control of politics. The dolled out public sector jobs as patronage, got a cut of illegal and legal businesses in their areas, fixed elections, got bribes from businesses and politicians, etc. The character is not a ganster, racketeer, or bootlegger
Yeah, but he's not a gangster. He's the party boss that runs the political machine in Atlantic City.
He's not a hoodlum or a hardman, but of coarse he's a gangster. Well racketeer is probably more suitable.
Apart from the political side of his job, his income come mainly from organized crime; extortion, bootlegging, gambling and prostitution.
Party bosses received their money through control of politics. The dolled out public sector jobs as patronage, got a cut of illegal and legal businesses in their areas, fixed elections, got bribes from businesses and politicians, etc. The character is not a ganster, racketeer, or bootlegger
Not a bootlegger? Not a racketeer? What show have you been watching?
If you really want to argue it..
Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson (January 20, 1883 ??? December 9, 1968) was an Atlantic City, New Jersey political boss and racketeer. From 1911 until his imprisonment in 1941, he was the undisputed ???boss??? of the Republican political machine that controlled Atlantic City and the Atlantic County government. Using his political position to his advantage, his rule encompassed the Roaring Twenties when Atlantic City was at the height of its popularity as a temporary refuge from Prohibition, his organization also being involved in bootlegging, gambling and prostitution.
Again, party bosses were prevalent in major American cities throughout the Gilded Age and beyond. They ran politics, and through politics, businesses both illegal and legal. What he wanted was a cut of everything going on in the city. If there was bootlegging going on, he wanted to be paid. If someone wanted to build new homes in the city, he wanted to get paid. If, and this rarely happened, any of these bosses were brought down, they were charged with some kind of crime such as "bootlegging" or 'bribery," etc. In the show he expresselly says again and agian, if anything goes down in the city people have to pay him the privilege of doing it whether it was by some organized crime boss or someone with a legitimate business. This was the nature of party bosses in the U.S. Did Thompson own a prostitution house? No, but those people who did were connected to him, otherwise he would've shut them down because he wasn't making any money off of them.
P.S. - Example. Did Thompson run Chalky Whites' bootlegging operation? No, but Chalky had to pay him a fee to operate, and that was also part of the deal they had to get blacks to vote for Thompson's hand picked politicians during election time.
Smh. I doubt you'd find many people in organized crime at his level who 'owned', or were involved in the day to day running, of anything illegal. Doesn't mean they're not very much his.
Chalky White's is his manufacturer. He works solely for Nucky, he's not free to operate or sell to anyone else.
I don't mind the opening at all. It's symbolic of what the entire show is about. Thompson is the king of Atlantic City and he's at the height of his power. Now with Prohibition new forces, namely organized crime, is moving in and upsetting the status quo. You see all the liquor bottles washing up, some getting broken, thunder storms approaching, that's the change and it's also foreshadowing that things aren't going to go well.
I don't mind the opening at all. It's symbolic of what the entire show is about. Thompson is the king of Atlantic City and he's at the height of his power. Now with Prohibition new forces, namely organized crime, is moving in and upsetting the status quo. You see all the liquor bottles washing up, some getting broken, thunder storms approaching, that's the change and it's also foreshadowing that things aren't going to go well.
Agreed - and altho the music seems ill fitting for the period - if you know about Scorsese's musical preferences the music comes as no surprise -
song sounds like a cross between the stones "sympathy for the devil" and hendrix' "wild thing" - which couldnt be a more fitting description of the characters involved. I swear , listen to the track and imagine the coo-ing from that stones joint and hendrix declaring 'wild thing... i think i love you' after those last riffs.
I cannot stand that opening song....some evil pre-war blues thing or druggy pre-war jazz would have worked better IMO...the guitar solo flirting with going out of key grates on my nerves....boring tune.
it's amazing that HBO let this pass -- they're pretty on point with music. I haven't heard one positive opinion about this opening sequence. actually, when the show is discussed, I feel like everyone I've had a convo with has made it a specific point to mention how weak this intro is.
that being said -
is the best new character to pop up on TV in years.
Didn't they have different opening music on the very first episode?
I remember hearing something early on in that episode that sounded like cats being slaughtered.
dollar_binI heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,326 Posts
Last night's episode improved my outlook on how this season is going to end up working. Perhaps it's as simple as getting Nucky and Jimmy back together, but I'm back on board.
I think there's been exactly enough Chalky actually.
O, you really think his character needs more development? Or you just like seeing Omar on screen? (I can get with that).
I will admit the Chalky scenes and the baptism scene from the last episode are very intriguing. It's a whole other side of Atlantic City in the 1920's that would definitely be interesting to see more of, but that's not really what the show is about.
i think agent van alden is far more menacing than chalky.
the belt shit creeped me the fuck out.
i have watched through episode 10. i dig the hell out of this show. i don't mind the opening credits, but it is far from stellar, the song does not bother me.
i think agent van alden is far more menacing than chalky.
Honestly, I can't stand Van Alden as a character and I will eagerly await the day he meets some fate that removes him from the show. I just find him WAY over-written and not remotely interesting as a villain/foil. He's like a caricature for "repressed psycho," right down to his self-flaggelation.
With Chalky, it's partially that I just like MK Williams as an actor, it's partially because I think he brings a lot more nuance to the social dynamics of Atlantic City of that era. Watching a bunch of fat white powerbrokers is kind of done-to-death. I'd gladly trade for more Chalky and less Mara or less Knucky's angry brother.
i think agent van alden is far more menacing than chalky.
Honestly, I can't stand Van Alden as a character and I will eagerly await the day he meets some fate that removes him from the show. I just find him WAY over-written and not remotely interesting as a villain/foil. He's like a caricature for "repressed psycho," right down to his self-flaggelation.
he doesn't seem more so a caricature than joe pesci in casino and goodfella roles to me
what i don't buy is steve buscemi in both seductive & threatening modes. his delivery doesn't change when he is being tough guy or when he is in bed with one of his girls.
buscemi is just not right for the part. van alden is a good cartoon character. this show just isn't doing it for me. i watch dexter on sunday nights and dvr boardwalk empire.
I actually think this dude has delivered some of the best performances of the show. He's perfectly cast.
As for the social dynamics of AC in the 1920's, while it would be rad to see more of the Black side of things, I think they've done a good job of weaving that in so far.
Comments
Not a huge fan of the imagery, but at least they chose a cool BJM song and yr boy Anton got Paid behind it. If you wanna hear some hilarious shit, find the recent interview with Anton Newcombe where he talks about the money he got from this and all kinds of other bonkers-ass shit.
yes. lame as shit.
Party bosses received their money through control of politics. The dolled out public sector jobs as patronage, got a cut of illegal and legal businesses in their areas, fixed elections, got bribes from businesses and politicians, etc. The character is not a ganster, racketeer, or bootlegger
If you really want to argue it..
Chalky White's is his manufacturer. He works solely for Nucky, he's not free to operate or sell to anyone else.
Agreed - and altho the music seems ill fitting for the period - if you know about Scorsese's musical preferences the music comes as no surprise -
song sounds like a cross between the stones "sympathy for the devil" and hendrix' "wild thing" - which couldnt be a more fitting description of the characters involved. I swear , listen to the track and imagine the coo-ing from that stones joint and hendrix declaring 'wild thing... i think i love you' after those last riffs.
that being said -
is the best new character to pop up on TV in years.
I remember hearing something early on in that episode that sounded like cats being slaughtered.
I dunno man. Watching him kill a guy with his bare hands goes a long way.
O, you really think his character needs more development? Or you just like seeing Omar on screen? (I can get with that).
I will admit the Chalky scenes and the baptism scene from the last episode are very intriguing. It's a whole other side of Atlantic City in the 1920's that would definitely be interesting to see more of, but that's not really what the show is about.
Van Alden is a mental case. I'm waiting to see how he explains Sebso's death.
the belt shit creeped me the fuck out.
i have watched through episode 10. i dig the hell out of this show. i don't mind the opening credits, but it is far from stellar, the song does not bother me.
jimmy's mom, yes please.
just call me uncle nuck
waterboarding baptism sums up his character perfectly. pretty clever
Honestly, I can't stand Van Alden as a character and I will eagerly await the day he meets some fate that removes him from the show. I just find him WAY over-written and not remotely interesting as a villain/foil. He's like a caricature for "repressed psycho," right down to his self-flaggelation.
With Chalky, it's partially that I just like MK Williams as an actor, it's partially because I think he brings a lot more nuance to the social dynamics of Atlantic City of that era. Watching a bunch of fat white powerbrokers is kind of done-to-death. I'd gladly trade for more Chalky and less Mara or less Knucky's angry brother.
Sheeyit, we've had TWO of those on the show already.
"Bare-hands killing" is so 1919.
he doesn't seem more so a caricature than joe pesci in casino and goodfella roles to me
what i don't buy is steve buscemi in both seductive & threatening modes. his delivery doesn't change when he is being tough guy or when he is in bed with one of his girls.
I actually think this dude has delivered some of the best performances of the show. He's perfectly cast.
As for the social dynamics of AC in the 1920's, while it would be rad to see more of the Black side of things, I think they've done a good job of weaving that in so far.