"ANT-MAN" (2015) Review

"ANT-MAN" (2015) Review

When Marvel Studios first announced that its new movie about the comic book hero, Ant-Man would be the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) second stage, I found myself scratching my head. Why would a solo effort like "ANT-MAN served as the end of Stage Two? Why not the epic "THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON", which had been released two-and-a-half weeks earlier? 

Needless to say, I had no idea what was going through the mind of MCU show runner, Kevin Fiege. So, I sat back and watched how he and the filmmakers for "ANT-MAN" would handle this. And I must say . . . I found myself more than pleasantly surprised. This surprise, along with the actual movie also taught me another lesson about making assumptions. One day, this lesson will remain with me and I will stop making assumptions for good. Hopefully.

As for "ANT-MAN", the movie created a small controversy when the Marvel and Disney Studio bosses decided to fire British filmmaker Edgar Wright and replace him with Peyton Reed as director. They also dismissed the screenplay that Wright co-wrote with collaborator Joe Cornish and allowed the film's star Paul Rudd and Adam McKay to re-write the script. A good number of critics and moviegoers believe this move may have harmed "ANT-MAN". Others are contemplating on how the movie would have turned out if Wright had remained the film's director. After seeing "ANT-MAN" and recalling that 2007's "HOT FUZZ" was the only Wright film I have ever truly liked, I realized in the end that I could not care less about how Wright and Cornish would have done the film. Yes, I enjoyed "ANT-MAN" that much.

The movie begins in 1989 when the recently widowed Dr. Hank Pym resigns from S.H.I.E.L.D., after discovering their attempt to replicate his Ant-Man shrinking technology. Believing the technology is dangerous, Dr. Pym refuses to release the technology to S.H.I.E.L.D. or anyone else. The story jumps twenty-six years later. Pym's estranged daughter, Hope van Dyne, and former protégé, Darren Cross, have forced him out of his own company. Cross is close to perfecting a shrinking suit of his own, the Yellowjacket, which horrifies Pym. Fortunately, Hope realizes the danger that Cross' new invention poses and decides to help her father destroy it. 

At the same time, convicted burglar Scott Lang is finally released from moves in with his old cellmate, Luis and the latter's two friends - Dave and Kurt. After making a surprise visit to his daughter Cassie's birthday party, Scott is dismissed by his ex-wife Maggie and her police-detective fiancé, Paxton, for not providing child support. Unable to hold a job because of his criminal record, Scott agrees to a burglary job that Lang agrees to a burglary job that Luis has discovered - one that involves breaking into an expensive Victorian manor. Only the house belongs to Hank Pym and the only thing Scott was able to find inside Dr. Pym's safe is the Ant-Man suit. Scott tries on the suit and accidentally shrinks himself. Terrified by his experience, he tries to return it to the Pym manor and is arrested by the police. However, Dr. Pym pays the jailed Scott a visit and helps the latter break out of jail, using the suit. Then he recruits Scott to help him and Hope pull a heist on Darren Cross' new Yellowjacket suit before his former protégé can sell the technology to dangerous people.

Following the over-the-top action fest of "THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON", "ANT-MAN" proved to be something of a respite for me. Not only did the movie proved to be a respite, but also quite enjoyable. But before I go into why I enjoyed the film, I have to point out its shortcomings. The worst thing I can say about "ANT-MAN" is its pacing. There are a few moments in the film in which director Peyton Reed nearly rushed the film. This was especially apparent in the montages that conveyed Scott Lang's training as Ant-Man at the hands of Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne. And I cannot help but wonder why Hope had snitched on Scott to the police . . . a day after he had broke into Dr. Pym's home and taken the Ant-Man suit. Unless she was unaware of the actual date that Scott had planned to make the original heist. The movie also suffered from two abrupt endings. One ending featured Luis' revelation that Sam Wilson aka the Falcon was searching for Scott. The other abrupt ending was scene in the movie's second post-credit scene in which Sam revealed his discovery of the missing Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier to Steve Rogers aka Captain America. 

"ANT-MAN" had its usual set of flaws, but I cannot deny that I found it very entertaining. More importantly, I found it to be one of the more unconventional entries in the MCU. On one level, the movie is an origin tale about the comic book figure, Ant-Man. On another level, the movie began with the Ant-Man character already established. This is due to the fact that the movie's main character, Scott Lang, is the second person to become Ant Man. The superhero's first origin happened back in the 1970s or 1980s, when Hank Pym assumed the role and his wife, Janet van Dyne became the Wasp. There has never been a Marvel film before in which a second person assumed the role of a particular superhero or superheroine. If one really looked at the movie from a certain perspective, the role of Ant-Man revolved around three people - Scott Lang, Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne. "ANT-MAN" told how Scott became the superhero. In the case of Hank and Hope; the movie told how the "hero" affected the lives of both father and daughter. Hank's role as Ant-Man had eventually led to the death of Janet van Dyne, which affected their relationship. And Scott becoming the new Ant-Man eventually not only led to their emotional reconciliation, but also helped him reconciled with his ex-wife and her fiancé, which allowed him to spend more time with his daughter. Even the villain, Darren Cross, seemed to have some kind of emotional tie to Hank. The latter had not only considered the former as a protégé, but also a son. Yet, Cross' growing obsession with the Pym Particle and Hank's refusal to tell him about it, led to resentment on Cross' part and coldness on Hank's. I have never come across a Marvel film with that scenario. Come to think of it, I have never come across a Marvel film in which family ties had such a strong impact . . . with the exception of 2003's "THE HULK" and 2010's "IRON MAN 2".

As I had earlier pointed out, "ANT-MAN" is not the usual "superhero/heroine" origin tale, due to the lead character being the second person to assume the role of Ant-Man. The movie is also unusual, due to the fact that it is basically a heist film. Remember that following the death of his wife back in 1987, Hank had concluded that the Pym Particles, which powered the Ant-Man and Wasp suits, was too dangerous to be used . . . by anyone. This is why he had resigned from S.H.I.E.L.D. in the first place . . . to ensure that the government agency would not develop something similar. Unfortunately for Hank, Cross finally managed to create his own shrinking technology (called Yellowjacket). And this forced Hank to recruit Scott to become the new Ant-Man and steal Darren's technology. Scott's past as a professional thief and Master's Degree in Engineering proved to be two of the main reasons why Hank recruited him in the first place. One last aspect of "ANT-MAN" that made it so unusual for me was the offbeat humor that surrounded the characters of Scott, Luis, Dave and Kurt; along with the film's bizarre action sequence in the last twenty minutes.

The technical aspects for "ANT-MAN" seemed pretty solid. But there are two aspects of the film that I found very impressive. One aspect focused on the movie's visual effects created the team led by Allison Gainza. Not only was I impressed by their work in scenes featuring Scott's interactions with many insects, but also how they shrink and inflate both the Ant-Man and Yellow Jacket characters at will. This was especially apparent in scenes featuring Scott's encounter with the Falcon at the Avengers facility and his fight against Cross in the film's final action sequence. Ironically, the visual effects were enhanced by the editing from Dan Lebental and Colby Parker Jr. that made that fight scene so memorable for me. I had never seen such a bizarre action sequence in a Marvel film, since 2013's "THOR: THE DARK WORLD".

When "ANT-MAN" was first in the development stage, the producers had two actors up for the role of Scott Lang aka Ant-Man - Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Paul Rudd. However, Gordon-Levitt dismissed the matter as a rumor and Rudd became the frontrunner. To be perfectly honest, I would have been satisfied with either actor in the role. But I have to give kudos to Rudd to making Scott Lang a plausible professional thief, but also providing the film's emotional backbone. More importantly, Rudd did a superb job of combining both his sardonic style of humor with the emotional desperation that drove his character's actions. I used to believe that the character of Tauriel from "THE HOBBIT" films was actress Evangeline Lilly's best role. Then I saw her portrayal of Hope van Dyne and completely changed my mind. She was exceptional as Hank Pym's embittered daughter, who finds herself willing to work with her father and prevent Darren Cross' plans to sell the Yellowjacket technology. I had read somewhere that Edgar Wright had plans to make Hope a femme fatale character. And while that may have been interesting, I found this new version of Hope equally interesting. Lilly did an exceptional job of expressing Hope's resentment and anger toward her father, while keeping her feelings barely under control. Rounding off this trio is Michael Douglas, who was excellent as the very complicated Dr. Hank Pym. What I enjoyed about Douglas' performance is that not only did he manage to effectively portray the role of mentor, but also revealed certain negative traits in Pym's personality that made him so difficult for both Hope and Cross to deal with.

What can I say about Michael Peña's portrayal of Scott's closest friend, Luis? Some have complained that his character is basically a comic stereotype of the Latino-American male. I would agree . . . superficially. However, between the screenplay and Peña's energetic performance, Luis turned out to be quite an exceptional character who not seemed to be very verbose; but also a lover of fine wine, abstract art and video games. He also proved to be very proficient with his fists. And thanks to Peña's performance, he nearly stole the show. Come to think of it, Corey Stoll was equally effective as the film's main villain, Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket. Of all of the wealthy industrialist/scientists (good or bad) that permeate the Marvel Universe, Cross was one of the most interesting and scariest I have seen. And I have to give kudos to Stoll for making Cross both scary and a bit vulnerable at the same time.

The movie also featured first-rate performances from T.I. "Tip" Harris and David Dastmalchian as Scott and Luis' fellow crew members, Dave and Kurt, who somehow managed to form quite the little screen team by the end of the film. Their discussion of the 1997 movie, "TITANIC" had me rolling on the floor with laughter. "ANT-MAN also featured fine performances from Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, a very funny Wood Harris, and a very charming Abby Ryder Fortson, who portrayed Scott's daughter Cassie. Rounding out this cast was Martin Donovan, who portrayed a former S.H.I.E.L.D. top official/HYDRA mole Mitchell Carson. Although his appearance in the movie was not as long as the others, Donovan did a great job in setting up the malevolent Carson as a future threat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By the way, Donovan had worked with Paul Rudd in the 2000 movie, "THE GREAT GATSBY"; and with Michael Douglas in the 2006 political thriller, "THE SENTINEL". To ensure the movie's tie-in with the MCU, "ANT-MAN" featured cameos from Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), John Slattery (older Howard Stark) in the prologue; and Chris Evans (Steve Rogers) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes). But for me, the real thrill came in the form of Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka the Falcon. His surprise appearance, along with that crazy fight scene between his character and the lead proved to be one of the movie's highlights for me.

"ANT-MAN" is not the type of Marvel film that would strike anyone as mind blowing or epic. And there are those fans who are still castigating it for not being written and directed by Edgar Wright. I personally do not care. I enjoyed the movie very much. Thanks to Peyton Reed's direction, a great cast led by Paul Rudd and a very unusual screenplay written by Rudd and Adam McKay that featured a strong, offbeat humor; I enjoyed the movie very much. In fact, I would go far as to say that "ANT-MAN" was one of the most unusual Marvel productions I have seen. Probably the most unusual. And that makes it unique for me.

"JURASSIC WORLD" (2015) Review

"JURASSIC WORLD" (2015) Review

Being Southern California resident and native, I have made numerous visits to the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. And for the past decade, a guide for the Backlot Tour attraction has announced to visitors about the studio's intention to produce and release a fourth film for the JURASSIC PARK movie franchise. After five years, I stopped taking these announcements seriously. 

Then lo and behold, these announcements turned out to be true. Universal finally made it official last year that a fourth movie would be made and it was to star Chris Pratt. Despite this announcement, I did not make such a big deal over the matter. One . . . I simply did not care. Mind you, I am a big fan of the other three films. But fourteen years had passed between the third film and this fourth one. For me, that was ten to eleven years too long. And two, I could not see Chris Pratt in an action film in which he would have to somewhat curtail on the jokes. But when I learned about the reactions to the film overseas, I finally began to look forward to seeing it.

Set twenty-odd years after "JURASSIC PARK" and less than a decade after "JURASSIC PARK III", "JURASSIC WORLD" takes place on Isla Nublar, the same setting as the 1993 film. There, a fully functioning dinosaur theme park called Jurassic World has operated for ten years under the ownership of Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Corporation. A pair of brothers named Zach and Gray Mitchell are sent there during the winter holidays to visit their aunt Claire Dearing, the park's operations manager. Due to Claire's busy schedule with recruiting corporate sponsors for a new attraction - a genetically modified dinosaur called Indominus rex, her assistant is tasked to act as the boys' guide. Slightly leery about this new attraction, Masrani orders Claire to recruit the park's Velociraptor trainer, a former U.S. Navy SEAL named Owen Grady, to assess the Indominus rex. Unfortunately, the dinosaur manages to escape his/her compound by tricking Grady and two staff members that it had made an earlier escape. And Masrani discovers from the dinosaur's creator, Dr. Henry Wu, that the Indominus rex has the DNA of several predatory dinosaurs and modern-day animals. While Masrani orders Security Chief Vic Hoskins and the Asset Containment Unit to capture the dinosaur, Claire tries to organize the evacuation of the park and recruits Owen to help her find her nephews.

"JURASSIC WORLD" had a few problems. Actually, I had three problems with the movie. One, I wish the movie had taken its time to set up the reason behind the Mitchell brothers' visit to the theme park. Audiences never really learn the reason behind their visit - namely an opportunity for their parents to organize their upcoming divorce - until a brief conversation between the two brothers in the middle of the film. Apparently, director Colin Trevorrow; who also co-wrote the film with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Derek Connolly; wanted to get the brothers to Isla Nubar as soon as possible. Another aspect of the script that I found slightly troubling was the vague and confusing situation regarding Masrani Corporation, The InGen Corporation and the Dr. Henry Wu and Vic Hoskins characters. Was there an executive or two within InGen plotting with the two men to regain the company from Masrani? What roles did the Grady trained Velociraptors play in this possible scheme? Perhaps the matter will be clear once I see the DVD version. Also, the Owen Grady character spent most of the film reacting negatively to Hoskins' idea of training and using Velociraptors on behalf of the U.S. military. I could understand his feelings. What I failed to understand was his reasoning for training the dinosaurs to obey his commands in the first place. Why did he engage in this profession? The movie never really explained.

Otherwise, I had no problems with "JURASSIC WORLD". Wait . . . I take that back. My reaction to the movie was a lot more that mere tolerance. I really enjoyed the film. A lot more than I had expected. In fact, it has become one of my top favorite films for the Summer 2015 movie season. Aside from the hiccups I had mentioned above, I really enjoyed the movie's story. The previous three movies merely gave hints - although bloody ones - that the idea of introducing the general public to genetically created dinosaurs is a major mistake. Actually, the second film, 1997's "JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD", was really the first time that featured a confrontation between the public (citizens of San Diego) and lethal dinosaurs (a Tyrannosaurus rex and its infant child). But that incident was nothing in compare to what happened in "JURASSIC WORLD". When I watched Jurassic World's guests and staff members encounter the deadly Indominus rex, flocks of flying Pteranodon and Dimorphodon, and the Mosasaurus; I found myself remembering what the Ian Malcolm character first said in the first movie - "There is a problem with that island. It is an accident waiting to happen." I could also imagine his reaction to the media reports of what happened in the theme park.

I found myself wondering about that theme park. After the incident of the first film, the John Hammond character had the good sense to ditch his plans for a theme park and realize it would be wise to keep the two islands and the dinosaurs isolated from the public. Yet, according to "JURASSIC WORLD", Simon Masrani had been encouraged to re-institute the idea of a theme park by Hammond before the latter's death. What made Hammond change his mind? Had Masrani managed to convince the latter that he would be able to keep that park under control? Someone had pointed out that"JURASSIC WORLD" was more about the negative effects of high finance and greed, instead of bad science. I believe it was a cautionary tale regarding both . . . along with defense contracting. I had not forgotten the clash between Owen and Hoskins over the use of the Velociraptors. 

One controversy managed to spring up following the movie's release. It had to do with the Claire Dearing character and her high-heeled shoes. There have been complaints about Claire - her uptight character and the lack of respect she seemed to generate from characters like Owen, her two nephews (who had witnessed her save Owen's life from a Dimorphodon) and Hoskins. Only Masrani seemed to have any real respect for her. A good number of critics . . . especially male critics, seemed to have a low regard for Claire. They saw her as a regression of female characters in an action-oriented film. What was the one thing that led them to harbor this low regard for Claire? Her unwillingness to shed her high-heeled shoes once the situation on the island became dicey. Perhaps they saw her shoes as this symbol of femininity that needed to be shed, once the action started. However, actress Bryce Dallas Howard thought otherwise and insisted that she continue to wear high heels throughout the movie. This decision caused a firestorm when the movie came out and still continues to do so. Personally, I am glad Howard made this decision. I do get tired of fans, the media and the entertainment industry insisting that in order for women to be considered worthy or superior, she has to shed any signs of outward femininity. Besides, she was not the only female character I have seen run for her life in high heels. Stephanie Zimbalist did it on "REMINGTON STEELE".

One cannot talk about a JURASSIC PARK movie without the mention of visual effects. Personally, I found the creation of the movie's dinosaurs - especially the Indominus rex and the Mosasaurus outstanding. I could also say the same about Ed Verreaux's production designs for the film. I admire his creation of the theme park's shopping area - which slightly reminded me of Universal Studios Hollywood - and the way he utilized the old sets of the 1993 movie as abandoned structures. I wish I could comment on Michael Giacchino's score for the film. But honestly . . . I simply do not remember it. Kevin Stitt did an excellent job with his editing for the film. I was especially impressed by his handling of the Pteranodons and Dimorphodons' attack on the park's shopping area and the Owen-led expedition against the Indominus rex in the jungle. But I was really impressed by John Schwartzman's cinematography - especially in the scene below:



Amidst the crazy plot, the CGI dinosaurs and action, there is the matter of the performances featured in the movie. Personally, I had no problems with them. Perhaps I am being a bit too subtle. I really enjoyed the performances in the film. "JURASSIC WORLD" featured solid performances from Judy Greer, Omar Sy, Jake Johnson, Katie McGrath, Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins. The movie also featured a funny cameo by Jimmy Fallon as a video guide for the park's Gyrosphere tour. 

For me, the outstanding performances came from certain members of the cast. Vincent D'Onofrio gave an energetic, yet slightly sinister portrayal of the park's head of security operations, Vic Hoskins. Irrfan Khan was equally energetic, yet very charming as the park's owner, Simon Masrani. B.D. Wong made his second appearance in the movie franchise as Dr. Henry Wu, the geneticist behind the dinosaurs' creations. Wong made a decent appearance in the 1993 movie. But his performance in "JURASSIC WORLD" revealed the character's inability to question the consequences of his creations gave Dr. Wu more depth and complexity. Chris Pratt did an excellent job as the movie's leading man and Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady. Pratt effectively ditched his usual humor schtick to portray the no-nonsense Owen. But I believe that Bryce Dallas Howard gave the best performance in the movie as the park's operation manager, Claire Dearing. Howard did an exceptional job in portraying Claire's development from an emotionally reserved workaholic to a woman fiercely determined to keep her nephews safe at all costs . . . even if it meant wearing those much-discussed high heels throughout the entire movie.

What else can I say about "JURASSIC WORLD"? The movie's producers (including Steven Spielberg), director Colin Trevorrow and the three other screenwriters who worked with him on the script did an excellent in keeping the JURASSIC PARK franchise alive. They were ably assisted by a talented cast led by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, and the behind-the-scenes crew that contributed to the movie's visual style. And if I must be honest, I never thought they could do it.

"ENTOURAGE" (2015) Review

"ENTOURAGE" (2015) Review

When I first learned that a movie continuation of the HBO 2004-2011 series, "ENTOURAGE", was scheduled to hit the theaters for the summer of 2015, I responded to the news with a shrug. Quite honestly, I was not interested. I would have skipped the movie if my relatives had insisted upon seeing it. So, I was stuck . . . and I saw the movie in the theaters. 

Picking up some time after its final season, "ENTOURAGE" focused upon movie star Vincent "Vince" Chase's attempt to direct his movie career to a new path, following the failure of his nine-day marriage. His former agent-turned-studio chief, Ari Gold, offers Vince the lead in a new movie called "Hyde". The latter agrees to star in the film, only if he is allowed to direct. Also, Vince ensures that his older brother, actor Johnny "Drama" Chase, is cast in a major supporting role. While"Hyde" is in the middle of post-production, Vince asks for an additional $10 million to finish it, despite being over budget. Ari watches a rough cut of the film and realizes that the studio might have a major hit on its hands. He flies to Texas to meet the movie's co-financiers; Larsen McCredle and his son Travis; in order to get the additional $10 million. A reluctant Larsen sends son Travis back to Los Angeles with Ari to see a cut of the film at Vince's private screening. Although Vince never gets around to showing the cut at his screening party, Travis does see the film . . . and declares it a disaster. He believes the only way to save the film is to re-shoot it without Vince as lead actor or director.

Meanwhile, Vince's personal manager and best friend, Eric "E" Murphy, seemed to be having girl trouble. While helping ex-girlfriend prepare for the birth of their child, his womanizing around the Hollywood/Beverly Hills community is attracting negative attention from current and past girlfriends. Vince's other best friend, Salvatore "Turtle" Assante, seemed to be in a conundrum over whether or not to seriously date mixed martial artist/actress Ronda Rousey. And while "Drama" is worried over whether or not his part in "Hyde" will make the final cut, he veers into an adulterous affair with a married woman, who has a dangerous and vindictive husband.

"ENTOURAGE" did not fare well at the box office. It garnered negative reviews and was not even able to earn twice its budget. One of the main complaints of the film was those movie audiences who never saw the HBO television series would not be able to understand the plot or its characters. My experience with the television series is very limited. Although I enjoyed them, I only saw a handful of episodes from either Season Seven or Eight. But despite my limited memories of the series, I did not want to see this film. But you know what? I am glad I saw it. Because I rather enjoyed it. 

Let me be frank. "ENTOURAGE" proved to be a rather fun little souffle among the major blockbusters, this summer. I have no problems with this. I do not demand that every film be some heavily special-effects driven action/fantasy film or a contender for an Academy Award nomination. And my sister, who had never seen a single episode of the series before she saw the film, actually managed to understand the film . . . and enjoy it as well. This was due to producer-director-writer Doug Ellin's decision to recap the five major characters' past in a sequence that featured a news story about Vince and his co-horts on one of those entertainment news shows that I had stopped watching over a decade-and-a-half ago. Equally entertaining was the movie's physical setting. Southern California never looked as good as it did in this film. Thanks to Steven Fierberg's sharp and colorful photography, Los Angeles looked more gorgeous than it usually does on a clear and sunny day.

As he had done for the television series, Ellin did a pretty good job of weaving the main story regarding Vince's film with the movie's other subplots. Mind you, I enjoyed those subplots involving Eric's womanizing, Turtle's budding relationship with Ronda Rousey and Johnny's disastrous affair. But I really enjoyed the movie's main narrative regarding Vince's movie, "HYDE". First of all, I found the entire plot something of a nail biting affair, as Ari moved heaven and earth to save Vince's film. And second of all, Ari and Vince's struggles with the crude and pushy young Travis McCredle reminded me of how time and again, many Hollywood productions have been compromised by their financial backers' lack of artistry.

The four actors portraying the old friends from Queens - namely Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara proved that even after four years, their screen chemistry remained strong as ever. I especially enjoyed Dillon's performance as the insecure Johnny "Drama". "ENTOURAGE" featured its usual share of celebrity cameos . . . well, perhaps more than I cared. Among my favorite appearances were Jessica Alba, Andrew Dice Clay, David Faustino, Armie Hammer, Chad Lowe, Bob Saget, and Richard Schiff. Ronda Rousey really surprised me by showing she could give a competent performance, even if she was portraying herself. I also enjoyed Emmanuelle Chriqui's performance as Eric's warm, yet no-nonsense ex-girlfriend, Sloan McQuewick. But one my two favorite performances came from - not surprisingly - Jeremy Piven, who was sharp and funny as ever as Hollywood slickster Ari Gold. The other performance that really impressed me came from Haley Joel Osment, who was fantastic and spot on as the crude and arrogant young Travis McCredle.

Was there anything about "ENTOURAGE" that I disliked? Honestly? Well . . . yes. I disliked the movie's mid-end credit scene. It was nice that Ari's former assistant Lloyd got married. But otherwise, the sequence seemed out of place. I realize that it has become traditional for the Disney Studios to add a mid-credit scene for their big films. But I saw no reason for Doug Ellin to add one for "ENTOURAGE". It was just . . . meh. And Lloyd's wedding could have been part of the main narrative. One would think that I regard this film as some kind of comedic masterpiece. Trust me, I do not. I never had any high expectations for "ENTOURAGE" and found myself surprised by how much I found it entertaining. That is all.

It seemed a shame that "ENTOURAGE" laid an egg at the box office. Then again, the early-to-mid summer struck me as the wrong time to release a piece of fluff like this film. I would have released it during August or September. Otherwise, I found the movie colorful and entertaining. And it was nice to see that the five leads still managed to generate a good deal of chemistry.

"ANT-MAN" (2015) Photo Gallery

Below are images from the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, "ANT-MAN". Directed by Peyton Reed, the movie stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man: 


"ANT-MAN" (2015) Photo Gallery

"JURASSIC WORLD" (2015) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "JURASSIC WORLD", the fourth entry in the "JURASSIC WORLD" film franchise. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the movie starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard:


"JURASSIC WORLD" (2015) Photo Gallery