Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Entourage

Oh man, I haven't reviewed this show in so long, I've almost forgotten what it's about...

In episode five, we get a visit from Bob Saget and more of Eric's desperation as he tries to convince James Cameron that Vince is right for the role of Aquaman. This one builds up the tension nicely, and the ending, with all of Eric's plans crashing down around him, works very well.

In episode six, as Eric continues to try to get a screening of Vince's latest movie for Cameron, the other guys try to earn money and Vince gets a hilarious part in a foreign commercial. I really don't like Turtle and Johnny Drama. They are the comic relief, and they are boring. However, there wouldn't be much of a show without them. The Eric and Ari Gold thing can only go so far, and Vince himself is just a magnet for the rest of the group to hang around.

In episode seven, the whole gang goes to Sundance for the screening of Vince's latest film. Cameron goes to see it as well, but leaves after only a few minutes. The few minutes was enough, Vince gets the part as Aquaman. I think I mostly enjoy this show, but there is so much that just makes me wince. Johnny Drama in particular is just too stupid to believe. I was a little surprised, but happy, to see James Cameron playing himself in this one.

In episode eight, the money finally rolls in for the role of Aquaman, and the boys start to relax with a list of possible women to play Aquagirl (??!?). Much to the worry of Turtle and Drama, the list includes Mandy Moore (playing herself) who had a "thing" with Vince when they worked on another movie together. The lines between reality and the fiction of this show blur all the more with the inclusion of the real Mandy Moore as Vince's ex-that-he-never-got-over. We learn that Vince proposed to Mandy, and by the end of the episode it appears she won't be playing opposite Vince.

But in episode nine, Mandy is back in as the crew goes to Comicon to announce the new Aquaman. Drama cashes in on Comicon with his role in the series Viking Quest, and is much more at home with the nerds than the other guys. I didn't find it to be a convincing Comicon, as it wasn't nearly crowded or chaotic enough, but the effort was appreciated.


Vince and Mandy announce Aquaman.

RJ Spencer, based no doubt on Harry Knowles (who was apparently offended that they didn't have him play himself), worked in the context. I did note a small problem during Vince's interview with RJ... Vince talks about not loving Aquaman until Ramona Fradon came on the book... but Fradon started to do Aquaman in 1951. She was done with the book long before Vince was born. Still, it was a really sharp answer to a really dumb question, even if they could've phrased Vince's answer a bit better. The U2 bits seemed tacked on to me, like they just needed to fill some time or something.


Vince and Mandy in a CGI test.

And lastly, in episode ten we get more of Cameron and Moore as the pre-production begins on Aquaman. Vince and Mandy get hauled into the air on winches, and we hear Cameron talking about Poseidonis in 3D and Storm the seahorse. Oh, rock on! I still have my doubts that a live-action Aquaman is possible, even with today's technology, but this show is doing everything right to make it realistic enough to accept as the show-biz side of things. All in all, not a bad episode.


James Cameron talks with Eric about Poseidonis and Storm.

Well, overall, not a bad few episodes. The Aquaman action certainly heats up in the most recent two episodes, as does the romantic twists and turns. With a few more episodes left in the season, maybe this movie will actually get made in Vince's universe.

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