Bloodless Coup

DVD Rentals this July

I've catching up on a variety of things on dvd this month. Here are a few thoughts on some of the things I've watched.

Entourage, Season 1 – Since I don’t have HBO, I didn’t see these episodes when they first aired. I have made a point though to try and catch the current season. This dynamic show is about a bunch of buddies from “the neighborhood” (Queens) living the high life in Hollywood, benefiting from the fact that one of them (the perfectly cast, as well as drop-dead gorgeous Adrien Grenier) is a rising movie star. This show is both well written and often exceptionally well directed. And it’s shot at what are indeed “it” locales in the Los Angeles area, and features big stars in cameos. All the star’s buddies do a nice job (his brother and his manager are especially good), and some of the female characters are also quite well done – though in the atmosphere of this show they often seem secondary and are treated rather badly. The universally acknowledged scene stealer is Ari Gold, the star’s agent, played by Jeremy Piven. I’d love to see him win the Emmy he was just nominated for. I've definitely become a fan of this, even if it's also sort of appalling.

The Jacket – I don’t understand why this film wasn’t better received. It stars Adrien Brody, and the primary secondary characters are played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keira Knightley and Kris Kristofferson. All are just right for their parts, and the mystery in this really sucks you in. The plot centers on Jack Starks who is committed to an asylum after being arrested for shooting a police officer – a crime he doesn’t remember committing. It is perhaps more of a mystery than a thriller, but it’s compelling, and it has a bit of Sliding Doors thing going on. I recommend it.

Short Cuts – Why is this film so highly thought of? I like a lot of Altman movies, but I didn’t find this one very interesting. Frances McDormand rocks of course. But otherwise, this is disappointing. Though for you Andie McDowell haters out there - I'd say this features her worst performance I've ever seen.

The Aviator – It’s no Goodfellas or The Age of Innocence. The appropriate description is uneven. There are bits of it that are very good. And then there are other sections. And since it's really long, there are too many of those other sections. Much like the movie as a whole, there are times when Leo does a really nice job, and there are times when he seems terribly miscast. Some of the supporting cast though is very well chosen (Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda leap to mind, and of course Cate Blanchett is the best thing about the film).

Any Given Sunday – Much like its director at times, this is over the top, and spins out of control. Still … isn’t that somehow right for a movie about the NFL? The ending really is terrible, and why is Cameron Diaz in this movie? Still, there are some great moments in it, and I think Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, James Woods, Jamie Foxx and Lauren Holly are all effective. And some of the game sequences are far better than those seen in most football films before it.