Entourage Review

The Plot

The boys are back and this time it’s on the big screen. HBO’s hit show Entourage continues just months after where the final season left off. With movie star Vince (Adrian Grenier) single again after his failed (and short) marriage, he decides to make his next project his directorial debut, much to his agent turned studio boss Ari’s (Jeremy Piven) dismay…

The Good

It’s been almost four years since Vince, E (Kevin Connolly), Drama (Kevin Dillon) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrera) were last seen jetting off to Vince’s impromptu wedding with a british reporter and it seems that nothing has changed. Opening with a lavish party on a yacht, the storyline is almost instantly brought back to it’s original state with Vince’s marriage now officially annulled after just a few days (Britney Spears’ marriage was shorter though according to Turtle).

Even Ari is back! Last seen taking an early retirement to save his marriage, the foul mouthed agent is back and as angry as ever in his new role as studio head. Try as he might, Ari’s anger issues can never be simmered down and no one is safe when things start to go wrong at work. Not even a framed picture of cute kittens.

Entourage brings back all the characters and tropes that made the show such a hit while adding some more great cameos that the show is famous for. Of course Gary Busey turns up again, but we also get Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as Texan father-son financiers who start making problems for Vince’s new movie – a futuristic sci-fi take on the Jekyll and Hyde story.

Meanwhile Vince’s long suffering half brother Johnny ‘Drama’ Chase is still working towards his big break and it could come in the form of his small but pivotal role in Vince’s new movie. That is if the financiers don’t have a say in it…

The Bad

As the movie clearly hopes to attract a winder audience for Entourage there’s some inevitable exposition to catch newcomers up to what they missed out on over the past eight seasons. It’s just a shame that this comes in the awkward and dull form of a fake Piers Morgan behind the scenes look at Vince’s new film. Serving as a lazy and  heavy handed way to educate new audiences about the childhood friends that form our heroic ‘Entourage’.

Unfortunately, and somewhat ironically for a show based on the business of Hollywood, Entourage doesn’t quite make the transition to the big screen. While it’s certainly a treat for fans to have more, the storyline feels like it could have been done just as well and probably cheaper in the form of a half season of the show.

If you were to play this back to back with the show itself, the only real proof that this is slightly bigger is the extended opening credits sequence which does nothing but replace the usual buildings upon which the cast and crews names would be emblazoned on with slightly bigger flashier ones.

The Ugly Truth

Entourage is a definite must watch for fans of the show who’ve been missing the boys since their departure from TV. For newcomers however, it’s probably not the best introduction, you’re better off buying the DVD box sets.

Review by Johnny Ellis

Jurassic World Review

The Plot

22 years after our first glimpse of man and dinosaurs reunited, the park is finally open. With a new name to distance itself from it’s past horrors, the island of Isla Nublar is now home to Jurassic World. But when a newly created dinosaur starts to outsmart its captors and roam free, no one is safe.

The Good

It’s been over two decades since audiences were first introduced to the idea of a dinosaur theme park and quickly terrified by the events that occurred in the original trilogy. But Jurassic World turns the terror up to 11 with four simple words: The Park Is Open.

With attractions galore, including a water show with a shark eating dinosaur, the park has definitely had a dramatic technological upgrade. Holograms have replaced the iconic T-Rex skeleton and human sized hamster balls have replaced jeeps. Jurassic World is everything a Jurassic Park fan needs in their life. Even the raptors are our friends now! Or more specifically Chris Pratt’s, playing a trainer/alpha raptor. Of course it’s not long until things go wrong. And if you thought there was no way to top the previous films, let me remind you: The. Park. Is. Open!

Director Colin Trevorrow mixes spectacle with sheer terror beautifully. Also providing warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia through that familiar swooping soundtrack and plenty of nods to the original trilogy. It will have fans squealing with delight, before their squeals turn to screams as each dino attack brings even more adrenaline than the last.

Pratt is ultimately the star of the show for most of the 2 hours and it’s clear to see why. This is one actor who shows no signs of stopping any time soon. As proved by Guardians of The Galaxy, Pratt is a rare commodity, an irrepressibly charming and genuinely amusing action star. His beautiful co-star Bryce Dallas Howard also delivers some great action moments of her own.

Among all the mayhem and prehistoric carnage  Jake Johnson (New Girl) with the help of Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is The New Black) gives audiences some much needed comic relief to slow our frantically beating hearts.

The Bad

The park itself looks fantastic but it feels as though we barely scratch the surface before the main action begins. Seeing as it’s our first proper look at the park in spectacular working order it does feel like a slight disappointment. It also seems that we can’t survive an entire movie without at least one slightly cheesy bit of romantic melodrama popping up. Though the tense atmosphere is continuous, it is occasionally broken up with an ever so slightly bonkers script that at one point ends up feeling like a Godzilla movie.

The Ugly Truth

Jurassic World is an almost perfect summer blockbuster, bringing constant nostalgia for fans of the original trilogy. Unfortunately it does fall short in completely wowing when it inevitably shifts its focus from the wonders of an actual working theme park to the predictable and at times ridiculous finale. One things for sure though, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the screen for a second!

Orange Is The New Black Season Three Review

The Plot

With Vee gone for good, season three focuses on some of the less known characters back-stories. Meanwhile, Litchfield is threatened with closure before a corporate company steps in to save them. But their new rules and regulations create hostilities between the guards and upper management when new untrained staff are hired. Meanwhile our leading lady Piper begins a new moneymaking scheme involving her fellow inmates used underwear…

The Good

Opening with a Mothers Day themed episode in which Litchfield organises a ‘bring your child to prison’ day for the inmates, the tone for this latest season is set instantly. While the present day goings on are still very much going on, it’s mainly the back stories that are what keeps this latest batch of episodes interesting.

With most of the bigger characters pasts explored widely enough, Orange Is The New Black season three instead turns to the last few dregs, with episodes focusing on Chang, Big Boo, Norma and even Litchfield’s new boss Caputo. Caputo’s episode is one of the standouts this series as not only do we get to see a great piece of character development for him, which sees him sacrificing a potential future in a rock band to become a devoted father, we also get a brief glimpse of Rosa, our first since her escape from the prison at the end of season two – more on that later…

On the subject of character development, season three also shows just how much Pennsatucky has grown. From being the bible bashing villain of season one to Big Boo’s new bestie and even accepting her as the brilliantly sassy lesbian she is, Pennsatucky has slowly grown from a hated character to a fan favourite over the past three seasons.

Though much of the present day happenings of season three aren’t particularly interesting, one exception is Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren’s storyline. After becoming a new critically acclaimed writer (if you can call her fellow inmates critics) when she pens a time travelling sex story that EL James would no doubt be jealous of, Crazy Eyes experiences the effects that no doubt every fan fiction writer can relate to as her fan base grows larger and larger and demands for new chapters come flooding in. It’s a fun storyline which also shows her insecurities in love and sex which come to a satisfying cliffhanger in the shows finale.

We can’t finish this section without mentioning the chicken though. Last seen in season one, the chicken’s triumphant return is a brilliant way to answer the question that has been hanging on fans’ minds since it’s first appearance. Sure, Doctor Who may have cracks in the wall and lost planets, but neither are as satisfying as finally finding out once and for all whether the chicken is a myth or not!

The Bad

Though there are a whole host of highlights to be found in the latest season, it’s undoubtedly the weakest of the three. Jumping back to Rosa for starters, even though we get a glimpse of her in Caputo’s flashback episode, her story isn’t really finished satisfyingly enough. Last seen driving off for freedom and killing Vee in the process, season three starts off with a small throwaway scene to signify that the cancer did indeed kill her. But the question of whether she managed to stay free or had to spend her last weeks stuck in prison isn’t truly answered.

Then there is the overlaying theme and story in season three. Or rather lack thereof. While the past two seasons had a clear endpoint to where the final episode would undoubtedly take us thanks to the villainous roles of Pennsatucky and Vee, season threes lack of a clear antagonist makes it somewhat unorganised. Instead we get Piper starting up a Breaking Bad style empire in which she hires her fellow inmates to surrender their dirty underwear for her to sell to perverts on the outside. It could have been an interesting story for the entire season but starts a little late and doesn’t have an ending yet nor does it have an enticing cliffhanger to whet our appetites for season four.

There are of course some additions to the cast, but the one highlight has got to be the incredible Ruby Rose, who comes in as Piper’s new assistant/possible love interest. Unfortunately it only takes three episodes before she is unceremoniously thrown aside seemingly never to return.

Piper and Alex seem to have switched roles this season, with the newly returned Alex being paranoid and needy for much of the show while Piper becomes more and more manipulative. It’s odd to think that she was once the driving force of the entire show and admittedly it’s somewhat refreshing to see that she has been turned into a mere supporting character giving the less known characters a chance to thrive. But with her gone as a main lead, there doesn’t seem to be a replacement. And though it’s certainly nice to see the show try to pack more into each character, some have completely uninteresting story lines. The main example being Norma. For season three she has left Red’s side for good and has now somehow become a new messiah for many of the inmates in a story that seems incredibly dragged out and never-ending.

The Ugly Truth

Orange Is The New Black’s return has some interesting additions to it’s already strong host of characters. But ultimately it becomes unhinged with the lack of a decent running storyline, antagonist of even protagonist. Perhaps it was time for a breather after the intensity of the first two seasons, allowing us to see more back stories for other characters. However season four really needs to have a change in order to stay interesting…

Orange Is The New Black Season Two Review

As Neflix releases the Third series of hit prison drama Orange Is The New Black, we recap the highs and lows of the second season. Check out our other posts for the season one  review and our verdict on the latest episodes.

The Plot

After the events of season one, Piper is sent to SHU until she’s transferred to Chicago as a witness for a trial to put away the dealer she used to work for. But when she lies under oath and ruins her chances of getting out early, Alex makes a deal to be free. Meanwhile, Litchfield welcomes a new inmate/villain in the form of Vee (Lorraine Toussaint) a former inmate who, upon her return, changes the entire system between the inmates as she starts bringing in drugs.

The Good

So it turns out that Piper was lucky at the end of season one. Last seen in the midst of a rage induced attack on Pennsatucky, we finally learn that she has Crazy Eyes to thank for making it look like a fair fight. In season two, Piper is betrayed by Alex when Alex tells her to lie in the courtroom only for her to get released and leave Piper all alone.

For season two, Piper’s story becomes very much in the background as Vee and Red’s fight overtakes it. And rightly so. With a story that begins in flashbacks to their younger days and ends all these years later where their fight is still going strong. While Red is trying to regain the power she once had by replacing her kitchen for a greenhouse and her posse for a group of OAP’s, Vee is trying to become Litchfield’s new kingpin again as she manipulates everyone and anyone she can. Including Crazy Eyes.

Suzanne’s (Crazy Eyes) flashback episode is one of the biggest highlights for season two as we are finally shown her in her youth with her adoptive parents struggling to raise such an outgoing young girl. But her contribution to the series does not end there. Her loyalty towards Vee is unquestionable and very nearly lands her in maximum security as Vee tries to convince her that she beat Red half to death with a lock in a sock.

As well as this we also have Rosa (Barbara Rosenblat), a character who appears in the very first episode but who we only start to learn about in this season as she gets her very own flashback to her bank robbing glory days while at present she’s fighting a losing battle with cancer. With just weeks left to live, Rosa is given a chance to escape thanks to Morello (Yael Stone) and takes it, while also taking the perfect shot at a just escaped Vee which leads into this seasons cut to black (or orange) as we wait for season three.

The Bad

Unfortunately Larry’s storyline doesn’t get any better this season as he and Piper’s best friend decide to hook up and fall in love. Not only killing any interest we had in Piper and Larry’s relationship, but also putting the final nail in the coffin to his story it seems, as much to fans rejoice, Larry Bloom will not be returning for season three!

The Ugly Truth

Orange Is The New Black season two provides much more for the supporting characters than the apparent leading lady. So much so that they can hardly be considered supporting any more, if they were even considered that in the first place. Netflix’s hit ensemble piece continues to grow in story and character. Bring on season three!

Speaking of which check out our interview with star Yael Stone about season 3 below:

Orange Is The New Black Season One Review

As Neflix releases the Third series of hit prison drama Orange Is The New Black, we recap the highs and lows of the first season. Check out our other posts for the season two  review and our verdict on the latest episodes.

The Plot

Happily engaged Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) is sent to Litchfield prison when her drug trafficking days with ex Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) resurface. And if that wasn’t enough to hinder her future with husband-to-be Larry (Jason Biggs), she just so happens to be sharing her new home with not only Alex, but a whole host of inmates…

The Good

With almost thirteen hours of storyline to cover, the chances of mentioning each of Season One’s many many highlights are slim. Starting off with Piper’s instant slip up as she criticises Red’s (Kate Mulgrew) cooking in front of her before finding out she’s just criticised the chef, in front of the chef. Cue a future of tampon mcmuffins for breakfast lunch and dinner util, after 3 burning mouthfuls of chewed up chill later, Piper’s mistake is corrected and Red’s back problem sorted along with it.

Next up comes Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba). Piper’s new unwelcome prison wife brings about issues galore when one simple act of sharing headphones on movie night turns into a chocolate and vanilla swir-irl. But just like Romeo and Juliette’s story, Piper and Crazy Eyes’ romance ends badly, although we’re pretty sure Julliette wouldn’t have openly peed in Romeo’s bedroom…

All this and we haven’t even properly met Alex, though she has been a prominent backdrop throughout. It’s not until a heart to heart between the two with Alex stuck in a giant washing machine, that everything becomes water under the bridge and they unite to smite a common enemy.

That common enemy? That’d be Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) a bible bashing redneck who doesn’t like lesbians one bit. After locking Alex in the aforementioned washing machine, Pennsatucky creates a target on her back. A target that is hit in the form of becoming briefly under the assumption that her hands are healin’ hands that can cure her fellow inmates of anything, from a sore knee to even that dreaded lesbian feeling that is surely a disease of some kind, right? But when some troublemaking youngsters arrive to see what their future could be like, Pennsatucky discovers that those healin’ hands of hers don’t quite the same effect on wheelchair disabilities and so off to psych she goes.

Unfortunately, Piper can’t get to the end of the season without missing her sworn enemy and doing the ‘right thing’ by confessing, allowing Pennsatucky to return with the hopes of baptising Piper. But try as she might, Piper eventually cracks, leading Pennsatucky to come to the logical conclusion that she must kill her. All this comes to an incredibly teasing finale in a snow covered post christmas show fight outside where none but Officer Healy (Michael Harney) can see. Unfortunately for Piper, Healy turns a blind eye, leaving her to let the rage overcome her as we see Pennsatucky get knocked to the ground, and into it. How it ends, we don’t know just yet, thanks to the evil of the cut to black.

It’s the flashback’s in season one that are the big highlights however. As we are introduced to Red before we find out about her Russian mafia past, or Miss Claudette (Michelle Hurst) and her irritating need for cleanliness before learning about the clean up that got her into Litchfield in the first place.

All this and we haven’t even mentioned Pornstache. Or the chicken. But was there even a chicken in the first place? THAT’S the real question…

The Bad

Though Orange Is The New Black is consistently good, there are certain story lines which are perhaps not as high a standard as the main one. Particularly Larry’s predicament throughout the entire season. As he tries to get used to life without Piper we’re apparently supposed to feel sorry for him, but when he comes up with ideas such as broadcasting all of Litchfield’s crazy characters out over the radio for everyone to hear, it starts to become difficult to feel any sympathy at all.

Also, though Daya’s (Dascha Polanco) pregnancy storyline is interesting, it feels like one that is slow moving with the timeline of Season One. Perhaps by the end of season three it might start to gain a bit more momentum…

The Ugly Truth

Orange Is The New Black season one is a strong start, with a main storyline that ends tantalisingly enough to make you want to just refresh Netflix for a year as you wait for season two to arrive. Each character brings their own unique storyline alongside it however, with flashback’s galore that make the experience even more entertaining.