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SCANDAL - From THR: Celebrity sex offender and financier, Jeffrey Epstein, 66, has been arrested for sex trafficking of minors.
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TELEVISION - From THR: There has been an arrest (reportedly the handyman) in the strange case of the death of Dennis Day, 76, who was one of the founding members of the "Mickey Mouse Club."
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SCANDAL - From Deadline: The divorce between Amazon co-founders Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos has been finalized. MacKenzie gets 19.7 million shares of Amazon, which represent a 4% stake in Amazon and are valued at $38.3 billion. Jeff Bezos, who remains the founder and CEO, holds a 12% Amazon stake worth $114.8 billion, leaving him still the world’s wealthiest person.
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STREAMING - From HitFix: Netflix says it will cut down on depictions of people smoking cigarettes and such in its productions.
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BOX OFFICE - From Deadline: "Aladdin" has crossed the $900 million mark at the global box office.
POLITICS - From YahooNews: Captain America's Chris Evans tweets a July 4th message to counter President Trump's rhetoric.
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SCANDAL - From Deadline: The young man who accused Kevin Spacey of groping him has dropped his civil suit. The criminal case continues... for now.
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BOX OFFICE - From Deadline: "Spider-Man: Far From Home" looks to set a Marvel Cinematic Universe record for Wednesday box office.
From Patreon: My review of "Spider-Man: Far From Home."
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ECO - From BBC: A young female fox traveled 2176 miles from Norway to Canada, leaving scientists speechless.
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SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment: Disgraced actor Jeremy Piven says that he is #MeToo collateral damage.
From YahooEntertainment: Speaking of which, in May, Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush won his defamation suit against Australia's Nationwide News which reported sexual harassment allegations against the actor.
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DISNEY - From Variety: R&B singer, Halle Bailey (Chloe x Halle), has been cast as Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid."
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STREAMING - From Variety: Director J.A. Bayona ("Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom") will direct to episodes of Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" TV series.
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COMICS-FILM - From Variety: Warner Bros. is in talks with Andy Muschietti, director of "It," to direct its film, "The Flash," based on the DC Comics' character.
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COMICS-TELEVISION - From THR: "The Walking Dead" comic book series, which spawned AMC's "The Walking Dead" TV series, ends with a surprise finale.
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MOVIES - From ET: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are spotted filming the third installment of "Bill and Ted" film.
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ACADEMY AWARDS - From Variety: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which hands out the "Oscars," has announced the names of the 842 people invited to join the Academy. Half of the invitees are women. Current Academy membership counts 8,946 active members, with 8,733 eligible to vote on the Oscars. The total membership including retired members is 9,794. This year’s number falls short of 2018’s record of 928 invitations.
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MOVIES - From Deadline: Director Baz Lurhman is about to start testing young actors for his "Elvis Presley" film. The contenders are Ansel Elgort, ("The Fault in Our Stars" and "Baby Driver"), Miles Teller ("Fantastic Four," "Top Gun: Maverick"), Austin Butler (Quentin Tarantino’s "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood") Harry Styles (the former lead singer of the boy-band, One Direction, "Dunkirk").
BOX OFFICE - From THR: Movie theater box office is down midyear 2019 ten percent from midyear 2018.
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MUSIC - From YahooMusic: Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman talks about his late band mate, Brian Jones. On Wednesday, July 3rd, it will be the 50th anniversary of Jones' death.
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MOVIES - From Deadline: Wes Ball talks about "Mouse Guard," his $170 million film for Fox that was a casualty of the Disney/Fox deal, when Disney later decided not to finance the film.
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STREAMING - From Deadline: Netflix is near a deal with Warner Bros. TV to produce a television series based on the legendary DC Comics series, "The Sandman," which was written and co-created by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman would executive produce the series.
TRAILERS AND VIDEO:
From EW: Here is the first trailer for the "Rabid," a remake of the 1977 David Cronenberg film. The remake, directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska, will premiere at Frightfest in August.
From YouTube: Here is the first official trailer for director Rian Johnson's whodunit, "Knives Out."
OBITS:
From Variety: Actor Paul Benjamin died at the age of 81, Friday, June 28, 2019. Benjamin played "ML," one of the "men on the corner" in Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing." Another memorable role was "A Trip Upstate," the 11th episode in Season 2 of "In the Heat of the Night" in which Carroll O'Connor's Chief Bill Gillespie makes a trip upstate to witness the execution of Benjamin's George Brownlow, at the request of Brownlow.
From THR: Legendary French cinematographer, Pierre Lhomme, has died at the age of 89, Thursday, July 4, 2019. He was known for his work shooting films by such directors as Jean Pierre-Melville, Jean Eustache, Chris Marker, and James Ivory. He won two Cesar Awards.
From Variety: Comedian and actor, Arte Johnson, has died at the age of 90, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. He was best known for appearing on the 1960s-1970s sketch comedy show, "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1968-73). He won an Emmy Award for his work on the series and was nominated three more times.
From NFL: Former NFL quarterback Jared Lorenzen has died at the age of 38, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Lorenzen, a standout of the University of Kentucky, was a back-up quarterback on the 2007 New York Giants team that won Super Bowl XLII 17 to 14 against the then-undefeated New England Patriots.
Showing posts with label Jeremy Piven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeremy Piven. Show all posts
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 1st to 4th, 2017 - Update #24
Support Leroy on Patreon.
MUSIC - From YahooNews: The last Tejano music singer, Selena Quintanilla, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Friday evening, November 3rd, 2017.
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BOX OFFICE - From Collider: "Thor: Ragnarok" conquers all comers.
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From Variety: "Thor: Ragnarok" looking at a $115 million opening weekend.
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CELEBRITY - From BET: Beyonce shuts it down when she posts five different versions of her Halloween costume as rapper Li'l Kim.
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MOVIES - From THR: Paramount pays $10 million to distribute "Book Club," a comedy starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Candice Bergen in the U.S., the U.K., and France.
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TELEVISION - From TheWrap: Warner Bros. is reportedly in early talks with the estate of J.R.R. Tolkein to develop "The Lord of the Rings" into a television series. The books have already been adapted into films twice - first as an animated film by Ralph Bakshi and then back in 2001 to 2003 by Warner's subsidiary, New Line, with Peter Jackson directing.
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CRIME - From VICE: Two NYPD cops are charged with rape and didnapping after a teen's desperate public plea.
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SCANDAL - From Variety: Netflix has fired Kevin Spacey from its series, "House of Cards." It has also said that it would cancel its Gore Vidal biopic, "Gore," that was set to star Spacey.
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BOX OFFICE - From TheWrap: "Thor: Ragnarok's" opens with a thunderous $14.5 million.
From YahooEntertainment: Your guide to "Thor: Ragnarok."
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SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment: Brett Ratner strikes back! He sues the woman who accused him of raping her.
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MOVIES - From CinemaBlend: Thomas Jane describes the setup of "The Predator," the reboot of the "Predator" film franchise.
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SCANDAL - From YahooNews: Did you know that there is a rape investigation involving actor Danny Masterson of "That 70s Show?"
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STREAMING - From TVLine: CBS is planning a revival of "The Twilight Zone" for its streaming service, CBS All Access, with Jordan Peele's production company being involved.
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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap: Mark Strong is in talks to play the villian, Dr. Sivana, in the "Shazam" movie from Warner Bros./DC Comics.
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SPORTS - From HoustonChronicle: The Houston Astros are the 2017 World Series Champions of Major League Baseball, after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers (National League) 5 to 1 in Game 7. This is the Astros first World Series title.
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STREAMING - From TVLine: Hulu is developing a series based on the 1994 hit movie, "Four Weddings and a Funeral," with Mindy Kaling.
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DISNEY - From Deadline: Beyonce officially joins Disney's live-action remake of "The Lion King," directed by Jon Favreau.
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SCANDAL - From THR: Warner Bros. and Brett Ratner part ways, in the light of sexual misconduct accusations against Ratner.
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MOVIES - From THR: Buzzy actress Chrissy Metz ("This is Us") joins the horror movie, "The Will O Wisp."
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SCANDAL - From Deadline: Two more men step forward to make allegations of abuse by Kevin Spacy, one in 2003 and one in the 1980s.
From YahooLifestyle: Did Kevin Spacey hint at his behavior during his 2000 Oscar speech?
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MOVIES - From Variety: Brett Ratner accused of sexual allegations by six women, including actress Natasha Henstridge.
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ANIME - From THR: Oscar-winning Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has come out of retirement (again) to make another animated film. The title is "Kimitachi wa Do Ikiru Ka."
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SCANDAL - From TheWrap: CBS is investigating sexual assault accusations against Jeremy Piven, star of its new series, "Wisdom of the Crowd."
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TELEVISION - From Deadline: NBC has committed to the "Bad Boys" spinoff TV series starring Gabrielle Union with a pilot production committment.
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STREAMING - From DeadlineTV: Diane Lane will join the slate of guest stars on Amazon's "The Romanoffs."
OBITS:
From Deadline: Television actor, Brad Bufanda, has died at the age of 34, Wednesday, November 1, 2017. He is best known for his role as Felix Toombs on "Veronica Mars." He died of an apparent suicide.
From NPR: Native American activist, Dennis Banks, died at the age of 80, Sunday, October 29, 2017. Banks helped lead the occupation at Wounded Knee in 1973 and he was a co-founder of the American Indian Movement.
MUSIC - From YahooNews: The last Tejano music singer, Selena Quintanilla, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Friday evening, November 3rd, 2017.
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BOX OFFICE - From Collider: "Thor: Ragnarok" conquers all comers.
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From Variety: "Thor: Ragnarok" looking at a $115 million opening weekend.
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CELEBRITY - From BET: Beyonce shuts it down when she posts five different versions of her Halloween costume as rapper Li'l Kim.
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MOVIES - From THR: Paramount pays $10 million to distribute "Book Club," a comedy starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Candice Bergen in the U.S., the U.K., and France.
----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: Warner Bros. is reportedly in early talks with the estate of J.R.R. Tolkein to develop "The Lord of the Rings" into a television series. The books have already been adapted into films twice - first as an animated film by Ralph Bakshi and then back in 2001 to 2003 by Warner's subsidiary, New Line, with Peter Jackson directing.
----------
CRIME - From VICE: Two NYPD cops are charged with rape and didnapping after a teen's desperate public plea.
----------
SCANDAL - From Variety: Netflix has fired Kevin Spacey from its series, "House of Cards." It has also said that it would cancel its Gore Vidal biopic, "Gore," that was set to star Spacey.
----------
BOX OFFICE - From TheWrap: "Thor: Ragnarok's" opens with a thunderous $14.5 million.
From YahooEntertainment: Your guide to "Thor: Ragnarok."
----------
SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment: Brett Ratner strikes back! He sues the woman who accused him of raping her.
----------
MOVIES - From CinemaBlend: Thomas Jane describes the setup of "The Predator," the reboot of the "Predator" film franchise.
----------
SCANDAL - From YahooNews: Did you know that there is a rape investigation involving actor Danny Masterson of "That 70s Show?"
----------
STREAMING - From TVLine: CBS is planning a revival of "The Twilight Zone" for its streaming service, CBS All Access, with Jordan Peele's production company being involved.
---------
COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap: Mark Strong is in talks to play the villian, Dr. Sivana, in the "Shazam" movie from Warner Bros./DC Comics.
----------
SPORTS - From HoustonChronicle: The Houston Astros are the 2017 World Series Champions of Major League Baseball, after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers (National League) 5 to 1 in Game 7. This is the Astros first World Series title.
----------
STREAMING - From TVLine: Hulu is developing a series based on the 1994 hit movie, "Four Weddings and a Funeral," with Mindy Kaling.
----------
DISNEY - From Deadline: Beyonce officially joins Disney's live-action remake of "The Lion King," directed by Jon Favreau.
----------
SCANDAL - From THR: Warner Bros. and Brett Ratner part ways, in the light of sexual misconduct accusations against Ratner.
----------
MOVIES - From THR: Buzzy actress Chrissy Metz ("This is Us") joins the horror movie, "The Will O Wisp."
----------
SCANDAL - From Deadline: Two more men step forward to make allegations of abuse by Kevin Spacy, one in 2003 and one in the 1980s.
From YahooLifestyle: Did Kevin Spacey hint at his behavior during his 2000 Oscar speech?
----------
MOVIES - From Variety: Brett Ratner accused of sexual allegations by six women, including actress Natasha Henstridge.
----------
ANIME - From THR: Oscar-winning Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has come out of retirement (again) to make another animated film. The title is "Kimitachi wa Do Ikiru Ka."
----------
SCANDAL - From TheWrap: CBS is investigating sexual assault accusations against Jeremy Piven, star of its new series, "Wisdom of the Crowd."
----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline: NBC has committed to the "Bad Boys" spinoff TV series starring Gabrielle Union with a pilot production committment.
----------
STREAMING - From DeadlineTV: Diane Lane will join the slate of guest stars on Amazon's "The Romanoffs."
OBITS:
From Deadline: Television actor, Brad Bufanda, has died at the age of 34, Wednesday, November 1, 2017. He is best known for his role as Felix Toombs on "Veronica Mars." He died of an apparent suicide.
From NPR: Native American activist, Dennis Banks, died at the age of 80, Sunday, October 29, 2017. Banks helped lead the occupation at Wounded Knee in 1973 and he was a co-founder of the American Indian Movement.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Review: "The Kingdom" is a Thrill Ride (Happy B'day, Richard Jenkins)
The Kingdom (2007)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – R for intense sequences of graphic brutal violence and for language
DIRECTOR: Peter Berg
WRITER: Matthew Michael Carnahan
PRODUCERS: Peter Berg, Michael Mann, and Scott Stuber
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mauro Fiore (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Colby Parker, Jr. and Kevin Stitt
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
ACTION/THRILLER/CRIME/DRAMA
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom, Ali Suliman, Jeremy Piven, Richard Jenkins, Kyle Chandler, Frances Fisher, Danny Huston, Kelly AuCoin, Anna Deavere Smith, and Minka Kelly
The subject of this movie review is The Kingdom, a 2007 action thriller and crime drama directed by Peter Berg. The film follows a team of agents from the United States, investigating the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East.
When terrorists attack and kill over 100 people at the Al Rahmah Western Housing Compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, FBI Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) leads a small squad to investigate the bombing and find the culprits. Once Fleury and the other U.S. agents – Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), and Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman) – arrive, they learn that in Saudi Arabia, many consider them the true enemy.
Culture and the local bureaucracy hamper their investigation, but a local policeman, Col. Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom), becomes sympathetic to Fleury’s predicament. Soon, Fleury realizes that he and his team are the targets of the mysterious terrorist leader, Abu Hamza, but neither the threat of death or disgrace back home will stop Fleury’s mission.
With The Kingdom, director Peter Berg (The Rundown, Friday Night Lights) and writer Matthew Michael Carnahan (Lions for Lambs) dive headlong into the snake pit that movies about the “war on terrorism” and set in Middle East can be. What Berg and Carnahan come up with is an imperfect, but entertaining and engaging action flick that doesn’t shy away from the fact that there are few if any easy answers when fighting the murderous criminals who are terrorists.
Berg doesn’t shy away from making a hardcore action movie. There are intense car chases, with the requisite automobile flips and explosions, and there are sequences of manic gun battles that arrive in the kind of big slabs that keep an action movie junkie euphoric. The screenplay even insists on being a police procedural, making The Kingdom something like Black Hawk Down meets Michael Mann’s Heat (Mann also co-produced The Kingdom), and TV’s “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
Honestly, the movie drags when it focuses on the investigation, detective work, and forensics. On the other hand, The Kingdom soars when it lays on the gun battles and car violence. When the movie tries to be an FBI investigation flick, the narrative and indeed the performances get bogged down in detective work and the complications that can arise when different cultures meet. The film does raise several issues – asking questions that complicate what many only want to see as black and white. Are the FBI agents seeking justice or are they out for revenge? Does the subsequent violence only make matters worse? Does anyone gain anything or does everyone lose? These are the kind of questions that get a movie like this in trouble in the current political/social climate. An action movie requires that everything be in black and white, but the film’s setting and the issues it tackles just won’t be divided in two like that.
Ultimately, The Kingdom is a riveting action thriller that delivers. It affirms that Jamie Foxx can carry an action flick (but is there room for more than one or two action “stars of color?”), that Jason Bateman is funny, and that Jeremy Piven is a great character actor. However, the audience might have to take on some sticky issues to enjoy the thrill ride that is The Kingdom.
7 of 10
B+
Friday, January 18, 2008
Updated: Sunday, May 04, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Warner Bros. Announces Cast Additions to "Entourage" Movie
“Entourage” Expands as Additional Cast Joins the Film, Now in Production
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Debi Mazar, Rex Lee, Constance Zimmer, Nora Dunn and Emily Ratajkowski have joined the cast of Warner Bros. Pictures’ theatrical feature “Entourage.” Mazar, Lee, Zimmer and Dunn will reprise their roles as Shauna, Lloyd, Dana Gordon and Dr. Marcus from the HBO hit series, and Ratajkowski will appear as herself in the film, which began principal photography in Los Angeles on February 19.
“Entourage” will open in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 12, 2015.
Written and directed by series creator Doug Ellin, the big-screen version of the award-winning show stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven in their original roles, as well as Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as Larsen and Travis McCredle. The film also reunites series regulars Perrey Reeves as Ari Gold’s wife, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan, and Rhys Coiro as Billy Walsh.
“Entourage” is produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Doug Ellin, with Wayne Carmona serving as executive producer. The creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Steve Fierberg, production designer Chase Harlan, and costume designer Olivia Miles-Payne, all of whom worked on the long-running HBO series.
Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.
In addition to Los Angeles, “Entourage” will also film on location in Miami, Florida.
“Entourage” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Home Box Office. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Debi Mazar, Rex Lee, Constance Zimmer, Nora Dunn and Emily Ratajkowski have joined the cast of Warner Bros. Pictures’ theatrical feature “Entourage.” Mazar, Lee, Zimmer and Dunn will reprise their roles as Shauna, Lloyd, Dana Gordon and Dr. Marcus from the HBO hit series, and Ratajkowski will appear as herself in the film, which began principal photography in Los Angeles on February 19.
“Entourage” will open in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 12, 2015.
Written and directed by series creator Doug Ellin, the big-screen version of the award-winning show stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven in their original roles, as well as Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as Larsen and Travis McCredle. The film also reunites series regulars Perrey Reeves as Ari Gold’s wife, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan, and Rhys Coiro as Billy Walsh.
“Entourage” is produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Doug Ellin, with Wayne Carmona serving as executive producer. The creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Steve Fierberg, production designer Chase Harlan, and costume designer Olivia Miles-Payne, all of whom worked on the long-running HBO series.
Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.
In addition to Los Angeles, “Entourage” will also film on location in Miami, Florida.
“Entourage” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Home Box Office. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Friday, February 21, 2014
"Entourage" Movie Begins Filming
Filming Begins on “Entourage”
The film reunites series stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven, under the direction of series creator Doug Ellin.
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Entourage,” the much-anticipated big-screen version of the award-winning hit HBO series. The feature film reunites the show’s original cast, led by Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven. Also starring are Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as father and son, Larsen and Travis McCredle.
“Entourage” creator Doug Ellin is directing the feature film from his own screenplay. Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Ellin are producing, with Wayne Carmona serving as executive producer. Returning cast from the series also includes Perrey Reeves as Ari Gold’s wife, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan and Rhys Coiro as Billy Walsh.
Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.
The behind-the-scenes creative team reunites several key members who worked on the original series, including director of photography Steve Fierberg, production designer Chase Harlan, and costume designer Olivia Miles-Payne.
“Entourage” is being filmed in Los Angeles, California, and on location in Miami, Florida.
“Entourage” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Home Box Office. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
The film reunites series stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven, under the direction of series creator Doug Ellin.
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Entourage,” the much-anticipated big-screen version of the award-winning hit HBO series. The feature film reunites the show’s original cast, led by Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven. Also starring are Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as father and son, Larsen and Travis McCredle.
“Entourage” creator Doug Ellin is directing the feature film from his own screenplay. Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Ellin are producing, with Wayne Carmona serving as executive producer. Returning cast from the series also includes Perrey Reeves as Ari Gold’s wife, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan and Rhys Coiro as Billy Walsh.
Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.
The behind-the-scenes creative team reunites several key members who worked on the original series, including director of photography Steve Fierberg, production designer Chase Harlan, and costume designer Olivia Miles-Payne.
“Entourage” is being filmed in Los Angeles, California, and on location in Miami, Florida.
“Entourage” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Home Box Office. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Review: "Smokin' Aces" is Not Quite Smokin' (Happy B;day, Ray Liotta)
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 117 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux
Smokin’ Aces (2006)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some nudity, and drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Joe Carnahan
PRODUCERS: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Joe Carnahan, and Liza Chasin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mauro Fiore (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Robert Frazen
COMPOSER: Clint Mansell
CRIME/ACTION with elements of comedy and drama
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, Ray Liotta, Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, Common, Taraji Henson, Martin Henderson, Peter Berg, Christopher Michael Holley, Nestor Carbonell, Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, Maury Sterling, Tommy Flanagan, Curtis Armstrong, Jason Batman, Mike Falkow Joseph Ruskin, Alex Rocco, Joel Edgerton, and Matthew Fox
The subject of this movie review is Smokin’ Aces, a 2007 crime and action film from director Joe Carnahan. The movie focuses on a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch and the large number of people trying to kill him. The film was released theatrically in January 2007.
Smokin’ Aces is the first film from writer/director Joe Carnahan since his gritty crime flick, Narc, which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and went onto receive rave reviews (including praise from Harrison Ford). The attention even earned him a deal to direct Mission: Impossible 3 before Carnahan departed the project over creative differences with Tom Cruise.
Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven) grew up amongst card sharks, gamblers, killers, and thugs. By the time he was 21, Buddy was a wildly popular magician in Las Vegas, a celebrity who also got to hang out with the most dangerous criminals. But Buddy wanted more. He wanted to be gangster and became one before the law caught up with him. After the sleazy Las Vegas illusionist agrees to testify against his former mob partners, he embarks on one last hurrah in Lake Tahoe before entering witness protective custody.
His one-time benefactor, Primo Sparazza (Joseph Ruskin), a mob power broker, isn’t about to let that happen. Rumors are that Sparazza is willing to pay up to $1,000,000 for Buddy dead and his heart delivered back to Sparazza. When word hits the street, a rogues gallery of degenerate assassins, killers, and psychopaths head for Lake Tahoe and the Nomad Casino where Buddy is hiding to claim the prize. FBI Deputy Director Stanley Locke (Andy Garcia) sends his top agent, Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and Messner’s veteran partner, Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta), to keep Buddy safe, but can a few agents protect the seedy magician from a slew of would-be assassins?
Although the film has a delightful and wildly diverse cast, Smokin’ Aces is mostly a Pulp Fiction clone except that it has an even weirder cast of characters. Defined by action movie frivolity, Smokin’ Aces attempts to make slime look glamorous. Carnahan raises the crass display of bloodletting to new faux art heights. The film has its moments, and its violence is as much cartoonish as it is nightmarish. In a sense, it’s like some crazy, hyperactive crime comic book. The film’s narrative is itself a card trick – an illusion in which the viewer keeps seeing what he expects to see and misses the obvious. So the ending may come as a shock because it is something of a commentary on the dishonest and sometimes illegal means by which law enforcement goes after a large quarry.
Before that ending, there are some exceptional characters brought to life by actors giving rich performances. Ryan Reynolds is the best of the lot, but Common as Sir Ivy and Alicia Keys and Taraji Henson as the badass assassin duo, Georgia Sykes and Sharice Watters, are fun to watch.
5 of 10
B-
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Updated: Wednesday, December 18, 2013
The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
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Saturday, August 31, 2013
Review: "Rush Hour 2" Improves on the Original (Happy B'day, Chris Tucker)
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for action violence, language, and some sexual content
DIRECTOR: Brett Ratner
WRITER: Jeff Nathanson (based upon the characters created by Ross LaManna)
PRODUCERS: Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Arthur Sarkissian, and Jay Stern
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew F. Leonetti
EDITORS: Mark Helfrich and Robert K. Lambert
COMPOSER: Lalo Schifrin
COMEDY/ACTION/CRIME
Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, John Lone, Ziyi Zhang, Roselyn Sanchez, Harris Yulin, Alan King, Jeremy Piven, Saul Rubinek, and Gianni Russo with Don Cheadle
The subject of this movie review is Rush Hour 2, a crime comedy and action film from director Brett Ratner and starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. The film is a sequel to the 1998 film, Rush Hour. In the new film, Chan’s Lee and Tucker’s Carter are on vacation in Hong Kong when they get caught up in a counterfeit money scam.
Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is once again the foil for Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) as Carter comes to Hong Kong on vacation and spends much time subjecting Lee to verbal barbs. The rest and relaxation is cut short when an explosion kills two American agents. Lee learns that this case may be tied to crime boss Ricky Tan (John Lone).
Tan is a former policeman and was the partner of Lee’s father until Tan betrayed him. Lee and Carter follow the case back to Los Angeles, where they meet Isabella Molina (Roselyn Sanchez), a sexy customs agent. Isabella informs them that Tan is part of an international scheme to launder 100 million dollars in counterfeit U.S. currency. Lee and Carter head to Las Vegas, the epicenter of Tan’s scheme, for an explosive showdown.
Rush Hour 2 is Rush Hour, but with some improvements. The screen chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, which was quite good in the first film, is even better this time around. It’s as if three years haven’t passed between the first film and this one. They have a near-flawless rhythm and flow, and their performances turn this flimsy joke of a crime plot into action/comedy gold. Rush Hour 2 does have one big problem – there’s not enough of it.
7 of 10
B+
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Updated: Saturday, August 31, 2013
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Friday, April 12, 2013
Review: "Scary Movie 3" Quite Bad, but Funny
Scary Movie 3 (2003)
Running time: 84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for pervasive crude and sexual humor, language, comic violence and drug references
DIRECTOR: David Zucker
WRITERS: Craig Mazin and Pat Proft (based upon characters created by Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, and Aaron Seltzer)
PRODUCER: Robert K. Weiss
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mark Irwin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Malcolm Campbell and Jon Poll
COMPOSER: James L. Venable
COMEDY with elements of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi
Starring: Anna Faris, Simon Rex, Regina Hall, Anthony Anderson, Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Marny Eng, Charlie Sheen, Jeremy Piven, Camryn Manheim, Queen Latifah, Eddie Griffin, Leslie Nielsen, D.L. Hughley, Ja Rule, George Carlin, Master P, Macy Gray, Redman, Method Man, Raekwon, RZA, Fat Joe, and Simon Cowell
The subject of this movie review is Scary Movie 3, a 2003 comedy film and parody of science fiction and horror films. It is the first film in the Scary Movie franchise not to feature members of the Wayans family.
Scary Movie 3 has loads and loads of belly laughs, but it is shockingly lame, dull, and an all out boring film, which gets worse as its nearly incomprehensible story lethargically crawls to the end. This installment of the franchise mainly targets The Ring and Signs for a good skewering or is that screwing? The Matrix and 8 Mile also fall in for a manhandling; the former parody is mildly funny while the latter is surprisingly sprightly and hilarious. The film, however, is one long gag reel superimposed over a deplorably bad movie.
The story this time, as it may be, has Cindy (Anna Faris) and her lame heartthrob George (Simon Rex) investigating crop circles and a killer ghost from a haunted videocassette. Somehow, it’s all tied together, and Cindy also has to help President Harris (Leslie Nielsen) stop an alien invasion.
If this doesn’t sound like much, it’s because Scary Movie 3 isn’t very much. The presence of so many stars in small roles and cameos is very nice, and some, like Anthony Anderson, Pamela Anderson, and Jenny McCarthy, actually make the film worth seeing. The cast, like the raunchy humor and endless sight gags, don’t exactly save the movie, but they can make you laugh, and in the end, those laughs might be the only reason to justify seeing this lame duck. David Zucker, part of the team responsible for Airplane and Naked Gun, lavishes Scary Movie 3 with his trademark gag-a-minute style, and it works to an extent.
I must really emphasize that this film can cause some hard and deep laughing, but I was also very shocked at how often tasteless and tactless the film was. Jokes that involve violating a corpse at a wake and pedophilia on the part of Catholic priest cross the line. It’s not so much that this kind of humor seems desperate; it’s that the filmmakers seem so willfully shameless and tasteless. Some things are not funny. They are sacred or taboo for reasons that are important to a society. It’s not that such things cannot be discussed; it’s how they are discussed. To use them as jokes is the sign of a weak, unimaginative mind – a selfish and immature person determined and desperate to get what he wants at any cost.
That said – I laughed a lot, and I cringed behind my arms almost as much. Scary Movie 3 won’t ever be listed among the great comedies. At best, it’s a temporary and exasperating thrill that is forgotten as soon as the film fades to black.
3 of 10
C-
Monday, January 30, 2012
Review: "Runaway Jury" is Unrealistic, But Entertaining (Happy B'day, Gene Hackman)
Runaway Jury (2003)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, language, and thematic elements
DIRECTOR: Gary Fleder
WRITERS: Brian Koppelman and David Levien, Rick Cleveland, and Matthew Chapman (based upon the novel by John Grisham)
PRODUCER: Christopher Mankiewicz, and Gary Fleder
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Elswit, A.S.C.
EDITOR: William Steinkamp, A.C.E. and Jeff Williams
DRAMA/THRILLER
Starring: John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Bruce Davison, Bruce McGill, Jeremy Piven, Nick Searcy, Joanna Going, Stanley Anderson, Cliff Curtis, Jennifer Beals, and Bill Nunn with Orlando Jones and (uncredited) Dylan McDermott
Runaway Jury is a 2003 legal drama/thriller from director Gary Fleder. The film is based on the 1996 novel, The Runaway Jury, by author John Grisham.
Set in New Orleans, Runaway Jury is the story of a mysterious man named Nicholas Easter (John Cusack), who talks his way onto the jury of a landmark civil case against a gun manufacturer and attempts to influence the verdict by manipulating the other jurors. Meanwhile, on the outside, Easter’s girlfriend, Marlee (Rachel Weisz) runs a game to swindle the two lawyers involved in the case into paying her 10 million dollars if they want the verdict friendly to their clients.
Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) is a torts lawyer who represents the plaintiff, Celeste Wood (Joanna Going), the widow of Jacob Wood (Dylan McDermott), who was killed in a shooting rampage at brokerage firm. She believes the gun manufacturer knew that the killer bought the gun from a store that was careless and ignored gun laws. Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman) is a jury consultant for the defense. Fitch is almost superhuman in the way he is able to discover the pasts of jurors, examine their beliefs and mindsets, and find out who can be bought, bribed, or blackmailed. His war with Nick Easter and Marlee drives the trial to the brink of ruin for a breathtaking finale.
Runaway Jury is the latest film adapted from a bestseller by John Grisham, author of books such as The Firm and A Time to Kill, both of which were adapted into films. The novel’s original premise was about a civil action against big tobacco, but the gun industry, also a target of big lawsuits, may have seemed like an easier sell to moviegoers, as guns are a lightening rod and divider of the American public. However, the film really doesn’t turn on a change of litigants. The best thing this film has going for it is the trio of John Cusack, Gene Hackman, and Rachel Weisz because they put the drama and thrills in this film. Dustin Hoffman is good, but he seems like the odd man out. His one good chance to chew up the scenery with Hackman is decidedly one-sided with Hackman eating his lunch. Anyone seeing this movie will clearly understand what power Hackman radiates. His star power and acting ability is worlds better than most other actors. An actor in a film with him has got to bring serious game, or Hackman will sweep him away. I so loved Hackman’s performance here that I wanted to have a baby for him.
Parts of Runaway Jury certainly test the bounds of belief and reality, but this is a great legal drama even if stuff happens in this film that no judge would allow to go on in his courtroom. And I say that knowing that most judges ain’t worth crap and are as crooked as a devil in gambling parlor. Runaway Jury is wonderful entertainment, and if you turn your reasoning down a little, it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
7 of 10
B+
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Friday, June 24, 2011
Review: Superb "Cars" Hydroplanes on Nostalgia
Cars (2006)
Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR: John Lasseter
WRITERS: Dan Fogelman, Philip Loren, and Kiel Murray; additional screenplay material: Robert L. Baird and Dan Gerson; from a story by John Lasseter, Jorgen Klubien, and Joe Ranft
PRODUCER: Darla K. Anderson
EDITOR: Ken Schretzmann
Academy Award nominee
ANIMATION/COMEDY/FAMILY/SPORTS with elements of action, drama, and romance
Starring: (voices) Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Guido Quaroni, Jenifer Lewis, Paul Dooley, Michael Wallis, George Carlin, Katherine Helmond, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Richard Petty, Jeremy Piven, Bob Costas, Darrell Waltrip, and Lynda Petty
If that’s possible considering what they’ve already done, Disney/Pixar’s latest computer animated feature film, Cars, is a technical improvement over their previous work. It’s easy to see why so many consider Pixar Animation Studios the gold standard in computer animation. The pity is that the only thing holding this technically and artistically exceptional and pleasurable animated film from greatness is a less than compelling story grounded in dewy-eyed nostalgia.
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is a hotshot rookie race car trying to win the Piston Cup Championship (similar to NASCAR). On his way to a championship race in California, Lighting makes an unexpected detour down the famous Route 66 and finds himself in the sleepy burg of Radiator Springs, where he meets the town’s eccentric automotive denizens. Self-absorbed and snobby of what he considers lesser cars, Lightning has to repair the town’s only road after he damages it.
The time he spends “prisoner” in Radiator Springs allows him to get to know the other cars, including Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), a rusty tow truck who becomes Lightning’s trusty friend, and Sally (Bonnie Hunt), a snazzy Porsche who at first is Lightning’s rival, but later becomes the friend who helps him see the simple beauty of Radiator Springs. And maybe he’ll learn that there are things more important than championships and fame.
I think many viewers will be shocked to find that the racing sequences, especially the Piston Championship Cup race that opens the film, capture the feel of watching NASCAR-style racing. It has all the ferocity, intensity, organized chaos, the spectacular crashes and wild spins off the course, the rumbling and shaking, etc. However, most of Cars’ narrative takes place in Radiator City. By architecture and design, this small town is like stepping back into the postwar era that roughly covers from about 1945 to 1965. Cars tries to recapture this small town era of neon-lit drive-in diners and spanking new motels just off a highway like Route 66. The Western landscapes and the golden backdrops of desert landscapes, dusty roads, pastoral skies, and marvelous rock formations transport the viewer back to some kind of midwestern idyll. This is the kind of “old America” that Hollywood likes – small towns where things moved slowly and everyone knew everyone.
That’s where the fault in Cars lies. It’s a nostalgia piece; it’s more longing than it is a narrative – a story with a universal message, which Pixar’s previous films have had. For instance, in Finding Nemo, an overprotective father fights unceasingly to save the only thing left of his family, a handicapped son, and learns that he will gradually have to let go as his son grows into his own person. In Cars, Lighting McQueen is just a dumb kid – arrogant, smug, lacking in humility; that is true, but he’s ultimately a dumb harmless kid. What’s compelling about that? The central idea behind Cars is that Lightning must embrace the simple life of a small town as a balance against his celebrity status. Balance is a good message, and that’s cute and all, but ultimately, the storytellers, Pixar, are being nostalgic for a time most of them are probably too young to remember. They’re yearning for a lifestyle that never existed in the ideal fashion it’s usually presented as in pop culture – this romanticized version of mid-century American history.
They try to sell us this wonderful world (that still exists in TV Land) using a variety of ethnic stereotypes blended into a politically-correct collection of townsfolk that couldn’t have lived together in a real small town like Radiator Springs: Italians with heavy accents, a hippie, a taciturn former military officer, a sassy black woman named Flo who sounds like Aretha Franklin (but is voiced by Jenifer Lewis), a flashy Latino, an affable redneck rogue, etc. It’s a multicultural cast of village idiots. Still, Cars actually makes for a very entertaining tale of rustic charm versus the fast life of celebrity. I could certainly feel the old-timey charm tugging at my heart. Only Pixar through the magic of their eye-catching achievements in animation could make such preening nostalgia charming and enjoyable eye candy. Cars has spectacular animation painted in so many vivid colors that it dazzles the eyes just the way a Pixar flick should.
8 of 10
A
Saturday, June 10, 2006
NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Randy Newman for the song "Our Town") and “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (John Lasseter)
2007 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film” (John Lasseter)
2007 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Animated Film”
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Review: Crazy "Old School" Ultimately Plays it Safe
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 119 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux
Old School (2003)
Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – R for some strong sexual content, nudity and language
DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips
WRITERS: Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips, from a story by Court Crandall and Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips
PRODUCERS: Daniel Goldberg, Joe Medjuck, and Todd Phillips
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mark Irwin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Michael Jablow
COMEDY
Starring: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Ellen Pompeo, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, Craig Kilborn, Jeremy Piven, Seann William Scott, Matt Walsh, and Artie Lange
When Mitch Martin (Luke Wilson) discovers that his girlfriend (Juliette Lewis) participates in group sex, it shatters his life. Under the guise of helping Mitch, his friends Bernard “Beanie” Campbell (Vince Vaughn) and Frank Ricard (Will Ferrell) hatch an idea to start their own fraternity so that they can relive the wild lives they lost when they got married. Of course, Martin reluctantly allows them to use his new house (conveniently located near a college campus) to stage their hijinks. It might be a bad idea for a number of reasons (and a good idea for a movie), not the least of which is that Mitch has his eyes on Nicole (Ellen Pompeo). Mitch had a high school crush on Nicole; she’s attracted to him, but finds their sorority boy activities immature.
Old School is very funny, and I laughed in spite of how dumb this movie is. It would have been even funnier if the movie hadn’t sold out in the end. The kind of guys that go to see a movie like this want the full raunchiness, but this movie plays it safe. By the end of the film, the horny thirty-somethings all return (for the most part) to their domestic tranquility without a notch on their belts to show for their wild times. I know that a lot of (stupid) people feel that movies should validate the American bourgeois’ value system, but this is a frickin’ comedy, and a lowbrow comedy at that, so all bets are off. Let there be no sacred cows; let the husbands screw around on their wives. This isn’t supposed to be smart and life affirming. If it were supposed to be intelligent, Old School wouldn’t have as a character one of the most tired stereotypes of film comedies set on college campuses, the evil dean of students (Jeremy Piven).
The scene I most anticipated was the one in which Vince Vaughn’s Beanie Campbell, who so wants to have sex with a co-ed, in spite of his alleged devotion to his wife and two young boys, would finally get a young lass alone with him in his room. What does Beanie do when he gets time with a co-ed? He chickens out, although the girl is quite willing. Still, a film like this is supposed to provide the yucks and lots of vicarious thrills. Beanie should have screwed her brains out. In fact, after that scene, the Beanie character loses all the intensity he had early in the film. Even Luke Wilson’s Mitch commits to a “serious relationship” by film’s end (in a very pat and neatly wrapped dénouement).
I recommend Old School for its many moments of awesome hilarity, but I pity the filmmakers for their lack of balls. This could and should have been so much funnier, so much more rebellious, and so much more subversive.
5 of 10
B-
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Old School (2003)
Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – R for some strong sexual content, nudity and language
DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips
WRITERS: Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips, from a story by Court Crandall and Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips
PRODUCERS: Daniel Goldberg, Joe Medjuck, and Todd Phillips
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mark Irwin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Michael Jablow
COMEDY
Starring: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Ellen Pompeo, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, Craig Kilborn, Jeremy Piven, Seann William Scott, Matt Walsh, and Artie Lange
When Mitch Martin (Luke Wilson) discovers that his girlfriend (Juliette Lewis) participates in group sex, it shatters his life. Under the guise of helping Mitch, his friends Bernard “Beanie” Campbell (Vince Vaughn) and Frank Ricard (Will Ferrell) hatch an idea to start their own fraternity so that they can relive the wild lives they lost when they got married. Of course, Martin reluctantly allows them to use his new house (conveniently located near a college campus) to stage their hijinks. It might be a bad idea for a number of reasons (and a good idea for a movie), not the least of which is that Mitch has his eyes on Nicole (Ellen Pompeo). Mitch had a high school crush on Nicole; she’s attracted to him, but finds their sorority boy activities immature.
Old School is very funny, and I laughed in spite of how dumb this movie is. It would have been even funnier if the movie hadn’t sold out in the end. The kind of guys that go to see a movie like this want the full raunchiness, but this movie plays it safe. By the end of the film, the horny thirty-somethings all return (for the most part) to their domestic tranquility without a notch on their belts to show for their wild times. I know that a lot of (stupid) people feel that movies should validate the American bourgeois’ value system, but this is a frickin’ comedy, and a lowbrow comedy at that, so all bets are off. Let there be no sacred cows; let the husbands screw around on their wives. This isn’t supposed to be smart and life affirming. If it were supposed to be intelligent, Old School wouldn’t have as a character one of the most tired stereotypes of film comedies set on college campuses, the evil dean of students (Jeremy Piven).
The scene I most anticipated was the one in which Vince Vaughn’s Beanie Campbell, who so wants to have sex with a co-ed, in spite of his alleged devotion to his wife and two young boys, would finally get a young lass alone with him in his room. What does Beanie do when he gets time with a co-ed? He chickens out, although the girl is quite willing. Still, a film like this is supposed to provide the yucks and lots of vicarious thrills. Beanie should have screwed her brains out. In fact, after that scene, the Beanie character loses all the intensity he had early in the film. Even Luke Wilson’s Mitch commits to a “serious relationship” by film’s end (in a very pat and neatly wrapped dénouement).
I recommend Old School for its many moments of awesome hilarity, but I pity the filmmakers for their lack of balls. This could and should have been so much funnier, so much more rebellious, and so much more subversive.
5 of 10
B-
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