Tag: Entourage blog (Page 10 of 13)

The creators of “Entourage” took a big risk this week when they chose to shoot the entire episode in the style of a behind-the-scenes DVD documentary, but for the most part, it went over pretty well. The only real issue that I had was with the inclusion of Drama, Turtle and Ari in the confessionals, because no real documentary would even think about interviewing the older brother, best friend or agent of any particular actor. Nevertheless, the fact that they were able to cram the entire production of “Medellin” into a single half-hour is impressive, especially since the audience has yet to see Vince in action.

A majority of the episode revolved around director Billy Walsh’s expected dictatorship over the production – from the decision to shoot the film himself (after beating up the DP) to rewriting the ending – and though Walsh never disappoints Vince with his nut job brilliance, he certainly looked like he was about to pass out from all the stress. Tension builds when Walsh requests Academy Award nominee Stephen Gaghan (“Traffic”) to rewrite the script, but when Eric finally secures the $275,000 to fly him out to Columbia, Walsh finishes it on his own. A waste of money? Perhaps, but I can’t help but think that the sheer idea of Gaghan messing with Walsh’s baby was motivation enough for the young upstart to begin writing.

Aside from that, there really weren’t any major revelations on the story side of things, but I would like to point out a few things that I especially liked about the episode:

1) Did anyone notice the title of the DIY producer’s book that Eric was reading? It was called “Is That Something You Might Be Interested In,” by Bob Ryan.

2) Was it just me, or did Vince look more like Ron Jeremy than a menacing drug lord?

3) Drama can steal an entire episode with just one line. In this case, his cameo at the end of the film as a Columbian soldier ranks among his top three. (in Spanish) “Let’s go kill this motherfucker!”

As for the movie itself, I wasn’t impressed. It felt a little too much like “Scarface” and every other gangster film I’ve ever seen. Then again, if you were as unlucky as me and caught the title of one of the season’s final episodes, then you know exactly how things are going to turn out. I’d suggest you stay away from the ‘ol IMDB for the next few months, but if you absolutely must, please keep your mouth shut for the sake of everyone else.

With the beginning of season four only two weeks away, the idea of this particular story arc ending with a cliffhanger felt a bit out of place, and so I was glad to see that tonight’s episode ended on a rather positive note instead. Sure, you could say that the latest revelation of the ongoing “Medellin” debacle was a bit surprising, but Vince and the guys certainly made the best of it.

More cut and dry than most episodes, tonight’s “Entourage” dealt with only two plotlines: Vince and Eric securing a financier for “Medellin,” and Drama and Turtle shopping for a new apartment. The latter found Drama out on the town looking for a new place to stay, and while he initially planned to move somewhere cheap, as soon as he views a beautiful condominium by accident, everything else pales in comparison. The Beverly Hills condo is going for $1.4 million, and thus way out of his budget, but that doesn’t stop Drama from buying the damn thing. Prepared to bargain with realtor, he ultimately agrees to pay $100k more than the asking price. Here’s hoping his series gets picked up, or he’ll be back on the streets like the old days.

Unfortunately, while Drama’s side quests are always entertaining (look no further than last week’s run-in with Brett Ratner), tonight’s subplot only seemed to get in way of the more important of the two plots: “Medellin.” It seems Nicky Rubenstein has finally earned access to his trust fund, and his first order of business is to sign on as the film’s financier. Unable to afford the previously budgeted $60 million, Nicky agrees to $25 million, meaning Vince and Eric need to find a director who knows how to stretch a budget. Good thing they know Billy Walsh. The only problem is Walsh is now working as an adult film director (under the alias Wally Balls), apparently because he got sick and tired of studio intervention, but the sheer mention of Pablo Escobar changes his mind.

Of course, he wouldn’t be Billy Walsh without his laundry list of demands (including a bigger budget and final cut), and while he initially butts heads with Nicky over the money issue, the two settle on a slightly larger number: $30 million – written in a checkbook and handed to Vince like it was a five-dollar bill. Finally, “Medellin” is going to get made, and no one can do anything to stop it. Well, unless that someone is Walsh, who apparently wants to film the entire movie in Spanish. Say what? Who does this guy think he is, Mel Gibson? Nonetheless, Vince doesn’t seem at all surprised, and he and Eric are on their way to Columbia to begin shooting right away.

Can “Medellin” go down without a hitch? Will Vince’s performance earn him an Oscar nod? Has Eric really chosen work over Sloan? Can Drama continue his good fortune? And will Turtle ever get a decent story? Hopefully, we’ll get the answer to at least one of these questions in two weeks, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.