Customer Reviews

Entourage: The Complete Second Season (DVD-3 Discs)

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I tried to explain this show to somebody the other day, and the most appropriate description that I could come up with was "Entourage is like the male version of 'Sex & The City', but based in Hollywood and with a more clearly defined plot." So, yeah... that's pretty much it.

If you watch one episode and enjoy it, then you MUST try to watch the whole series in its' entirety. Sure, you could jump in and start watching at any time, but the only way that you'll appreciate the inside jokes and past references is to see it from front to back. The show's writers really get into a great rhythm around the middle of season two.

In my opinion, the REAL stars of this series are Johnny Drama, Turtle, and Ari. Sure, the relationship between Eric (aka 'E') and movie star Vince is the engine that drives the show, but the funniest moments in the show involve the other members of the entourage. 'E' tends to take himself a little too seriously, and his girl problems are rather contrived at times. Vince is certainly the center of attention in his little universe because everything hinges on his career, but he couldn't function without his support group - which is the point of the show, I think.

My favorite facet of the show is how everybody that they interact with on a regular basis are all stereotypical entertainment industry people; from the sycophantic personal assistants and ubiquitous groupies, to the slick and smarmy super-agents and power mad producers. Also, the nature of the show's Hollywood locale results in the inclusion of tons of great Star Cameos.

Entourage was one of the few shows in recent memory that had me laughing out loud and actually giving a crap about what happened to the characters as the story developed. I can't wait to see what goes down in Season Three. If you'd like a solid TV drama/comedy that's got a shot of testosterone, or if you're tired of your girl forcing you to sit through re-runs of 'Sex & The City' and want to make her watch something you BOTH might enjoy for a change, then you should check out Entourage.

The gang is back and this time around Vinny is going to be in the newest hit movie "Aquaman" directed by James Cameron. Vinny's co-star for Aquaman will be Mandy Moore. Come to find out, Vinny's heart was crushed by Mandy on the movie `A Walk to Remember'. Yep... our woman hungry movie star Vinny at one time actually had his heart broken. He was in love. Mandy is now happily engaged to someone else and all she wants to be with Vinny is friends. Or does she. Ah, gotta love some good drama. Speaking of drama, Johnny Drama is headed to Comic Con to dress up as his old character from Viking Quest (think of the old TV show Hercules) and sign autographs and make a few bucks. Vince is going to promote his movie so of course Turtle and Eric go also. But here at Comic Con, the tides have changed and Johnny is the big star. He's got hot women all over him and everyone wants to talk to him. Turtle later on finds an up and coming music star and wants to manage him, even though the guy stole Vince's car. E finds new love in Ari Gold's boss's daughter.

Now even though the gang is a good group of guys and actors, I think if someone else would have played their characters (from the beginning of the show), we would still be laughing (maybe not Drama though). I have one exception though and that is Ari Gold who is played by Jeremy Piven. The guy is a genius. Just about all of his lines are a godsend to the show whether they are crude, witty, loving, mad, scared, sarcastic, or genuine, they are all great lines. Most of the time funny as hell lines. His actions are another thing that's great about him because he seems to be a big ball of energy that's about to explode. I've always liked him in just about everything he's been in, but he has really found himself in this show.

One other guy I'd like to mention is the newcomer Lloyd. Ari's new assistant. I didn't think I was going to like him that much, but he has brought a LOT of comedy to this show. Main reason for that is because he's Asian and he's gay. So now Ari has even more ammunition for his onslaught of mean sarcasm. And because Lloyd is a man, Ari is a little harder on him than if he was a woman. But Lloyd is VERY feminine and will cry and get hurt and will just ignore Ari if he wants to which aggravates Ari even more. You can't help but root for Lloyd almost all of the time. Such a great new character.

When it comes to the jokes and glamour, not much has changed, but that's good. The writing is still hilarious and very witty. The show is full of guest cameos which are great if you are a big movie fan like I am. I believe season 2 is better than season 1 and I really liked season 1. This show honestly gets better as it get older.

Highly recommended.

The HBO hit series, Entourage, starring Adrien Grenier, Kevin Connally, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, and Jeremy Piven, is back for its Second Season on DVD. The series follows the lives of hot celebrity actor Vince Chase and his posse of friends from the old neighborhood as they maneuver and strut through the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Beautiful models, bright clubs, and celebrity cameos fill every episode. The boys are styling and living large, the women are drop dead beautiful and available, and the night life and premieres fill their days and nights.

The 14-episode Second Season is a season of drama and instability for Vince and his crew. After coming back from the making of Queens Boulevard, Vince finds out that offers are drying up as fast as his bank account, and his dream of playing Pablo Escobar in Medellin is about as realistic as Drama's need for new calves. Aquaman, a big budget James Cameron movie, is the big money payday that Ari needs for Vince to take, but his reluctance is making life difficult. Eric is torn between his friendship with Vince and his desire to be a real manager making sound decisions for his client, while Turtle learns that Eric's old job isn't as glam as it seemed.

Between Laker games, beach parties at Jamie Pressly's house, and Sundance, Vince is finally convinced to take the Aquaman gig, much to the relief of his buddies and Ari. Behind the scenes though, things are getting tense: Ari is making a play to start his own agency, Eric meets Sloane, the beautiful daughter of Ari's boss, and Vince gets bowled over by the love of his life and new Aquaman co-star Mandy Moore. Will Vince bail on Aquaman? Will Ari make it? Will Eric cut Vince loose? The fun, tension, and of course the drama make for an entertaining second season of television. The box set extras could be better, but the episodes alone make up for it, and at under $30, its worth it. The only drawback is that this show should really be a 1 hour show, but I'll take what I can get. Highly Recommended.

Back when this season was originally airing the New York Times made the point that this show is so good that it nearly renders "Sex and the City" obsolete. It seemed to me to be an extreme stance, but just maybe they have a point. "Entourage" is the obvious successor to "Sex and the City," four people of the same gender living free and trying to get lucky with the opposite sex. But is it so much better? I would say that character wise the two shows are equal; "Entourage" holds the edge in dialogue, which is sharper, plus there is the added bonus of no shoes and no sappiness. So yes, "Entourage" win, and it is so good in fact that it is currently the best show on TV. Season 2 will likely to remembered for the Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier)/Mandy Moore (herself) romance. Vince, famous for his ability to not give a crap, really does give a crap when Mandy Moore reenters his life as they are going to film James Cameron's "Aquaman" together. So Moore, with her seductive hold over Vince, works as a sort of Kryptonite for Aquaman. He stops showing up for meeting and begins proclaiming that the only thing he cares about is her. The show moves towards a finale in which the group has to resist the urge to split apart. Vince's posse, in it supposedly out of loyalty, has that loyalty tested when the money threatens to disappear thanks to Vince's love life. The ride you go on with this characters has a velocity that is off the charts. The wit found here is breathtaking. Everything is done with such energy (even mundane business meetings) that you can't help but watch. The show does everything right, and it looks as though they aren't even trying.

I would be beyond remiss if I didn't say a few words about the inspired performance of Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, Vince's agent. It has no boundaries, no lack of enthusiasm, and has a knack for becoming unhinged. It is the kind of performance that Al Pacino built his career around. It is over the top, but endlessly entertaining and exciting. He gets some wicked lines to work with and nails them all. Without him the show would lose more than a step. The show is also about the love of movies. The more you know about the history of cinema the more of the inside jokes you will get. Some are easier to get than others, such as Bob Sagat showing up to play against his "Full House" type and swear at the boys while warning them away from his daughters. Sagat's rebirth is a source of much enjoyment for me. "Entourage" is a near perfect show. It matches "Curb Your Enthusiasm" cringe inducing moment for cringe inducing moment. Their continuity is solid and creative, seen this season when they bring back Emily, this time as an agent for James Cameron. Even when they sell out and devote an entire episode to one product ("Fight Night Round 2") you don't have time to be outraged because you are having too much fun. Every season the boys grow up a little bit more. The lesson they learn here is that their carefree ways are subsidized by Vince actually caring once in a while. An "Aquaman" paycheck will allow you to have your integrity, as long as you sacrifice it for the duration of filming. Money is still the name of the game even though they have more than any reasonable person could ever spend. I could have done without the constant swooning over material wealth, but at least they don't have a serious shoe addiction.

Let me start off by saying that Entourage is currently my favorite show to watch. You don't have to live in Hollywood or be in the business to appreciate the rapid-fire banter and acid-tongued humour of mostly soulless, bottom-line crazy, image obsessed actors and the agents, publicists, managers and hangers-on who indulge them.

As a huge fan of Sex and the City, I immediately got hooked on this show not just for its intelligent blend/balance of humour and pathos (none of whom do it better than Jeremy Piven and the extremely underrated Kevin Dillon) but much like Sex and the City, it is a show about a fantasy world for 4 people who go through so much, get screwed by so many but will always have each other. The family bond between Vince, E, Drama and Turtle (I love that we don't know his real name) is what drives the show and keeps it grounded no matter how crazy things get. No one anticipated the show's return for Season 3 more than I and it didn't disappoint.

The DVD, however, did. The great thing about Entourage is that it is such a "behind-the-scenes" show. Not only giving you a behind the scenes look at Hollywood and the business that is Hollywood but also because the writers are so great at creating backstories to just about every character without actually telling you what they are. I was so hoping that the DVD for Season 2 would reveal how they managed to get this actor to guest star or what funny/crazy/scary story happened when they shot on such and such location but instead we got nothing. No audio commentaries, no deleted scenes or alternate endings. No footage of Johnny Drama's previous guest spots (I mean, come on, who isn't dying to see him playing the bulimic pedophile on the Commish). There are so many episodes of Season 2 that I would have loved to have known more about but all we get are the Mark Wahlberg sessions, which a) I had already seen on HBO On Demand and b) weren't that interesting because we don't really learn more about the show and c) Mark Wahlberg comes off as a bit of a douchebag.

I would have loved audio commentary on Chinatown, if not for the last 2 minutes alone and because I love Asian cinema. How could they not have Chris Henchy, one of the writers of the show, comment on Blueballs Lagoon which guest starred his real life wife, Brooke Shields?! James Cameron, one of the biggest directors in Hollywood, does a recurring guest spot and no one has anything to say about it? Mandy Moore plays a huge role and we are left wondering why they decided to give Vince a real relationship, why Mandy Moore (I felt it was a bit of an odd choice) and why did she refuse to come back in the 3rd season and they basically act like she never existed. You would think a writing staff of men would have something to say about shooting at the Playboy Mansion (Aquamansion, great episode, with great scenes by Ralph Macchio and Pauly Shore) or at Sundance or at a real Lakers game.

I was really let down with the lack of extras in the DVD, especially with the lack of audio commentary. Hopefully, they will beef it up for Season 3.

Not to deter anyone from watching the show, this is one of the best written shows on television. If you loved Sex and the City and you are not watching this show then you are truly missing out. Networks have tried to emulate the magic that was SATC (cough, Heather Graham, cough) but none have come close. That is because SATC already has an heir to the throne and Entourage is it. People are just fooled because the show is about 4 men instead of 4 women and is in LA, not New York. And if you have not discovered the wonder that is Kevin Dillon...I mean, I never even knew that Matt Dillon had a brother until this show! Kevin Dillon's Johnny Drama is probably one of the funniest, smartest and most complex characters written on television to date. He is absurd, self-centered, pathetic, self-conscious, puerile, weathered, smart, stupid and still a very real human being. Dillon manages to take the most ridiculous character and fill him with so many nuances that Drama can go from one extreme to the next in a matter of seconds (and he often does) and you still totally buy it. I could watch Dillon act for hours, he's that good and while I love Jeremey Piven, I have to say if anyone should be nominated for and win an Emmy, it should be Dillon.

I'm giving the Season 2 DVD 4 out of 5 stars. Season 2 gets 5 out of 5 but the DVD gets 3 out of 5 because of lack of extras.

...and so far, season two is better than season three.

Season two is where Vincent Chase (played by Adrian Grenier) comes into his own. He's now on the verge of superstar status as he goes from acting in Sundance hit "Queens Boulevard" to potentially starring in "Aquaman", a James Cameron blockbuster. But there's one thing standing in the way of his success... his leading lady in "Aquaman" (Mandy Moore) is the one love he never got over. And now she's engaged to another man.

This conflict creates great storylines for the last few episodes of the season. The entire "Aquaman" film is in jeopardy because of his obsession with Moore.

Meanwhile, his brother Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) is still struggling to resuscitate his own acting career in the shadow of his successful baby brother, and his "one hit wonder" status starring in 90's TV show "Viking Quest". One of the best episodes of season two is when Drama visits the comic convention in San Diego, where he still has some semblance of fame. A classic.

Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Eric (Kevin Connolly) continue their struggle to grow their careers in Vince's superstar shadow. One classic episode has Turtle trying to sign rap star "Saigon" after Saigon steals Eric's Maserati, mistaking it for a record producer's car that he wanted to leave a demo CD in.

Eric, on the other hand, is busy learning the ins and outs of Hollywood as he tries to manage Vince's career. He falls for Vince's agent Ari's partner's daughter. Follow me?

This brings me to Vince's agent Ari. (Jeremy Piven)

Ari is the comic relief of the show and accurately portrays every sleazy Hollywood agent you've ever met. He's cruel. He's cold. He's calculating. He has a razor edged tongue and you love to hate him. In season two, Ari shines. He has some of his best one liners ever. (How do you top "Let's hug it out...!"?

New characters include Lloyd (Rex Lee), Ari's gay Asian assistant and Sloan (Emanuelle Chriqui), Eric's girlfriend and the daughter of Ari's ex-partner.

Season two shines. Great writing. Great story lines. And best of all - you can believe that all of these scenes actually happened to Mark Wahlberg. (Upon whom the series is based)

I recently convinced a female friend who was a die-hard "Sex and the City" fan to check out "Entourage" after "Sex and the City" went off the air. She was hesitant to get into a show about a bunch of "guys in Hollywood", but after two episodes she was hooked.

You really do like these guys, and season two makes you understand them even more.

5 stars. (If I could give "Entourage" 6 stars, I would)

Last summer I watched the whole first season of Entourage in one sitting, costing myself half a night's sleep. This summer, I snatched up the second season as soon as it was available on DVD and watched the whole thing in a few days. The show is as addictive as eating potato chips. I'm strongly tempted to get digital cable and subscribe to HBO just to keep up with season three but I can't bring myself to do it. You have to draw the line somewhere and watching the episodes back to back is an unmitigated joy.

This season centers on Vince starring in a big screen adaptation of the comic book Aquaman. The movie will be directed by James Cameron and Cameron needs to be convinced that Vince is right for the leading role. Subplots involve Vince's romance with the film's leading lady, Mandy Moore, Turtle's fledgling career as a music talent agent and political infighting at Ari's agency. Highlights for the season include the boys taking a trip to Utah for the premiere of Vince's indy movie, Queens Boulevard, the guys attending a party at the Playboy mansion, the group attending Ari's daughter's Bat Mitzvah and the gang visiting a comic book convention where Vince will promote his new movie and Drama will milk whatever fame is left from his stint on Viking Quest. All of these episodes are hilarious.

To be honest, the season wasn't flawless. It became too bogged down in Vince's on-again off-again relationship with Mandy Moore. What I like best about this show is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It works best when the guys are put into humorous situations and we get to see them react to them. It should be more a sitcom, like Seinfeld, then a dramatic show. Even so, the show is still better than most of what's on television and I will certainly be back next summer for season three.

I don't think I can say anything negative about this show. The writers and actors continually impress me with their ability to stay fresh and relevant. Outstanding effort.

The most hilarious thiong about this show is how Vincent gets all the attention in the world while the rest of the Entourage get none of it and yet, they consider themselves important. E as Vin's manager is hilarious in his little act. A little man (not much shorter than me) who has his own set of troubles to take care of, who doesnt have commitment issues but thinks he does - is a great act and despite being the most uncomfortable character manages to somehow intrigue the watcher. Entourage is not a Comedy show, it's not a Drama, it's not reality based tv. It's a guy show with no girls as lead characters. Strange as that may sound, it is still very hip and self content. It's no Seinfeld and there are no observations. The show circles around 4 main characters. Kevin Dillon's character is somehow the Cosmo Kramer of the show and manages to derive most laughs. His awkwardness reminds me of my own. The center character, the Jerry Seinfeld of the show, is Vinnie. I'm sure he doesn't get a lot of credit but the fact that he is always in one mood, is simply superb. That, from what I understand, is a great act. Where do I start about turtle? The George Costanza of the show who couldn't care less. Initially, I thought I'd hate his character cause I hate guys like him. You and I both know how many Turtles we run into everyday life so I didn't know what to expect when I saw him on tv. A lot of reviewers admit to loving turtle. I'm sure they're six feet tall studs who love to hug shorter, rounder men...oops let me not drift away. Entourage owns. There is nothing like Entourage. I must say in the last two years, Television is back. Jeremy Piven is about as good as you hear he is. I love his assistant.

Q. Why should you buy season 2?
A. Season 2 would explain the storyline in a superb way. This is the season that made the show. Definitely. It also has a lot of heart and emotions considering Mandy and Vince hit it on and off. Besides all that poker, it's just a must have, really.

Once again a solid win by HBO on Entourage. Jeremy Piven delivers top quality as always and the show has something about it that you can't resist but to watch the next episode.